Here are four hi-res images:
They are quite large, each roughly 40- by 60-inches, but ImageShack will scale them by width to fit your screen. Depending on your bandwidth and your screen real estate, you may or may not want to click on the reduced image to see it full size.
It's interesting how different the sculpt can look depending on angle and lighting:
I think Angel's looking pretty good on the left, not so much on the right. I agree that the creases in his forehead are a bit too pronounced in both portraits — and the way the figure is lighted for these photos brings them out even more — but what's really throwing the likeness off, for me, is the eyes.
Splitting the head in half emphasizes how the eyes are looking in different directions, making the eyes on the section of the head on our left appear to be looking straight ahead, while in the section of the head on the right, Angel's gaze appears to be focused slightly to our left:
Like willowswarlock and RoboDad, I couldn't resist the temptation to play with the image a bit, and I made some very slight alterations. A little Botox to soften the creases on the forehead; some blush on his right (our left) cheek to strengthen his jaw line and bring out the cheekbone; a regimen of Orthoptics to correct the amblyopia; a slight arch to the right eyebrow to match the creases in the forehead; and a little off the the hair around the temples to give him a more youthful look.
Very minor changes which really don't make that much of a difference. Again, I think the harsh highlights and shadows are really hurting this guy and over-emphasizing the forehead creases. I doubt they will be as pronounced under normal, ambient room lighting. Hopefully we'll see some candid shots from the display floor at SDCC that will show off the sculpt in a better light. If the factory painters can get the eyes right, I think we'll have a pretty solid portrait of Angel as he appeared in the latter seasons of his series.
Regarding the outfit, I, too, would have preferred the standard-issue leather jacket. I can understand the creative team wanting to give us something a little bit different, but choosing couture over character in this instance was probably not the best way to go. I think alternative versions of characters are fine for the 1:6 line, where you can have a variety of looks to choose from, but I think the PFs should represent their subjects as they are best known.
However, the gothic, vampire-chic look is growing on me, especially when matched with the excellent Angelus head, but the jacket needs to be more tailored to better fit the contours of the body. It's too loose-fitting now, and makes the figure appear to be very barrel-chested.
Speaking of the excellent Angelus portrait, what I especially like about it is no bared teeth. Through all the different makeups, the vamp teeth were nasty fugly, and I'm glad the decision was made not to show them. Though I prefer the leaner, more feral Angelus from the early seasons of
Buffy, this Angelus has a brutish, cruel, truly inhuman look to him that perfectly captures his ferocious nature.
Like Spike, the alternate game face is what sold me on the figure and how I will display it. IMO, Angel's vampire persona is infinitely more interesting than his brooding, introspective "human" counterpart, and he'll look great with Vamp Spike, flanking the demure, yet ever-vigilant, Buffy.
