Statue Spotlight: XM Studios 1:4 Cable (w/ Hope)

About four years after releasing one of its most highly acclaimed X-Men statues, 1:4 Cable, XM is back with a newer version telling a different story. The previous version was praised for its gritty and realistic portrayal of the character, while being paired with his classically oversized firearms. Now the company is positioning itself to release an updated version of the character and with the Pre-Order now opened, take a look back at the developments surrounding this popular character and determine whether this is a statue you want to add to your collection.

August 2020: The Arm Tease

As XM prepared another batch of rough teaser cuts, this infamous metal arm made the cut of releases. While some were very verbal with their hope that this was signifying Bishop's arrival, it was clearly recognized by some to be XM's second attempt at the time-traveling mutant. Even I felt a bit of shock that they were returning to Cable so soon in the midst of spitting out so many new characters. What could they do to make this unique enough to tempt collectors from their previous Cable and the well-regarded Sideshow version.

March 2021: Partial Chest with Hope Tease

Amongst a slew of small images, hence the poor quality, was this snippet that many recognized to be Cable with baby Hope. To separate their newest Cable statue from the rest of the pack, it would take an approach to the character that no one else has: his role as a caretaker for his adoptive daughter. A more original concept than just carrying around some big guns, but I was not sure how well a babysitter would translate into a desired collectible.

May 2021: Backside 3D Render

The released 3D scanning of the various statue sections exposed many of the typical Cable-isms: a beefy guy with a cloak carrying heavy artillery. What I did not recognize until now was that the base includes the tendril found across the upcoming XM Apocalypse, Archangel, and Wolverine statues from their X-Force line.

June 2021: Shadowed Image Teaser

It was not until the darkened image of the statue that I started feeling some promise about the statue. I really like how these darkened teasers capture a ton of the textures to be found in the sculpt. It also looks like it may lean more towards a comic inspiration than the previous version which would be welcomed so it does not feel too much like a rehash. This was also the first glance at the head sculpt, showing the bearded version with which XM appears to be going. Since the last version and the Sideshow version were both clean shaven, it was smart to take a different approach. I do hope for an alternate head, though, preferably with a large metal exposure on his face.

August 2021: Paint Application Teasers

There were three things that I thought stood out from these paint applications. First, the boring paint choices on the gun that do not take any advantage of the various components sculpted in. Second was how much more comic accurate of a costume this statue will have when compared to the first version. Lastly, focusing on the paint apps on the boots, I am optimistic for the overall look of the statue in regards to its coloring and shading.

November 2021: Coming Soon Promo Image

I am really hoping it is just the lighting that is making Hope look like a porcelain doll. I do not know what is missing, but her skin is maybe too smooth, even if she is a child. Love the changes that appear to be have been made to the colors of the guns.

November 2021: Pre-Order Announcement

Conceptually, this statue does not come off all that impressive and, at first glance, just seems like an opportunity for those who missed out on the first version to pick one up. His pose is nothing original and the base will tie in with the rest of XM’s X-Force line, featuring crushed pieces of tech amidst a rubble base with the same tendrils that are evident in other upcoming X-Men statues. I do not always appreciate that XM Studios has tried to scale down its bases for shipping/space purposes, but for a character like Cable, you do not really need much more than some form of decimated setting. The standard depiction of the statue has Cable wielding a massive gun in his right hand while cradling toddler Hope against his shoulder in his left arm. As mentioned earlier, this tells a different story than other Cable statues and I am sure there are some who will appreciate the opportunity to display the character in this manner. For many, though, I do think the switch-out left arm with another massive gun will be the preferred display option, but I could be wrong. Maybe baby Hope has a greater following than I realize.

This newest iteration of Cable captures what I consider to be the primary area where XM Studios excels above other companies: paint selection. I come across a lot of sculpts that want to pack in a ton of details and modernizations to what are, typically, plainly drawn, comic costumes. While I consider that a huge plus, I then see these same detailed sculpts painted in a way that still resembles that plain, 2-D image on which its inspired. I see little sense in creating all of these various lines, textures, panels, and other divisions in the sculpt if blanketing it all in one or two colors is the end result. I find XM to be much more respectful to how those details are displayed in color and their new Cable is no exception. His costume is packed with details and paneling very similar to XM’s 1:4 Cyclops, has plenty of straps and pouches to house grenades, guns, and ammo, and his comic-inspired knee-high yellow combat boots. He comes with a cloak and gun mounted on his back, which appears to be an optional display set. His signature metal left arm still embodies the mechanical look from the original version of the statue, with visible bolts and cables running underneath the larger panels.

I think the paint details are best represented in the statue’s guns and boots. Rather than take a typical grey/silver approach to his weaponry (as was shown in the early paint application), the guns have red and green sectioning and accents, various shadings, a large differentiation between the dark gray and bright silvers, and other small components that are distinctly colored. His boots have similarly painted properties, with the shin and calf portions having a gritty texture and a dirtied, dulled yellow appearance. The connectors between those portions, along with sections around his ankle and foot, have brighter gold tone to capture its different material. Where I find the paint to be lacking, though, continues to be in how XM captures skin tones. They always seem to come off more doll-like than capturing a sense of depth and realism. I am hesitant to use this popular phrase, but it may have something to do with the lighting, as Cable’s face looks better in some angles than others. Hope, on the other hand, just looks like a doll and while I know that kids can have some fair skin, it is missing some shading and maybe even some dirt and grime herself, particularly on her arms and shoes. She does feel a bit out of place when Cable is a bit more battle worn.

November 2021: Official Pre-Order

With the pre-order window officially opened for the statue, I expected the final two pieces of this mutant puzzle to be put into place: the price and the alternate head sculpt. Unfortunately, this will be a minutely blind pre-order, as the final head sculpt remains a mystery. I do not anticipate many people holding up their pre-orders for this one aspect considering the rest of the statue and switch-outs have been made public knowledge.

The pricing was a highly common point of discussion upon its reveal as a $1799 SGD collectible, which converts to about $1,330 USD before shipping. Sure, I understand that prices are rising across the board for a number of reasons, but this seems a bit insane compared to statues that opened for pre-order within even the past month. I was forgiving with the price for Apocalypse considering the overall size and mass, as well as the five switch-out options included. Oh, and because it looks fucking incredible. Since that reveal, XM Studios took the feedback into consideration and lowered the price by $100 SGD, which leaves this statue at around $1,250 USD. Even with the initial price not going over well and the decrease not necessarily remedying the concerns with pricing patterns, the odds are it will not matter much as there are plenty of collectors who will likely be scooping this one up.

I think this is a really good, but unnecessary, statue. It packs in a lot of detail, but other than better fitting into the X-Force line, I do not see much reason for collectors to upgrade from the previous version. As far as it's design, it does meet the middle ground between Sideshow's comic version and XM's previous realistic version so that may be enough for owners of each to think about upgrading. I had not yet decided on whether to go after the Sideshow version or this newer XM version. As much as I can gush about the details and paint choices, I do not think I find it to be worth the price they are asking.

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