Today I’m reviewing Sideshow’s Cable Premium Format Figure. An impressive statue with a few extra perks, Sideshow’s version of the time-traveling mutant is a must have for your collection. Read on to see what our cybernetic eyes have uncovered.
Sculpt and Design – 4 out of 5
Cable is depicted here having just emerged from an interdimensional portal onto what appears to be the ruins of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. One of his boots stands atop the ruined school seal, and in the rubble are remnants of Cerebro and Wolverine’s cowl.
It’s here, behind Cable’s boot, where you can incorporate some of the extras that come with the figurine. One is a smaller portal like the others that surround our hero.
The other is Deadpool’s arm and hand emerging from the portal, offering to Cable a Deadpool doll and a “best friends” bracelet. It’s a delightful nod to the pairing these two have had both in the comics and on the big screen.
Cable’s physique is as muscular as you might expect, and in 90’s liefeldian fashion. His still-human arm is bulked beyond imagination with nearly every vein popping as he flexes to hold his weapon. His bionic arm is similarly ripped.
Cable’s abs and pecs are scaled to the extreme, every last muscle defined in his comic accurate uniform.
The details on Cable’s uniform, tactical belt, boots, and face are to be commended. Especially impressive is the portrait, which shows the mercenary scowling at the viewer. His nose has a kind of verisimilitude that can be rare in some figures, with a bump at the bridge.
If you’ll allow us just one last nitpick? Cable’s weapons in this sculpt are just as disproportionately large as his muscles. We know he has super strength and could easily wield these huge weapons, but they are almost too big. Then there’s the cape, personally I prefer a sculpted cape, even though the fabric cape does do a better job of capturing the details that makeup this character.
Paint – 3 out of 5 stars
The paint work on this figure is very detailed and lovely to look at. Colors are accurate to the classic comic version of cable.
Most notable about Cable are his bionic parts — both his eye and his arm. The metal of his bionic arm gleams in a shade of gunmetal gray. His bionic eye glows in its socket, a marked contrast to the very human eye on his right side which glares at the viewer.
His right eye is also painted accurately with the star shaped scar identifying the original point of infection for the techno-organic virus. But his face has numerous other well-painted details. His eyebrows are particularly intimidating, and the lines on his forehead, corners of his eyes, and around his mouth make him look as haggard as one might expect. He is even painted with a 5 o’clock shadow.
His hair is somewhat less realistic. Several shades of gray and silver attempt to work together to convey the mercenary’s signature hair color, but they don’t quite capture it. It’s an unfortunately cartoonish feature that clashes with the rest of the realistic paint details.
There are several minor details on his gloves and boots that will draw you in. His uniform and gear overall have a weathered appearance that Sideshow says were meant to invoke the wear and tear of time travel. The seams and stitches along his uniform are expertly rendered, and the use of shadows on his chest are a fine example of contrast.
The nitpick for this category is with his weapons, again.
Painted in what seems to be one solid shade of gray, they don’t provide much visual interest. It could be purposeful. After all, Cable is the star, not his weapons. But it’s a little disappointing to move your eye across a well painted figure only to be stopped by a big hunk of metallic sameness.
Value – 3 out of 5 stars
This figure is still available on Sideshow’s website as of 12-20-19.
The collector edition retails for $705 with an edition size of 2000, while the exclusive edition retails for $725 and has an edition size of 1000.
Both editions come with a removable fabric cape with internal wiring that allows you to pose it as you like. Only the exclusive edition includes the removable portal with Deadpool’s arm.
We won’t see an increase in its market value yet. I’m pleased with Sideshow’s production of this Cable Premium Format Figure and think it makes for a good collectible for a Cable fan.
Product Dimensions:
Height: 24.5″ (622.3 mm)
Width: 17″ (431.8 mm)
Depth: 14″ (355.6 mm)
Weight: 12 lbs (5.44 kg)
Artists include:
- Guillermo Barbiero (Sculpt)
- Martin Canale (Sculpt) (Design)
- Adam Smith (Mold and Cast)
- Chadwick Andersen (Mold and Cast)
- Bernardo Esquivel (Paint)
- Tim Hanson (Costume Fabrication)
- Casey Love (Paint)
- Tom Jilesen (Design)
- Richard Luong (Design)
- Andrew Huerta (Design)
- Jeremy Williams (Mold and Cast)