I'll get right to it - never did I ever think conditions would be right for me to own ANYTHING from Pop Culture Shock... well anything GOOD anyway. Prices were high to start with, and by the time it got to me, things would only get worse. Then there's the physical space requirements... these things are not small due to the poses and the size of the bases.
So when things happened that let me walk away with a piece for $600 CAD, I didn't really argue - I said "Thank You" and went on my way.
A few years ago, Pop Culture Shock produced a 1/3 Chun Li, a Standard Blue Qi Pao version, an Alpha version based on her appearance in that game, and one with her donning her now infamous Battle Dress from Street Fighter V. All of these cost much more than their $900 USD MSRP these days, though I am told that the Alpha version in particular is highly sought after.
It easy to see why this statue was well received. The statue has incredible shelf appeal, coming in at about 30 inches tall and features a Polystone body along with a fabric outfit - the shoes are sculpted, though. Then, there's only 350 of each type, so the FOMO must have been incredible when the statue was solicited.
I have to say that reading the technical specifications and seeing stock photos doesn't really prepare you for when you actually see the thing in person. PCS really did an excellent job on the sculpt. The musculature, curves, and thickness do Chun Li proud, and the 1/3 scale really, and I mean REALLY allows you to appreciate every bulge of her body. Also, it helps that whomever actually sculpted the statue has a sense of human proportions.
The head sculpt is slightly different from the other two - hair aside, the face itself is also younger looking. Detailing on the hair is pretty good - it's not the finest hair I've ever seen, but it is in line with official artwork, though you could argue her bangs ought to be a bit more sharp looking. Various textures sculpted into the Polystone parts came out very crisp looking in the final product, which isn't surprising seeing how they only used the mould relatively few times.
There were no delicate Polystone parts, which is great because those generally do not survive handling, even if you're taking the utmost care.
The fabric outfit is very well tailored, which is important given the form fitting nature of the suit (after all, what better test of the tailoring than how well the curves are show cased?). Didn't find any stitching errors or damage to the fabric itself. I didn't pay that much attention to her hair ribbons, but lets be honest.. they're ribbons and they looked like they were in one piece.
Paint work is probably the biggest learning lesson for me. For the most part, the paint on Chun Li are quite good. Flesh tones are flawless and are not mismatched anywhere. Fingernails and lipstick are nicely done, and while the hair is a bit glossy at least the quality of the paint application is perfect. There were some slight imperfections on the sneakers and her bracelets, but the biggest surprise for me is that even at $900 USD, QC allowed for a set of eyes with incomplete whites to pass and be sold to collectors. I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much, or maybe PCS isn't at the top of the QC game.
An all around great piece, though perhaps I drew the short straw when it came to QC. Not just for an American studio (I generally collect Japanese statues only), but of Chun Li in general. This is one of those pieces that I'll cherish for the rest of my life, and leave to my favourite Grandchild one day.
I guess at the end of the day, keep your eyes peeled because you never know what deals you'll find.
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