Statue Spotlight: XM Studios' Nightcrawler

I have to admit, as it pertains to the realm of statue collecting, us X-Men fans are spoiled. Looking at the wealth of different characters that have been offered across Sideshow Collectibles and XM Studios, and the various iterations of a select few specific characters, there are few other fandoms whose selections can compare. Even so, one highly sought after character had remained elusive until recently: the amazing Nightcrawler. Last year's reveal of the long overdue Nightcrawler Premium Format Figure spawned much excitement amongst those eager to add the character to their collection. Although, for many others, it was only the first step towards the looming decision of which Nightcrawler statue to purchase, with the eventual reveal of XM Studios' version. Thanks to a visitor at the XM Studios Gallery Store, the first photo of the XM Nightcrawler made its way around the internet and, man, you want to talk about mixed reactions. This will not be a comparison post with the Sideshow version, just an analysis of what we have seen from XM thus far. I initially planned to indicate that this discussion comes with the caveat of this being an early prototype of the statue. This was something mentioned by XM as the less than favorable discussion points were made. But if that is the case, then there should not have been any pictures or releases allowed until the final prototype was ready, especially when collectors have kept them well aware of how much they have been waiting to see this piece.

The idea and the story behind the statues XM creates is always a highlight of their creative process. Recently, though, it seems like they have too much concept to pack into the 20+ inches of its 1:4 scale X-Men and this is no exception. Do not get me wrong, this is an amazing concept that captures Nightcrawler's mutant ability in the most dynamic of ways. But every time I look at this statue I am drawn to the "too much" and while pulling off the concept helps, it plays second fiddle to the overall composition and presentation of the character. Even so, it is hard to argue against a scene that I would not have fathomed be captured in statue form. They captured Nightcrawler teleportating out of and above the Sentinel's tentacles and the smoke effect really conveys that movement. Although, the two clouds would make more sense if they were directly lined up with each other.

If there is anything you can count on, it is an XM Studios' costume update and Nightcrawler is no exception. This rendition has a costume layered with armored plates, varying textures, lots of seams, and dark shading. I love modernized costumes and was a real fan of the depth of detail, especially the conversion of the red leotard to a raised armor material. When looked at closer, though, perhaps I am learning that I like a more subtle modernization over the complete overhaul that XM has given Nightcrawler. Taking a closer look at the knee and shoulder pads, the boot straps, the underlying mesh fabric, and the endless seams breaking up the suit, this may have crossed the line past tasteful updates. Looking at it now, I can not help but see a Power Ranger (the Red Psycho Ranger specifically). I still like it lightly more than a comic accurate suit, but this whole statue has so much going on and the suit being as busy as it is feels detrimental to the overall aesthetic.

A real bummer is the overabundance of swords, which for some reason has become a maintstay of the character, although most of his time across all media has been sword-less. The sword wrapped in his tail is one sword too many and pulls attention away from the showcasing of Nightcrawler teleportating. Of course, the sword debacle could be remedied by removing a sword here or there, or offering a couple of switchouts. Unfortunately, it looks like rising production costs have scared XM away from offering any alternative display options. It has not yet been touched on, but maybe costs should have been cut out of the base instead. I love the emotion and effort captured in the headsculpt and the flow of the hair, but his ears are poking out like TV antennae. Capturing Nightcrawler's devilish appearance is an important component that has been a big concern with Disney's management of the IP, so this headsculpt was a welcome sight.

How important is the base to a statue? Does a good base increase your likelihood to purchase a statue or does a bad base deter you from buying one? This base feels stuck in the very middle of those ideals, being both an eyesore and necessary for the statue's concept. Showcasing the character's teleportation already includes a large visual component with the purple smoke clouds, so adding both danger room an Sentinel components quickly creates a messy concept. Perhaps that is the cost of being able to have him teleporting into the air. There has to be enough tall components to suppot that weight, but the tentacles and the Sentinel hand would have been enough for the concept, or just having the danger room base and some mechanical components. Having both, though, with the big concept and the added tentacles leaves a mess for the eyes to unravel. The teleportation smoke is messy, too, though it is hard to tell whether it is in the sculpt or the paint. It does not look Iike smoke at all. Either cottage cheese or spray foam is much more accurate. The dimmed pinks and purples do not do it much favors either, though it does fit the more realistic and dingey art direction that XM takes.

This is an ambitious statue with a big concept to capture, and it does that, but it does not come without sacrifices. Having what appears to be three times as much base and effects as there is character makes for an unbalanced aesthetic. The hyper-modernized updates to Nightcrawler's appearance carries a lot of intricacies and looks cool, but would be better with more subtlety. Then comes the unforgiving topic: price. With the amount of base and the engineering needing to pull of the teleportation, I am expecting a $1,000 price tag. Being a US collector means that shipping costs are through the roof, pushing this to a likely $1400. Taking that into consideration and the lack of customibility, we are left with a hefty price tag for a whole lot of base and a whole lot of swords. Still, though, XM is pulling off one hell of a dynamic concept and for some, that is all it will take to get their money.

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