LARA CROFT - Tomb Raider "Survivor" Statue by Gaming Heads

I'm not much of a gamer. The first-person shooters make me motion sick, I've never been able to get the hang of fighting games, I don't appreciate racing games, and there are too many special moves for me to grasp in the sports games. That really leaves me with the third-person adventure games. Combine that with a family, work, and the responsibilities of life, and the result is that I've completed very few games. However, I can also honestly say that for me to finish a game, I really had to have enjoyed it. 2013's "Tomb Raider" is one such game. And, to celebrate finally completing it, I decided to splurge and order myself a Gaming Heads statue of one of my favorite characters in all of fiction: Lara Croft. This "Survivor" version is based on the recent re-boot, and does a reasonable job of replicating the game cover shot of Lara, injured and holding her left arm, bow in hand.

The statue is big and fairly heavy: she stands about 16 & 1/2 inches tall, with another 2 inches added for the thick and heavily detailed base. Base and statue weigh in together at just a shade over 9 pounds.

The sculpting is generally terrific in terms of proportions and overall efforts at detail. However (and I think I'm probably in the minority here, since everyone else seems to be really pleased with the sculpt details), I find some of them to be a bit "soft". For example, the part where Lara's right arm cuts across her chest feels like it should be more defined. The arm and torso kind of meld into one another. The bandages on her arm and left leg do the same for me: they come off feeling like raised parts of a single piece, rather than separate parts over an underlying piece. The wound on her left side (from the beginning of the game, where she falls down the shaft onto that spiky thing) has no definition. It's just a red blotch painted onto the shirt. I know it's picky and trivial, but this statue was expensive (for me) so I feel like I can be picky.

The detailing on Lara's pistol (not removable, but so good it looks like it could be), climbing axe and bow are excellent, and the bow has an actual string.

The paint is where I have a little more of an issue. The prototype images of the statue absolutely won me over. They made the statue look like a perfect representation of the in-game character. The actual production model is a bit less-so. The face is indeed slightly "off". For me, it's less about the red around the eyes and more about how the dirt and blood was applied. They look like paint that was applied to a statue, not like blood or dirt on a character. I don't hate it, but it's definitely not as crisp and excellent as the prototype pictures. That said, I watched plenty of review videos on youtube prior to making the purchase, so I knew exactly what I was getting, and the in-hand result IS better than what the camera seems able to capture.

Turnaround perspectives are good, though no one will really ever get to see her from the back. I've got her displayed at a slight angle, sort of mimicking the cover art pose as best I could.

The base is brilliantly detailed. It's so good, in fact, that the rope looks real to me. That's the kind of look I find missing in those gripes I mentioned earlier.

I noticed that her right leg does not meet the base. There's a metal post in the left foot, and a square guide to insert the statue, but nothing in the right. And when inserted fully, the right foot is still left floating slightly above the base. It's absolutely not noticeable unless one gets down and studies it, but I'm worried that having all of the statue's weight on the post in the left foot might cause problems over time. I'm probably going to put something under the right foot to fill the space and provide a little support.

On display, my inside lighting leaves Lara's skin looking yellower than she does in natural lighting, so I'll have to figure a way to get some better, whiter light on her, but overall I'm very pleased with this statue. It's a fitting representation and tribute to a character and game that I really enjoy. I feel like the sculpt and paint are closer than the Play Arts Kai version I have. On another note, the box this figure came in is absolutely gorgeous. It's a giant work of art that's done so well that I think I'm going to create a whole separate post just for the box - it's that good...

Great detail...

Cover pose

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

GIGANOTOSAURUS - Schleich "World of History" small version 2015

During the summer, Schleich released a series of small-version dinosaurs featuring all-new sculpts and dynamic, colorful paint applications. I have already taken a look at their "World of History" small version Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Therizinosaurus, and Carnotaurus. Now, it's time to take a look at the final release: the small version Giganotosaurus.

It's interesting to note that, despite the fact that Schleich released a completely new large-size Giganotosaurus this summer, this small version looks nearly nothing like its larger self. That large version (reviewed in an earlier post on this site) is massively thick and solid, while this small version appears quite lithe, and is incredibly thin in terms of width. 

