Top 4 Sculpters Rated(Part2)Today#3: Jeff Grace

[voNvinGeLimeR]

Something I thought would be fun is rating the 'big four' sculpters
for the cLiX...they are the ones that make the majority of the figures
from set to set for Wizkids. This is just my way of giving praise where
due as well as calling for accountability for bad representations of
the characters we all love (ie. Great Job or You Can Do MUCH Better).

Quality control fellas...keep the level up and thanks for the great game.

I'm listing from best efforts to worst (SCALE OF 1-10) based on 2 factors:
Quality of sculpt (strict aesthetic value) and Functionality (whether you can
turn the d*mn thing or not!)...feel free to disagree. One other element which
was greatly considered in Part#1 of these threads (under the aesthetic umbrella)
was preserving the spirit of the given character.

...and in fairness paint jobs have to be factored in as they greatly affect the
overall impression one gets from the pieces.

I decided to change the 3rd rating level title from 'NOT GOOD' to
'NOT GREAT'' because 5's and 6's aren't awful...just not exceptional.

Thanks so much to those of you who checked out Part 1 and special
thanks to the ones that shared their thoughts.

Again these are just my personal opinions and this is all in fun.


Today #3rd Rated Jeff Grace:

HALL OF FAME (10's & 9's):

10-(Nightcrawler) Crouched, ready to spring at you or 'BAMF' away, this
is classic Kurt Wagner. If you're lucky enough to have one...you know.
The Xcaliber blade is a matter of personal taste, but with a little careful
carving you can have your 70's - 80's Kurt if you wish.

10-(SPIRAL) The Shivalike, cuisinart enforcer from the Mojoverse is just
fearsome looking. Great detail...blades whirling truly indicative of the close
combat 'death bomb' that she is. This is the figure upon preview that really
got me excited about 'CT'' and when I got to check her out first hand there
was no disappointment.

10-(Catwoman Unique) All elements working in concert...the whip, tail and
pose add a great sense of fluidity of movement to Selina's charge. Great
piece and suprisingly sturdy.

10-(White Queen) Guys, this is the way you make a sexy super woman.
Bottomline it starts with an 'attractive' face...of which there have been
too few so far. Great depiction of femininity, power and confidence.

9-(Nightwing) No longer under the 'Bats' wing and it shows. Nice athletic
pose...would have looked great on Daredevil as well. Call him D*CK
...I dare ya.

9-(Joker Unique) Small details give the clown prince of crime big marks.
From the meticulously rendered 'Bang' pistols to the lapel flower to the
wide brim just a quality figure through an through.

9-(Dove) Gentle, soaring, free as a...yeah. You may be hard pressed to
want to attack her if opposing cause she's so d*mn pretty! Another well
done fem fig.

9-(Harley Quinn) "Hey c'mere sweetie...I got sumthin for ya." Always felt
threatened, unsettled by Picasso Harlequin paintings...their underlying
quiet sense of mischief something just below the surface I guess. Harley
here is something different...she's holding that big ole' bomb right out
where we can see she's no good for us opponents. A dark and humorous
piece as it should be. (Note: white doll-like faces are just plain scary.)

9-(Checkmate Agent) Great detail on what could easily be considered a
throw away sculpt of lesser importance. Only setback: scale in relation to
others figs. even within her own set. Put her next to a Nightwing and note
her head is only a little bigger than his fist!

NOT BAD (8's & 7's):

8-(Joker REV) Still good detail, just not all of the elements that make his
unique buddy so special.

8-(Black Cat) Cat scratch fever is back. I know there are many of us who
would've preferred she'd taken a fuse out of the White Queen's s*x bomb
'sorry' but they went the route of the hyped pose instead. Still nice.

8-(Moondragon) Love the bald chicks...just something about em. In this
case the sculpt is just as interesting from the back as front (seriously...ok
maybe not). I nominate 'moony' in the category of 'cape with the most
personality' challenging of course Victor, Erik and the son of Odin.

8-(Hercules) Strictly from a psychological standpoint the image of 'Herc
with dumpster' flying in your direction can really mess with your strategic
thinking during the course of a game. Jeff gave him what I'll refer to as
the 'I want to busT youR *SS' quality. He looks reckless, strong and you
just want him to stay away. Great job...and he stays on my team not yours.

7-(Logan) The Marlboro Man of hero clix is all quiet cool till he gets close
to you. Do not be decieved by the laid back manner! Would've scored higher
if not for clumpy paint application.

7-(Wasp Unique) Some pieces by their core concepts just work...the Sue Storm
variations to name three and the U-Janet Pym to name another tiny one.
Lack of facial detail hurts this one (triple 0 brushes anyone?)

7-(IC Wolverine Unique) Love the ninja concept and the black suit lends itself
to the stealthly feel of the piece...I just can't get past the fact that it's a retread
yellow wolverine with a really big head! Still decent marks though.

7-(Sabretooth) Big nasty, snarling, spitting, catlike mutant, I feel all that...just
want less clumps of paint for my money.

7-(Enchantress) Perfect scale (she's supposed to be about 6'3" right?) and
nice threatening casting pose along with thick wavey hair. Problem is
facially...she ain't no White Queen. (See a pattern people?...She is afterall the
standard bearer)

7-(Jean Grey) Nice pose and as a friend of mine says "the junk is definitely in
the trunk" if ya go for that kinda girl. Once again inconsistent facial treatments
do 2 clicks of damage.

