Review – Star Wars 2-1B Mini-Bust
I recently mentioned that this new Gentle Giant (website, Twitter) 2-1B mini-bust was in the mail, and yesterday it arrived so I immediately popped open the box and started playing with the statue. And wow, this is a very nice piece of work. A definite work of art with only a single minor issue that really isn’t a problem but just a tad annoying.
A Stunning Sculpt
Gentle Giant is known for quality work, and this 2-1B mini-bust is an excellent example of truly spectacular work. Reportedly they followed Lucasfilm references taken directly from The Empire Strikes Back* and after spending a little time with the statue I completely believe them. Looking at the photo on the box and the statue it looks like they studied every inch of the movie prop/droid and then directly scaled down the details to make this statue.
And it’s not just the sculpted work that stands out. The statue is a mix of materials with solid parts, clear glass elements, and rubber-like tubes and hoses all contributing to the statue’s final appearance. And I think some of those hoses may even be made of metal, but I’m not 100% certain of that. Take a look at the photos and I am sure you’ll see why I consider this to be a fantastic sculpt. And for even more photos see this page at Rebel Scum where they photographed the statue from several different angles.
Light!
The below two shots show the statue with the lights switched on. The statue uses two AAA batteries in the base and flipping the switch on illuminates the glass parts of the statue; this looks fantastic for as long as the lights stay on but I wish there was a way to trigger the lights from an external switch and power source so that the statue could be lit when I’ve got the other lights in the display on.
But the lights, as cool as they look, are my one source of slight unhappiness with the statue. Last night, after flipping the lights on, I noticed that the lights slowly faded out even without me touching the switch. I think this is a built-in feature so that the batteries don’t get burned out, but I would rather the lights stay on when I have the switch on. I tested the switch and flipping the statue off and then back on brought the lights back up bright and strong, so I just have to accept that I can’t have the statue lit for hours at a time. Too bad, because it looks way cooler with the lights on.
Which is saying quite a bit, because the statue looks great even with the lights off.
Paint
Very nice. A mix of flat colors and some weathering effects, 2-1B seems to be pretty damned close to the movie colors from what I can tell. As an example of nailing the details look at the photo on the box and then compare the lower right chest to the statue where you’ll see two specks of silver paint. The specks on the statue are a bit larger than they appear in the photo, but it’s close enough to make me really happy.
And the only spot where the coloring doesn’t look quite right — the eyes — is only a problem because the holes in the statue should have been larger so more light shines through in the eye sockets. But that’s only really noticeable when the lights are switched on and even then it’s not really much of a problem.
Closing Thoughts
Gentle Giant does some very cool work, and this limited edition 2-1B mini-bust is easily the best of their statues in my collection (not that I own very many of them at this time). The mix of different materials comes together to give the statue a great feel and look, and the internal lights are a great effect and make perfect sense in this droid statue.
I suggest that if you’re a Star Wars fan and into droids then you think about grabbing one of these before they’re all sold out and start increasing in price. This was my first order direct from Gentle Giant after joining their club (club membership information here) and I can’t wait for my next mini-bust — the Hammerhead bust (first mentioned here) — to arrive. Fortunately, shipping information arrived in my mail today and I expect to see the new statue next week.
This is one incredible work of art and a great addition to my collection.
Philip Reed is amazed that his opinion on statues has changed so much over the last few years. It’s probably because he hadn’t ever really taken a close enough look at them until he got a great deal on a Soundblaster bust. Yeah, that one deal is to blame for all of this.