It's posed mid-roar, with a couple of the defining twists to the neck and tail that the recent releases have been sporting. Each hand has 3 fingers, with the wrists slightly twisted outwards. The mouth is open and the roof has some basic sculpting, while the tip of the tongue is curled upwards from the bottom interior. The mouth is pink, and the teeth are painted mostly well, individually.

The rest of the paint is applied well, with some highlight airbrushing, but it's honestly a paint scheme that I don't much like. The entire dinosaur is a deep crimson, which is ok, if not a bit interesting. The belly/underside and highlighting, however, is a metallic silver. Not grey, but silver. As in, reflective with little sparkly bits that catch the light. It does add a little flavor to a sculpt and design that I find pretty bland, especially in comparison to the new large version Gigano, but it's a bit too much of a stretch for me, personally.

The sculpt shows the same care and attention to fine detail that the other small releases have. There's some neat wrinkling at the neck where it bends inwards, and I like the profile of the head a great deal. The hands and feet are a tad soft, but the torso itself has a good measure of creases and wrinkling to add some depth.

Honestly, this is probably my least favorite of the new small version releases, right alongside the Velociraptor. It's not bad, but it really doesn't do anything to stand out in my display. There's a very generic quality to the whole piece, and I find the metallic silver to be too garish for my own tastes. That said, it may be eye-catching enough to capture the attention of a kid, which is who these are directed towards, anyway...

CARNOTAURUS - New Battat Terra Figure

My son, God bless him, found this terrific Carnotaurus for me last night. I stumbled across the Amargasaurus and Ceratosaurus Battat Terra releases some weeks back, but have never been able to find Carnotaurus, despite searching quite a few Targets. But, lo and behold, leave it to my 9-year-old to have the magic touch!

The figure is really cool, with a neat sculpt and toned-down paint. I like the splash of color across the throat, and the horns on mine look pretty good. The eyes are a little wonky (seems the pupils are an issue across the line), but the paint is otherwise great. I noticed a couple of odd things about the sculpt. First, the left foot is sculpted with the heel flat and the toes raised. It almost looks like the ties in the package have warped the foot, pulling the back down when it was meant to be up? Not sure, but it does look strange. The other interesting thing is how narrow the skull looks when viewed face-on. It's very different from the other Carnotaurus figures I have, and makes for a unique figure of a unique dinosaur. Since Battat is so well-respected for their accuracy, I'm going to assume that this is the correct look and my Schleich and Papo versions are too rounded. In any event, it's a cool figure.

The arms on this guy are also not swept back, as they seem to be on the other versions I have, but hang down. The tail curves downward to meet the base of the box interior.

Overall, it's great to have the Battat Terra Carnotaurus added to the collection. I've been fortunate to find all of the new releases I'm aware of, and hope that Target and the Dan Lo Russo Collection keep up with the re-releases far into the future!

SPINOSAURUS - Schleich 2015 Large Size Dinosaur

Schleich's new Spinosaurus presents a striking look in nearly all aspects, clearly separating it from its previous incarnation. Where the earlier release sported drab colors, a basic pose and an uninspired level of detail, this new version takes all of those qualities to the extreme opposite...

Spinosaurus 2015 sports a lavendar color scheme with orange highlights transitioned with a lighter tan between. There are strategic scales painted orange along the flanks and along the top of the snout. The eyes are glossy black and the interior of the mouth is sculpted and painted a nice red. The teeth are individually sculpted and are painted well, though they are fairly blunt (understandable) and misaligned (though not as much as on the Papo Running V-Rex T-rex).

The jaw is articulated, but mine seems a little off at the hinge on the lower jaw (meaning that it isn't lined up perfectly).

The sculpt itself is really quite lovely. You can see all the fine details and variations to make the skin textures all across the snout. The nostrils appear to be placed about midway between the eyes and the tip, about where the ridges begin.

