First Look At DST Buffyverse Statues

From the December edition of Radical Confidential, a bit of Spike:



Flame-on! Coat sleeve length looks good, though...

That flame looks too blobby and unproportioned or is it just me?

I didn't know DST was going to start a line of statues. I'm not specially interested, given the poor results that they have shown with their busts and some of their 6 inch figure waves. However, if they finally manage to do something cool, I'll get it.

Most of their busts are actually great. Sometimes pictures do some pieces. I find this a lot with the GG busts. I own them, and feel they are up to my standards, and mine are usually high. Of course some quality is lost through translation from prototype to the final mass produced product but that isn't any different from a lot of Sideshow's stuff either.

That pic isnt too good to show anything off. The flame looks really detailess and huge. Dont think lighters make flames that big.
Still the line could be promising!
(I'll stick with my PF Spike though )

The difference between the prototype and the actual product is abyssmal with DST busts. Some may look good, but in general, they look cheap, whereas the prototypes usually look amazing. Take the two Buffys, the Buffy Vs. Dracula Bust looked incredible on the first picture of the prototype, I was decided to get it, but the final product leaves a lot to be desired. Willow and Tara were the same. Spike, Oz and the monsters are quite good though.

I wouldnt say there busts are terrible but the buffys are the worst
I only have two of there busts "spike and "uber vamp" the ubervamp is very good!

How do you no that statue is spike?Couldnt it be someone else?I mean every one maskes Spike.

Well it's obviously Spike judging by the trade mark Duster,

Either Spike's Zippo has been turned into a flame thrower, or he's crotch is on fire!!

I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of it looks like, even though I have grave doubts as to what the quality of the final product will be like.

Yes but lots of people wore black besides I carnt see any duster on his legs,just the trousers,it looks like a long sleved top tuucked into black pants.

Im not 100%sure its Spike

buffy-collector said:

How do you no that statue is spike?

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DST's E-Spectrum newsletter stated it was a sneak peak at Spike, so Spike it is.

olvidadero said:

The difference between the prototype and the actual product is abyssmal with DST busts. Some may look good, but in general, they look cheap, whereas the prototypes usually look amazing. Take the two Buffys, the Buffy Vs. Dracula Bust looked incredible on the first picture of the prototype, I was decided to get it, but the final product leaves a lot to be desired. Willow and Tara were the same. Spike, Oz and the monsters are quite good though.

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I am guessing (be honest) you haven't seen the DST Buffy busts in person. Especially the Buffy vs. Dracula which I own. Majority of people's pictures do the busts no justice whatsoever. Also remember, those prototype pics will be better because of a combination of things.

1. It's the prototype. It's the original piece. It's perfected to sell us on it, but somethings, like quality get lost in translation from prototype to the mass produced product. Then again, this goes for even Sideshow's products. Just take the Buffy 1/4 Premium Format for example. Her prototype shots looked amazing compared to the fan pics taken of her afterwards. Some complained about lazy eye and other things of that nature. Yet when we saw her in person, some of us got to see her in a much more truer light. This is the same case with DST's busts. Ask any person who owns a lot of the DST Buffy figures and busts on btvsfigs boards and you'll get the same reaction out of them as you got with me.

2. They could be possibly photoshopped to perfect the piece. I know the last shots of the Buffy PFs we got before the item was released were photoshopped. You can tell easily.

3. Or simply could be that you have seen these critters in person and you don't agree with what I say. And that my friend, is okay.

I have seen the Buffy vs. Dracula bust in person, that is why I gave my opinion on her and didn't say anything specific about the other Buffy bust. My opinion on the rest of the busts is based on pictures on the net.

I think, after 4 years of collecting Sideshow figures, waiting months for each of them, living the "Willow experience", and well, having seen all the Buffy/Angel figures in person after looking at the protoype pics forever, I can assure I am well aware of the points you nicely estated. I normally see the final products of my long-anticipated items with the best eyes, however, that's not the case of the Buffy bust, it looked too bad to me, that's all

Do we know the scale of these statues? If they are like the other DST statues, they're just the same sculpt as the action figure, but immobile. If that's the case, it's an easy pass for me.

Darklord Dave said:

Do we know the scale of these statues?

