I’m a fan of old school Witchblade, when it was all about Sara Pezzini and her weird bio-armor-weapon, before all the nonsense with the magic baby, the Yancy Butler TV show, and the ballerina co-Witchblade host. As such, I had to pick up this newest Witchblade statue from C. S. Moore.
Clayburn Moore has built a solid reputation around sculpting statues of alluring females, as evidenced by my review of his recent Lady Death statue. This new Witchblade piece is based on his prior Witchblade Schoolgirl statues and shares a pose with them, but overall it’s a completely different statue. For one thing, this one has a lot less clothing. In true Witchblade form, Sara is shown here clad only in the green armor, in a stance and appearance reminiscent of the cover of Witchblade #170 by Mark Silvestri. One difference from that art is that the statue version of Sara is wearing even less than she is on the comic cover, and that’s quite a feat.
Truly, this statue is just an excuse for Clayburn Moore to show off his chops at sculpting the female form. It’s entirely forgiveable, though, because he’s a master at what he does. From the bottom of the base to the top of her head, this statue measures about 14″ tall. All the musculature, tendrils of hair, armor intricacies, and facial expressiveness are represented here with excellent craftsmanship. Indeed, it’s hard to find a flaw in Moore’s work, from the detailed jewel and ridged texture of the Witchblade gauntlet to the sleek lines and curves on Sara herself. The paintjob is every bit as good as the sculpt. The skintones are well shaded and blended, lending extra dimension to the figure. The paint on the armor is particularly good, as the greens are highlighted with silvery touches, giving it an organic but metallic feel.
The base is a narrow one, sculpted as a stone platform on which Sara is standing. A green “W” adorns the front in the trademark Witchblade font. It’s flanked by tendrils of the green Witchblade that look somewhat like ivy crawling across the pedestal. Sara attaches to the platform by a peg that connects her foot to the top of the base. This really is the only problem I have with the statue, and it’s a complaint I had with Sideshow’s recent Padme Vs Nexu Diorama as well. Only one of Sara’s feet attaches to the base, and the other is left unattached and free. Since the peg is round, this leaves the figure free to swivel on the base, allowing for potential nicking or scratching. I’d prefer to have both feet pegged onto the base, but this definitely isn’t a dealbreaker.
The Witchblade Bikini Armor statue is a great piece for any fan of Witchblade, female comic characters, or the work of Clayburn Moore. It might get you some askance looks from the uninitiated when they see it in your collection, but if you can brave that, she’s definitely worth adding to your collection.
( Witchblade Bikini Armor Statue Photos )