There's a noticeable seam where the top half of the head/neck is glued in place to seal the lower jaw in, but that's the price to pay for a hinged jaw.

The animal is sculpted pretty dynamically, with a really sharp twist of the head as well as the tail towards the left. The result is that the Spinosaurus only measures just under 7" long, while being about 6" tall at the top of its spine crest.

Another interesting result of the pose is the way the hands/feet/claws are done. There are three on the ground, and they are posed in a similar fashion, with the toes splayed wide. The final hand, the one up off the ground, has the fingers close together, and the result is that it looks much smaller, almost like it's out of proportion to the others. It's really not a big deal, but it is noticeable.

Schleich has also added another creative touch to the sculpt along the length of the sculpt. They've sculpted the individual plates of the spine to appear so they twist with the torso. They appear to overlap or flex as needed to accomodate the body. It's really neat, and adds a bit more to the dynamic nature of the pose.

I really like the new Schleich Spinosaurus. It looks great on the shelf and sports a seriously eye-catching design. I think kids would love the new look. Personally, I find the head sculpt a little too "dragon like" when viewed from the side, and with its mouth open, but it's otherwise a terrifically fun update. Much like with the new Giganotosaurus, the artistic license taken here serves to create a visual treat!

Scaled with Papo Standing T-rex.

THERIZINOSAURUS - Schleich "World of History" small version 2015

The partner figure in Schleich's 2-pack with Triceratops, the new version Therizinosaurus is a bit of an "odd duck", even as far as the "odd Therizinosaurus" goes. Schleich's earlier large version is a colorful beast, but seems to take quite a bit of creative license with the creature. This version does so even more, and ends up looking like something I'd expect to see in a SyFy Channel movie..

Like the other new "small version" dinosaurs, it's sculpted with a fairly high level of detail, especially at this smaller size. Lots of veiny wrinkles on the belly and underside transition into fine hair-like feathering along the sides of the torso. The neck has a scaly texture, while the feathers become larger on the topside and sides of the tail. The claws have been given a bony texture, as has the beak.

The color is an interesting shade of green with darker green airbrushing in a few key places to give the figure some depth. It's done really well and does a lot to bring out the sculpt.

The pose is an interesting one, with the hands splayed so far out at the wrists that that they almost look like the figure is trying to check the time on a watch. The rear left foot is slightly raised, mid-step, and the neck twists off to the right while the tail sweeps back to the left. The figure rests on the claws of both hands.

The head sculpt is full of great detail, and in and of itself is really neat looking. I know there are bound to be tons of inaccuracies with this figure: even I know that there should be more of a pot belly, the hands are crazy and the face is just...well...creative? It's an interesting looking creature, and it's done really well, but I'm not sure it's a Therizinosaurus, so much as a "monster with hook claws". What's been done here is done really well, it's just a matter of personal taste for whether or not it's worth adding to a collection...

TRICERATOPS - Schleich "World of History" small version 2015

This "small" version Triceratops came in a boxed 2-pack I found at Barnes & Noble, of all places, packaged along with a new version Therizinosaurus. It's actually a really nice figure - in fact, I think I prefer it to their larger "standard" Triceratops...

The colors are bold: a fairly bright yellow for most of the body with a light brown up top, separated with a dark brown line between. The paint is applied well everywhere except on the toenails, with fine mottling on the crest, some drybrushing to bring out the details on the horns and beak around the mouth, very clear black eyes and a pink mouth interior.

The sculpt is super detailed, with scales and wrinkles carved deeply enough to allow for really nice pattern changes across the body. There's an incredibly fine sandy grainy texture over the snout and sides of the face that I didn't even notice until the pictures - keep in mind that this guy is pretty small, coming in at about 5 & 1/2" long from horn tip to tail tip, so the level of detail here is really something to appreciate.

Schleich has given this fellow a mid-stride pose, of sorts, with both legs on the right side coming up slightly off the ground as the torso curves gently to the left.

Overall, I really enjoy this figure. It's anything but boring to look at, even at its slightly smaller size, and at about $7.50-$10.00 it's very worth it!