I think the inevitable dilemma of any hardcore X-Men fan is "what is your favorite version of Jean Grey?" As arguably the most powerful of the core X-Men roster, she has been the epicenter of multiple iconic storylines and had numerous iconic costumes in the process. I personally love her in green and yellow. My favorite is her skirted costume with the domino mask from 1967-1976, but this X-Factor (1986) costume and her green Phoenix suit (1976) are close runners-up. X-Factor was a book with a great premise - the original five X-Men brought back as government mutant hunters who were secretly saving all their targets. In the beginning, they all wore these classic "X" costumes in bold colors. Jean's was classic green and yellow for the first 25 issues until she swapped it for the red and yellow costume (I fully expect this figure to be repainted in red someday). This figure was a Target exclusive in the Summer of 2025 and became quite the shelfwarmer. She's great though. Let's check out Jean below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label X-Men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label X-Men. Show all posts
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Marvel Legends - JEAN GREY!
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Marvel Legends Vintage - DARK PHOENIX!
The Marvel Legends Vintage line on the large retro Toy Biz cards are very hit or miss for me. For the most part, when I think of this line I am in awe of the amazing new characters or character upgrades that we've received: Tigra, She-Hulk, Hallow's Eve, Blue-suited Wasp, Spiral, Titania, Gwen Stacy, Dazzler, etc. All of these are amazing figures that might not have easily found a home in a traditional BaF Wave. But on the flipside, I also see all the lazy repaints or kitbashed releases that fill the toy aisles: Black Widow, Storm, the newly-announced Mystique, Black Cat, Lady Loki, Scarlet Witch, and even Spider-Woman (which I loved, despite her just being a repaint). The problem is that there are much more interesting options for these slots. This Dark Phoenix is a good example of a slight retool and repaint that I feel wasn't entirely necessary. The bright colors and pinless joints are great, but the older version just looked more dynamic (IMHO) in darker colors and with longer legs. Let's check her out below.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Marvel Legends - DESTINY!
The powers that be behind the Marvel Legends line have been reading my mind recently. A Destiny figure has been on my wishlist for years, but I figured that an older (sometimes elderly?) blind lgbtq precog would be an unlikely choice for retail shelves. But I wasn't considering two things: 1) Online retailer exclusives are great for obscure character releases. And 2) Destiny had a major popularity boost due to the 2022 Destiny of X storyline. Regardless of the factors behind her release, I'm just ecstatic to finally have a true action figure of Irene. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants were my favorite adversaries when I first started reading X-Men in the 80s, and I'm glad the roster is finally filling out. This figure was really tricky for me to photograph. The metallic facemask messes with my camera's color sensor and every photo ends up looking like a different shade of blue. I took hundreds of photos of her, but this set (with flash) looked the most consistent. Let's check out the long overdue Destiny figure below!
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Marvel Legends - ROGUE!
Rogue was one of the very first female villains I was exposed to in the Marvel Universe. I had picked up a backissue of Dazzler sometime in the late 80s and was obsessed with this green-suited young woman causing chaos. I picked up all her early appearances in books like Avengers and ROM Spaceknight and couldn't get enough. I thought it was great when she came to the good side and joined the X-Men, but I think I was the only fan that wasn't on board with her transformation into a sexpot in the 90s. It just seemed too out of character to me. But that popularity is why we get so many cool toys of her, so I try to embrace it. A first appearance Rogue has been on my Marvel Legends wishlist for many years, and so has Destiny. So this 2-Pack is like a dream to me. The Rogue figure isn't perfect. I find her hair especially baffling. In this era, she always had two white streaks coming off her temples (often curling up in little Quicksilver-esque whisps). This slicked-back center streak just looks odd and a little boring to me.
Sunday, May 26, 2024
Marvel Legends - WOLFSBANE!
For at least four years now, this X-Factor Wolfsbane has been a recurring figure on my annual pre-convention wishlist. Not so much because I love this version of the character or costume, but rather because I'm a sucker for team completion. (For the record, my other wishes are for an X-Factor Marvel Girl, Rachel Summers Phoenix, Marrina, and Feral - all are needed as the final members to complete their respective core teams). In 1991, the X-Factor roster was revamped for the first time in issue no. 71, ditching the original premise and lineup (which I had loved). Polaris and Wolfsbane are two of my favorite mutants so I was initially excited, but I can admit I didn't love the eventual re-characterization of these characters or the matching costumes. But there is still something very nostalgic and appealing about this era of Marvel Comics immediately preceding the Image exodus. Since 2020, Wolfsbane was the single glaring omission from this team in Marvel Legends. Let's check her out below!
