Statue Spotlight: XM Studios' Magneto (Dawn of X) 1:4 Statue

Essential to any X-Men collection is the X-Men's most frequent nemesis, Magneto. As XM Studios prepares to give collector's a new option for this popular character, many will be deciding whether the piece (and price tag) is right for their collection. With over a year of anticipation and an increase in prices that has surely turned some away, can this Magneto statue offer enough to be worth the pre-order? From a simple name in a word search to a completed collectible, the Master of Magnetism is finally ready for collectors to decide.

April 2021: The Great Word Find

Early last year, XM Studios decided to become real creative with how it chose to tease a slew of upcoming DC and Marvel statues. Rather than succumb to the typical name drop or silhouette picture, XM made collectors work for the reveals through a series of four custom word finds. I thought this was a really fun and unique way to announce what the company has coming down the comic-based pipeline over the next couple of years. Of the many characters announced was a new version of the Master of Magnetism himself, Magneto. Even though he is one of the most popular Marvel characters, I found it a bit of a surprise that XM already planned to make a third version (following their 2015 throne and 2019 white suit statues). Most commented on the reveal with hope that this statue would have the character in his classic colors (spoiler: he is) and were excited for the change to secure a red/purple Magneto as the original throne statue was out of reach for most. I already had what I found to be the best Magneto for me, but as I slowly decided to distance myself from unlicensed pieces, I knew I would sell my custom Magneto to fund this new offering from XM.

May 2021: A Magnetic Silhouette

Our first hint of what XM Studios had in mind for their new Magneto came in the form of this thumbnail of a black silhouette. The highlight of this reveal was the sheer size that this statue appeared to be, with a base size more reminiscent of XM's initial creative direction, before they became more cognizant of the base size/display space conundrum. Considering the themes of their recent X-Men statues, it was easy to assume that the base would either be a Sentinel or parts of the Danger Room being torn apart. Even without being able to make out the details of the body, you can tell that Magneto has a powerful and imposing stance that seems to capture his forward movement. I was unsure about the flow of the cape going off to the side, not that I do not like the effect, but I think a widely flowing cape is more indicative of the character and his abilities. Though, it is clear that a wide cape would not fit the space offered by the statue's concept.

August 2021: Digital Sculpt

A small snippet of the statue's digital sculpt offers nothing more than what collector's would expect from XM's design team. Magneto's gauntlets and the shorts-like finish of his purple briefs capture the typical XM Studios' modernization of which I am a huge fan, so I was satisfied to see that. The angle on this right leg makes the pose seem like it might be a bit altered from what the black silhouette indicated, but there is not enough shown between the two pictures to actually draw any conclusions. This picture put me in the mindset that the base was Danger Room themed because the sphere being torn apart is similar to a sphere present in the XM Studios Psylocke base. In a few months, I would learn whether that was true or not.

September 2021: A Dark Presence Looms

I could not get past how aesthetically epic this image was. Now, similar to the differences between the last two images, this seemed to capture a different pose than what had been teased thus far. Magneto appears to be reflecting in a standing pose here, whereas he appears to be walking forward in the initial silhouette and has a pose with much more bent leg in the digital sculpt tease. All in all, the pose of the statue was up in the air at this time, and my preferences landed on him walking forward, which XM has done with a few recent upright statues, or the standing pondering pose. I really liked the details captured in his collar and the various switch-outs we may be getting with this piece: a right hand holding his helmet, floating metal, or tearing apart a piece of the base and a helmeted and non-helmeted portrait.

November 2021: Let There Be Color!!

Ok, so the color is actually the least exciting part of this photo reveal, being topped by the fact that this is an actual printed statue. While it would still be months before a complete reveal and pre-order, this at least signaled that we were that much closer. With this photo, the nature of the base is made more clear, with a chunk of a Sentinel being pulled apart by the Master of Magnetism. The details and colors look good, which is little surprise with how well they have typically done with the quality of their Sentinel-themed pieces. Previously unenamored by the flow of the cape, I like it a bit more here with how the movement is captured through the folds. It appears that the character will be holding part of the cape with his left hand. I am not going to give the details in the costume too much focus considering the poor quality of the picture and how easy it could be for details/textures to be lost. However, I do hope that there is more to the red in Magneto's suit and not just smoothed over in texture.

