Two days ago, our all-time favourite author had his birthday. Unfortunately, it only emphasises just how much we miss him as he passed away three years back. It came as a shock to us that already three years have passed. Sir Terry Pratchett was nothing short of a genius.
While there are some of his books that I don’t like as much as the rest, none of them are bad. Which is quite a feat as he had quite a lot of them on his bibliography. He’s most known for his Discworld series, from which this little statue is from.
For those that don’t know these Awesome (yes, it deserves a capital-A) books, do yourself a favour and check them out. There are 41 books that take place on the fictional Discworld, a flat disc on top of four elephants, on top of a giant turtle; the Great A’Tuin. While they all take place in the same universe, you can read most of them separately. But what I really love, is when you read them in order, you encounter parts from other books in the one you’re reading at that moment. It really is one small world.
While there has been merchandise made for these books, it has been years ago by a company called Clarecraft. They’ve been out of it for a while, but now they’re back under the name ‘Discworld Emporium‘ and are releasing some new items.
One of which is this little bronze version of the Great A’Tuin. While it’s small, only 12cm (about 4.7inch), it’s pretty detailed. All four elephants are different, the map itself is pretty complete and the turtle is sculpted like he’s swimming through the galaxy. Each piece is hand cast in bronze resin, coated with powdered bronze, and finished locally by a team of professional craftsmen. It also has a makers’ mark inset as a little button on the base, allowing A’Tuin to rest at an angle. The only thing I don’t really like, is the green paint they put on him. It’s too much. I’ll probably see if I can tone it down a notch. I had rather had that they hadn’t added it in, but kept him clean like their Death of Rat’s. But because these are hand-finished, it could be that we just got one by an overzealous employee and you can get one that looks a bit more like the promotional shots.
There isn’t much else to say about this little one. It didn’t came in an art box, but just a plain white box with some stuffing. It’s stamped but, as far as we know, not limited per sé.
Conclusion
Ah well. All in all, it’s a neat little thing that’s going to be a nice little touch to our living room. A beautiful little reference to one of our favourite book series. I don’t know if I would recommend it. It’s a cutie, but unless you’re a die-hard Discworld fan, perhaps a tad overpriced, with the £50 price tag, for what you get. Of course, on the other hand, it’s A’Tuin…
The Turtle moves.
Item reviewed: The Great A’Tuin figure
Type: bronze resin
Manufacturer: Discworld Emporium
Variations: None
Rarity: This one is still available on the official website.
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