In the long, storied history of the X-Men, arguably the most popular mutant in the publication’s history is Wolverine. From his humble beginnings in the northern wilderness of Canada, to the Weapon-X project, to the postapocalyptic events of “Old Man Logan,” this mutant has one of the most tragic and interesting backstories of any character in comic book history. This is the review for the XM Studios Marvel Premium Collectibles series statue of Wolverine.
Sculpt & Design – 4.0 out of 5 Stars
+ Statue has a plethora of changeable accessories
+ Great texturing on costume and anatomy
+Masked portrait is one of the very best of Wolverine
-Unmasked portrait doesn’t measure up
To put it simply, the design of this statue is uncanny. There is no shortage of great Wolverine statues, but this piece of art makes a compelling argument at being the best at what it does. The amount of detail packed into this statue is unrivaled.
Before diving too far into the sculpt and design, it must be noted that this statue comes with several accessories that vastly change the look and feel of this piece. Wolverine comes with two interchangeable portraits, one masked and one unmasked. He comes with two different sets of arms (two with the elbows bent forward, and two with the arms fully extended behind him). He also has three options for his claws (adamantium, bone, or sheathed) and two katanas that he can either hold or that can be displayed on the base.
A plethora of detail was put into carving the base of this statue, including the shingles, wood support beams, and several Japanese symbols. The artist even took the time to give the roof a weathered look. The base features a well-crafted statue of a fish behind Wolverine’s back foot and a separately sculpted samurai helmet as well. The katanas have great detail on the hilt and can fit nicely in the base, but may not stay secure if the statue is moved too much. Overall, this is one of the better designed bases for a piece this size.
Wolverine himself looks fantastic. Frank Miller’s art from the Wolverine comic in 1982 has been perfected in statue form. Wolverine wears his classic brown and yellow costume from that era. Throughout the entire costume there are folds, creases, and wrinkles. The boots and the brown parts of his costume are textured in a way that genuinely looks like leather. The seam lines on his pants are well-done. XM Studios took some liberties with the belt by adding a metal tip at the end which actually looks fantastic. His trademark six-pack shows through his costume while his outstretched arms show off the musculature on his back. Wolverine’s biceps are fully flexed with veins showing from underneath his skin.
The two interchangeable portraits are quite different. The masked portrait is a flawless head sculpt of Wolverine. The detail in this sculpt makes it one of the best head sculpts we’ve ever seen for him in statue form. The black mask portion of his head is textured very well. The folds and wrinkles around his eyes bring his infamous scowl to life. The sculpting around the uncovered portions of his face is brilliant. The details on his mouth and teeth are just perfect. However, the unmasked portrait doesn’t quite measure up. The hair is molded well. However, his facial structure is far different in this portrait. The lower part of his face seems too large in comparison, and he has too many wrinkles. It’s not a terrible sculpt, it just pales in comparison to the masked portrait.
Paint – 3.75 out of 5 Stars
+ Leather portions of costume look legitimate (Great shading)
+ Complexion and skin tone look fantastic
– Base color is flat
There aren’t many glaring negatives when it comes to the paint on this sculpture, with the one exception being the base. It’s an extremely detailed base and the paint isn’t bad by any means. It just comes off as slightly flat. It may be that some of the grey could be shaded differently or maybe even painted more of a brown color in certain spots. It hardly hurts the greatness of this statue but it is worth mentioning.
The paint job on Wolverine himself is outstanding. The shading around the leather portions of his costume really makes it appear like genuine leather. His belt is painted a faded red, which makes it appear old and worn out. Wolverine’s mask looks amazing. The artist did a phenomenal job with the painting and shading around his abdomen, which helps make his muscles pop.
The boots and gloves specifically look exquisite. The shading used on both are excellent. The bone claws look great and the adamantium claws shine as if they were truly metal. The two katanas have the same shine as well.
Both face portraits are painted well. The masked portrait is amazingly detailed. The paint on his tongue and teeth look realistic. While the unmasked portrait isn’t the best likeness of Wolverine, the painting and shading used on his face work well. The black and brown shading in his hair looks natural and the shading around his face is quite intimidating.
Value – 4.25 out of 5 Stars
+ Extra accessories and changeable parts add value
+Great price considering the limited supply
XM Studio’s brown suit Wolverine looks amazing and comes loaded with accessories and changeable parts which add both value and variety to this statue. The retail value of this piece is $1,099 SGD. Despite the hefty price tag, it’s well-worth every penny. It cannot be overstated just how beautifully detailed this statue is. If you’re looking for the best Wolverine statue available, then look no further. When it comes to creating the very finest Wolverine collectible statue around, XM Studios are the best at what they do.
Artists
- Studio Hive in collaboration with XM
- Romell Chopraa (Original Sculpt), with revisions from the XM Art Team
- XM Studios Design and Development Team
Marvel Premium Collectibles Series Statue Details
Materials
Cold-cast porcelain
Product Size
66 cm L X 46 cm B X 53 cm H, Weight: 8.5 Kg
Box Size
80 cm L X 63 cm B X 31 cm H
Shipping Weight
17 kg