Description
Xavi, beloved denfather of Hatzel’s pride, is most well known for once being almost eaten by a giant snake (that he continues to insist was three Hatzels big, despite Zeph’s constant denial that anything can be as big as three Hatzels). He also has an enormous capacity for dealing with Zeph, which can’t be appreciated enough. We’re celebrating Xavi’s continued status of “not eaten by a giant snake” with this handsome representation of him.
As a North American black-billed magpie and melanistic leopard gryphon, Xavi (a character in in K. Vale Nagle’s Gryphon Insurrection series) is mostly black with arresting white and irridescent wing feathers. He’s visually striking but, like Satra, his looks don’t translate well into interior art. When Neal Deschain at Verdant Sculpts had room for a fourth figurine in his schedule, we did what we always do: threw him another challenge.
And, as usual, Neal nailed it. Not only did he manage to make a mostly-black gryphon look good, the wings are a triumph. It’s impossible to do them justice with a photo – they sheen blue and green with just the right subtlety. There are so many layers and textures to the black feathers and fur they have to been seen to be fully appreciated. And to top it off, Xavi’s beak is a deep glossy black that Neal has made striking despite the abundance of black in the figurine.
Details
The figure is cast from highly durable urethane resin, each one hand painted by Neal in his iconic style, numbered, signed, and sealed with a matte protective varnish. It comes with a certificate of authenticity, signed by the artist and author: Neal Deschain and K. Vale Nagle.
The Xavi figurine measures 3 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and 2.75 inches tall and weighs 4.2 ounces.
This is a LIMITED EDITION run of 50 pieces.
Sustainability
As ever, we’re committed to making these in as sustainable a way as possible, while ensuring this figurine will bring you joy for years to come. The cast is made from urethane resin, which, as a petroleum-based product, is not ecologically sustainable, but has a longevity that other materials have not yet achieved. Verdant Sculpts takes many steps to reduce its carbon footprint and conduct business sustainably: they do all production in house, reuse production mold material, choose sustainable shipping solutions, and use Golden Paints. Any figures that are unsuitable for production are sold at a discount on their website to their Collector’s Club members, keeping these items out of landfills.
