Statue BLITZWAY- Enter the Dragon- Bruce Lee Tribute 1/3 scale Statue Ver. 2 spec

[mrchris]

Compared to all the EB figures and statues,and even blitzways GOD.this statue is palerr.I think just a tad darker on the skin tone,which this can appear to be in a dimmer light.interestingly that photo is the last scene filmed by Bruce,him and a few of the crew stayed behind for a couple of weeks and shot that scene.

 

[SAB]

Compared to all the EB figures and statues,and even blitzways GOD.this statue is palerr.I think just a tad darker on the skin tone,which this can appear to be in a dimmer light.interestingly that photo is the last scene filmed by Bruce,him and a few of the crew stayed behind for a couple of weeks and shot that scene.

I agree its a little too pale although I like it more than the Blitz GoD which I think is much too dark for how he looked in that film. ...its almost like they over compensated from one statue to the next.

And yeah, that EtD shot is the last thing he filmed ...I'm always a little creeped out by that scene as he is noticeably lighter than the rest of the film and passed not long after ....

 

[xpl0sive]

That's good to know, thanks for confirming that.

No worries.

Hmm ok, so you wouldn't call it a major fault?

IMO, no. The sweat runs do look crap, but I wouldn't call it a major fault as there isn't a whole lot of it on there to begin with, so it doesn't hinder the display. From a distance, it doesn't even look like he has any sweat on him really. Also, with a bit of creativity, you can add your own sweat runs and cleverly blend them into the existing runs/blobs that Blitzway have made, which is what I plan to do. This would have been a deal breaker for me, and I think if the statue were covered in these horrible blobs/runs with no way of fixing/blending them, I'd most certainly send the statue back and not bother with it.

Yeah that may be the case, but given that Chris has this and the HD1002 and says this one is too pale, which is what it looks like most pictures, I would think the same thing.

It is a bit too pale, but I doubt you'd be disappointed with it to be honest, as it still looks good/realistic IMO. Whilst a bit more tan would have been nice, I'd rather a more realistic looking skin tone application that is a little on the pale side, as opposed to a more tanned application that looks fake like Sideshow's skin paint apps.

Guess that is the reason why people thought they were decals, thanks for confirming they are not. So are the blood drips sculpted to?

To be honest I can't remember, will need to check the statue again. The blood drips are pretty much just a dot/circle along the line/cut, lol.

Thanks for the explanation that certaintly does help because sometimes I can't tell if it is truly leaning or not.

No problem, and yeah it can be a little hard to tell in photos because you can make it look straighter than it appears in real life in a photo.

Yeah that's my main problem the inconsistency from piece to piece.

It's the biggest issue on this IMO, as you won't have the option of returning it like a Sideshow product if you're simply not happy with how your one turned out, as it's technically not faulty. I don't remember hearing about this kind of inconsistency with the GoD piece.

Yeah they are quite good but I have yet to see a realistic statue by PCS, I am hoping their Robocop will not look cartoony like it does in the current promo pics for it. Anyway Nuri, thanks for your in depth review of this statue, it was very informative.

I was more speaking from a quality point of view. If PCS made this, you wouldn't have seen things like horrible cuts that look like decals and a sweat application that looks like a 12 year old did it. PCS are great at attention to detail, especially with these larger pieces, and Jerry seems pretty involved with fans on the forums and actually listens to them when creating products that people want. A great example of what they can do is their Akuma 1:3 statue. I know that's still a prototype, but the attention to detail is pretty amazing and if the production piece looks anything close to that, it'll look unreal.

The thing is, you've never seen a realistic statue by PCS as they have only ever done cartoon/video game characters until recently. Their Robocop was their first human character they've attempted, with their second being their Arnold Conan statue. The Arnold statue is being made from an actual cast of Arnold's head, will have acrylic eyes and real hair. It seems like they are intent on producing probably the most realistic Arnold statue anyone's ever seen. If they can pull that off, then I'd have no doubt they would be able to give us the definitive Lee statue that Blitzway couldn't deliver. I'd even sacrifice a bit of realism for the sake of having a truly museum quality piece.

