I'm re-posting my review from the POTA megathread here:
MY OFFICIAL DR. ZAIUS PF REVIEW
First off I'd like to say that I've been waiting for this piece ever since it was erroneously reported to be in production back in February 2004. It was later retracted but that didn't stop me wanting Sideshow to deliver me a 1/4 scale ape sometime in the future.
So... with the pent up expectation of my five and a half year odyssey coupled with my unmasked love of all things orangutan (you apes know this all too well) I set to write a review.
Well, my first shock was when I was actually handed the box by the UPS driver himself. I wondered why the shipping box had a picture of the PF on two sides of the box. It even had the Sideshow Exclusive sticker on it as well. I got my answer as soon as I opened it. As it turns out, the shipping box
IS the one and only box for the figure. Usually Sideshow has a brown shipping box that protects an inner full color display box for the piece. Obviously this is blatant cost cutting decision on Sideshow's part to cushion the piece's low sales. This was really disappointing at first... I really like the care and artistry Sideshow lavishes on the packaging. But if this is a concession that we have to live with to perhaps get more PFs, I guess I can live with it. But still it is not a good sign.
First the portrait sculpt:
Like I've said before, what I've seen over my 30+ years of Ape collecting this is probably the best sculpt of Zaius that I've EVER seen available for purchase... and that includes the Apemania stuff. The only exception is that one of a kind portrait Apemania made for the Zaius mannequin that is on display at the Sci Fi museum in Seattle... but that is hardly available to the average Ape fan. This is. I'm curious to see if Hot Toys will up the ante with their own version of the good doctor. The Cosbaby Zaius does not count.
Just because the sculpt is amazing, doesn't mean that it is perfect. I think that the hair on the back is a bit too short. Because of this, the neck is a bit too exposed in the back which in turn shows too costume. So from the side the beard looks too long in relation to the rest of the hair. (Sorry that some of the photos are a bit hazy)
But the portrait itself... well lets just say Mat Falls really out did himself... it captures Maurice Evans perfectly and is a significant improvement on his 12" counterpart (and yes that is my foot).
But like any great portrait sculpt, it can be ruined by a sloppy paint job. And Unfortunately, I hate to report, that seems to be the case with the good doctor. Why does Sideshow feel the need to paint lines in every sculpted line on a face? WHY!?!?! Funny, they did the same thing to the 12" version. It really cheapens the overall effect. And the paint color they use is usually way too stark of a difference in relation to base color of the rest of the face. The color that Sideshow picked to "enhance" Zaius's facial lines seems to have a strange purple tint to it. The lines need to be WAY MORE subtle... and use a proper color that blends in.
Okay... I can forgive much in the way of the paint apps... but not in the area of eyes. The eyes of a figure are VERY important to the overall presence of a piece. And I hate to say that the eye treatment of Dr Zaius sucks. His eyes have little to no white in them. He looks like some Star Wars character... Dr. Zaius with Sith Eyes!!!
Really disappointing. And look at his teeth! Surely he would have taken better care of them. With all of these paint issues, I'm seriously looking at the possiblility of getting his face re-painted professionally. Sure it's going to cost more money (like the PF wasn't expensive enough), but I've waited too long to get a Zaius this great to have it ruined by a sloppy paint job.
I've stated openly of my dislike for the pose before, and having the statue in hand does little to soften it. And it's not the sort of squatting pose that displeases me. It's the tilt in his head. I find it odd that I have to twist my head sideways in order to look at the statue in the eyes. I would have preferred a much more straightforward approach to the head placement. It seems that the good people of Sideshow tried to add a bit of drama to the pose where there should be no drama. The pose should have just been Zaius holding the doll with both hands quoting the 13th scroll. Dull? Maybe. Iconic? You bet.
Speaking of the doll, Jess would rejoice that she is a fully realized doll. Unfortunately, a new problem with the doll has arisen: the doll doesn't want to stay in the good doctor's hands. The doll has fallen twice from Zaius's grip. And, no the doll doesn't say "MAA MAA" when it hits the ground. If you look carefully, there is a sculpted groove on the dolls body that should line up with Zaius's hand. However, the doll's clothes drape between doll body and hand allowing for obscured contact. So currently the doll is lying at Zaius's feet until I can figure something out. What Sideshow should have done is sculpt a second hand for the exclusive with the doll securely atttached to that hand. That way you could swap it out with ease with a hand without the doll. The arm holding the doll is cocked in a right angle, so it would have been possible to secure the hand with a metal rod into the arm. They have done this countless times before with other PFs. Why did they skimp on Dr. Zaius. My mind goes back to the shipping box. And sloppy paint job.
As for the costume replica, I'm fairly happy with the results. I've made it no secret that I didn't care if the back part was lengthen or not. Yes, the clothes appear to fit a bit too baggy... but not by much. The only real issue I have with the clothes is that, again, Sideshow has tinted them with too much brown. Is Sideshow afraid of the color orange? Sure, if done wrong, it could be disasterous... but the clothes color really needed to be done right this time. Unfortunately, the color of the outfit matches that of it's 12" counterpart perfectly. Perhaps it was simply laziness on their part not to try and improve upon their past efforts. Again, with the shipping box.
So overall, with all the nitpicking aside, I REALLY do like the figure. I'm grateful that Sideshow has taken the time and resources to make him... albeit a bit half-heartedly. Is he worth $285? Realistically, not really... not to most of the people that post at the thread. That price covers two Hot Toys Apes with change left over... and I just don't see it in this figure. Luckily I had a bunch of Reward Points through Sideshow and I got him for a discounted rate.
But I am glad that I bought him.. it's great to have a Ape piece this big in my collection. He towers in stature over the rest of my collection... and with a bit more changes to the applied paint, I look to enjoy him even more in the future.
As for the future of this line, it doesn't look too bright. I will go on record as to say that this is, in all likelihood, going to be the one and only Planet of the Apes PF. Whether we see that possible Taylor PF see the light of day or any other POTA PF is hinging on the reaction of the marketplace to this piece. And I'm sorry to say I don't see this piece really blowing enough people away to stoke the fires back at Sideshow.
