Review: Bowen "Logan" Minibust

Before I start reviewing my new Logan bust, let me just clarify my new comics for last week. It's weird that i remembered the ones that I DIDN'T get. here are the ones that i did and their actual pictures together with the ones I got from ebay that same week..

New Mutants #6 was from my LCS, got mixed up wtih the others. Wolverine vol.2 1, Wolverine vol.3 33-35, 73-74, New X-Men 139-141 were the ones i got from ebay.

Now that we have that out of the way, let me start with my review of the Bowen Logan Mini-bust. I first saw this thing in the November 2009 Previews, it was going for $60 and it was supposed to ship out January 2010. I pre-ordered it since i wanted to collect the Bowen Mini-busts. Afterall, i already had 3 of the 4 released at that time, the Brown one being the one i lacked. I didn't really like the hair of the piece, it looked a bit too anime for me to aprreciate. I was real happy to find out that the prototype shown in the previews were still tweaked and in my opinion, the face of the one released was way better than that of the prototype. I've read from the different statue forums that this was supposedly a Weapon X model with a cigar in his mouth and stuff, i also read that it had to be changed in order for Marvel to green light it. I won't compare it to that bust but in my opinion, the changes were for the better. Anyway, I have no idea what type of shipping they used as it took only 4 MONTHS for it to reach the stores. I actually almost forgot about this piece until my LCS texted me that it finally arrived, i found a way to gather the remaining balance i had on this piece so i can finally get it. To my surprise, the bust was actually numbered up until 1300, i had the impression that it would be around the 3000 mark. I got number 299, a pretty good number though it's not really that low.

I guess i should start of with the packaging, it's basically the same with the other Bowen Mini-busts, the front and the box have a huge picture of the product inside. The left side has the specifics of the bust such as the sculptor and the height, while the right has a write up about the character. I think the write-up changes depending on the look which is a nice touch. I think the "LOGAN" could've been made better. Or maybe it could've just replaced the Wolverine logo. Having a plain font really hurts the look of the packaging for me. At the bottom of the box is the number of the bust, mine says 299/1300. Pretty plain, i guess Bowen doesn't feel the need to make CoAs. But the packaging isn't what i'm after, it's the one inside. And let me just say I'm not disappointed with the bust at all, I don't know if it's just the excitement of finally getting it but i think this just replaced the X-Force Kotobukiya as my favorite bust! This bust is years ahead (literally and figuratively) of the last Bowen Wolverine MB released. (Tigerstripe) There's just a whole lot more detail in the bust compared to the older ones.

Here's the actual picture of the bust, the front just looks so detailed. You just get the feeling that the shirt used to be white. It looks like it's been dragged through mud. The gloves look real nice, and the way the claws are placed seems as if there were slits especially made for them. the belt is very detailed too, i think it's inspired by the belt Wolverine uses in the Origins movie, this look is probably inspired by the movie. The bullet wounds seem nice, and just to prove that this Wolverine just went through war, even the back has bullet wounds.

You can see in the picture above that the wound seems to be closing leaving only a hole and dried blood on the shirt. You could also see the way paint is applied on the shirt. Oh, and if you think I'm just going to shower praises to this piece, your wrong. I do have some problems with it, such as the claws. They are REAL fragile, they seem to have been slid inside. It's also thinner compared to the other claws so you better be careful in handling them. My biggest problem with the piece though is the base. Unlike the other 4 Wolverine mini-busts, this one doesn't have it painted. It's a plain black base with claw slashes on it.
The wound on the head is a nice touch too, it shows the adamantium skeleton and it's nice that it's the same color as the claws. The face, though looks a bit anime-ish, looks nice cause it really seems that Logan is pissed. Ready to cut you open if you get on his bad side.

Overall, i think the bust is really good. Bowen lists the product as sold out so i guess if you want it, go check if your LCS ordered one, if not..try ebay. I saw this bust there a couple of months ago, going for $45.00 without the shipping, which will probably end up being $15.00.