Review – Star Wars Storm Commando Bust
Last year I joined Gentle Giant’s (website, Twitter) club so that I could give them a shot for a year (club info at the Gentle Giant site). As part of club membership I selected this Storm Commando bust, a black-colored Biker Scout that recently arrived. And if the discount on statues wasn’t enough to make me consider renewing my membership for 2012 I can say that this new mini-bust did the job.
Great Paint!
The first thing I noticed when I pulled the bust out of it’s packaging was the mix of gloss and flat blacks; the armored pieces of the design are all painted in a gloss while the other surfaces have a flat color that really helps the armor pop. I know that my photos only give you some idea of how the two types of paint work on the statue, but trust me when I say that the effect is excellent and that Gentle Giant (as always) has done an incredible job on the statue’s paint apps. Crisp, perfect, clean . . . all of these words describe what you get out of the statue’s paintwork. I think I’m more of a Gentle Giant fan geek than I had realized.
A Fantastic Sculpt
I have to apologize for the quality of the photos in this review; it’s tough getting really good shots of a black on black design and getting the photos for this review was a tad more difficult than usual. But even with my poor pictures I think everyone can see that Gentle Giant did an awesome job on the statue’s sculpt. The Scout Commando is a little front-heavy — the statue does lean a little forward, compressing the padded spot on the bottom — but other than that I’ve got no complaints with the design. Every armored plate and even the empty holster look fantastic, but I think what impresses me most is that this isn’t just a repaint of the Biker Scout bust that they have already released. (Though if they decide to repaint this Scout Commando bust and release another Biker Scout bust I won’t complain.)
Enjoy the Pics
Rather than drool all over my keyboard I’m gonna wrap this up and leave you guys with the photos. I know that not everyone out there is a Star Wars fan, but if you’re at all interested in Stormtroopers/Clone Troopers then this is a great piece for your collection. The weight issue is annoying, but nothing that should prevent anyone from wanting this statue on their shelf.
If I had to find something else to complain about it would be that the statue looks so cool — and looks even better when it’s displayed with other statues from Gentle Giant — that owning it makes me want more Stormtrooper/Clone Trooper busts and statues. I think I need to win the lottery . . . or convince the crew at Gentle Giant (website, Twitter) that I should be on their review list. Actually, getting on their review list would be a lot like winning a lottery.
Philip Reed keeps rearranging all of his Stormtroopers in an attempt to find the best place for them that both shows them off and keeps them safe from the cats.
What are the approx sizes of these mini busts?
Always thought about buying a few to litter the desk full of other odds and ends.
@Court – There are all roughly 6-inches tall. They’re basically 12-inch scale action figures without legs and without articulation. Gentle Giant does an excellent job with the line. Too excellent for my bank account.