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Minimates: Max Galactus Statue
Here we have Art Asylum/Diamond Select Toys' first foray into the world of high-end collectables and statues under the Minimates banner. The Minimates: Max statues are designed around licencing restrictions of the 2" Marvel Minimates; this is the only way AA/DST could get larger figures like the Sentinel and Galactus made in the Minimate style. The downside of this is that being statues they have no articulation whatsoever. Due to their resin construction, the Minimates Max statues also come with a large price tag - around $80. The Galactus statue was released at the same time as the Sentinel statue in summer 2006.
Packaging
The packaging is a large box and matches up with the previous Sentinel box very well. Like the Sentinel box, there are some great shots of Galactus on the front, sides and back that really show off the statue well..
Back of the box
Side of the box
Like the Sentinel, Galactus comes with a Certificate of Authenticity (CoA) similar to a lot of higher-end statues.
The statue is securely held between two large pieces of polystyrene, and has seperate foam pieces to protect the ear antlers.
The Statue
Galactus
Galactus is a cosmic entity forced to consume planets to feed his never sated hunger. He is not a true villain, with the destruction of worlds in mind, more a force of nature itself. Galactus uses heralds to seek out worlds teeming with life, the most famous of which was the Silver Surfer. As the Silver Surfer was one of the first ever Marvel Minimates it's really nice to finally get Galactus.
The key thing with the Minimate: Max statues is that they look like their 2" counterparts, just a lot bigger. Galactus is even bigger than the 8" Sentinel due to the size of his helmet and the antlers coming off of it. As Galactus has more additional sculpted pieces the overall impression is that he is much more bulky and imposing than the Sentinel, so he towers over normal Minimates.
The head piece is very intricate. It is designed as a helmet, which fits over the head block (if it was removable, of course). The helmet is a lot taller than what the size of the head block would be and has a lot of sculpted detail, including the huge antler ears which come out from the sides. Due to the limited size of the visible portion of the mouth Galactus only has room for a small frown to pass his lips, but this is OK. Less good are the eyes, which are just painted on to the helmet piece in a very cartoony style that spoils the look slightly.
The torso of Galactus is much more detailed than the Sentinel, both in terms of sculpted pieces and paint applications. First off, he has a large shoulder piece, which visually helps balance out the mass of the helmet and antlers. The bold black detailing lines on it also make it stand out. Galactus also has a skirt piece which would have greatly restricted any leg articulation, but as this is a statue, that isn't a concern. It's sculpted in the same way as many of the skirt pieces in the Minimates line, and again adds mass to his body. The gloves and boots are also sculpted pieces. The Sentinel had sculpted hands but they looked quite generic, these are unique for Galactus. Interestingly, for a design that is priding itself on being a true Minimate design, the gap on the cuff isn't in the same place on each glove, if the glove is supposed to be a solid piece.
The paint job on this statue is fine, there are some minor bleeding issues in some places but overall it's nothing to worry about. The colours themselves are bright and unbelievably garish. I know it was the 60s when Galactus was designed but even then a gigantic man dressed in pink and blue with an enormous helmet must've been pushing it. The pose is more static than the Sentinel, which seemed to convey slightly more movement. Here, the head, one arm and legs are all posed in a rigid fashion, not really showing off the Minimate-style construction of the joints in the same way that the Sentinel did. However, for Galactus, all he really has to do is stand there and lord it over everyone, so the pose isn't too much of an issue. He has one arm outstretched, which seems a logical place to balance the Silver Surfer on his surfboard.
In my first Minimates: Max review of the Sentinel, I wrote a long piece on how the Minimate community was divided on the concept and execution/price of these statues and mentioned that these statues might be better off if they were considered as playsets. I won't simply repeat what I wrote there, but it still stands for this statue; he looks good on his own, but the overall appearance is even better when surrounded by Minimates like the Fantastic Four trying to stop him quelling his hunger and there is certainly some play value to be had here even with an expensive, unarticulated statue, simply because Galactus looks suitably like a giant Minimate.
Overall, I really like this Galactus statue. As I said in the Sentinel review, my tastes have always been more on the X-Men side than the Fantastic Four, so I chose to get the Sentinel first. However, as good as the Sentinel is - and it is good - Galactus has it beat on nearly every count. Galactus is bigger and more imposing, with even more weight and heft to the actual statue itself. Galactus is more detailed and more sculpted, and has a more vivid paint job to make him really stand out. As with the Sentinel, the Galactus Minimate: Max statue is an expensive item and won't be on every Minimate fans' "must have" list, simply because of the gulf between seeing a $6 Minimate set on the shelves and an $80 statue. However, both Galactus and the Sentinel will make great centrepieces for any collection, and I would urge any serious Minimates collector to get one and see for yourselves - like me, you may well be surprised with just how cool these statues are.
MMC Score - 8 out of 10
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