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Manufacturer: Sideshow Toy, Inc. (www.sideshowtoy.com) |
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Well, this was a pleasant surprise! I've never reviewed a statue
before, and this is quite a doozy to start out on. Sideshow's first
Balrog statue came out several years ago, cost $300.00 and immediately
sold out. This follow-up piece is an all-new sculpt, at half the price
and no set edition size... and it also has immediately sold out.
Apparently the world is crying out for Balrogs. So does the Balrog -
Flame of Udun statue live up to the hype?
I'm not generally a connoisseur of statuary, being more an action figure sort of guy, but this is one beautiful chunk of polystone (in a nightmarish, demonic sort of way, of course). The Balrog is crouched on a pedestal of volcanic rock, its huge wings wrapped around its body, roaring as it lunges forward with its fanged and skull-like jaws yawning wide. Its mane is a plume of blazing fire, and molten heat and light seep through the cracks of its body.
Every detail of the Balrog and its stone pedestal is sculpted
perfectly, down to the tiny folds and wrinkles in the leathery wings.
The rock looks like natural stone, the skin hints at muscle and armor
and bone beneath, and the sculpt of the fiery mane is raw and
elemental. The Balrog's body is painted a coal-like matte black, with a
blend of orange and yellow to simulate the fire that blazes inside the
creature. The bright colors stand out terrifically in the pits and
crannies of the Balrog's skin, and the eyes, nose and mouth really seem
to be glowing from within. There's even the faintest of fiery paint
washes on the bat-like wings. The stone base is an earthy and realistic
mix of dark greys and browns. The overall effect is one of primal force
and fury, of a creature created, as described in The Lord of the Rings,
out of flame and shadow.
The statue includes an oval-shaped base. The Balrog is balanced
well enough to stand without the base and looks fantastic either way.
They connect by means of a thick, square metal pin that lets you
reposition the statue at 90-degree intervals. The top of the base is
detailed with a section of the famous map of Middle-earth, and the
bottom features the movie title, statue title and creator credits (the
excellent sculpture is credited to Ryk Fortuna, whose signature is also
printed on the bottom). Mounted on the base, the statue stands a little
over 11 inches high at the tallest point on the mane, and the base
itself measures just over 9 inches across. Adjust your shelfspace
accordingly.
That's a lot of positive raving. So what are the downsides to the Flame of Udun? Well, there are one or two minor issues. My statue has a small black spot on one side of its orange tongue, the sole exception to an otherwise perfect paint job. There were also a few tiny (and easily fixed) chips on the back of the rock base. Collectors in earthquake-prone regions should be advised that the thin tongue and horns would almost certainly break if the statue were ever to fall, but that's true of any polystone item with fine details. That's... about it. Overall, this is a nearly flawless piece of art.
So where would Miss Manners suggest as the appropriate place in the house for displaying a demonic creature of flame and shadow?
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