Item: Black Widow
Line: Marvel Now! ArtFX+ Statue
Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Store: Entertainment Earth
Thoughts: The day after I posted my write-up of Kotobukiya’s Marvel Now! ArtFX+ Hulk I saw that Entertainment Earth had Black Widow in stock. She was quickly on her way to me and arrived today. Needless to say, Hulk has a new friend and my Avengers ArtFX+ line-up is starting to form.
When I reviewed Hulk, I was looking forward to seeing how Black Widow would compare to his bulk and size. She is nearly 7 1/2 inches tall and obviously considerably smaller than the Hulk (you can see a comparison shot of the two in the gallery below). However, she is still substantial and a good sized statue in her own right. I think Kotobukiya did a great job getting the respective sizes between the figures correct and I now have a general feeling where the other men of the Avengers are going to fit in.
Black Widow does require a bit more assembly than the Hulk did, as she was packaged as 6 pieces – legs, upper body, hands and guns. Everything comes together quickly and firmly – but if you wanted to return her to the package, all the pieces come apart easily enough. Much like Hulk, Black Widow has no problems standing on her own without the use of the included magnetic display stand. This stand is identical to the ones that came with the Hulk and I expect the same going forward.
Black Widow’s sculpt is good, and clearly comic inspired, this is not a statue of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Natasha is in a “neutral action” pose – she’s ready for action, but there’s an element of classic sculpture and elegance to her pose. Even her hair has some dynamic element to it – without being exaggerated or cartooney. The paint applications on this statue are perfect.
Summary: With two members of the team under their belt, Kotobukiya’s Marvel Now! ArtFX+ Avengers statue collection is well underway. In fact, there’s a nice juxtaposition having Hulk and Black Widow displayed together that makes it fitting these two were the first of the Avengers released. Seriously, if you’re a Marvel fan – you should be picking up these ArtFX+ statues, I cannot wait for the next one to join my collection. Great work from the team at Kotobukiya!
