Thursday, August 9, 2012

Jessica Rabbit Merchandise Review #50 - Premium Format Exclusive



After over a year of anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Jessica Rabbit Premium Format Figure - Sideshow Collectibles started shipping out the statues this week, and people have been tweeting, texting and posting photos of their own Jessica! The promotional photos promised a lot of detail and craftsmanship. People who were not even fans of the Who Framed Roger Rabbit movie were planning to buy the statue. With this long wait and all the hype - does the Jessica Rabbit Premium Format really deliver? Read on to find out in the FIFTIETH Jessica Rabbit Merchandise Review on IMNOTBAD.COM !



The Jessica Rabbit Premium Format comes in a brown shipping box with your edition number written on the front. The other side has a "Welcome to Sideshow Collectibles" envelope. There is a booklet inside about the company, their offerings, and their achievements. Sideshow is known around the word for their expert work on statues, prop replicas, busts, and premium format figures. The company started in 1995 and have come from working out of a cramped garage, to a fully functioning and successful company.

Over the years, Sideshow's catalog of work includes characters from Marvel, Lord of the Rings, Alien, Predator, Terminator, Star Wars, and Disney. Even famous directors Guillermo del Torro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) and Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, The Walking Dead) are faithful customers.


Once receiving my Jessica Rabbit Premium Format figure, I was instantly taken back at the quality of the piece. First off, there is the box. There had been no clues to what the box would look like, and other Premium Format figures had some outstanding images for their packing box. The box for Jessica is very nicely done. There is a stunning photo of her on the front. It's outlined in a purple art-deco border with the movie logo prominently at the top. At the bottom, Jessica Rabbit finally has her own logo, in the style of the movie with slender lettering. Both sides of the box have a dark shadow of Jessica, with only the purple curtains visible behind her. The back has a big black and white closeup photo of the figure, with the movie logo in the bottom corner.


I was a little disappointed to see no photos of Jessica from the movie, or info/bio written on the back like some of their Premium Formats, however it's hard to complain about a box. The colors are rich, the printing is clean - and just the box alone gets you excited to have this piece. The only differences in the boxes between the regular and exclusive versions will be the gold and black Sideshow Exclusive sticker on the bottom left of the box, and the Edition Size sticker on the very bottom.


For the Sideshow Exclusive figure, it comes packed with an art print of Jessica Rabbit. Many people were not too keen on the print being the bonus, since many of Sideshows other figures come with an extra, like an alternate head or hand, allowing for a whole different look to the figure. I have to say that the print is made rather well, even if it's not what we were all hoping for. The print is in the box, but is inside a thick envelope which has the image on the front of it. The print itself is in a very heavy stock paper and looks great. This alone would really be something I'd pay $40+ for if I saw it at Disney.

Now, on to the figure. The whole box is pretty heavy at 13 pounds. I was not sure what to expect as it is my first purchase from Sideshow, but this figure is packed really well. The styrofoam bears a Sideshow Collectibles logo on the up end and the whole thing is taped closed. After cutting it open you can see all the pieces inside. Jessica Rabbit, two bases, the penguin waiter, and the base batteries are all inside and wrapped in plastic. The bases and penguin are individually wrapped in one bag each. Jessica is wrapped in one big bag, and with her legs wrapped again in another, keeping them from coming in contact with her dress. I contacted Sideshow and was assured by their customer service representative that both the bags and foam are all acid free and safe for storage.


First out we have the penguin waiter from that memorable scene in the Ink and Paint Club. This figure comes in both the Regular and Exclusive version of the figure. The small base with the pink top is for the penguin. He has a metal peg coming out of the bottom of his right... flipper? For my figure, the flipper does not sit flat down on the base, leaving a bit of a gap as you can see. It really is not too big of a deal by looking at it - you can't really tell. The peg did take some work getting in and out of the slot, so while the fit is tight, it should be fairly secure on the base.

For the real fans of the movie, you will definitely appreciate Sideshow's added detail to the figure. He's holding a tray with a snifter and scotch glass. If you look in the scotch glass you can see a rock inside - straight from when Eddie Valiant asks the penguin for a scotch on the rocks. The simple fact that they added that detail is wonderful. They took time to make it fun and special for fans. People were happy to see the penguin added to both editions of the figure and it is a great little touch. It's painted perfectly, no slop or gaps. The colors are vibrant and the expression is perfect.