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No, but I'd like to see DST produce them in 1:6 scale, with the hope that we will see some characters that were not feasible for Sideshow to produce, like the Judge, Fyarl Demon Giles, etc. I realize they will be stachoos rather than dollies but, at least they would be in scale with Sideshow's figures.

Hey, maybe we'll get really lucky and wind up with a decent Willow and Faith; Head-casting, anyone?

Yeah the fact we're getting another Spike statue is ridiculous considering he's been made in almost every form: Bust, mini statue, action figure, doll, cardboard cut out (well he has been), plush, and Premium Format. So why is a bloody statue of Spike needed?! DST make something we don't have, like a Moloch or an Adam. Not my most favorite characters on the show, but looks wise they would translate really nicely into statues and toys. Heck, even the Judge could benefit from a statue, granted he already has a bust and now a 6" BAF coming out, he would still make an awesome statue.

Eli26 said:

So why is a bloody statue of Spike needed?! DST make something we don't have, like a Moloch or an Adam. Not my most favorite characters on the show, but looks wise they would translate really nicely into statues and toys.

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I think you've answered your own question there. They aren't as popular or well known to the general public as the main chracters, and so as a money making business they are going to try and play it safe and produce items based on some of the more popular characters such as Spike, Buffy or Willow.

Every format that starts out is going to do Buffy, Angel, Spike and go from there. It will be a ways down the road before we see SKIP!!!!

But if these are 1/6, I definitely would be interested in the non-Scoob characters.

I am well aware that I answered my own question... but did I really? Thing is how is it playing safe? There is so many of those three characters (Buffy, Angel, Spike) that have been released in every format, in some instances in multiple cases, eg: Buffy with statues and her busts, Angel with his plushies. The Buffy /Angel fans are the only ones buying these products. Some person who has absolutely no love for the two shows won't be interested in this license. Given what I have witnessed, we Buffy/Angel fanatics are a bit fed up of purchasing the same characters over and over again. I know this through knowing what I want, what other fellow Buffy collectors want from discussing said topic with them, and seeing what fellow Joss Whedon fans have said on the BTVSfigs forums. At the same time, maybe there is room for 20,000 different versions of a Spike sculpture, be it in figure, statue, Premium Format, bust, plush, or doll form... but enough is enough already.

Take a chance. Give us something different. Who knows. Maybe it sells. Maybe it won't. Much like how I see that ATTAKUS Buffy selling out *insert rolling eyes icon* or the irrelevant plush Spike. *again, insert rolling eyes icon* Thing is the big three don't always sell like hot cakes. I think both Sideshow and DST would be surprised to see what kind of success they would have if they attacked other characters outside of the main Scooby circle. Then again, I don't know how successful DST's Buffy monster busts did in comparison to the Scooby busts in terms of overall sales.

These companies are over-saturating the market with the main three and to a further extent Willow, using this whole "playing it safe" approach. That's my only gripe. I just want variety. Is that too much to ask for?

I guess in the end, I shouldn't be complaining. After several years (got my first 12" Varner Buffy statue back in 1999) companies are still rolling out tons of new items with the license, so that shows it is still thriving and that the fanbase behind these collectibles is still there. So I suppose it could be worse.

Well If the likeness is good I'll be getting it, and I know that a good few folks on the Spike/James Marsters boards think the same.

Oh, and not forgetting the good folks on fandom groups of live journal.

The things is, like Buffy and Angel he is an 'iconic' figure from the show, and so will always guarantee at least some sales, even it's from the 'hard core' Spike fans, of which there appear to be a least a fair few.

I'm not sure that can be said of such 'minor' characters as Adam. Great though he was, and important to series 4, but to the show as a whole, not so much.

Neither is the Judge, yet many fans cry for him to be produced. Unlike the Judge, Adam was actually an integral part of the show for a season's worth vs. two episodes. You would be surprised the fan following behind some of Buffy's rich history of monsters.

Some of the main ones in no particular order:

Judge, Moloch, Sweet, Adam, Glory (yes she is having a few figures made), the Gentlemen (yet both Sideshow and DST made figures of them, and statues, AND BUSTS! Odd!), and the Mayor.