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Marvel Legends - JEAN GREY!
I just finished watching X-Men '97 and I am quite the fan. There was always something a little off about the original X-Men the Animated Series to me. I always had trouble taking it seriously. But this 27-years-later continuation is what I always wanted that show to be. Everything is a little elevated: the drawing style, the storytelling, the voicework, and the overall feel is more polished. My only issue is that way too much happened in 10 episodes. It buzzed through Inferno, Zero Tolerance, Trial of Magneto, and E is for Extinction storylines in rapid pace. It presented well, but the source stories are great and could have been expanded upon. Jean Grey got a decent amount of screentime, which was expected. But what I didn't expect was to get the nicest Jean Grey Marvel Legends figure to date from it. This 90's costume can be a little awkward in toy form, her shoulderpads and face-cropping headgear doesn't always translate well into plastic. But this one got it right. Let's check out Jean below!
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Marvel Legends - GOBLIN QUEEN!
Sometimes I feel bad for all the casual X-fans tuning into the movies and cartoons and trying to figure out the history of Jean Grey. She is an intriguing character that finds herself in the epicenter of the X-Men's greatest stories. But even as a longtime fan, I can't deny it gets a bit confusing. One of her most iconic incarnations (for me) is when her clone, Madelyne Pryor became the Goblin Queen in the Inferno storyline from 1988-89. I was an avid reader of The New Mutants (and X-Terminators) at this time so I was getting a live feed of this story as it was being published (albeit focusing on Illyana). When the promotional material for X-Men '97 was first shown last year, I was excited to see the Goblin Queen. The Inferno storyline was one of the few major X-events that wasn't ever touched on in X-Men: The Animated Series. Amusingly, even though we've now seen the Goblin Queen in the new series, the story was barely scratched. But, hey, at least we got this great figure of her. Let's check out Madelyne below!
Sunday, April 21, 2024
X-Men '97 - ROGUE!
X-Men women are some of the most interesting characters in all of comicdom. Their powers, personalities, and histories merge together to create a dynamic fully-realized person. I think the most widely-embraced example of this is Rogue. She's powerful, but delicate. She's flirty, but untouchable. And she is widely viewed as oozing sex appeal, but she is covered head to toe and is essentially chaste (out of necessity). And all that intrigue doesn't even take into account her villainous history and relation to Mystique. She has also had a lot of great costumes. This yellow and green bodysuit with a bomber jacket and headband is actually my least favorite, but it has really grown on me in recent years. And clearly, it's her most popular look. I'm impressed with this Epic Hero Series. Typically 1:18 scale ladies have weird limbs and oversized joints. It's like the engineering needed for the articulation is always fighting against the smaller female sculpts. But these figures look great. I can't wait to see who is next.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
X-Men '97 - STORM!
I've been eagerly watching each episode of X-Men '97 on Disney+ since it debuted a month ago. Leading up to the first episode, I watched every episode of the original X-Men the Animated Series (which I had never completed before) and was excited to see how the adventures of all my favorite characters would continue. Without giving any spoilers, Storm's storyline was shockingly dramatic and upsetting (but by episode six it was all better) and I'm hoping she gets plenty of screentime in the final four episodes. Hasbro's new Epic Hero Series is a long overdue reboot of their 3.75" Marvel Universe line (2009-2015). (At least that's the way I view them). Regardless, it's nice to have the basic-level figures of all their different media franchises (Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and now X-Men '97) in a consistent scale. I only wish they were produced with more regularity and with more properties. At the very least I would love to see a Jean Grey and maybe a Jubilee. Let's check out Storm below!
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Marvel Legends - ARMORED PSYLOCKE!
Of all the X-Men, I've always felt that Psylocke has had the most interesting and extreme design changes. The fact that she was quite literally body-swapped in the 1990 Acts of Vengeance storyline just increased her number of unique appearances. Prior to 1990, Betsy Braddock was a lavender-haired British psychic telepath. But then she was brainwashed by The Hand and body-swapped with the East Asian assassin Kwannon and refined her powers to now present as her signature "psychic knife", a pink dagger-like energy spike emanating from her fist that can scramble someone's brain. Her first appearances with her new body and powers were costumed in this Lady Mandarin battle armor. She only used that name and costume for a few issues, but they were featured on the first two covers of the iconic Jim Lee run on X-Men (issues #256-257). Even though this is my least desired Psylocke design to have in the Marvel Legends line, I can't deny how iconic it is. Let's check out Armored Psylocke below!
