It’s been a busy couple months of figure buying at my local comic shop with all the great stuff coming out lately! I completely fell for this Barbara Gordon Batgirl bust when I first saw the prototype at C2E2 earlier this year, and she immediately went on my “preorder as soon as I see it” list. Sculptor Jim Maddox brought us a great figure, but how did the manufactured version stack up? Check it out after the jump!
B-Go’s lost a little bit in facial details and I have to say I prefer the prototype’s lip color much more, but overall I’m very pleased with the final result! Jim Maddox has done a great job capturing all the tiny, often maddening details of Jim Lee’s suit design for the New 52. Barbara’s expression seems to capture the spirit writer Gail Simone has brought out in her pretty well; I can almost hear her thinking about the muffins she’s going to chow down on after her patrol is over.
I know busts aren’t for everyone, but you have to appreciate the higher level of detail most of them bring due to the larger size. I see a few flaws in manufacturing on the glove here, but Mr. Maddox’s original obsessive attention to detail really shows through. The OCD in me wants to fix the shading on that glove, but it’s showing up a lot more here than it does in real life.
I’ve been spoiled so by beautiful anime hair sculpts that I can’t help but wish the cold casting process could be changed up to allow for better hair movement, but it doesn’t take away from the final product. I love the changes in finish from matte to gloss on the suit, that was a nice touch to really bring out all the fine details that might otherwise get lost in the black.
My copy seems to have a couple paint issues in small areas, but mostly DC Collectibles has done a great job bringing as much detail as they could through with very few flaws. Of course, I always wish everything came in a resin kit so I could take the time to do it up a little better, but you can’t have everything!
Overall a great value for the $70 MSRP. Batgirl stands at 6.5 inches high and 7 inches deep due to her cape. I have another Jim Maddox sculpt coming soon in the New 52 Wonder Woman bust, so we’ll see how this line continues to stack up!
You can find this Batgirl bust for purchase at your local comic shop or online retailers such as Big Bad Toy Store or Amazon.
Photo Credit: Tiffany Clarke
