Behind the Scenes of the "Epic Edition" Marcus Fenix Statue

**JeffSaylor** · 05-19-2011, 01:36 PM

TriForce helps send Gears of War 3 out with a bang...

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Earlier this week, Epic Games revealed the content for their upcoming Gears of War 3 Epic Edition (see our story HERE), a limited edition game bundle that is sure to please the most discerning Gearhead. Slated for release September 20th, the package sends the last game in series out in style with a slew of extras, the most impressive being a PVC statue of the franchise's fearless hero, Marcus Fenix.

To find out more about the "Epic Edition" Marcus Fenix Statue we went to its makers - TriForce - whose past work includes a monstrous 1:1 scale replica of Gears of War's infamous chainsaw Lancer. Read on as TriForce Vice President Drew Seldin sheds some light on this cool bonus collectible...

FIGURES.COM: Congratulations on being part of Epic's Gears of War 3 Epic Edition bundle! Tell us a little bit about how TriForce got involved with this incredible package. Was the Marcus Fenix Statue an idea you approached Epic with?

DREW SELDIN: First off, it is a great honor to be a part of something so special. Gears is one of the most popular franchises in video game history and to share a piece of the legacy as it comes to a close will be something we will never forget. The idea of doing a limited edition collector’s piece packaged with the game has been kicked around for quite some time, almost two years.

Marcus Fenix is an icon and the piece had to be of him, that much was a given. Once that decision was made it was just a matter of finding a pose that showed the depth of both the character and the story. Marcus is worn down and the war is beginning to weigh heavily on him, yet he still remains steadfast and strong. We knew the piece needed to evoke this sense of emotion.

The specifics of the piece evolved out of many, many late night discussions between our team and the art team at Epic. We had designed this statue initially alongside Epic’s art director, Chris Perna. In the end it would be impossible for something like this to come together with out the amazingly talented people at Epic and Microsoft. The collaborative effort is what makes things like this happen.

From the pictures we have seen, the Epic Edition Marcus Fenix Statue looks large and imposing. What are the exact dimensions on this collectible so we know how much shelf space to clear off?

The piece is 11 inches in height, with some special characteristics that we hope the fans think are very cool! I don’t want to give away too much, but let’s just say that hardcore Gearheads are in for a real treat!

Your previous work, while always amazing, was created with the high-end collector in mind. That said, it's pretty exciting news that the Marcus Fenix Statue is included with the Gears of War 3 Epic Edition, a bundle value-priced for the Gearhead masses. Aside from its PVC plastic construction, is there any noticeable difference with the Marcus Statue compared to past resin pieces?

Rest assured we worked just as hard, if not harder, on this piece than on our previous ones. We utilized the same exact process from beginning to end as we always do. The same attention to paint application and the same obsessive attention to detail was applied to this piece and fully realized. We just used a different material in the end.

We had to go with a more durable material because this piece was designed to be mass-produced on a grander scale, and doing it any other way would not have been possible. We needed a material that would withstand the handling of massive retail outlets. This statue will be a proud addition to any collection and on a shelf next to a resin piece it will not look out of place at all.

Is PVC construction something TriForce has considered for future projects? On the flip side, any thought to releasing this Marcus Statue at a later date in resin?

We always consider everything when designing a piece. PVC is a great material to work with due to its durability, and that being said it is a material we would more than likely only utilize for projects that require mass production and consumption. We will continue to work in resin on all of our projects. As of right now, we have no specific plans to release this piece in any other forms.

You and Chris Perna (Art Director for Gears of War at Epic Games) originally collaborated on your debut sculpture - The Locust Drone Design Maquette (read our review HERE). What was it like working with Chris again on the Marcus Fenix Statue and how was the specific design chosen?

Anytime we get to work with talented people it makes our job that much more fun. Chris is amazing so it was a thrill to be collaborating with this gentleman once again. It is easy to identify one person in a process for the sake of discussion but so many more members of both the Epic and Microsoft teams were involved on this.

For this particular sculpt we were looking to create something iconic that would resonate with people and tell a story. Thinking about the Gears universe and how hard the burden of this war has rested on Marcus’ shoulders and civilization was a focal point for this piece. These people are done, but yet they catch their breath, pick themselves up and fight on.

We needed to create something that evokes these feelings and drives it home. This piece needed to show that; this pose needed to show that. Marcus feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and he honestly doesn’t know how things are going to turn out.

While Gears of War 3 has been announced as the final installment in the video game series (for the foreseeable future, anyways), Gears-mania will indubitably rage on for many years to come. What Gears of War projects can Gearheads look forward to from TriForce in the near future?

This summer fans can get our Epic Scale Marcus Fenix Statue, available in both a standard edition and an extremely limited Gold Lancer edition. This fall, we are releasing the Gears of War 3 Snub Pistol. The Snub will be followed by the second piece in our Epic Scale Bust line with a release of the brand new Gears of War 3 Augustus “Cole Train” Cole Epic Scale Bust. After that we are thinking about another 1:1 scale weapon replica, specifically the Longshot, Hammerburst, and Torque Bow. Stay tuned...

Special thanks to Dana Cowley at Epic Games for coordinating this interview and for the terrific photos and to Drew Seldin at TriForce for taking the time to do it! Keep the great "Gears" turning...