Monday, November 20, 2023
Marvel Legends - STORM!
One of the things I'm most curious about for the upcoming X-Men '97 show on Disney+ is the representation of Storm. In the original X-Men the Animated Series, her voice was so booming and theatrical that it was both humorous and iconic. In the end, I loved it. And I think it played a part developing her later comics persona as well. I kind of hope this characterization continues in the new show, but I expect that they will tone her down a bit for modern (more critical?) audiences. I don't think I've ever seen Storm in the combination of her white costume with her mohawk hairdo. Overall, I like it. It's a fun distinction from her previous appearances without doing something too far out of canon. I'm hope we get more Marvel Legends figures from this series. Beast, Jean Grey, and Jubilee are contenders. But until the show airs in early 2024, we don't really know the full roster. Perhaps some interesting villains alongside Magneto. (This could possibly be how we finally get Destiny!) Let's check out Storm below!
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Marvel Legends - ROGUE!
I've always liked Rogue. From the first time I noticed her in 80s back issues, she intrigued and fascinated me. But X-Men the Animated Series launched her into a superstardom I never would have predicted. I wasn't the biggest fan of the show honestly. Don't get me wrong, I taped most episodes and watched them dozens of times. But even at that young age I found myself very critical of the tone and characterization and soon my interest waned completely. Now, as an adult, I have had a certain sentiment expressed to me surprisingly often. It usually happens when someone is viewing my toy collection. I hear "My favorite toy in my childhood was Rogue. She was awesome. I loved that show." I hear it from men and women of a variety of ages and it's been said upwards of a dozen times. I actually plan to watch the show before X-Men '97 (a direct continuation of the original series) debuts on Disney+ next year and I hope to finally share their awe. Let's check out X-Men '97 Rogue below!
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Marvel Gallery - DAZZLER!
Dazzler is a character with an interesting history. She was pitched as a joint venture between Casablanca Records and Marvel Comics in the late seventies to sell comics, cartoons, and music a'la The Monkees and The Archies. If her first concepts would have been accepted, she would be a black hero (modeled after Grace Jones) named Evelyn Free using the codename Disco Queen to fight villainy with her powers to force the truth out of people. Thank goodness her name was tweaked and her abilities changed to light-based powers, but it would be awesome to see a multiverse Grace Jones version some day. This Marvel Gallery PVC statue is my favorite piece of Dazzler merchandise in my collection. It captures great great classic disco look in a statuesque pose at a very reasonable price. The Marvel Gallery, DC Gallery, and Femme Fatales statue lines from DST are very impressive. I currently own eight and I only expect that number to grow. Let's check out Dazzler below!
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Astonishing X-Men - DANGER Bust!
I miss the days when mini-busts were all the rage and every comic shop had a display case full of new product for sale. My first purchase was the DST Firestar in 2007. She was a new release, but I got her for 20 bucks because the comic shop was closing. But that started an avalanche of purchases and I now have over 50. The sheer number of companies that were producing them was impressive too: DC Direct, Bowen, Dynamic Forces, Gentle Giant, Diamond Select, etc. And there was even a cheaper second wave of popularity with Eaglemoss and Monogram about 5 years ago. But in the era of the early 2000s, you could get mini-busts of almost any comic character. This Danger bust from DST is a great example. She is sentient embodiment of the X-Men's Danger room, originally a rage-filled villain, but eventually a teammate. Despite her cool origin and pedigree, she never gained popularity you might expect, but that didn't stop her from getting a pretty great looking mini-bust when she was at her peak.
Monday, September 4, 2023
Marvel Legends - DANGER!
I love re-discovering an old figure that I had previously overlooked. To be fair, I have owned this figure for years but only recently decided to review her. (I didn't buy her until 2014, seven years after her release). The recent MOTU Motherboard figure inspired me to put a little spotlight on Danger. I love a character that is a physical (humanoid) embodiment of a previously inhuman thing or animal. Some great examples are MOTUC Lighthope and Castle Grayskullman, Mythic Legions Cowarros and Purplor, Motherboard, and of course Danger. In the pages of Astonishing X-Men in 2005, it became known that the X-Men's steadfast Danger Room had in fact gained sentience (and perhaps always been sentient). What was worse was that Professor Xavier was aware and did nothing to free or aid her. As her autonomy grew, her rage sent ripples through the mansion. She drove a student to suicide, she animated a dormant Sentinel, and wreaked havoc. Her backstory has so many interesting layers.
Sunday, July 2, 2023
Marvel Legends - JUBILEE!