March 2022: An Unwelcome Introduction

From the opening of XM Studios new concept store came some poor quality images of what we now know is titled the Magneto (Dawn of X) Premium Collectible. Like many other collectors, I waited on bated breath for the first look at this piece and it did not deliver anything close to what my anticipation led me to believe it would be. That said, my disappointment did not mold itself into hate like it did for others, but there were some clear weak points that led this feeling closer to an amateur custom piece than a polished high-end collectible.

I really like the concept behind the piece: a victorious Magneto marches through a destroyed Sentinel using remnants of the machine to create steps. It captures a demeanor that is lost in a majority of Magneto statues, which tend to range from cocky to uncontrollable rage. I also think the flow of the cape and Magneto's grabbing onto it is well done and fits the concept well, capturing a sense of regality. A calm and stoic rendition of the character who is basking in the glory of the mutant nation of Krakoa gets a thumbs up from me, but the execution of capturing this iconic character seems to have hit a few speed bumps on its way to production. The base looks fitting of a collectible while the character looks more like a variant action figure.

Three areas contend for the prize of biggest eye-sore: the bulky collar/belt combo, the body anatomy and movement, and the overall paint, but especially in the head sculpts. While I love the modernized touches on Magneto's armor, the collar and belt look way too think on his body. That collar is jokingly large and overpowers his upper torso, which already looks as though it is proportioned too long. It could also just be the gaudy piece hanging from the collar halfway down his torso. The belt has a similar impact, looking way too thick on a body that is already very thick in muscle mass. It causes the characters body proportions to look bloated. The overly bulked body aside, the sculptor did not capture the twist in the body well at all, causing him to look awkward and unbalanced. It looks like his upper torso was just lifted and misaligned when put back on his waist. There is no tension in his suit and body that indicates a stretched chest or twisted torso, leaving it looking very unnatural. Ultimately, less of a twist would improve the pose anyway. Changing his upper torso to have just a slight stretch on his left side to grab his cape and keeping the rest of the body directed forward might look better balanced.

The entire character, mostly the upper body, appears very boxy with features including an abdomen that blends right into his back due to very little differentiation between his side and obliques. He looks ripped in some areas, but strongman thick in others, and those do not blend well. This also creates a strange lack of separation in the shoulder/armpit area and has the right arm looking like it's attached flatly to the body with no roundedness in the shoulder area. I like the idea behind his pose, but the execution looks awkward for the character. His legs are positioned one behind the other, emulating a runway walk, and could probably be remedied by separating his legs some to look like he is about to climb the stairs he is creating. An even simpler fix is to have him just stand there in the glory of his wreckage, grasping his cape as the winds of triumph blow. The paint and the details in the suit look great in newer pictures of the statue, which show the lighting was overexposing the colors and making them come off flat. However, the paint in the headsculpts appears flat and void of any life/realism. The expressions on the headsculpts also seem comical and silly. You can capture proud without having a goofy grin, which is a part of this piece's concept, but a more serious expression would also be welcome in the helmeted portrait.

March 2022: The Cries are Answered

XM Studios' Art Director, Ang Seng, responds to criticisms against this new statue by indicating that this is an early prototype and, thus, it is not the final version. While it is clearly a protoype and some elements were not fitting as perfectly as they should, I do not buy the convenience of this being an "early" prototype. I think it was simply a protoype that got a lot of negative feedback and now the compay will look to make some changes to appease some of that feedback, making it into an "early" prototype. Unfortunately for many, I do not expect major overhauls to the statue or the art direction, nor do I think that XM should compromise their unique vision for the character. Without making major changes and, essentially, a whole new statue, I am not sure XM will find many new collectors will take up the cause for this Magneto.

