October 2011 - The Femme Fatales PVC statue line by Diamond Select Toys has really taken off, and many of the earliest releases (Alice, Dawn, Tarot) have long sold out. But one of the sold-out ladies -- Jim Balent's comic-book creation Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose -- is about to get company. Her sister, Raven Hex, has just been offered though Diamond Comics Distributor's Peviews catalog, and it features a great sculpt by veteran toy and statue sculptor Steve Kiwus!

The original plan was to depict Raven as if she were casting a spell, but partway in to the process DST went back to the drawing board and came up with the more intimidating pose seen here. Now, the 9-inch PVC statue is on track for an early 2012 release date, and we checked in with Kiwus to talk about what sorcery goes into creating such a sinister-yet-sultry piece of sculpture.

DST: Is this piece intended to be a companion piece to the Tarot statue, or is it meant to be a stand-alone piece on its own merits?
Kiwus: It's a stand-alone. I had seen the Tarot figure, but didn't really take it into consideration. It's been my experience that unless the bases interlock, statues don't really interact with each other.

DST: Raven Hex doesn't have a lot of material in her costume. Does the amount of clothing affect the amount of time it takes to sculpt a figure?
Kiwus: It ends up being about the same amount of time -- surface details can hide a lot of sins. Yes, I end up saving time by not having to add them, but I spend a lot more time on the underlying form of the body.

DST: Balent's women are famously full-figured. Is it difficult to find a balanced pose for a character who is naturally, er, top-heavy?
Kiwus: The large endowments really only shift the center of gravity up a little. It's not nearly as difficult as balancing a figure with a large gun -- which is usually pointed forward -- because that makes the figure really want to tip forward.

Pictures attached and posted here:
http://www.artasylum.com/blog/2011/10/what-the-hex-tarots-sister-raven-hex-is-the-latest-femme-fatale-from-dst/