BioShock Infinite Elizabeth Noir Statue:

Easily my favourite piece of storytelling in videogames for 2013, BioShock Infinite, by Irrational Games was Ken Levine’s in-your-face, thought-provoking and atmospheric exploration of the war-torn, nationalist sky-city of Columbia. The game was followed up by some excellent DLC in the form of “Burial at Sea” parts 1 and 2, which saw a return to Rapture, the underwater dystopia where the first two BioShock titles took place. Elizabeth’s iconic 40’s/Noir style makes for a statue with attitude, and is surprisingly detailed.

Her face and hair have been painted with care, and the bird cameo on her cross tie looks great. She’s calm and at ease in this pose, but I get the feeling that she could be feeling a little impatient. Her thick, full lashes and blood red lipstick transport her far away from the Disney princess visage of the player’s initial encounter in BioShock Infinite. The Liz of “Burial at Sea” is on a mission, and the pose, outfit and cigarette sell the era completely. The individual hairs of her hairline, eyelashes and eyebrows have been hand painted, and her strong nose and confident gaze are captured perfectly. This is a premium statue, and for a premium price, you get premium attention to detail.

The folds and creases of her form-fitting skirt and shirt give the illusion of leather and cloth respectively. Her nails, belt and cross tie match her lipstick, and the thimble on her foreshortened pinky finger is a great reminder of the game’s events. The paint on the cuffs and collar could have been applied with more care. She’s an incredibly charming statue, and as long as you can find a place for her, she’ll easily become a highlight of any collection, especially in the context of the various polystone gaming figures available, which are almost always painted more sloppily than Japanese PVC figures. Of course finding a location to display her could be an issue.

I say this because, for such a wide base, she’s a surprisingly stark figure. Bold and confident in the middle of her Art Deco base, she takes a great amount of shelf real estate for such a simply-posed figure. Unless you plan on sitting other figures on the wooden star alongside her, she could perhaps seem a little lonely. But that’s probably how she likes it. The texture on her hair is adequate for the often cartoon-like character designs of the BioShock series. Her shoes and painted-on stockings look great and round off a very impressive statue. She stands at around 31cm (12 inches) and at $250 USD before shipping, only your heart can know if you need her in your collection.

Your heart whispers, “Yes, you do.”

BioShock Infinite Rosalind and Robert Lutece Statue:

Probably my favourite characters, aside from Elizabeth, are the Lutece “twins”. Recreating their famous “heads or tails” scene, they stand at the entrance to the fête, or basically wherever you see fit to place them in your collection. With a little more colour than our Liz, their freckled faces and stark, blue eyes await your guess as they share an inside joke about the futility of human agency, and the nature of predetermination. They’re a right laugh. They finish each other’s sentences and are there when you need them. Temporal fluidity can’t hold them back.

Their skin tones have been generally darkened instead of applying paint to match their blotchy-but-adorable textured skin from the game, and the sculpted hair with minimal tonal variation draws attention to the fact that the detail on these statues is substantially less than their in-game models. Their freckles are present, and when they have enough lighting you can see some excellent shading around their features, and a subtly different lip colour makes them still some of the most detailed gaming statues around. The famous (and massive) coin is fastened to the stunning decorative plate, and along with Robert’s sandwich board, must be placed on the statue as a separate component.

The design of the Luteces’ outfits looks gorgeous and is captured in lovely, bright, bold sections of colour. These colours sometimes have trouble staying within the lines, but for such a busy and large pair of statues, it’s not too much of a bother. Their stares become uncomfortable after a while, but the hand-painted eyes look great, set in their above-the-clouds tanned faces. The detail of the sandwich board isn’t particularly fine, but it certainly looks the part. The chalk textures have been printed on, and are fit for purpose.

The “wooden” base (ironically made of polystone, unlike the actual wooden base below Elizabeth’s feet) comes apart in two pieces, so that the two Luteces can be displayed separately. Be careful if you intend to display Robert without his sandwich board in the future as the friction between his blazer and the board can leave brown paint behind. Their shoes are adorable. These are the snazziest-dressed scientists you’ll find. I would have appreciated a little more attention to detail around the jackets, and the skin tone didn’t really need to be so dark, and so close in hue to their hair, but they are certainly a beautiful pair.

As of today, like the Elizabeth statue, you can still purchase these two from the Irrational Games Store, which would be a highly rational decision in my eyes. They are $399 USD before shipping, and stand 33cm tall. Make room in your display cabinet for the greatest scientist(s) in the world.

BioShock Infinite Songbird Statue:

The Songbird, much like the Big Daddies below the waves, acted as protector and enforcer of the skies. Those who completed the game witnessed a scene that perhaps cemented a place in their hearts for the “mechanical” monstrosity. Along with a soundtrack, DLC, and various knick-knacks, this impressive Songbird statue was included in the limited edition versions of BioShock Infinite, and as such can be a little trickier to obtain. I actually purchased the Collector’s Edition after already owning the game, just to get my hands on this chap.

Unlike the other statues shown, the Songbird is made of resin, and is light-weight and incredibly detailed, more so than Elizabeth or the Lutece’s. He comes packaged in a window box, with his wings detached. The songbird is depicted with claws extended atop a toppled statue of George Washington, one of the founding fathers worshipped in the sky city of Columbia. I’ll never forget the first time I witnessed the white-robed worshippers sending their prayers to the Fathers Washington, Franklin and Jefferson. Although obviously depicted at a smaller scale than the other statues (at least this way he can fit through the doorway), he has a pleasing amount of detail in both his sculpt and his paint job.

His leathery body and steampunk aesthetic are skilfully expressed through the use of metallic paint and the fine details of his heavily textured mold. There are burn marks and holes on his wings and I get the feeling that he’s seen better days. His eyes are burning with destructive (protective?) intent. Ken Levine stated that, as a geeky collector himself, he wanted to make sure this figure stood out. At 25cm tall, and with a substantially longer wingspan, he definitely stands out. Because he’s quite a dark figure, he’s probably another one that’s worth keeping well-lit.

Thanks for geeking out with me and until next time, repeat after me:

No one cares about your geeky shit!