Now for Jessica's base display. It was revealed some time after the first viewings of the figure that the base Jessica was standing on would light up. This came as a surprise for everyone since it was never initially mentioned. Sideshow again added the extra detail to make this piece even that much more worth it. Just like her Ink and Paint Club scene, you had the option to make the stage beneath Jessica illuminate. The bottom of the base is flat black. This is an area of figures that don't normally get attention, but Sideshow still added some nice touches. An image of Jessica is printed in white on the right side. Sideshow's logo is on the left. The Disney and Roger Rabbit logo are on top. Here also you can find your edition size number, handwritten in white.


The top part of the base is a translucent white hard plastic. In the very center you will see the slot were Jessica will stand. It is square shaped so that can effect the placement of the light switch, but it does not make any other difference. The boarder around the stage is pink. Around the base they have sculpted a design which mimics the archway of the Ink and Paint Club stage. The button for the light is cleverly disguised by the dark bottom trim. It's a simple push-button switch. The stage does glow very well and quite bright. I have been reading some complaints that the white part of the stage has a bubbled texture. I had noticed it on mine as well. I thought there was a clear plastic film, but it didn't seem like there was anything to remove. Some are saying there IS a film on here that you can peel off. *UPDATE* There IS a plastic film over the top of the stage to be peeled off.


Finally - there's the Jessica figure herself. I was surprised by the weight of the figure. It feels sturdy and is very well put together. The paint colors are all correct. People complained that the dress was too red. This is something commonly done with Jessica. Her dress is normally a maroon color, but often gets changed to red and sometimes red glitter. Still, the red here is very bold and looks great for the figure. The difference between a statue and a premium format are details like the real clothing. Jessica's dress is a very lightweight material, which you don't get the impression of from seeing it in photos. Her gloves and shoes are painted in a slightly pearlized finish, and there is gloss paint on her lips and possibly her eye. She does have two eyes and you can slightly see the other one behind the hair. From top to bottom there is some slight shading work to the hair, skin and gloves. They even have a gold painted earring.


There weren't any noticeable gaps or paint slop on mine. So far, a couple of people have gotten a figure with some imperfections like missing paint or scratches. The only issue I could see with mine is I noticed the heels of her shoe are much closer to the bottom of her shoe than on other figures. Even as picky as I am, it's not something that bothers me.


It is DEFINITELY all about the details - and you can see that Sideshow was not going to let this one get away. While setting the figure up for display, I noticed they painted a purple thong on the front of Jessica. The lines do not go all the way around to the back so I'm not sure where it stops, as her back end is fully exposed. I find it quite humorous that Sideshow would go as far to add this little detail - but it seems rather fitting for Jessica I suppose.


With all that information to absorb, if you got the figure or are planning to, there are some things you will need to look out for when you open and set her up for display. There are no challenges with the Penguin waiter that I could see other than the tight fit of the peg into the slot, so be careful of his flipper feet when placing it in there.

1) Something that has not gone unnoticed is that, even though Jessica's dress is partly sewn together, the ends are not hemmed. The material is one piece and is very delicate. Because there are no hems, at the top of the slit in Jessica's dress, there might be a danger for a tear of the material.

2) Glitter!! Lots of it. The glitter is affixed to the dress, but it does come off, especially when trying to display her. You'll need to be mindful of how much you handle the dress area

3) Her fingers are very thin. They sort of come out in different directions so you will want to be careful not to knock into them.

4) The actual process of getting her on the display stand is tricky because of all the delicate parts. Jessica's hair is not attached to her back. So you don't want to be holding there when trying to get the figure in the stand. The best way was to hold her back/waist and legs. Get the figure to the slot and try to guide the peg in. For my figure it was quite a tight fit. Be sure you are not touching the heels of her shoe when trying to display her. Hold her foot at the sides.



It's been a long time since we were first teased with these images. It was well over a year ago that the Jessica Rabbit Premium Format Figure was revealed. At the 2011 Comic Con Jessica made her full debut and people were amazed how well they captured her likeness. I have to say, there is nothing quite like seeing it in person. The details are great, adding in touches like the rock in the scotch glass, the light up base, and even a purple thong. Sideshow captured not only the vibrancy of the colors, but the essence of the character as well. Jessica's face FINALLY looks like Jessica. The impossible body proportions are almost magically recreated here in three dimensions. The work on this piece is far beyond anything I've seen or ever owned.



The figure has some minor issues like the glitter, dress hem, and the tight peg - but it's clear to see that Sideshow Collectibles really put in time and effort into the Jessica Rabbit Premium Format Figure.


The Jessica Rabbit Premium Format Figure Exclusive gets a 5! There are some things to look out for, it must be handled with care when attempting to display it - but the work is great. The art print, penguin, and light up base are all an added bonus to the piece. Jessica herself is amazingly done like no other artists have ever achieved since drawing her for the movie.


For More Information - Watch My Video Review:



Jessica Rabbit Merchandise Reviews