Hey, Al

[CougarTrace]

Al,

I read your last post in the CK thread and it sounded like you were leaving the forums or taking a break.

I hope I'm wrong or that you just take a short break.

I like your posts here. I actually think you really try hard to make the forum a better place with different topics and ideas.

You will not get suckered into forum fights here.

I think we have some great people on this forum and I think we can make this a great place to be. It already is, in my opinion, but I think we can make it better. But, we need someone with your passion.

[HoldyourfireAl]

Al,

I read your last post in the CK thread and it sounded like you were leaving the forums or taking a break.

I hope I'm wrong or that you just take a short break.

I like your posts here. I actually think you really try hard to make the forum a better place with different topics and ideas.

You will not get suckered into forum fights here.

I think we have some great people on this forum and I think we can make this a great place to be. It already is, in my opinion, but I think we can make it better. But, we need someone with your passion.

I'm certainly not leaving the boards. I just got myself, apparently, permabanned from Statue Forum. Hopefully, that is not the case, but it's not up to me. I acted foolish & embarrassed myself. All I can say is sorry & see where things go. In the meantime, I'll still be posting here.

I want to thank a lot of folks for pming me with their support. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I claim responsibility for the unneeded drama over at Statue Forum. I should have kept my mouth shut. Several mods tried to help me & I didn't listen. Shame on me.

I'll miss it over there & hope for the best that there will be forgiveness one day. It is the holidays, so one can hope....





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[HoldyourfireAl]

Another thing I would like to clear up. There are several at Statue Forum that feel that I praise Randy Bowen too much. That's fine, but what I think most don't get is that I'm supporting classic Marvel Comics more than Mr. Bowen per say.

For example, offense was taken because it was assumed that I didn't like the new Sideshow Abomination statue. Whether that's true or not is not a reflection of my praise for Bowen Designs.

I LOVE Marvel Comics. I am very protective of the representations of these characters in other outlets, be it movies, toys, statues, TV, etc... I feel that many companies take these beloved characters & reinterpret them as they think they should look. That scares me because if they keep doing that, a new generation of fans starts to accept this "reinterpretation" as THE look. It's a case of wanting to hold on to what I think made Marvel special.

Randy and others art direct their products to be faithful to the classic or true (in modern cases) style of the characters. I appreciate when I see a toy or sculpt & just know that the art director behind that product either knows or researched the material. That makes a big difference to me and that's what earns that company my money.

Randy has the most Marvel sculpts on the market & some of the most faithful representations. That's why it would appear that I'm an only-Bowen customer. That's not true. When I see product by others that evokes the Marvel I love, I stand behind that company as well. Currently, I can't praise Hard Hero enough for Seth & Rob's brand new Conan the Barbarian statue. It is pure John Buscema/70s Marvel. THAT's what gets me going. It's not blind praise for one individual.

Of course Randy Bowen is doing most of the faithful Marvel sculpts out there, so he earns my utmost respect.




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[CougarTrace]

why would anyone be offended if you didn't like the SS Abom statue?

It's an opinion anyway.

The SS fans are a sensitive bunch sometimes

[sambofred]

why would anyone be offended if you didn't like the SS Abom statue?

It's an opinion anyway.

The SS fans are a sensitive bunch sometimes

They all seem to have a chip on their shoulder....and several chips on their new out of the package statues...lol

No, I like the pictures that SS takes and I would love to own a perfect SS statue some day. I had a Stealth Iron Man - traded him to a fellow forum member. Still happy with the deal. Sure hope he still is : )

Hey, whatever happened to that one person Mandragora or whatever who took all of those killer pics?

[HoldyourfireAl]

why would anyone be offended if you didn't like the SS Abom statue?

It's an opinion anyway.

The SS fans are a sensitive bunch sometimes

I don't think that many understand that it's not the sculptors at SS that I don't like. It's the art direction. They just seem intent on reinterpreting classic characters or not doing the research.


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[joefixit2]

I don't think that many understand that it's not the sculptors at SS that I don't like. It's the art direction. They just seem intent on reinterpreting classic characters or not doing the research.


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I wouldn't say that for all the statues. The large Hulk is very Kirby-inspired. The Bowen Abomination is a great statue but it is not based on a specific artist like the Buscema-Abomination MB.

[HoldyourfireAl]

I wouldn't say that for all the statues. The large Hulk is very Kirby-inspired. The Bowen Abomination is a great statue but it is not based on a specific artist like the Buscema-Abomination MB.

There was a SS piece that I was looking forward to...their classic Iron Man, but once again, I was disappointed with the art direction. First off, Tony Stark never had a goatee during the era of that armor & the American flag pole thing just made no sense. Stark was actually at odds with the US government during that era. For one, he stopped producing munitions. That really pissed them off. Nick Fury was sent in to do a hostile take over of Stark by buying out all their shares. I don't think Tony was feeling very patriotic back then.

As far as the Abomination...it looks like a great sculpt & paint job, but it's just not the Abomination I've ever seen. It seems that the Frank Tieri scripted (awful) mini-series was the inspiration.

I just don't get it. They have years of comics to look through & they seem to only pic recent material to sort of be inspired by. Of course, some folks like that & that's why SS is such a success. I don't like what's been produced so far. I think the recent Thing & now this Abomination appear too "cartoony."

That being said, if they ever produce something that I like, I'll be proud to buy it, take pics of it, and praise it.




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PS: The large Hulk was DEFINITELY inspired by Kirby. Bravo! I just don't like it's look. I feel the same way about the 1st Bowen Hulk. I just don't like the look.



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[HoldyourfireAl]

Hey, whatever happened to that one person Mandragora or whatever who took all of those killer pics?

I dunno, but the Digital Photography section is what I'll miss most on Statue Forum. I learned so much from guys like Fenix, P1X4R, SquiderM3, and many others. I really regret that those conversations cannot continue.



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[boondocksaint]

dude sideshow rocks! bowen rocks! clay moore rocks! its all good!!!

who cares who likes what and who doesnt!

oh no gotta go my supervisor is coming! peaceeeeeee