Review – Machine Man Mini-Bust
Bowen Designs (website, Twitter) creates fantastic statues and busts and this Machine Man Mini-Bust* — released in 2008 — is a gorgeous work of art that bring’s Jack Kirby’s creation to life. A Machine Man bust isn’t exactly the sort of thing I ever expected to own, but now that it’s here I have to say that it’s nearly perfect and now has me wanting a Marvel Universe action figure version of the character.
Packaging
Attractive and well-designed, the box for this statue follows the same basic format as the Hulkbuster Mini-Bust’s box (review here) . . . but it’s not so pretty that I feel I have to display the box with the statue. So into the closet of boxes it goes, to wait for the day I need to move the statue. I really do fear I’m going to need some box storage soon; you would be stunned if you saw just how many boxes I have stacked in a single closet.
Metallic Purple Perfection
Though small — the bust is about 6-inches tall — this really is an amazing work of art and an excellent statue of Jack Kirby’s Machine Man character (Wikipedia). Smooth sculpting combined with a shiny metallic paint brings the character to life and makes the entire statue stand out; my photos here do not do the paint job justice because no matter how much I fiddled with the color balance of the photos I just couldn’t bring the metallic sheen across. This is one of those pieces of art you truly have to see up close to appreciate.
Arm Extension!
The Machine Man statue’s right arm is slightly customizable; the photo above shows the statue with the silver arm extension in place while the first photo of the statue shows the piece with the extension removed. Popping the piece in and out is pretty simple, and while I appreciate that Bowen gave us a choice on how to display the statue I cannot see why anyone would ever display Machine Man without the arm extension. That bit of silver is the one thing in the statue that really shows that this is more than just a metallic purple guy with weird eyes.
Closing Thoughts
It’s a small, shiny bust that looks great . . . but only if you’re a fan of Jack Kirby-designed characters and can remember the Machine Man comics of the seventies and eighties. The character has existed since that time, but as the entry at the Marvel Wiki shows today’s Machine Man just does not look like this statue. And I am fine with that, since there’s just something silly and charming about this version of the character.
I cannot believe that this Machine Man Mini-Bust* was ever actually produced, but I count myself lucky that I managed to grab one before all of them vanished from the market and the prices started climbing. After all, I doubt there’s much chance that we’ll ever see something like this again.
Philip Reed now wants to track down old Machine Man comics and lose himself in his childhood. Please forgive him for his insanity.
Damnit! Machine Man’s come up twice for me already today, and I want a proper, Marvel Legends version! New style or classic, either way; but the classic would look great with DCUC’s OMAC, Kamandi, and Mister Miracle…
I liked the Solomon Kane post the other day, too; I’m thinking about picking those up now.
@googum – It’s a conspiracy against we. I talked to the internet and we decided to make you want Machine Man toys and statues.
And thanks, I enjoyed writing about the two Solomon Kane trades. Good to hear someone got some value out of that work.