Statue Spotlight: Storm PF by Sideshow Collectibles

Ahhh, the annual tradition of waiting six months for a statue teased during the "12 Days of Sideshow" event in December. Usually, the anticipation leading up to the reveal builds too much of a momentum to find yourself anything but disappointed. I think, this year in particular, I found myself with tempered expectations considering the past few X-Men releases from Sideshow. I am not sure if it is because they have hit the end of this line or if it is an across the board creative shift, but the style of their X-Men line has shifted from modernized to classic and their inclusion of Exclusive versions this year is not as automatic as it usually has been. Both of these have been disappointing developments for me, although we do not yet have confirmation of whether this statue will have an Exclusive version or not, it is not looking good. The trend over the past chunk of Sideshow pre-orders is that having any exclusive switch-outs is a rarity, with about 65% of recent pre-orders having only a single version. Regardless of the prospect of an Exclusive, I will take a look at the piece as it is and discuss my pros, my cons, and give my overall take on this highly anticipated character from Sideshow Collectibles.

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RECENT PRE-ORDERS

No Exclusive (13): Hulk vs Hulkbuster Maquette, Galactus Maquette, Harley Quinn and the Joker Diorama, Rancor Statue, Superman the Movie PF, Scarlet Witch PF, Oathbreaker Stryfe: Fallen Mortis Knight PF, Moff Gideon PF, Black Canary PF, Cara Dune PF, The Mandalorian and Grogu PF, General Obi-Wan Kenobi Mythos, Symbiote Spider-Man PF

Exclusive Version (7): Darth Vader PF, Anakin Mythos, Ahsoka Tano PF, Power Girl PF, Wolverine PF, Darkseid Maquette, Batman Who Laughs P

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STORM - PREMIUM FORMAT FIGURE

BY SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES

Starting with the size and dimensions, this statue comes in at 23" tall with a 12" width. A decently sized footprint that should not lead to many difficulties fitting her into a current collection. The depth will be variable, of course, depending on how you choose to display the wired, fabric cape. On eye alone, the depth without the cape appears to be about 8"-9", but with the cape that can probably range to add up to another 5" inches if extended. While the weight has not yet been listed, I have to assume the base will have a bit of heft as it supports her levitating pose. With that being said, let's transition into the pros of this recent reveal.

PROS

I have to begin with the paint choice for Storm's suit. For those who don't know, Storm's 90's costume, made popular by Jim Lee, was silver in the comics but was made white in the animated series, which made the white suit the common thought. I think Sideshow made a masterful decision with the paint colors on her suit, which does not come off as a hard silver, but more of a silver/pearl white. It comes off as the perfect middle ground between those wanting silver and those wanting white. With only XM Studios having released a 1:4 Storm, Sideshow knew what not to do with the base to avoid the claims of copying (a twister/tornado), so they went with something I actually appreciate more. They chose a swirling wind that is ridden with debris and is angled in an upward motion to translate the fact that she is flying. Of course, a great attention to detail was making sure that the hair was flowing in the same direction as the base. I really like this base, but I will discuss why I don't love it in the cons.

The pose is really nice, both capturing Storm's elegance as well as her power. I think the upper body, with both arms extended and her fingers wide captures a classic weather manipulating pose for Storm. I like the lower body and could not think of what I would do different, but I do wonder if the starfish formation was the best choice. Yes, I am aware that this pose cloesly mirrors their Magneto Maquette, but guess what, it fits the character. It's a non-discussion. What I have seen a lot of discussion about is the face sculpt, with many collectors wishing another sculptor took the reigns on it. I think the face is fantastic. The subtle opening of her lips, the subtly furious brow, the unexaggerated cheekbones, and the whited-out eyes captures exactly what I think the character looks like. It's another expertly sculpted/painted headsculpt from Sideshow that the factory will not do justice.

CONS

I will go ahead and get the cape out of the way. Like many, I hate mixed media and wanted a sculpted cape, though I knew this would not be getting one. So I will, instead, touch on the cape design as it is. I think the cape would have done better if it had the split design with each arm having its own small cape (see below). Their are a couple of reasons for this, firstly, as someone not a fan of fabric capes, I would prefer to have less fabric with which to manage. Secondly, the greater reason is I feel like the full cape comes off as a bit heavy and offsets the balance of the upper statue and lower statue.

Touching on the base, I do wish the base was a bit bigger and a bit higher. She feels a bit too close to the bottom for someone who is supposedly flying into the sky. Sure, you can argue that this is her iniitally taking off, but I am not arguing against how one perceives the story behind the piece. I just think it would be more impactful for her to be higher up above other characters (yes, yes, I can put her on a riser, I get it). Also, with a bit more base you can add a bit more materials and wind effect, showcasing a more powerful impact to her environment. The wind is also a bit too dark and could easily be mistaken as water. A clear effect would probably come off as cheap and plastic, so maybe something lighter with more grays to help differentiate that its wind. Lastly, the hairline does not look great from the front angle, which is likely how it will be displayed. How the hairline meets the head could be improved in production, but the sculpt of where the hair meets the head is too straight cut and doesn't capture the tufts of her hair.

It is not necessarily a con, but I do think not having an Exclusive version will be a detriment to pushing this piece to greater heights. I think there are three options for really giving this piece a great edge. An alternate head with a more furious expression, switchout hands with lightning effects (could come off cheap), or even a flickering light effect in the base to emulate lightning. I don't expect any of these, particularly the switchout hands, as I can see the cape coming attached to the hand/wrist and shoulder pads.

This is a really nice statue and I will be happy to own it. While my personal perference would have given a bit of modernization to the suit with some texturing here or there, I can appreciate the classic feel to the piece. At only $600, it is hard to beat this rendition of such a rarely made character who is essential to any X-Men collection.

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