You're welcome mate. Whatever you decide, I hope you're happy with your decision.

 

[mrchris]

hopefully arnie will find another company and continue to release BL figures/statues (in at least 1/4 for me)in the future,but they would have to be a bit special to temp me back into the game.
OMG......just check arnie's FB page.....a 1.1 WOTD bust..cant wait and see how this looks painted

 

[Darkavatar]

IMO, no. The sweat runs do look crap, but I wouldn't call it a major fault as there isn't a whole lot of it on there to begin with, so it doesn't hinder the display. From a distance, it doesn't even look like he has any sweat on him really. Also, with a bit of creativity, you can add your own sweat runs and cleverly blend them into the existing runs/blobs that Blitzway have made, which is what I plan to do. This would have been a deal breaker for me, and I think if the statue were covered in these horrible blobs/runs with no way of fixing/blending them, I'd most certainly send the statue back and not bother with it.

Sorry Nuri, but IMO if have to do a type of mod to a statue or figure such as repainting or blending something in then that means the statue or figure has a major flaw. That being said, at least with most statues it isn't noticeable from a distance.

It is a bit too pale, but I doubt you'd be disappointed with it to be honest, as it still looks good/realistic IMO. Whilst a bit more tan would have been nice, I'd rather a more realistic looking skin tone application that is a little on the pale side, as opposed to a more tanned application that looks fake like Sideshow's skin paint apps.

Hmm ok, guess it depends on the individual to, like some might think he is too pale and others might think he looks fine the way he is.

To be honest I can't remember, will need to check the statue again. The blood drips are pretty much just a dot/circle along the line/cut, lol.

Well please get back to me on that, it sure would be good thing to know.

No problem, and yeah it can be a little hard to tell in photos because you can make it look straighter than it appears in real life in a photo.

Oh really?

It's the biggest issue on this IMO, as you won't have the option of returning it like a Sideshow product if you're simply not happy with how your one turned out, as it's technically not faulty. I don't remember hearing about this kind of inconsistency with the GoD piece.

I think a couple of people had some minor problems, but nothing like leaning or anything like that. Some might of had major problems but I think it was really rare like a few people on you tube?

I think the quality was the same on pretty much every piece. This is why everyone was so excited and couldn't believe how good the QC was compared to sideshows.

I was more speaking from a quality point of view. If PCS made this, you wouldn't have seen things like horrible cuts that look like decals and a sweat application that looks like a 12 year old did it. PCS are great at attention to detail, especially with these larger pieces, and Jerry seems pretty involved with fans on the forums and actually listens to them when creating products that people want. A great example of what they can do is their Akuma 1:3 statue. I know that's still a prototype, but the attention to detail is pretty amazing and if the production piece looks anything close to that, it'll look unreal.

The thing is, you've never seen a realistic statue by PCS as they have only ever done cartoon/video game characters until recently. Their Robocop was their first human character they've attempted, with their second being their Arnold Conan statue.

That's my point they have never done one so I am wondering will they be able to make it look realistic or will it look cartoony like the rest of their statues, which granted are meant to look cartoony, since they are based on video game characters.

The Arnold statue is being made from an actual cast of Arnold's head, will have acrylic eyes and real hair. It seems like they are intent on producing probably the most realistic Arnold statue anyone's ever seen. If they can pull that off, then I'd have no doubt they would be able to give us the definitive Lee statue that Blitzway couldn't deliver. I'd even sacrifice a bit of realism for the sake of having a truly museum quality piece.

You're welcome mate. Whatever you decide, I hope you're happy with your decision.

What about likeness? Would you sacrifice that to? Since you are willing to sacrifice a bit of realism for a museum quality then you should pick up the GOD statue.

hopefully arnie will find another company and continue to release BL figures/statues (in at least 1/4 for me)in the future,but they would have to be a bit special to temp me back into the game.
OMG......just check arnie's FB page.....a 1.1 WOTD bust..cant wait and see how this looks painted

Imagine the price Chris!

Glad I am not into bust.

