This hyper-detailed 1:1 scale bust was sculpted by Spectral Motion’s Chet Zar. Spectral Motion designed the “Thing” costume for the blockbuster “Fantastic Four” movie, and they were overjoyed at the chance to do a take on the iconic comic book version of the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing for the Sideshow Collectibles’ Marvel 1:1 Bust Collection. At the core of this sculpture lies the heart and soul of Ben Grimm’s true alter ego, the undisputed king of comics, Jack Kirby. With his trademark sneer, sideways glance and a brow ridge you could land a passenger plane on, this dynamic life-sized bust seems to have burst right out of the pages of the classic Marvel comic book, and brings Aunt Petunia’s favorite nephew to astonishingly lifelike reality.
Benjamin Jacob Grimm was born in New York’s Lower East Side, a rough and tumble neighborhood where disputes were settled with fists. It’s no wonder he grew up to become the Fantastic Four’s muscle-bound brawler: “The Thing.” A behemoth with a rocklike hide and a heart-of-gold, Benjamin Grimm was forever changed after exposure to a heavy dose of cosmic radiation received during a mission in space. These days, Ben still settles disputes with his fists… and manhole covers… and two-ton metal girders. First appearing in Marvel Comics’ “Fantastic Four” #1 in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it has often been acknowledged that “The Thing” is Jack Kirby’s alter ego. Like the fictitious Ben Grimm, Jack Kirby was a young street fighter from the Lower East Side, and both have a penchant for smoking cigars and cracking the occasional bristly remark. It’s also easy to see the physical similarities. Ben has Jack’s square jaw, and the exaggerated brow lends similarity to Kirby’s thick eyebrows.
