ARTFX+Statue(Kotobukiya): Marvel NOW Spider-Gwen

Another statue that has been part of my to review pile for some time, the Kotobukiya "ARTFX+Statue", Spider-Gwen. Man, that title alone is enough of a cluster. Anyways, it's a Spider-Gwen statue that I thought was cool, simple, and worthy to be in my collection. So let's check her out.

This is my first ARTFX statue in my collection so the box is a new sight. It's pretty cool looking.

You get the Spider-Gwen symbol on one side with some comic book artwork surrounding it, and other the other side, the main art and pose for the Spider-Gwen statue.

The other side of the box is a showcase of the figure itself with its masked and unmasked face.

What you see is what you get in here. Not much options in terms of 'variations' but you don't really need that much. I'll talk about what would have made the die-hard fan of Spider-Gwen happy in a little bit but for now let's look at the stand.

It's a pretty cool looking stand. Nicely painted and clean. The whole thing is metal too and it serves a purpose other than adding weight and price. The bottom of Gwen's feet have magnets on them, so that means there's no awkward peg holes for it.

The statue itself is well done. Talking about the choice of pose, it's definitely Spider-Y with a little hint of fan service. Okay, not a little, but hey, it serves a purpose and it goes in line with the character's personality and daily gestures. Looks like she is getting ready to shoot a web too with that left hand almost positioned for that traditional: thwip pose!

Her sculpt is also well done. With how skin tight her costume is, it hugs her assets well enough. THat leg too! No complaint in this department.

The paint is consistent and it matches the character well! The base compliments the figure in general, and like I said, no imperfections from what I can see and definitely stays true to the characters color palettes.

There is of course the interchangeable variant face that we get with Gwen Stacy's face is revealed. I'm honestly not a big fan of it. It's not bad, it's just not as pretty or how I picture Gwen to be. Besides, I like her masked version so much more than this one. Maybe a version where we can pull her hood down and have a full head would be a nice touch. But I probably would have chosen the masked version regardless anyways.

One thing I'd like to add is that her masked version is a bit loose on the shoulders. Easy to come off if I wiggle it enough. But it's not that big of an issue as long as she stays dormant. It's a statue, not an action figure; besides, I don't play with my action figures anymore.

Pop, Legends, Bishoujo, Rock Candy

And here are my other Spider-Gwen related figures. It's not my intent to make a mini army of Gwen, but I have to say that I like her designs and most figures of her entice me!

All in all, I truly like this! Not going to be winning statue of the year or anything like that, but it's a welcome addition for sure. 

ML Jubilee BAF: Cyclops (Marvel NOW)

The next one in the line up of my X-Men Legends that I acquired recently! This one is Marvel Now's Cyclops with his new look. Post AvsX attire and for some reason he is all dark and dreary(well, after going psycho with your dead Ex-Wife's signature power and killing your father figure and mentor... yeah go psycho I will go), and there is something new with his powers that I am not aware of. Regardless, this new figure replicates that look and even the 'Racer X' head... yes. Racer X:

Okay so it's not an exact duplicate but it just reminded me of Race X the moment I saw it on figure form. Admittedly, it's been a LOOONNNGGGG time since I've seen an episode of Speed Racer. I digressed. Moving on!

Yes Hasbro box! So awesome and easy to break into and replace! Moving on!

So they took away the utility belt the moment the Jim Lee look was taken away but it came back with this new look. What does he carry there? Contact lenses? Eye drops? But as for the rest of the sculpt, I think it's the familiar mold we have seen with average sized Marvel males. Paint wise, it's not bad. It's just all black with a bit of red paint so not much we can truly scrutinize there. And he has a hole on the back for a certain shield bearing character! Moving on!

This is the accessory. Yes. This is the accessory. It's the BAF piece for Jubilee. I mean... no alternate hands(much needed)? No optic blast affect? No alternate head? Nothing? This is what is agitating about Hasbro.

His articulation is still pretty good considering that it is a good mold. Again it's the alternate hands is what kills me. I'm not sure if Scott still needs to do his famous 'press my visor button' thing, but just closed fists don't do it for me. In DIRE need of something with this guy to make it a bit more... 'wow'. That head really needs an optic blast affect of some sort! Seriously, I guess it's a difficult thing to do with such price they are demanding for these figures nowadays! Honestly, not much to say about this guy. Just know that he is a standard mold with modern articulation and the paint job is decent.

Red and Black vs Blue and White! All in all, this Cyclops is lack luster. Still a decent figure but it just doesn't catch my (EYE!) eyes as much as it should. I can forgive the older X-Factor Cyclops for lacking optic blast affect because it came with a bigger BAF piece and he has standard/famous Cyclops pose available. But this Cyclops is a must to build Jubilee!