 

[mrchris]

yeah the price I've always wanted a 1.1 bust of bruce.but I think it will be waaay to expensive maybe it's a project for himself)

 

[xpl0sive]

Sorry Nuri, but IMO if have to do a type of mod to a statue or figure such as repainting or blending something in then that means the statue or figure has a major flaw. That being said, at least with most statues it isn't noticeable from a distance.

Well I wouldn't really say you HAVE to do it, the piece certainly makes a nice display as is, but this is really subjective. You may look at it in person and it may be a deal breaker for you. So far, from the people in this thread who own it, I don't think I've seen anyone complain about it too much where it ruins the piece for them. Everyone seems to agree that the sweat generally looks horrible, but most people here seem to be happy overall with the piece.

As i said, there isn't a huge amount of sweat on the statue, so it doesn't detract from the overall piece on display, but this may depend on the lighting in your room. I'm generally pretty fussy, and it's why I want to do the sweat apps properly as I like to get up close to my statues and admire the details and like them to look perfect, but if I felt the sweat ruined the piece I would have certainly sent it straight back.

Hmm ok, guess it depends on the individual to, like some might think he is too pale and others might think he looks fine the way he is.

Yeah this sort of thing is subjective as well, and I did mention that I also thought he was a tad too pale, but I didn't think it looked bad or ruined the piece for me. For me it was one of those things that whilst it could have been done better (in this case, darker skin tone), it still looks good as is. I have nothing to compare to though, so maybe that's why others feel different about it as they have other Bruce statues with darker skin tone to compare.

Well please get back to me on that, it sure would be good thing to know.

I checked for you last night steve and the drips/drops are just painted dots underneath the sculpted cuts. They are not sculpted.

Oh really?

Yeah I believe nongshim noticed the same thing (leans in real life, but appears straight in photo).

I think a couple of people had some minor problems, but nothing like leaning or anything like that. Some might of had major problems but I think it was really rare like a few people on you tube?

I think the quality was the same on pretty much every piece. This is why everyone was so excited and couldn't believe how good the QC was compared to sideshows.

Yeah it's almost like the 2 statues were made in 2 completely different factories. It's a shame the same sort of care wasn't put into their second piece.

That's my point they have never done one so I am wondering will they be able to make it look realistic or will it look cartoony like the rest of their statues, which granted are meant to look cartoony, since they are based on video game characters.

I have faith that they will, just based on how Jerry has spoken about the Conan statue on SF. As you said, all their previous pieces are meant to look cartoony due to the source material they are based off, so I'm not gonna judge based on that. You'd think if they are going to go to the effort of making a 1:3 Conan with acrylic eyes and real hair, they are obviously aiming for something fairly realistic, and that's certainly the vibe I'm getting. They can't possibly do any worse than Sideshow anyway, lol, so at least we know it will look better than what they'd come up with.

What about likeness? Would you sacrifice that to? Since you are willing to sacrifice a bit of realism for a museum quality then you should pick up the GOD statue.

Likeness is important to me as it needs to look like the character it's based off. If it doesn't look like them it's useless to me. When I said realism, I was pretty much referring to paint job, and overall finish in general. A good example is Sideshow's Dutch PF. Arnie likeness is dead-on, but the overall piece has this obvious fake look to it. Has this grittiness to the finish like it's made of stone, like most PF's do, and I'm not bothered by this as the overall piece still looks really nice to me and doesn't look cheap in any way. Sculpt is great, clothing is fantastic, just looks and feels like a museum quality piece.

GoD Bruce is an interesting one. Definitely looks like the better piece in terms of quality, but even when it was first announced, I thought it was cool but it never really jumped at me like the EtD piece. Could just be my bias for EtD, but when I first saw Blitzway's pics I instantly thought to myself 'I must have this'. I didn't really get the same feeling with GoD, even though I thought it was very nice. I'm still considering it though and might check out SAB's statue, so I can see them side by side.

 

[Tyderium]

I suspect if the GOD had been shirtless it would have encountered the same issues as the ETD. It has escaped the same scrutiny and emerged relatively unscathed from proto to production while imparting a museum like quality and realism due, in most part, to the miniature clothing. The tracksuit looks real because it is real essentially plus it comprises almost all of the statue. All of the exposed flesh in ETD can't really compete in that sense unless it is incredibly well painted (unlikely at this price point) or cast in silicone. Too many variables - lifelike skin tone, correct shading, correct tan - not to mention sweat and cut effects.

