Sideshow's She-Hulk makes the AFB Family Green with Envy!

A little while back, I was drawn into the world of Sideshow’s Premium Format Figures by the very beautifully done Ms Marvel. This isn’t a line one can be completist about due to size and cost, but the very positive experience of adding Ms Marvel to my collection has lead to me ordering a couple of other pieces. The next one to come out is She-Hulk, and she’s the green beauty that is gracing our screens this evening. She’s also created some interesting reactions from my offspring, which I’ll explain at the end.

This is actually the Sideshow Exclusive Premium Format She-Hulk, which I was lucky enough to receive from a converted Wait List order. The difference between the exclusive and regular versions is that the exclusive comes with a swap out hand which is holding a dislodged parking meter. More on that later – it goes with the offspring reaction bit!

The reason I ended up on the Wait List was that as much as I loved the majority of the look of this piece when it was solicited, I wasn’t completely sold on the purple pants, which in photos seemed to overwhelm the piece somewhat. After the fact, I happened across the cover to She-Hulk #29, with Mike Deodato art showing Jennifer in this outfit and a similar pose (sans parking meter), and I was converted.

Happily, I have absolutely no regrets about taking the plunge on this piece. As much as I love Ms Marvel, I have to say that She-Hulk is just a tiny notch above her for me in the favourite stakes.  Thankfully I don’t have to choose!

The headsculpt on this piece is absolutely stunning. When I first opened the box, I had a moment of panic that she had a wandering eye, but she’s designed to be looking at an angle – all was okay. Everything from her flowing hair to her beautifully sculpted face is just perfect.

I love this powerful pose. It’s a very graceful yet strong stance. Her body is very nicely sculpted and constructed. The only thing that I think is a tad odd about the statue is that while her purple pants are fabric, her top is sculpted on and painted. It’s not a complaint – it really is an amazing piece – just an observation.

The base of this piece is also a major plus for me. It’s a very good looking piece which looks like stomped down tree trunks, but it isn’t huge, which means that She-Hulk doesn’t take up a hulk-ish amount of shelf space width or depth wise – a plus for all of my collector brethren who are pinched for space!

Back to the exclusive parking meter – I am not always fussed about Sideshow’s exclusive pieces as I’m not the kind of person that’s likely to swap pieces around for display – there’s too much time and effort involved in that! I tend to choose the bit I like and leave it that way, so it isn’t always work the extra effort and cost. She-Hulk’s parking meter accessory, however, is a very clever piece and in some ways it really makes the whole statue, so I was keen to have it. The meter is quite detailed and looks fantastic. It’s a very worthwhile “extra”.

The parking meter accessory, however, has caused me a bit of a conundrum with the youngest AFB-ette, who is rather alarmed by what she perceives as wonton destruction on She-Hulk’s part. I’ve tried to explain that she must have ripped it out the ground to save someone or use it as a weapon against some nefarious baddie, but she keeps arguing, something along the lines of: “But She-Hulk BROKE it!!” I guess heroes being allowed to break things is a bit of an odd concept for a seven-year old. Sigh…

What takes the cake, however, is the elder AFB-ette’s reaction to this piece. Once I’d finished unpacking and photographing She-Hulk and had lifted it up onto its permanent display space (the top of a Detolf as she’s too big to fit in), Miss Ten looked up at the statue and said: “You know what the best thing about She-Hulk is? I’m going to inherit her when you die.” Nice.

As you can see, Sideshow’s She-Hulk has made quite an impact on the AFB Household.  I hope you like her just as much – she really is the most beautiful statue!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum and comment on this post to enter the April AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Also, don’t forget to check out the two contests we have going at the moment: the “That ‘70s Custom” Custom Contest and the third round of our first “Toy Lines!” Caption Contest!

Until next time!