furystorm
Super Freak
Updated with the following:
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - Dracula versus Renfield arrived today directly from Sideshow! After all of the problems I had securing and receiving an intact Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, I opened the packaging with much trepidation. I know Sideshow would take care of any problems, however I just wanted this particular purchase to go smoothly. And it did. Overall I am very happy with this diorama, and have a renewed dedication to the SSE versions of this line. Having watched Dracula last night in anticipation of the diorama's arrival, I am fairly happy with the paint apps. The Count is a bit darker than he should seem to be, but personally I feel that fact actually brings the piece closer to what I recall from the film. He seems somewhat grainy in the skin tones, whereas Renfield has a very smooth complection. We can most likely contribute this to the fact that the two figures were likely painted by seperate "artists" before being joined as one piece. I was wondering how SS would package this diorama, as two or three distinct pieces, and I'm happy that the two figures are already locked in their stance together. I was anticipating trouble trying to fit them together.
There are a few slight problems with the diorama, with regards to my expectations. They are all minor enough not to tarnish my excitement of adding this to my very humble collection of SSE dios. They do however, require mentioning and are as follows. There are a couple of pretty sloppily painted areas on mine. They include where Renfield is grasping Draculas hand, there does not seem to be any seperation between the figures. Another particularly sloppy area is around Dracula's collar where his neck meets the bow tie. Both of these are easily acceptable when taking the diorama into observation from a normal distance. They are only bothersome upon closer inspection. Otherwise I love the SSE paint scheme on this diorama. The top of Dracula's cape is quite thick although this was apparent in the preview images. I'm not sure if this is screen accurate, or if the thickness is to avoid breakage of the polystone. I was very happy to find no broken fingers on this dio! Possibly my only other gripe would be the fit of the figures by way of their pegs to the base. The fit was very tight, but I was able to get them both almost all of the way down onto the staircase. Actually, this is very minor, and you can only see a very small sliver of peg from one angle, so it's not really a problem on mine at all.
Things I love about the diorama include: the SSE paint application! The attention to detail on the staircase, cracks and ground are wonderfully weathered. Both Renfield's and Dracula's expressions. And most of all the presence that the Count seems to be presenting, by simply floating down the staircase. His stance, while seemingly static, shows upon closer inspection to be ominous and imposing, with a very subtle dynamism to his figure and sheer terror in Renfield's.
Needless to say, I love this diorama!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - Dracula versus Renfield arrived today directly from Sideshow! After all of the problems I had securing and receiving an intact Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, I opened the packaging with much trepidation. I know Sideshow would take care of any problems, however I just wanted this particular purchase to go smoothly. And it did. Overall I am very happy with this diorama, and have a renewed dedication to the SSE versions of this line. Having watched Dracula last night in anticipation of the diorama's arrival, I am fairly happy with the paint apps. The Count is a bit darker than he should seem to be, but personally I feel that fact actually brings the piece closer to what I recall from the film. He seems somewhat grainy in the skin tones, whereas Renfield has a very smooth complection. We can most likely contribute this to the fact that the two figures were likely painted by seperate "artists" before being joined as one piece. I was wondering how SS would package this diorama, as two or three distinct pieces, and I'm happy that the two figures are already locked in their stance together. I was anticipating trouble trying to fit them together.
There are a few slight problems with the diorama, with regards to my expectations. They are all minor enough not to tarnish my excitement of adding this to my very humble collection of SSE dios. They do however, require mentioning and are as follows. There are a couple of pretty sloppily painted areas on mine. They include where Renfield is grasping Draculas hand, there does not seem to be any seperation between the figures. Another particularly sloppy area is around Dracula's collar where his neck meets the bow tie. Both of these are easily acceptable when taking the diorama into observation from a normal distance. They are only bothersome upon closer inspection. Otherwise I love the SSE paint scheme on this diorama. The top of Dracula's cape is quite thick although this was apparent in the preview images. I'm not sure if this is screen accurate, or if the thickness is to avoid breakage of the polystone. I was very happy to find no broken fingers on this dio! Possibly my only other gripe would be the fit of the figures by way of their pegs to the base. The fit was very tight, but I was able to get them both almost all of the way down onto the staircase. Actually, this is very minor, and you can only see a very small sliver of peg from one angle, so it's not really a problem on mine at all.
Things I love about the diorama include: the SSE paint application! The attention to detail on the staircase, cracks and ground are wonderfully weathered. Both Renfield's and Dracula's expressions. And most of all the presence that the Count seems to be presenting, by simply floating down the staircase. His stance, while seemingly static, shows upon closer inspection to be ominous and imposing, with a very subtle dynamism to his figure and sheer terror in Renfield's.
Needless to say, I love this diorama!