Still, ETD is also my preference as far as a Bruce representation is concerned.
And, in a list of criteria for something like this, likeness comes in at the top for me. All else is secondary.
And it's what this ETD has in spades. With more accurate hair it would have been superb.
And it is really the only thing apart from the pose that has kept my interest in this version.

I imagine the likeness is even more impressive in person?

I agree you shouldn't need to alter anything on an expensive purchase like this.
And, in the aesthetically lit, higher quality photography - it does look very good. My focus in some of the great pics from xplOsive and others has not really been on the cuts or sweat since the overall presence comes through more strongly in the better photography.
It's completely subjective but I suppose those prepared to customise this with the sweat, cuts or even a skin repaint create potential for passage between very good to definitive museum quality.

 

[mrchris]

great comments guys.here's my thoughts on this.
yep had GOD been topless it may have well suffered also,but as blitzway were covering the body they could(and did)skip on the finish.but as they knew the finish on ETD had to be near perfect,then they should have either upped the price say $100 to get that finish or not have applied the terrible sweat or sculpted cuts.
most of owners will see past this (as they have a bias for ETD)and while they can be touched up if needed,nearly all will leave be.
regarding likeness ETD is better no doubt,but IMO GOD looks a tad more realistic,although the expression is a tad bland(the expression on ETD is/has been a little awkward)on all collectibles done,the blobs of sweat don't help either,again that's just how I feel about it.
GOD came with the extra arm 2 weapons and a holder for the stick,so to me for the extra $100 blitzway should have made sure of the finish on enter,and maybe should have held back a couple of months to make sure of that.
i know I'm in the minority regarding this statue,but that's what collecting is all about,we all see things from different points of view.
if you get a chance to see GOD xpl0sive,i would be interested in your opinion on it.

 

[Darkavatar]

Well I wouldn't really say you HAVE to do it, the piece certainly makes a nice display as is, but this is really subjective. You may look at it in person and it may be a deal breaker for you. So far, from the people in this thread who own it, I don't think I've seen anyone complain about it too much where it ruins the piece for them. Everyone seems to agree that the sweat generally looks horrible, but most people here seem to be happy overall with the piece.

I agree this part is subjective as some people could look past this fault, but considering that most people on here have touched up or are planing to touch up theirs including you, I would say objectively speaking it would be something most people would have to or want to do.

As i said, there isn't a huge amount of sweat on the statue, so it doesn't detract from the overall piece on display, but this may depend on the lighting in your room. I'm generally pretty fussy, and it's why I want to do the sweat apps properly as I like to get up close to my statues and admire the details and like them to look perfect, but if I felt the sweat ruined the piece I would have certainly sent it straight back.

I think it depends on the statue, from what Chris says the sweat is pretty bad, even from a distance.

Yeah this sort of thing is subjective as well, and I did mention that I also thought he was a tad too pale, but I didn't think it looked bad or ruined the piece for me. For me it was one of those things that whilst it could have been done better (in this case, darker skin tone), it still looks good as is.I have nothing to compare to though, so maybe that's why others feel different about it as they have other Bruce statues with darker skin tone to compare.

Especially people that have the HD1002.

I checked for you last night steve and the drips/drops are just painted dots underneath the sculpted cuts. They are not sculpted.

Well that's good news, maybe you can fix that horrible look up by painting over them.

Yeah I believe nongshim noticed the same thing (leans in real life, but appears straight in photo).

Really? I thought his looked pretty bad in pictures.

Yeah it's almost like the 2 statues were made in 2 completely different factories. It's a shame the same sort of care wasn't put into their second piece.

Yeah this one came from Sideshow's one because of the shoddy work they did on it as far sweat and cut paint apps are concerned.

I have faith that they will, just based on how Jerry has spoken about the Conan statue on SF. As you said, all their previous pieces are meant to look cartoony due to the source material they are based off, so I'm not gonna judge based on that. You'd think if they are going to go to the effort of making a 1:3 Conan with acrylic eyes and real hair, they are obviously aiming for something fairly realistic, and that's certainly the vibe I'm getting. They can't possibly do any worse than Sideshow anyway, lol, so at least we know it will look better than what they'd come up with.

