Diamond Select Toys’ popular Gallery line of PVC statues welcomes the stars of the CW’s DC TV offerings, with new Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl pieces. If you’re a fan of the Arrowverse, these may have already caught your eye. But are they worth the (admittedly very affordable) price tag? Read on.
The Green Arrow
Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen is the vigilante who started it all for this universe, so we’ll start with him here, too. The sculpt is quite good, and it looks like the actor. I got way behind on these shows, so I’m not certain which season this version of the costume comes from, but I’m fairly certain it’s a more recent one—it’s definitely not the original “jacket suit” that Ollie wore in the first season or two. Whatever it is, it looks good. I especially like the texture on the black “cloth” portions of the suit, and all of the tiny rivets and other details throughout the chest.
The bow isn’t anything special, though it isn’t distractingly bad, either—it’s just a pretty plain accessory against such a detailed costume.
The paint job is very nicely applied, with a few minor issues here or there. Ollie’s 5 o’clock shadow is painted on, which looks fine when you’re across the room. Up close, well…it looks painted on. Overall, the paint is excellent, though, and this is a great likeness of Amell in full gear.
Lastly, I was really impressed with the base! Most of the Gallery statues I’ve had over the past few years featured bases that were meant to look like parts of an actual scene. That’s certainly true of the Flash that we’ll look at in a moment. But Arrow has a miniaturized version of the Queen Industries building—or at least a portion of it—and I think it looks great. The paint’s really nice down there, as well.
The Flash
Arrow may have been first, but I suspect the Flash might be most folks’ favorite. Maybe it’s because Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen is so likable. Anyway, this Gallery statue is a convincing take on the ScarletCrimson Speedster, from the kinetic pose, to the hint of a smirk, to the excellent costume detail. The paint job is in the same league as Arrow’s, and while you can distinguish some paint missteps close up, it’s pretty hard to spot a flaw if you’ve got it on display. I don’t usually like fire or lightning in statues—it rarely looks like it’s supposed to—but I think that works here, too. And for the Flash, that’s a good thing, too—the lightning is such a prominent feature.
I’m not sure what the base is supposed to be here—maybe if I’d kept up I would—but it’s interesting-looking at any rate. The color works well with the color of the suit, so even though I don’t understand it, I appreciate it.
The Supergirl
They can’t all be hits, and while the Supergirl Gallery is far from a dud, it is my least favorite of the three. It’s tough—she doesn’t have a mask to hide some or most of her face, so there’s a lot more detail to get right (or wrong). Unfortunately, the way her eyes and lips are painted just strikes me as a bit odd, and I find it pretty distracting. It’s less noticeable if she’s rotated and you aren’t staring straight at the face, so it’s not a total loss or anything—but it is worth pointing out.
Other than a weird bit of paint on the hair—which is a clear error and shouldn’t be on every one of these across the board—the rest of the statue is pretty much perfect. The colors are excellent, as is the suit detail—it even has that textured look that the show aped from Man of Steel. I love the Fortress of Solitude-inspired base, too.
Overall
At $45 a piece, each of these Galleries is a great value—even Supergirl. The sculpt and paint detail are first-rate, and look way better than you’d expect for this sort of money. If you’re a fan of the Arrowverse, you’ll probably be a fan of these, too.
Disclaimer: Diamond Select Toys provided the above items in exchange for a review.