Somehow is seems wrong to put Jubilee in a uniform. As the token spunky young upstart of the 1990's X-Men, she always marched to the beat of her own drum. She got into trouble, was the catalyst for many team adventures, and always wore her own unique outfits. Usually colorful, haphazard, and fun. We've seen her in a few official uniforms in the years since, but in 1991's Uncanny X-Men #275 we first saw her conform to a group aesthetic in this modern take of the classic X-Men uniform. But surprisingly Jubilee seemed to love this phase and almost accepted it as a badge of honor, like she was suddenly a full-fledged member of the team instead of a nuisance tag-along. Of course, she pretty much immediately went back to her signature yellow raincoat, but this uniform was still a cool blip that still resonates enough to inspire action figures 32 years later. I'm assuming the red-jumpsuit Generation X version is next (her only other iconic uniform). Perhaps an SDCC reveal? Let's check out Jubilee below!
Friday, June 30, 2023
Marvel Legends - PSYLOCKE!
With all the amazing classic Marvel Legends coming out in 2023 (Outback Rogue, Mojoverse Dazzler, Mockingbird, Monica Rambeau Captain Marvel, updated Tigra, Moonstone, Vertigo, etc), I have been reassessing my wish list. And one character I keep coming back to is Psylocke, specifically in her various 1980's costumes. She was a blur of multi-tonal purples and pinks and I loved it. I would love to see both the lavender-haired, puffy-sleeved outfit, as well as the hooded and masked version. But when all these variations were released in Mini-Mates form over the years, it made me desire a complete representation of Psylocke's many looks. And to me, a key example is those few months around 1991's Uncanny X-Men #275 when she donned this modern homage to the original X-Men uniform. The X-Men characters seem to thrive on individuality, both in personality and appearance, but it was cool for a brief moment to see them unified in matching costumes. Let's check out X-Men #275 Psylocke below!
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Marvel Legends - STORM!
When I first started reading superhero comics in the 80s, I was always consistently and predictably drawn to team books with matching costumes. The New Mutants were the most accessible example and grabbed the majority of my attention, but I also loved Sun Devils, Atari Force, and Challengers of the Unknown. And honestly I'm still a sucker for that aesthetic. I always equate the X-Men with this matching uniform design, but in actuality, they almost never sport a unified look. They wore their original matching costumes for four years from 1963-1967, and then they wore unique individualized costumes for 24 years until Uncanny X-Men #275 in 1991. In this issue, the X-Men were in a transition period. The X-Tinction Agenda storyline had just ended and the launching of X-Force #1, the new X-Factor roster (Polaris!), and the splitting of the X-Men into blue and gold teams in two different titles was just a few months away. All the memorable iconic 90's mutant moments all happened within a few short months in 1991.
Friday, June 16, 2023
Marvel Superhero Squad - HEPZIBAH!
The recent releases of Corsair, Ch'od, and Ch'reee in the Marvel Legends line have me very excited for future Starjammers figures. There is something about late 70's and early 80's creations of Dave Cockrum that thrill me. He is most well known for his work on the X-Men, having created Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. (I'm personally also a big fan of his creator-owned property, The Futurians). But one of his big creations that doesn't often get a chance to shine is The Starjammers, a colorful group of space pirates introduced in X-Men #104 in 1977. And although I love this whole team, the character Hepzibah was always my favorite. Her abilities were a little generic: Superhuman strength, agility, blah blah blah. But her skunk appearance was so unique and cool to me that I was an instant fan. She is from the Mephitisoid race (skunks are from the family Mephitidae). Unfortunately in more modern comics, she has lost the skunk-stripes and instead looks like a white cat, but either way she is awesome.
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Marvel Legends - ROGUE!
I first took notice of Rogue in the pages of Uncanny X-men in the late 1980s. She was a really great character with an impressive power. But it wasn't until I read Uncanny X-Men #269 (which featured Rogue battling an "echo" of Carol Danvers) that I realized how nuanced of a character she actually was.. a former villain with a stolen power set and a secondary consciousness haunting her brain. I quickly picked up Rogue's first few appearances in the pages of Avengers and Rom and I was super appreciative that her current costume (the costume this Marvel Legends figure is wearing that was popular circa 1988-1991) was so reminiscent of her original villainous look. Characters seemed to be changing costumes drastically every couple years in those days, and Rogue was no exception. But to me this design will always be her true classic look. Ever since we got the first modern Rogue figure in the Marvel Legends line (back in 2016), I have been wishing for this version. She's amazing. Let's check out Rogue below!
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