NOT GREAT (6's/5's & 4's):

6-(Clayface III) He's all hyped an chargin' like he's a force to be reckoned with
but who really takes Captain D**KIE seriously hmm? I'm really glad they made
him though...that head's too funny.

6-(Scarlet Witch) Graceful pose but once more it's what's on top of the figure that
you really notice. Roll for PAINTability Control.

6-(Wasp REV) Again a figure that's not bad...just facially indistinct. Point off for
not being tiny.

5-(Captain America REV&Unique) My 1st impression was that you get a sense
of pride from these pieces (which is pure Cap) you unfortunately also get an 18"
waist and a 49" rump roast. America loves beef and Butt-action Cap's got it
to spare. 'Cap's Butt'...it's what's for-(I can't even subject you guys to thaT one.)

HALL OF SHAME...or of total INJUSTICE or just 'What Have You Done?'
(3's and below):

3-(IC Wolverine REV) Many problems here...physical exaggerations abound.
You have bubble muscles in the arms and thighs, Cap's waistline and consistently
the worst paint application of any piece in any set. Pop the claws in my eyes please.

That's it for now guys. For those of you that prefer a happy ending to your stories
please walk back upstairs and revisit the Hall of Fame you'll sleep more peacefully
tonight if you do...I promise.


Thanks again for reading guys, I'll post sculpter number two early next week.

[MidnigherApoll]

The White Queen sculpt is beautiful! She's one of the few figures, male or female, that doesn't look like she was beat with an ugly stick. Not only does her face look ok, it looks good, which is rarer than a unique in this game. Also think Dove is lovely.

[KentN]

I think you're right on the money. One comment on the White Queen: is she supposed to be that tall? As far as scale consistency, this figure appears to be extremely tall. Other than that, a great sculpt.

[voNvinGeLimeR]

Actually her height's pretty accurate. She's listed at 5'10"
Scarlet Witch's 5'7" match em up and they're not too off.

Thanks for the reply.

[Psylockeslover]

Going back over this list, these are some of my favorite sculpts. Especially NC, WQ, and Spiral. And many, many of the rest.

Keep up the good work...

[Taibak]

I know others have said this before, but if you're talking about *sculpts,* criticising them for the *paint* is totally off the mark. Sculptors have no control over how the paint is applied to each and every fig and, to be honest, it's unfair to criticise them for something they have no control over. The other problem is that paint jobs very tremendously from fig to fig. I have an E She-Hulk with an incredible paint job and a V She-Hulk that looks horrid. If you were rating the overall appearance of the figs, that would be one thing, but criticising the paint is out of place here.

And I'm probably the sole dissenting vote on this one, but I'm not a fan of the Spiral sculpt. To me it looks very static and lifeless compared to figs like Nightcrawler and lacking in personality compared to figs like the White Queen.

Taibak

[skforeman]

seems to me that voNvinGeLimeR is taking a look at the entire aesthetic value of a figure - both the sculpt of the fig itself (pose, size, level of detail, accuracy of character), and especially the quality (paint job, clicking ease, is the whole package cool?). You've gotta look at everything for a figure to be great.

it's been broken down by sculpter because these are the guys who are initially responsible for the best looking and clicking figures in the game. maybe their figures happen to be the beneficiaries of more accurate painters, better figure assemblers or stronger plastics - whatever. every piece of that process, from the initial sculpt, to the paint job, to the figure's attachment to its dial, contributes to the effect of a figure.

what's the point of this thread? to give feedback to the sculptors (and everyone else involved in the manufacturing process - i say sculptor because they are the only names we have). everything's peachy? excellent. things getting screwy in the painting process? maybe an area that needs work. character not getting proper representation as a fig? something else that could use more attention to source material/detail. lots of things.

anyway, on to the reviews of mr.grace's figs:

i agree with most of voNvinGeLimeR's assessments, BUT:

- i'd elevate black cat to a 9/10 - the detail in the fig is great, and the pose is dynamic & full of personality - meeeooww!

- i'd bump moondragon down to a 7, personally - the pose is only so-so, and i've gotta deduct points for looking too much like the bald chick from the first star trek movie

- i'd move sabretooth up to an 8/9 - still the best fig from IC, IMHO - dynamic pose, looks like 'ol victor to me, never a bad paint job because it's simply well-designed

- ninja wolvie gets bumped down about 2 notches to a 5 because of the recycled body. like the head & face a lot, but you couldn't spring for a new, ORIGINAL body mold? jeebus.

peace in the middle east, kids - lookin' forward to #2...

[space_cowboy]

We here at the Jeff Grace appreciation society are not amused. A lot of your criticisms are based on bad paint jobs, not the sculpts. Mr. Grace has no real controll over that. If you just want to judge the sculpt, use the pictures on the site, or the poster, or dunk one into some paint thinner. With all the fine posteriors, Jeff will always be tops in my book.

[voNvinGeLimeR]

Thanks for the post space_cowboy.

If you're serious, and I have truly offended you and your society, please rest assured it was not the intention.

The 'categorization funnel' used here is through the sculpters true...but if you'll look at the mission statement carefully at the top the ratings are all about the 'overall aesthetic quality' of the piece. From a consumer's standpoint paint production quality factors in greatly and holds back what could at times be a great fig. pulled straight from a booster. You pay for a quality painted piece...why should you have to re-paint it?

You serve the Jeff Grace appreciation society well in your defense, but tell me
who do you feel I was unfair to 'ratingswise'?...Cap?