XM Studios is back with a new statue as part of their Samurai series, with the latest character featured being the Riddler. Previous statues in the series have included villains like Scarecrow and heroes such as Red Hood. The one-fourth scale statue measures about nineteen inches tall and includes three different head sculpts and two pairs of swappable arms. It is priced starting at $1,049 and is expected to ship in quarter 3 of 2023. You can preorder the statue by heading over to GFX Distribution.
XM Studios Samurai Series Riddler Statue
XM Studios is excited to present The Riddler (Samurai Series), the next DC Premium Collectibles statue in our creative collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to showcase the Batman universe in exotic settings never seen before. Each painstakingly handcrafted statue is individually hand-painted with XM’s famous quality finish, and comes in a bold, dynamic, and story-laden style.
Description: Perched atop a curious tree along a dusty road sits an enigmatic figure draped in green Sengoku (Warring States) period clothing, beckoning travelers to partake in a simple game of wits.
Though masquerading as a seemingly innocent peddler with his Gyosho Bako (peddler’s chest) full of wares – if one were to peer within the intricately carved wooden box – they will find, to their abject horror, various assassination tools. Seen holding on to a Shakujo (a pilgrim’s staff), The Riddler is accompanied by a little red fox hiding diminutively beneath a tree branch.
Forming part of a crime syndicate associated with the Penguin Daimyo and The Joker Orochi, with an eye on recruiting unsuspecting common folk into doing their evil bidding, The Riddler lures them with untold rewards should they manage to beat him in a game of Go, played on a Goban (Go board) that’s been built into the top of the Gyosho Bako. After all, a man with an adorned Jingasa (war hat), albeit with a questionable crest, ought to be of noble bearings.
Manipulated into gambling their life away, The Riddler gives desperate victims a way out of their predicament by offering them a riddle. If they manage to solve it, they are free to go. If they fail, a simple choice is given. Execute nefarious plans for the syndicate… Or die.
Alas, this is but another cruel trick they would fall for, as only one person has ever been known to solve any of these dastardly riddles.
This statue comes with 3 head switch-outs, a classic nod with The Riddler wearing a bowler’s hat, one with him wearing a traditional Japanese Jingasa and one with a full-face mask. He comes with 2 left-arm switch-outs, 1 holding on to a traditional scroll bearing the words リドラーの謎 (Riddler’s mystery) and 1 holding on to a traditional fan. He also has 2 right-arm switch-outs, 1 holding on to a Shakujo staff and 1 holding on to a GO tile.
Background: This depiction of The Riddler draws reference from Bakuto (gambler) syndicates that were occasionally hired by local authorities and tyrants to gamble with commoners to win back their workers’ earnings or to rope them into nefarious dealings. These syndicates were a precursor to modern day yakuza.
