Sunday, September 11, 2016

Seen@STGCC2016 Part 2: XM Studios Booth - X-Men, Catwoman, Witchblade, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Beta Ray Bill, Moon Knight

continued from previous toy blog post...

One of the things I look forward to every year when it comes to the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2016 - now at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, Level B2, Halls E & F - is the display of statues by XM Studios. XM Studios is Singapore's very own producer of limited edition premium statue collectibles and IMHO they produce one of the best statues I've ever seen. I still prefer 1/6th scale figures over statues because 1/6th scale figures come with articulation which makes them pose-able in many ways you can imagine plus they are outfitted with highly detailed costumes / uniforms, and intricately crafted weapons as well as accessories. You can pose many 1/6th scale figures together to form a scene or picture and then change their formation so that they can look different and be doing something else in the next instant. That is the flexibility and the range you can get from 1/6th scale figures.


A statue, on the other hand, is a sculpture and once cast, is fixed in that state or stance forever. They are usually quite large and takes up quite a bit of space. They are also a lot more expensive than 1/6th scale figures meaning I can get more figures for one statue and still have space. However, a statue if done right, can be something that is quite awesome to behold and stunning in its majesty due to its size. Such is the XM Studios X-Men vs Sentinel diorama series shown at STGCC 2016. So much power and poise exhibited at the same time with the intensity so thick you can cut it with a butter knife. The Sentinel may be huge but the X-Men attack as a team from all sides to take it down. This beautiful piece of sculpture just took my breath away and I had to pick my jaw off the floor before I could take any pictures LOL Besides this jaw-dropping statue on display, a few other statues really stood out for me and if I had the money, I would've splurged on them all. That's how much XM Studios managed to convert me from a 1/6th guy to a XM Studios statue lover BUT lack of funds held me back. Still, I'm most grateful for the opportunity to view these masterpieces in person and that I have these pictures to remember them by.

Scroll down to see all the pictures.
Click on them for bigger and better view.


This XM Studios 1:4 scale Catwoman (comic edition) is the other standout piece for me. The re-imagining of Catwoman as a sexy, alluring Japanese lady in her sleek all-black costume (to match the upcoming Samurai Batman release - see the pictures below plus preview picts posted earlier HERE) on her ultra-cool looking bike is just purrfect!


Then there's Witchblade...


and Darkness, characters from the comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 to 2015. The series was created by Top Cow founder and owner Marc Silvestri, editor David Wohl, writer Brian Haberlin, and artist Michael Turner.


Here's a look at Namor the Sub-Mariner all ready to throw his trident at the unseen enemy while standing on top of a giant octopus


The Black Panther has been receiving a lot of attention of late, all thanks to his role in the 2016 American superhero film, "Captain America: Civil War" where Chadwick Boseman played the role of T'Challa / Black Panther to purfection.


There's also Elektra from Marvel's Daredevil storyline


Electro (much prefer this comic edition to the Jamie Foxx version in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 film)


Curt Connors The Lizard (another miss in the film version, poorly executed because we wanted him to be so much more)


Kraven the Hunter (I could so picture Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson portraying him in the film version)


I seem to favor gals and guys on motorcycles because this was another piece that got my attention, though not as much as the guy in the next picture below. This statue / image of Frank Castle Punisher holding the handle bar on a bike with right hand while carrying an M-60 machine gun with his left hand is a treat for the eyes. Although Jon Bernthal played a great Frank Castle Punisher in the netflix series, I was expecting a guy with a bigger build body because I always pictured Frank Castle as a Bruce Wayne Batman gone bad, with pure vengeance only on his mind when he deals with criminals after what happened to him and his family.


This XM Studios Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider on his Flame Cycle is something to behold. What a sight!


One of my all-time favorite Marvel superheroes is Iron Fist and it's nice to see XM Studios presenting him in one of his trademark poses, executing a flying kick and breaking a stone wall in the process.


There were also prototypes on display, sculpted but not painted yet still so nice to look at.


NEXT: Part 3 – Other statues and figures seen at Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2016

No comments: