Statue Spotlight: To Me, My X-Men Statues

No matter how much we want, no matter how much we clamor, no matter how much it makes sense in our minds, there are some characters that just don't get any love from statue companies. Characters don't get produced for what could be a variety of reasons: licensing issues, perceived lack of interest, low sales from the line, or just general lack of knowledge about the character. This plague of ignored characters does not seem to discriminate between universes. Whether a universe with a large roster like the X-Men or Batman, or a smaller one like Beast Wars or the Flash, the absence of representation is felt. Prime 1 Studios began a Beast Wars line that ended with Optimus Primal and Megatron, even though there were characters arguably more popular than them, like Dinobot and Cheetor. Look at any 1:4 Batman line and you will find many key characters missing: Nightwing, Riddler, Two-Face, Penguin, Red Hood, and the list could go on. Focusing on a collection theme that includes piles of characters, like many do with the X-Men, leaves many-a-holes to be filled. As of today, companies have developed or are officially developing the following X-Men (and adjacent) characters in the popular 1:4 scale size:

1. Professor X

2. Magneto

3. Wolverine

4. Cyclops

5. Jean Grey

6. Beast

7. Iceman

8. Storm

9. Magik

10. X-23

11. Sabretooth

12. Gambit

13. Rogue

14. Phoenix/Dark Phoenix

15. Colossus

16. Juggernaut

17. Psylocke

18. Emma Frost

19. Cable

20. Deadpool

21. Domino

22. Archangel

23. Nightcrawler

24. Omega Red

25. Apocalypse

26. Mystique

While there has been a bit of progress in the 1:4 scale area the past few years, there still remains some key players, and some lesser known, that are seriously deserved of a tribute in sculpture. I will touch on a few of those characters, both popular gimmees and some personal hopes. A few notable mentions that just missed out on my list, in case you make it to the end and think I forget them, were Lady Deathstrike, Nimrod, Polaris, and Blob. Luckily for X-Men collectors, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Archangel have recently been removed from this list, but that still leaves...

1. Angel

There are five original X-Men and companies have made four of them in 1:4 scale (Jean Grey, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast). Not only has Angel been ignored, but his darker, brooding alternate form, Archangel, is currently receiving its first 1:4 scale treatment from XM Studios. The appeal of large sculpted angel wings is so strong to me, especially after seeing how elegant statues like Iron Studios Hawkman and Infinity Studios Athena came out. I think a pose similar to Prime 1 Studios Superman Hush with his angel wings directed upwards and folded down (similar to the picture) would be a truly majestic representation of the character. Put some respect on Angel's name!!!

2. Pyro

For every Iceman, there should be a Pyro and with XM having released their 1:4 Iceman last year, the void for a 1:4 Pyro remains unfilled. The Iron Studios 1:10 Pyro for their Sentinel diorama proved how awesome even a classic Pyro could be in statue form. I would like the suit to be classically inspired, but with a bit more of a modern take in regards to the detailing and something more advanced looking than the typical tank/flamethrower combo. For simple switch-out options, I would not mind seeing multiple head sculpts: masked, unmasked, and skull face paint from the recent "Dawn of X" comic run. If a company wants to really stand out, have a crazy large fire structure on the base that Pyro is manifesting.

3. Jubilee

I am far from understanding the love for this character, even as someone who was devoted to the 90's animated series, Jubilee just never felt much like a key character. Regardless, I think she is recognizable enough to deserve a spot in a statue lineup. She would not need anything fancy, just a running or even a defensive pose while shooting her energy blasts. I know that popular switch-outs would likely be having her sunglasses on/off or even having different representations of her powers, but I think an outside of the box idea would be having an extra vampire portrait.

4. Mr. Sinister

After Magneto, Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, it is hard to argue against Mr. Sinister being one of the X-Men's most formidable villains. While he may not be as recognizable as characters who have gotten more screen time, like Mystique and Juggernaut, he has one of the most unique character designs in all of comics. There is very little that stands out as boldly as his high-necked, dark purple and red cape designed with individual strands. I am not a "throne guy" in the slightest, but I do think Mr. Sinister is a character whose personality and ambience is very fitting for the concept. If not on throne with his fingers interlocked and settled towards the base of his chin in a pondering stance, he is versatile enough of a character to be adaptable to quite a few standing stances.

5. Kitty Pryde

For those with the Sideshow Juggernaut Maquette Exclusive, you have a 1:4 Kitty Pryde bust and while it could stand-in as a full statue considering her power, it just does not feel like enough. I could spend some time describing what I would want in a statue of her, but I really think the image to the right is a near-perfect capture of the character. Sure, you could have her positioned in the Danger Room pulling an enemy through a wall or phasing her way through a Sentinel, but sometimes it would be nice to see a character's personality captured, as opposed to their combat style.

6. Quicksilver

Is he a mutant? Is he not a mutant? I am not sure where the retcons most recently landed, but he has been an important part of the X-Men's history as a member of the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in the 616 Universe and a prominent member of the group's incarnation throughout the Ultimate Universe. For many, he is still Pietro Maximoff, child of Magneto, which only helps boost his popularity simply through his namesake. While XM Studios presented a prototype of a Quicksilver statue many years ago, it never came to fruition. I did not like the concept and I think something simpler, akin to Sideshow's Flash PF, where Quicksilver is just running and you portray his speed through the base elements is the way to go. As popular as Evan Peters' portrayal in the Fox X-Men Universe became, I think a switch-out head with the goggles inspired by the film would be a hit.

7. Toad

I completely and utterly understand why this repulsive little villain has never been produced. But a founding member of Magneto's Brotherhood and a constant annoyance in the X-Men's side, no matter how puny, should have a place in every mutant villains line-up. The best part is a Toad statue is practically the same as a Spider-Man statue. Have him hanging on the side of a wall or off a light pole and, instead of a web being shot, he would be shooting his tongue towards something. Have some of his acid-like saliva ripping from his mouth and burning the base beneath him and there you have it. The nature of the character is silly and, thus, almost all of his costumes are equally silly so there really is not a great choice among them unless you take more of a street clothes approach (which would probably be my preference, but it may not fit in well amongst a group of costumed characters).

8. Bishop

A newer character to the X-Men Universe (debuting in 1991), Lucas Bishop is a mutant born in the near future and was raised in a mutant concentration camp. Growing up idolizing the X-Men, Bishop was transported through a time portal into the past and joined the ranks of his favorite heroes. With the ability to absorb multiple forms of energy and release it through energy blasts, channeled into a blaster, or just through enhancing his physical strength, Bishop offers a number of options in regards to a statue concept. Popularly depicted with a red bandana/cloak around his neck and an "M" carved around his eye, Bishop was initially designed with the typical blue spandex suit with yellow straps and highlights. I find it more fitting when he has additional armor over that suit since it aligns better with his history as a trained soldier.

9. Havok

Cyclops is not the only Summers' brother who deserves a chance at the polystone treatment and he, honestly, may not even be the coolest looking one. Havok (Alex Summers) has the ability to shoot plasma energy blasts from his chest which would be hard to capture in statue form. Without it seeming plastic/cheap, I do not know that it would be feasible to include his plasma energy waves. Sure, you could incorporate it into the base in some way or have an attachment to his chest, but having a light-up chest and/or a crater in the ground emulating the shape of his energy wave could be enough to represent his ability. As far as costumes go, I think his most commonly worn costume, the black containment suit with the round chest piece and three-ring headpiece is the obvious choice. You could even take the more streamlined approach to the sculpt of his suit, such as what he wore when he fought with the Starjammers.

10. Forge

Every good team has to have a tech guy and although the X-Men have a few players with advanced brains, none could reach the level of technological success as Forge. Even though he has a history with the mystic arts, it is his ability to understand and advance technology that he is best known for and should be highlighted in a statue. Donning a modern version of his yellow/blue suit and red headband, complete with his mechanized leg, this statue is prime for multiple display options. A traditional head sculpt plus one with a high-tech headset, a few switch-out arms with different weapon configurations, and a base scattered with various pieces of machines that elude to his workshop. I didn't really care about this character having a statue, but now that I've thought and written it out, bring me Forge!!!

11. Jamie Maddox/Multiple Man

This character is ripe with possibilities for a statue concept or to just have a record number of switch-outs. Luckily, his mutant ability is easy to replicate in statue form but a company would need to be creative in how they exhibit it to avoid a messy or highly priced statue. Rather than make a bunch of copies of the same mold, I think having a primary, front and center Jamie Maddox in a defensive pose with one of his copies slightly behind him in a fighting pose as well would be the centerpiece. After that, I think it's important to capture the idea of other copies having been present, such as with body parts and clearly identifiable articles of Maddox's clothing scattered across the base. It would be possible to capture him replicating in statue form, but I don't think it would be visually appealing in the slightest.

12. Blink

For better or for worse, any concept idea that you have had for a Nightcrawler statue can be pasted onto Blink. A uniquely appearing mutant, which is one reason I would love a statue of her, brought over from the Age of Apocalypse storyline, Blink has the mutant ability to develop teleportation warp portals. Even more cool, she can manifest the same energy into dagger-like beams that she uses in an offensive manner. She has pink skin, green eyes, magenta hair, a green costume, and dark pink portals and psionic daggers, how easy it would be to make a statue that would stand out in almost any X-Men collection. Have her coming out of a portal throwing psionic daggers and BOOM, a Blink statue.

13. Legion

The, usually, tragic son of Charles Xavier with the ability to develop his own spontaneous mutations/abilities, Legion is an interesting mutant who would not conventionally be thought of as prime fodder for a statue. To capture some of Legion's various abilities, I would love to see a company take a unique approach and provide a number of switch-outs for the base to represent a handful of his different mutations. The concept for the statue would have David floating in a meditative post with his legs crossed and a calm face with his eyes closed. A switch-out portrait could include a more serious or power-overwhelmed portrait that can capture a more triggered Legion. Many switch-out possibilities for the base would likely be elemental in nature so that they can be easily captured, but more unique ideas could be uniquely warped portals to capture his reality-bending ability, giant stone pillars to represent his geokinesis, or a floating psionic gun. To embody his instability, I would have the switch-outs established in a way where multiple could be displayed at one time.

14. Armor

Armor is a mutant who would provide a unique challenge for statue manufacturers, as her mutant ability places her body within a psionic exoskeleton. While anime statues have demonstrated how well clear and solid resins can used in conjunction with each other, these are not combinations that seen much in the comic statue world. Since Hisako Ichikoi is portrayed as a teenager in the comics, the statue could include a slightly oversized exoskeleton, since she has the ability to enlarge it, to provide a bit more presence to the piece. I do not think there needs to be much fancy given to the base or anything, but I do think it would be cool to see her lifting a heavy piece of something off of her to capture her increased strength, somewhat similar to how Sideshow included debris on Juggernaut's arm as he rammed through the Danger Room door.

15. Wolfsbane

I will be the first to admit that there were probably more deserving characters I could have put here as far as popularity goes, like maybe Avalanche or Banshee. However, what neither of those characters have are the unique power of being a freaking werewolf (basically). As a horror fan, this character is a personal wish that combines two of my passions into a single collectible. Unfortunately, the little exposure that mutants with transforming/morphing abilities have gotten in the statue world, which has solely been in the form of Mystique, have not been well done. I mean, if you were not knowledgeable of Mystique's abilities, you would think her mutant ability is shooting guns. A statue like Wolfsbane needs a company like XM Studios who is more likely to include a switch-out torso and have a bottom torso all wolfed out and two switch-out upper torsos, one mid-transformation and one full transformation. While highly unlikely that a company will let her see the light of day, I think that this prominent New Mutants member has the potential to be a hit.

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