I hope your right but those promo pics of Robocop looks like it is straight out of a cartoon or comic. Doesn't have the appearance of real metal, thus I wouldn't be surprized if it doesn't look real because of the paint job.

Likeness is important to me as it needs to look like the character it's based off. If it doesn't look like them it's useless to me. When I said realism, I was pretty much referring to paint job, and overall finish in general. A good example is Sideshow's Dutch PF. Arnie likeness is dead-on, but the overall piece has this obvious fake look to it.

Oh so you agree with me now that it is dead on?

Has this grittiness to the finish like it's made of stone, like most PF's do, and I'm not bothered by this as the overall piece still looks really nice to me and doesn't look cheap in any way. Sculpt is great, clothing is fantastic, just looks and feels like a museum quality piece.

I would still love to get that piece just hate how yellow it looks.

GoD Bruce is an interesting one. Definitely looks like the better piece in terms of quality, but even when it was first announced, I thought it was cool but it never really jumped at me like the EtD piece. Could just be my bias for EtD, but when I first saw Blitzway's pics I instantly thought to myself 'I must have this'.

I think that is what it was, but I must say it looked amazing in the proto pics that I think most people would of thought the same way, I know I did.

I didn't really get the same feeling with GoD, even though I thought it was very nice. I'm still considering it though and might check out SAB's statue, so I can see them side by side.

Well I hope you do, would love to hear your thoughts on it.

I suspect if the GOD had been shirtless it would have encountered the same issues as the ETD.

To some extent yes it would as the paint job on the ETD is better as it has more tones and shading. However, the main problem people have with this I think is the poorly done sweat and horrible sculpted cuts and some people hate how pale he is to. This why so many people have repainted this statue, hardly anyone repainted the GOD statue but I am betting a lot of people would of repainted if the sweat was as bad as it is on most pieces of this ETD sculpt. Also it's likely it would have been repainted if the skin color was as pale as it is on this.

It has escaped the same scrutiny and emerged relatively unscathed from proto to production while imparting a museum like quality and realism due, in most part, to the miniature clothing. The tracksuit looks real because it is real essentially plus it comprises almost all of the statue.

It's not just about what it looks like, it's about QC problems. The GOD statue had virtually none, whereas this one has a major one where some statues lean, not sure if there are any others other than paint apps like xpl0sive has on the thumb. Apart from that though just by going by looks I agree that the main reason why the GOD statue looks like a higher quality one is because the figure part of is manly covered up with high quality clothing, which I am told this one has to.

All of the exposed flesh in ETD can't really compete in that sense unless it is incredibly well painted (unlikely at this price point) or cast in silicone. Too many variables - lifelike skin tone, correct shading, correct tan - not to mention sweat and cut effects.

Yeah but man they could of painted those two areas better and not have sculpted the cuts so poorly.

Still, ETD is also my preference as far as a Bruce representation is concerned.
And, in a list of criteria for something like this, likeness comes in at the top for me. All else is secondary.
And it's what this ETD has in spades. With more accurate hair it would have been superb.
And it is really the only thing apart from the pose that has kept my interest in this version.

I imagine the likeness is even more impressive in person?

I agree you shouldn't need to alter anything on an expensive purchase like this.
And, in the aesthetically lit, higher quality photography - it does look very good. My focus in some of the great pics from xplOsive and others has not really been on the cuts or sweat since the overall presence comes through more strongly in the better photography.
It's completely subjective but I suppose those prepared to customise this with the sweat, cuts or even a skin repaint create potential for passage between very good to definitive museum quality.

But you still would?

 

[Darkavatar]

great comments guys.here's my thoughts on this.
yep had GOD been topless it may have well suffered also,but as blitzway were covering the body they could(and did)skip on the finish.but as they knew the finish on ETD had to be near perfect,then they should have either upped the price say $100 to get that finish or not have applied the terrible sweat or sculpted cuts.

