Green Arrow (Eaglemoss DC Chess) -- Review (cont.)

Regrettably, the conclusion of this review is not what I had hoped for. . . 

On the plus side, the quality of the sculpture is superb! As best as I can tell, it is indeed com- prised of 4 pieces + base. This is a significant cost-saving measure afforded by the use of resin, with minimal down-side.

The negative. All the fineness and subtlety of the sculpture is virtually negated by the coarseness of the filler used! So much so that the figure is effectively rendered unusable once the paint is stripped!! Apparently, the production team is either unawares of the nuances of cold-cast metal casting, or are limited by budget constraints. Back in the day, I would have never used an aluminum powder so coarsely ground with the resin they are using--and without a thixotropic medium (read: "stratifier")! What is happening is that the essentially one-piece casting is being poured from the feet, and all the filler metal is settling to the upper body and head. The result is a relatively smooth, albeit virtually metal-free, lower body, and a craggy, coarse upper body. Of course, if you are willing to fill-in the roughness with paint, I don't suppose it really matters; but you are eliminating the repaint option. And even if you elected not to use a stratifier, a finer grade of Al powder would circumvent the problem, but would cut into your profit margin. 

Admittedly, this could have been a fluke. I can tell you with complete and authoritative confidence that it does happen. But if your fallback to a failed casting is a heavy (heavier?) application of paint, then any pretense at quality control during production is disingenuous, if not superfluous. 

I contacted Eaglemoss' CS, and received an immediate and candid response from a charming young lady. To wit, she was not in a position to discuss production issues. When I asked her if she could direct me to the point person on the production team, she replied that she did not have a contact to give me.

And so, my patronage of Eaglemoss has come to an end. The decline in painting quality was merely a symptom of what now lays beneath (HINT: paint is not intended to be used as either a filler or an adhesive!). And I don't need to be wasting my time OR money on an operation whose entire focus now appears to be the latter. CAVEAT EMPTOR!

Green Arrow (Eaglemoss DC Chess)

Those who frequent this blog are well aware of my affinity for Eaglemoss pre-painted collectible figurines--to be stripped, cleaned, and repainted as they deserve!

My latest acquisition is the Green Arrow from DC's "The New 52" reboot. This is the modernized version of the Emerald Archer, complete with compound bow, form-fitting tactical costume, and armored boots. And while it is not my first figure from the DC Chess Collection, it is the first one that I have stripped.

The DC Chess Collection (actually two distinct sets) figures differ from the main Eaglemoss DC Comics Super Hero Collection offerings in that the former are cast in what Eaglemoss calls "metallic resin". "Metallic resin" is a euphemistically vague, and potentially misleading, phrase. What resin was used? What filler was used?? What is the percent saturation??? All of which leads to the ultimate question: are these cold-cast bronze/"pewter"?

The figure is now in its third day in the "purple bath". To date, I have been able to "break down" the figure to 5 pieces:

• the figure 
• the left hand/compound bow (white metal)
• the drawn arrow
• a 'block' of arrow fletchings (inserts into box quiver)
• the circular plinth

My observations to this point:

• The hand/bow unit is cast in white metal and separated quite readily from the left wrist.
• The balance of the figure is cast in what appears to be a polyester resin sparingly “filled” with powdered aluminum.This is by no means a "cold-cast" metallic! That being said, the retention of detail and the quality of the casting is superb!!
• The quality of the painting continues to decline. The paint is astoundingly "heavy" and obliterates virtually any detail that it might touch (e.g., the finely sculpted/cast third and fourth fingers on the right hand were hidden under paint!). I can virtually guarantee that even an average paint-up will be light years ahead of this factory slop! 
• Eaglemoss should be commended for pinning the ankles of the figure with music wire. This is the "Achilles heel" (pun intended) of virtually every "hard resin" figure, and the inclusion of this critical support will do much to forestall any disappointment in the future.

I will continue this review in the days to come once all the the paint is off the figure. . .