The Kotobukiya Company in 2019 produced a toyline known as ARTFX Premier. This featured a number of popular Marvel Comics characters. One delightful statue made by Kotobukiya was of She-Hulk. The She-Hulk Kotobukiya ARTFX Premier statue is for collectors and dedicated comics fans. This is not for children. A durable action figure is for kids ages three and up. The She-Hulk Kotobukiya statue is a great example of quality craftmanship from a toy company. Kotobukiya Company was established in 1947. At the time, it was a toy store that only sold dolls. The founder Jusaboro Shimizu wanted to expand operations. Around 1951, Kotobukiya was transformed into a limited liability company. Then by 1983 the Kotobukiya Company was producing model kits for sale.The Kotobukiya Company began producing statues, coin mini figures, and action figures. The company was able to acquire licenses for various franchises. The She-Hulk statue is unique, skillfully detailed, and demonstrates sculptor talent .
The unique aspect of the She-Hulk statue is that depicts the character in savage form. The comics during the late 2010s showed a bigger and more brutish She-Hulk. Her new savage form came in Avengers # 2. Her design was more muscular compared to previous versions. Savage form She-Hulk would be introduced in 2018. She-Hulk’s character design would go back to what it was in 2021. The last time She-Hulk was in savage form was in Avengers #50. What should be praised with the comic and the statue is that both are not afraid to give her muscle. Most She-Hulk action figures or statues show her much slimmer. The She-Hulk statue gives her a Ms. Olympia physique.
The muscles are detailed. The biceps in particular are very well sculpted. She-Hulk also shows an impressive six-pack of abs. The sculptors were not afraid to give a female superhero muscles. Seeing as it is so rare it makes the She-Hulk statue unique. For a collector’s item to be special it must be distinctive. The She-Hulk statue is very close to the comics character design. Often action figures and statues do not look exactly look like the character in a comic or cartoon.
The clothing for the statue does have a minor issue. It is not She-Hulk’s standard uninform. The statue is referencing the issues before She-Hulk got her black and purple uniform. Normally , She-Hulk would appear in a leotard. This is not the fault of the The Kotobukiya Company . The Avengers storyline saw She-Hulk change between forms. Characters getting power-ups and redesigns can be a complication for toy makers. Although She-Hulk is in clothing that is not preferred, this is a minor annoyance. The details on She-Hulk’s shirt and shorts are incredible. The texture makes it look like actual fabric. Paying attention to the clothing a person can notice her shorts have two pockets in the back. The tears in the clothing look authentic. Holes and rips even appear in She-Hulk’s shirt . The statue did not get the color scheme accurate. Avengers #2 shows her pants as black and her shirt as white. The statue would be much better with She-Hulk in her purple and black uniform or her leotard.
A buyer should be aware that the statue has to be partially configured. When removing the statue from the box She-Hulk’s upper body is detached. Be sure to connect it securely. The stand for the statue is a rock formation. Insert She-Hulk’s upper to lower body before mounting it on the rock stand. A small irritation is not enough to subject from the quality of the product. Handle the statue with considerable care. The statue is durable, but like anything can be broken. This is why it should be placed on a secure shelf. The She-Hulk statue is made of polyvinyl chloride. The material is a synthetic plastic polymer. This is the common material used for Kotobukiya Company products. Collectors and toy fans have fears their item breaking. That is not a concern with the She-Hulk statue.
The She-Hulk Kotobukiya ARTFX Premier statue comes with a collector’s card. The collector’s card provides certification that the product is genuine. It would be difficult to make a bootleg Kotobukiya Company product. Seeing as they are great quality a bootleg attempt would be apparent. Keep the collector’s card if you ever want to sell it or do some form of trade. Serial numbers are printed on the base of the statue and on the collector’s card. Both should match for verification. The serial number has eight digits with a slash dividing them by four. The back of the collector’s card has the name of the toyline, character, the certification statement, serial number, Marvel, and Kotobukiya logos. The front of the collector’s card has a profile image of the Marvel character. The She-Hulk statue shows the angry face of the character with her fist up. The photography is professionally done adding to the statue.
The She-Hulk Kotobukiya ARTFX Premier statue is a must have collectible. While there are some minor problems related to costume selection and partial assembly it does not detract from the product. The She-Hulk statue shows meticulous detail down to every texture and shape. The She-Hulk statue is so close to her 2018 version its like she jumped out of the Marvel comic. The artists were not deterred in giving her muscle. The majority of She-Hulk action figures and previous statues did not do this. A few statues prior to this release did give She-Hulk some muscle, but not to this level. The 1996 Toybiz She-Hulk action figure was part of a short toyline. It appeared to be based more off the comics, however it was more focused on the animated series at the time. She-Hulk’s character design was more muscular on the show, but this was not reflected in the action figure. The She-Hulk Kotobukiya ARTFX Premier statue breaks that convention. Hopefully, more female superheroes will get that character design. The price range for the She-Hulk statue can range from $175 to $200. There are other places it can be purchased such as eBay, Amazon, or AliExpress. Comics shops might carry a few, but this product sold well making harder to get and find. The She-Hulk Kotobukiya ARTFX Premier statue should be a part of any Marvel fan’s collection.
