One of the best parts of writing this column (as well as my other site) is giving small companies exposure. Even with the current market pressure on retailers and manufacturers, there are still small companies out there bringing creative and unique products to the collector and fan of pop culture. One such company is Symbiote Studios.

Symbiote released a pair of Dr. Tran bobble heads not too long ago, and I reviewed those at the beginning of the month. They followed it up with the release of the Stykman statue, limited to just 500 pieces and retailing for just $10. Yes, that’s right, a polystone statue that’s just ten bucks.

Who the Hell is Stykman? Published by a.k.a. Comics, the comic has been around for a couple years, but is just now being distributed by Diamond. The book is a throwback to a character like the Tick, with a bumbling yet lovable main character, supported by his brighter and capable sidekick. Stykman is…well…a stick. How does that work exactly? That’s part of the mystery!

If you’re looking for more pop culture reviews, check out my site at Michael’s Review of the Week, and if you have any questions or comments drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com.

Stykman Statue

Packaging – ***
The statue comes in a well designed window box, that keeps the bust safe but also gives a buyer the chance to see what they are buying before the purchase. That’s a big plus, as is the economic size. It could use a bit more text, but it’s a minor issue.

Sculpting – ***
The character design for Stykman is certainly unique and creative. I love the artwork in the book, and the round stick head, with two ropes holding his stick eyes in place, is hilarious.

However, getting that look to translate is mighty, mighty tough. The ropes and the eyes are a little thicker and less ‘fluid’ in appearance than the actual artwork. The rest of the body, outfit, guns and even the basic base are all well done however, with nice detailing and a good scale. The statue stands just about 6 1/2″ tall, but since he’s sitting, that makes the actual height of Stykman would be around 7″ – 8″.

I am a bit confused by the positioning of the eyes though. The little sticks that represent them in the comics usually run left to right, with a slight angle upward to give him a mean or tough look. Here, one of the two eyes is straight up and down, while the other is properly angled. It makes them look a lot less like eyes, and a lot more like two sticks on strings.

The stick itself lacks much in the way of texturing, so it relies on the paint to make it appear like wood. I’m not complaining about that though, because it matches up to the style of the artwork in the book.

Paint – **1/2
Considering the price point, the quality of the paint ops aren’t surprisirng. Yes, there’s some slop here and there, but at ten bucks, I’d be surprised if that wasn’t the case.

The cut lines between the many bright colors are sloppy, but the coverage is generally consistent and even. These are the kind of paint ops that you usually would expect from a specialty market statue, but those statues generally cost 5 times as much.

Design – ***
Stykman is riding an exercise ball. I get the impression that this is one of his signature weapons, but because I’ve only read issue #1 of the comic I can’t be sure. Why only issue #1? Because everyone that buys one of the statues gets a free copy of issue #1, signed by creator!

However, he does use the exercise ball – along with the gun – in the very first issue, and I’d be willing to bet we see it again later.

Value – ****
Ten dollars? You got to be kidding me! I couldn’t believe it myself. A small company, making a licensed statue, out of quality materials with good sculpting and paint…and doing it for less than most mass market action figures. You may not know who the character is…yet…but you won’t find a better value out there.

Things to Watch Out For –
Other than the obviouis (don’t drop it!), you shouldn’t have any issues.

Overall – ***
Yep, the paint is sloppier than I like on my statues, and the wonky eye has me a bit bewildered. But the huge saving grace here is the price. At this kind of price, you are a lot more willing to be forgiving of issues like that.

Where to Buy –
Hit the Symbiote Studios site, where you can still get this guy for just a ten spot.

Related Links –
Check out the Stykman website, or hit my review of the Dr. Tran bobbleheads to see more of Symbiote Studios work.

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