Review – Shank Limited Edition Maquette

I posted earlier today about the Shank game that I saw at PAX and the resin figure that they were selling. Well, I liked the art style enough that I bought a t-shirt and the color version of the “Maquette.” It’s a nice, attractive piece that’s definitely more on the statue end of the spectrum than it is the toy end, but that doesn’t stop us from taking a quick look at it.

Packaging

A simple cardboard box with a styrofoam insert, the packaging is absolutely nothing special at all. It’s clean, shows off the art style, and protects the figure during shipping. I don’t think the box is attractive enough to keep, but there’s nothing wrong with it.

The Game

Shank looks like a brutal, blood-packed side-scroller game that should be fun a fun way to blow some time. It’s not about deep mood, elaborate effects, or spectacular new technology but is, instead, all about killing things.

This is a good thing. I hope this comes out on XBox 360 so that I can grab a copy for myself.

I think the trailer (above) perfectly illustrates what I mean. This thing is all about the violence, the style, and the fun art style by artist Jeff Agala.

The Maquette

Standing roughly 7-inches tall, the Shank Maquetter was released in both a B&W/grayscale and a color version. I grabbed the color version and it looks great out of the box and in my hand.

And this isn’t a surprise at all when you flip the box over and see that ESC Toy was involved in creating the figure. A known and respected designer toy company, the fact that ESC Toy was part of the process tells me that the guys behind the Shank game either have an excellent idea of who to talk to about great sculpts and style or they just got lucky in selecting a partner. Either way, we get a beautiful figure out of the relationship between the two companies.

The sculpt is sharp and clean, closely following the art style displayed in the game. Angular, hard edges look great and I always find myself a fan of art styles that take advantage of razor-sharp lines and heavy blacks. It was the silhouette scene in the trailer (above) that first caught my attention and drew me into the booth. After a few times walking past the booth I finally stepped in, chatted with some of the staff, and then proceeded to buy a shirt and this guy. $45 for the two was an excellent price.

The paint’s as sharp as the sculpt, without any line issues. It’s only a few flat colors, but the final piece comes so close to matching the art style in the game that the minimal number of colors is actually a good thing.

Closing Thoughts

Statues aren’t my thing, and figures mounted on bases have to be classified as statues and not toys, right? Or, I guess, once again we’re back to the little green army men who are inarticulate and mounted on bases and are clearly toys so I’m still stuck on the question: What is a toy? You know, a toy’s probably anything that someone plays with.

I would have much rather seen a plastic action figure or vinyl figure in this art style, but the Shank maquette is gonna look good on my shelf . . . even if it’s not really a toy.

And besides, buying the statue and shirt directly supports the company, and supporting an independent game company is never a bad thing.

Good luck with the game, guys. I hope it sells well enough that I can get an action figure of this guy. 3.75-inch scale, please.

Philip Reed knows that buying a statue isn’t usually his thing, but the art style on this guy was cool enough — and the chance to support the company just pushed this from a “maybe” to a “must.”