The ever-pleasing team at Sideshow/WETA are always hard at work trying to come up with the coolest and hotest collectibles. Well, if you are a Lord of the Rings fan, and the least bit interested in the line of collectibles from Sideshow/WETA, then you had better pay close attention. Some of you out there have probably been able to find the Uruk-hai Scout Swordsman in your ever-growing need for polystone, but let it be said, that this is a tough to find collectible...and for good reason. Even though this statue was released some time ago, the folks at Sideshow/WETA were kind enough to donate one to the cause and allow us to do a review of the statue and show those of you who are not fortunate enought o have this statue, just what all the hype and excitement are about! So...without further ado...on with the review of the Uruk-hai Scout Swordsman Statue:
Packaging..........
External: The external shipping container is typical for Sideshow/WETA...sturdy, large, and tough enough to withstand the abuse of shipment both within the continental US and abroad. Since this is a pretty large statue, the packaging is large as well....plus this sucker is quite the heavy bugger...weighing in at around 7 lbs. The statue is featured on both the front and rear of the packaging and the artwork is standard for items from their Fellowship of the Ring line of collectibles. Superior packaging and great artwork...what a kickin statue!
Internal: Upon opening the box, we see the standard and proven Sideshow/WETA clambshell styled styrofoam casing holding the statue in place and keeping everything from shifting around during shipment. As has been typical from Sideshow/WETA, their clamshell works well, is lightweight, and maintains its structure while protecting the contents within.
Unpacking: This is possibly the only drawback to this statue...getting the statue out of its clamshell packaging WITHOUT breaking it!! Unfortunately, the statue we received had a small portion of the 'skirting' around the waist of the figure was snapped off. It was unclear to us if this happened during shipment or while we were carefully unwrapping the statue. Nevertheless, anyone who owns this statue will agree...be VERY CAREFUL anytime you remove this statue from the clamshell or put it back in...it is VERY FRAGILE and can break with relative ease. Perhaps Sideshow/WETA should have used a slightly pliable material when making the small parts that stick out or hang loose on their products.
Molding/Sculpt..........
The Overall Sculpt: The scupt was done by Gary Hunt of WETA Workshops...and boy, did he do a great job!! This statue of the RUNNING Uruk-hai warrior is superb...the sculpt captures the Uruk-hai in a great pose as he is swinging his Uruk Scimitar and attacking the Fellowship as they disembark at Amon-Hen! The facial features looks spot on, the detail on the armor is sweet and the fact that Sideshow/WETA went the extra mile to include all the accessories goes to show us all how much they care about the quality of their product and their efforts to make their products as detailed and accurate as possible!
The Details: Sideshow/WETA and Gary Hunt added some excruciating details to this figure. From the accessories (Bow, Quiver, and Sword), to the armor, to the facial sculpting and on to the detail included in the hair. The belt buckles all over the statue are detailed to perfection and actually look like real buckles that are holding the armor in place. The detail on the face are great. The open mouth screaming nature of the face is captured as the Uruk-hai ROARS. The teeth are grimy and dirty and the eyes have the yellor tint we have come to love with the Uruk-hai! Don't forget the detail on the bow...what a cool, detailed bonus for this figure!!
Display Base: This display base is a fairly standard base used by Sideshow/WETA and has the typical metal rod in the base used to hold the figure in place once placed over the rod. The back of the display base has the title of the statue (printed on felt) as well as some soft rubber pads to prevent the statue from slipping on flat surfaces. The engraved MAP is sweet as well...a feature we have come to love from Sideshow/WETA and their cool LOTR products!
Paint Application..........
The Paint Scheme: The application of the paint is absolutely right on from the details in the face to the intricate paint variations all over the armor and leather skirt. The figures armor LOOKS worn and actually looks like it is maid of metal. The drybrushing techniques used for this figure are accomplished to perfection...little or no flaws. The paint detail on the statue's face look amazing. From the tongue to the teeth to the eyes, the colors are exactly what you would expect from this Uruk-hai and there is absolutely no paint running on those small details. About the only slight drawback...and we mean very slight...is the coloring of the Uruk-hai's skin...it appears to be bit too SHINY and in some cases a bit too RED...especially around the feet...in some cases the feet look a bit pink!
The Accessories..........
The Bow, Quiver, and Sword: The accessories included with this statue are way above and beyond what we expected from Sideshow/WETA, but now that we have seen this figure...we are going to expect this little extra something on all of their products! The Bow actually comes apart so that it fits onto the handle seen above. the Quiver slides nicely into the small hole on the back of the statue and actually is quite secure (we were a bit unsure how the Quiver would stay...but it fits snuggly and stays put. The scimitar slides into the right hand of the statue nicely and fits snuggly as well...with very little wiggle...a great fit and an even more impressive pose!
OVERALL..........
The Uruk-hai Scout Swordsman is a must have if you are at all a Lord of the Rings and Sideshow/WETA fan. If you have this piece in your collection, count yourself very lucky...as this piece can snag roughly $900 on auction sites like E-bay. If you do not have this piece in your collection...keep your eye out and hope for a sweet deal as this is one of THE BEST statues produced from Sideshow/WETA!! With all of the Sideshow/WETA products out their, it is nice to know that they are concerned FIRST and FOREMOST with quality and accuracy!! Thanks for reading and be sure to go to Sideshow/WETA tp check out all of their other products!