July 2022 : A Villain Revised

As the months have passed, I had grown to appreciate this statue more than I did at first glance, mostly by bonding more with the story being told. So, it is only fitting that XM would reveal its revised upper body sculpt and change that story ever slightly. The new sculpt (on the left) shows a more upright Magneto, with a much smaller twist in the torso with him being less hunched over. The biggest benefit to this new sculpt is in how it changes the view of the collar, leaving it looking less imposing on the body. It was only indicated that the upper body was re-sculpted, but the lower body also appears to have a slight change with the back leg being brought out from directly behind the front one.

As a whole, these updates change the story from a Magneto marching through the Sentinel head to one standing triumphant in the remnants of his destruction. The statue now has a more pleasing and balanced aesthetic by falling back towards more of a norm as far as poses go, but I liked the idea of the motion captured in the original design. The statues was not revisioned, just slightly revised, and that does not lead me to believe that it will win over those who were not already interested in the statue.

September 2022: The Master of Magnetism Cometh...

And thus, the long journey to the Pre-Order for XM's newest iteration of the character comes to a close, with the Magneto (Dawn of X) 1:4 scale statue becoming available on September 28, 2022. Along with the pre-order announcement are the official dimensions of the statue: 24.4"H x 16"W x 18.5"D and a weight of 55 lbs. For a massively bulky base, the dimensions are near what I expected, with the Sentinel head base commanding nearly 300 square inches. Not overly difficult to display overall, but the depth may give collectors who lean towards smaller footprints some trouble. But with displays that are likely to have to accommodate an Apocalypse or Juggernaut, this Magneto will feel right at home. While XM did not release the official price with the pre-order announcement, the statue was already available for pre-order at the XM Gallery for 1699 SGD/$1180 USD, so it was likely that the price remain the same. However, upon the pre-order opening, XM Studios announced a price revision, decreasing the statue's cost from 1699 SGD to 1499 SGD or approximately $1040 USD.

In the official pictures with the patented dramatic XM lightning, all of the statue's display options are put on display. The statue will include two headsculpts (helmeted and without his helmet) as previously seen, as well as four right arm switchouts: balled fist, holding helmet, hand reaching out, and levitating a Krakoan flower in the Sentinel's eye. These reveals bring two new additions in the form of the balled fist and reached out hand, both offering something simpler and, perhaps, more typical of the character. I am most exicted for the hand reaching out mimicking his abilities as that represents my favorite look for the statue in the pictures. I think that addition does, however, highlight the need for a grimacing or more angry headsculpt to capture some of the typical Magneto rage. I have acknowledged previously that it would not fit the concept of this victorious Magneto, however, I also think one less arm option (the balled fist with the brolic arm) could have easily been substituted for a headsculpt that may elicit the emotion for which some collector's were hoping. There was clearly no major change made to the statue's pose and XM stuck to their creative vision, which I respect very much. With this vision, particularly having one hand holding on to his cape, there was quite a limitation on altering other creative decisions.

What was not officially offered in the pre-order information was the Edition Size. Garnering a similar reaction to XM's recent Nightcrawler reveal, I was expecting to see a small Max Edition Size, maybe not the 299 of the former, but definitely not the maximum 999 that XM could set. As shown by certain online retailers, the ES will be set at no more than 599, which is low for one of the most popular Marvel characters. Beyond any negative reactions to the statue, this may also be influenced by the current state of people's finances, not only due to the current economy but also preparations for the upcoming holiday season.

No statue is for everyone and this piece has its fair share of critics, but I maintain really liking the overall feel of this Magneto. It became hard to understand the criticism of this piece in a world where the XM Magneto on Throne is so praised. Both take costume liberties, have Magneto in a more relaxed pose, no rage, and chilling with a Sentinel part. At least this statue has a chance to be better scaled with the rest of the X-Men line and I will enjoy getting this one in hand, assuming Sideshow does not reveal a more tempting Magneto at Sideshow NY Con (I am not betting on that). There is still a great concept out there for a Magneto statue that companies have yet to move towards that could really capture the devastation of his powers. For the time being, though, I have to accept that only I can create my vision of the character and that others' visions, including this one, are just as valid and awesome. I am very curious to see where XM Studios takes this new "Dawn of X" line, which is already set to include this Magneto, Professor X, and Mr. Sinister.

What is your take on the XM Studios' Magneto (Dawn of X) 1:4 statue?

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