Bowen Designs' new Thing statue

I'm getting a new random notes blog ready to go.  Who knew I could have so many items to say just a little bit about?  Who indeed.  I'm sure you're all breathless with anticipation.

The following item was originally going to belong to the upcoming post, but I took so many pictures that I thought it deserved its own post.  And when we're dealing with the Thing, who can blame me?  It's not like I don't make some mention of the character several times a week.  A hem.

Anyway, a few days ago I got a long-anticipated birthday present in the mail: Bowen Designs' newest Thing statue.  And what a present it is!  I had seen pictures online, and I own other Bowen Thing statues, but my expectations were far exceeded once I saw this statue with my own eyes.  So I took some pictures.  And here they are.

The first picture is, of course, the box the statue came in.  Upon opening the box and removing the styrofoam protective container, we see the Thing in all his glory.

I was surprised that the Thing isn't permanently attached to the base.  If you look at the right section, you might see a small square indentation.  This picture actually has the base upside down.  The Thing has a peg on the bottom of his right foot that fits in this hole, securing him to the base.

The detail in this statue is just astounding, and it's pretty big, too - 13 1/2 inches tall.  I was surprised, however, at how light this statue is.  It seems that both it and the base might be hollow inside.  This stands in contrast to the similarly-sized Hard Hero Thing statue, which is also nice looking and heavy as all get out.  The weight doesn't take anything away from the statue...it's just an interesting detail.

The other three members of the Fantastic Four come in a three-pack statue set, just as a previous FF Bowen collection.  I guess no one wants to buy Mr. Fantastic by himself, but the Thing is sold separately.  That's kind of weird, but oh well.

In all, this is a great piece and I'm happy to add it to my collection.  Bowen makes great products and this is certainly no exception.  It'll find a prominent place in the display for sure.  I read that there were only 950 of these made, and they've already sold out, so I feel lucky to get one.

There have been so many Thing statues put out in recent years.  Most of them have been well done, but this is in the top tier for sure.  If I had to guess, I'd say that I have maybe 70% of the Thing statues on the market.  I've yet to crack the super expensive Sideshow racket, with their $500+ price tags.  Maybe some day.  But for now, I'll be happy with the more affordable, but still fairly extravagant, pieces in my Thing collection.