Let's take a look at this custom Thing bust by Mark Valentine

I'm always on the lookout for interesting Thing items, and I recently came across a really great one - it's a resin bust of the Fantastic Four strongman that I had never seen before. This guy popped up in my eBay feed with a low starting bid. I decided to take a shot and ended up being the only bidder - I'm sure the seller was disappointed, but I got a great deal and am happy to show it off.

It's an unpainted resin Thing bust with a stand. Check it out!

The bust itself can stand alone and is mightily impressive. The figure work is excellent for what I understand is a custom piece, not officially licensed. I don't consider this to be a bootleg figure since I believe this is a 1/1 item.

The detail work on the rocks is really something. This is better than a number of licensed Thing items.

The base also comes unpainted and is a white resin. It's got a peg at top for the bust to sit on. The base shows off some wreckage from an apparent brawl that went down on Yancy Street.

The street sign is there and is a nice feature.

The back looks like...wait a minute...is that...

Okay, here's a strange and kind of unexpected addition - it's the Impossible Man! Or at least his head. Or at least an image of his head. Does this imply that the base is actually the man from Poppup? Is he just hiding out amid the rubble? This was an odd choice, but hey, I'm happy to get another FF character included here.

Another fun surprise is on the bottom of the base, where the original sculptor, Mark Valentine, both signed and drew a great Thing sketch.

I'd love to know more about this unique item - whether this is truly a 1/1 item and why Mr. Valentine made it. It reminds me of one of the '90s-era Thing model kits in size and function. I suppose that this was meant to be painted, but I don't know if I could bring myself to do it. The bust, anyway, strikes an imposing figure as it is. In any case, it makes a fine addition to my Thing collection, and I'll happily put it on display.