Some days it’s just a pure joy to open the mailbox.
As part of the “Little Damn Heroes” line of maquettes, QMx has produced the 10th crewmember, Serenity. And she’s pretty!
OK, not as mind-blowingly cool as their massive, $2500 replica Serenity. But a very cool thing indeed. It’s a hair under 8″ long, 5″ across, and comes with its own black stand, suitable for autographs if that’s your thing and a Big Damn Hero with a pen happens to be nearby. (Some of the pics below can be embiggened by clicking)
First thing you notice, aside from how generally cool it is and that it comes with two tiny, loose shuttles you shouldn’t lose, is that it’s made from lots of little pieces, not cast as one statue. The panels, the cables, the various doodads that hang off our girl are stuck right on, giving it a much more realistic look and feel. It’s made of polystone, whatever that is.
Next is the paint job. She’s been hand-painted, and not perfectly. There’s weathering on the prow, rusted areas by the engines. Different panels are different colors, possibly from different ships entirely. It looks lived in. Flown. Used. Knocked around a bit.
And it’s got some heft to it. Where the ornament from Dark Horse (roughly 2/3 the size of this) feels light, this girl can be swooped in a thoroughly satisfying manner.
It’s also as accurate as a model can be. Crafted in 1:400 scale, it was created from the actual CG files used to make the ship fly on the show (yes, this is the TV Serenity, not the movie one).
Even the underside has been painted with the same care. And the socket the stand slots into offers a secure and snug fit.
The shuttles come loose, one parked, one in flight. The parked one slides snugly into its bay, while the flying one rests on an included wire stand that sits on the engine arm.
Now the bad, or at least the not-as-good. Because it includes many bits that have been glued on, it must be handled like a display model and not a toy. One of the solar panels popped off mine while I was handling it for the photos, but it went back in with no problem and some glue will keep it there. The engines look like they can be adjusted; they can’t. Nothing turns, so don’t try. The loose shuttles also could be easy to misplace. I’m planning on some discreet tape or maybe a trace amount of poster putty to keep mine in place.
The price is a bit high for a casual buy — but not, in my opinion, for a Browncoat who wants this lady on her shelf. $99.95 plus shipping. However…
It’s now available from QMx but, if you don’t mind waiting and you order before January 25, you can get it for $79.95 from TFAW.com, plus shipping. (All TFAW’s presale items are 20% off).
And that’s it. The Little Damn Heroes Serenity is a nice addition to my Serenity collection, and I’m getting pickier about what I buy these days.
Thanks for the heads up on the TFAW deal. Unemployed status be damned, one of those will be on the office desk soon!
She looks amazing, trying to get hold of one in the UK – Amazon are trying to charge £150 for it :/ although other places are offering it much cheaper. Need to find some coupons 🙂