Oh Chris you know Blitzway thought if they cut corners and sell it for the same price they would get more buyers if they charged more and made it look high quality.

most of owners will see past this (as they have a bias for ETD)and while they can be touched up if needed,nearly all will leave be.
regarding likeness ETD is better no doubt,but IMO GOD looks a tad more realistic,although the expression is a tad bland(the expression on ETD is/has been a little awkward)on all collectibles done,the blobs of sweat don't help either,again that's just how I feel about it.
GOD came with the extra arm 2 weapons and a holder for the stick,so to me for the extra $100 blitzway should have made sure of the finish on enter,and maybe should have held back a couple of months to make sure of that.
i know I'm in the minority regarding this statue,but that's what collecting is all about,we all see things from different points of view.
if you get a chance to see GOD xpl0sive,i would be interested in your opinion on it.

What do you mean the expression is awkward?

 

[mrchris]

Its a difficult expression to capture in a realistic way Steve.I know Bruce made that expression many times but on a statue/figure it can look kinda animated/cartoony. The dx04/ETD vB and even the 1001/1002 and 1008 grouchy sculpt don't have as realistic a look as GOD.if you can understand me.again it just my take on it.so maybe awkward was the wrong word.likeness on enter is better but its lost some of the "life-like" quality of the proto....amongst other things

 

[Tyderium]

But you still would?

Yep.
Not because I feel you should have to.
Only because I would feel competent in doing so, and that it would effectively transform the piece into something beyond what has been achieved with the factory version.

 

[Tyderium]

Its a difficult expression to capture in a realistic way Steve.I know Bruce made that expression many times but on a statue/figure it can look kinda animated/cartoony. The dx04/ETD vB and even the 1001/1002 and 1008 grouchy sculpt don't have as realistic a look as GOD.if you can understand me.again it just my take on it.so maybe awkward was the wrong word.likeness on enter is better but its lost some of the "life-like" quality of the proto....amongst other things

So do you mean although the ETD head sculpt has a superior likeness, overall the GOD head sculpt is a little more refined and realistic in comparison?

 

[mrchris]

yeah that about sums up what I'm saying,had the GOD sculpt been less ''chubby'' so to speak I think it would have been spot on.the only touchup on GOD,was some just repainted the eyes looking to the side and it made a big difference to the overall ''expression'' of the sculpt.

 

[Darkavatar]

Its a difficult expression to capture in a realistic way Steve.I know Bruce made that expression many times but on a statue/figure it can look kinda animated/cartoony. The dx04/ETD vB and even the 1001/1002 and 1008 grouchy sculpt don't have as realistic a look as GOD.if you can understand me.again it just my take on it.so maybe awkward was the wrong word.likeness on enter is better but its lost some of the "life-like" quality of the proto....amongst other things

I get what you mean now but that is not the only reason that makes it look cartoony.

The facial features for the head sculpt on this are too big for the head shape, that is the main reason IMO is what gives it that cartoony look. Although the likeness was off on the proto the facial features were in proportion with the head shape and that was why the head sculpt on that looked more realistic.

 

[Tyderium]

yeah that about sums up what I'm saying,had the GOD sculpt been less ''chubby'' so to speak I think it would have been spot on.the only touchup on GOD,was some just repainted the eyes looking to the side and it made a big difference to the overall ''expression'' of the sculpt.

Yeah I agree the repainted eyes on GOD for those that have done it help liven up the otherwise blank expression.

There are very subtle nuances on the ETD proto sculpt such as the shape of the mouth, size of the eyes and even the tilt of the head that have not been translated exactly to the finished piece. Stuff we discussed way back, but these very slight differences from proto to production did lose some of that Bruce essence all the same even though the factory version's likeness came out very strongly.

 

[mrchris]

yeah those little things all add up in the end.funny how those subtle things can make a difference,even the sneaky look round the corner pose has lost a little of that.

 

[Tyderium]

Yep exactly. The facial expression on the proto was perfectly nuanced. Even the ever so slightly more raised back heel informed more of that cat like walk in the proto.
They are super subtleties but they really make a difference.

 

[Darkavatar]

So Tyderium are you getting this or still on the fence?