3 Attachment(s)
Kotobukiya Collection - X-Force X-23 Fine Art Statue
Mutant assassins have never looked so good...
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Marvel Comics has seen a lot of “X” teams come and go over the years. For a long time, X-Force was known as the 90's group headed by Cable and comprised of former New Mutants. That title would lapse, and with it the name. That is, until the epic Messiah Complex storyline in 2007. With multiple threats to mutantkind on all sides, Cyclops charges Wolverine with creating a new team of trackers and hunters. In 2008 they broke off into their own book, X-Force, and Marvel hasn’t been the same since. Kotobukiya has stepped up to the plate with their X-Force Fine Art Statue series, bringing to life the great characters in their dynamic black ops uniforms. Starting out the series is X-23, the female clone of Wolverine and one of the deadliest mutants on the planet!
In order to track down and eliminate threats by whatever means necessary, Wolverine teams up with the most vicious and morally flexible mutants, and X-23 is always at the top of that list. She first appeared in the cartoon series X-Men: Evolution in 2003 before getting her own comic book and initially working with the new X-Men. Created by the mysterious Facility, X-23 is the result of a comprehensive program aimed at cloning Wolverine to create a controllable mutant assassin. Set free by her foster mother (who also named her Laura and gave the child her last name of Kinney), later hooked up with the X-Men and later X-Force. Deprived of her childhood and trained in the arts of tracking and killing, “X” often has trouble expressing and understanding emotion. But with her adamantium claws on her feet and hands, extraordinary healing factor, and heightened senses, she’s a deadly combatant in any battle.
As usual, the artists at Kotobukiya have packaged their latest lineup in really sophisticated containers. X-23 comes in a tall, stark white box. The front panel features gold lettering with the name of the comic series, the statue series, and the character. At the bottom are multi-lingual warning messages and logos for Koto and Marvel. The two side panels have identical embossed X-Force logos with no painting; they’re a little hard to see unless you look closely but make for cool details. The back panel is the most lively, with two large images of X-23, a description of the statue, a character bio, some commentary from sculptor Erick Sosa, and a “coming soon” advertisement. The top panel includes the statue’s serial number. All in all the box has a minimalist approach that looks great.
Standing at about 11 inches tall, X-23 looks amazing. If you’ve read any of her comics you know that she’s hyper vigilant and always aware of everything around her; this statue screams that. Laura stands perched on the corner of a shattered rooftop, one leg up on the ledge and the other extended behind her. Twisting to her right to scan the horizon, she holds both arms at the ready with all of her lethal claws extended. X-23’s pose highlights her slim yet powerful (and feminine!) physique, especially on her outstretched right leg resting on the ball of her foot. The mutant assassin wears her functional yet sexy X-Force uniform consisting of skin-tight pants, a brief shirt, and long gloves.
X-23’s sculpt is top notch, capturing her beauty and ruthlessness along with all of the intricate elements of her uniform. The thin “fabric” does little to hide Laura’s musculature, and great care was put into the sculpt of her bare midriff. Her uniform has plenty of subtle details, like the belt with X-Force buckle and the reinforced bands on her gloves and boots. X-23’s adamantium blades are totally smooth, contrasting nicely with the knuckles of her hands and the texture of her boots.
The statue comes with two easily swappable heads, and both of them look great with detailed long hair and comic accurate facial sculpts. While the unmasked version is definitely pretty with her large eyes, I have to say I’m partial to the other. With her mask on and her lips parted in an angry grimace X-23 looks fierce! Finally, it has to be noted that the base has an amazing sculpt as well with segmented concrete and tons of small details like bullet holes, broken chunks, and more.
Paint applications are similarly well done. The X-Force costume is appropriately dark in black and gray segments, which really make the exposed skin tone pop on X-23’s belly, upper arms, and face. The black is also highly glossy, giving it depth and weight. Red pops up on the X-Force belt buckle and eyes and lips on the masked head, while silver appears on her adamantium claws and belt as well. Laura’s unmasked face meanwhile has blue eyes and pink lips. The statue’s base is painted with a nice yellowish hue with wear and staining.
While X-Force may have disbanded and X-23 moved onto other ventures, this is without a doubt the best depiction of her from that period in her life. Hardcore fans of the X-Force era will absolutely want to add this to their collection, and she’s just the first in a lineup that will include her teammates Warpath, Uncanny X-Force Deadpool, and quite possibly more to come. The swappable head feature is really nice for display options, and check under the base for your official limited edition number and series information.
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin
Review Sample Courtesy of Kotobukiya
