Review – Black Rock Shooter Vinyl Statue

Standing almost 11-inches tall, this Black Rock Shooter series (Amazon.com search*) vinyl statue is actually a bootleg piece that I got on eBay for $30. And that’s actually a pretty incredible price when you realize that the official version is horribly expensive and that this bootleg actually isn’t too bad a piece. Is it worth $30? Probably . . . if you like the look of Huke’s Black Rock Shooter character designs.

Flaming Eye

The statue comes with two hair pieces that snap down into the front of the face, one with the blue flame over the eye and one without. The piece fits in snuggly — it was a little tough to break free at first — but even once you’ve snapped it into place you can see the seam. It’s not horribly obvious, but the last thing you want to see on such a large statue is a seam or blemish, so the swappable hair pieces are a bit of a failure. It works, but not perfectly.

Sculpt

Very nice work! The character is brought to three-dimensional life perfectly, looking as if it came straight out of Huke’s art book (reading post here). The sculpted base is tight, but it’s the character’s lines and clothing that really shows where the effort was placed. And that flowing coat is great, billowing in several directions and looking as if it was a nightmare for the artist to sculpt . . . and even more of a headache for the factory to manufacture. And bootlegging the design? I would hate to have been the one in charge of copying this design without access to a master.

Paint

A lot better than I was expecting when I knowingly purchased a bootleg statue. There are a few rough spots here and there, but as a shelf display piece for $30 it’s actually quite well done. The airbrush work on the hair is a nice touch and overall I’m quite happy with the quality of the paintwork; I wish I had access to the official version of this statue because I suspect that they’re kinda tough to tell apart.

Closing Thoughts

If I had spent $100 or $200 for the statue I’d likely be unhappy, but at $30 I can say this is a great addition to my Black Rock Shooter series (Amazon.com search*) collection that is slowly growing. The plastic feels good, the sculpt is great, and the paint looks excellent when you look at the statue on the shelf.

Enjoy the pics, guys! I wish I had more time at the moment to rattle on, but it’s time I get to work.

Philip Reed hopes everyone understands that the drop in updates here at the site is only because he has been so busy with work and not that he doesn’t want to spend his days playing with toys and statues.