"Whosoever touches this gem shall possess the power of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!
Henceforth, you who read these words, shall become forevermore a human Juggernaut!"
- The mystical enchantment inscribed on the Crimson Ruby of Cyttorak
Hi guys,
last week I received the Fine Art statue of The juggernaut as released by Kotobukiya and I am very, very excited with it.
The helmet of my statue was slightly damaged (there is an uneven spot and a scratch on Juggy's helmet) but that does not take away my happiness with this statue. I will have the helmet fixed shortly but even with these minor flaws this is a very impressive statue. A big 'THUMBS UP!' goes to
Ton for helping me to add this amazing statue to my collection; thank you Ton... you are the man!
The Juggernaut is displayed as the incredibly powerful behemoth that he is and I believe Mr. Erick Sosa really outdid himself with this amazing sculpt.
The muscle definition, the dynamics and 'tension' caught in Juggy's pose after he just smashed his way through the front gate of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters really show us the sheer menace of The Juggernaut.
The Juggernaut is a huge behemoth, a man-mountain and a destructive, one man army and Juggy's size and bulkiness are truly spot on.
The Juggernaut is not the kind of man you would like to mess with since he will knock you out first and only ask questions later, if he can be bothered to do that at all.
Erick perfectly managed to capture that tough and street brawler-aspect of Juggernaut very well in my humble opinion.
When I look at this statue of The Juggernaut I see the brawler, the bullish and obnoxious tough guy, the incredible powerful Exemplar of Physical Strength and one of the strongest beings who ever walked the Earth in the Marvel Universe.
The incredibly powerful Juggernaut shown here on his way to get even with his despised step-brother Charles Xavier; that is what I see when I look at this statue. This sculpt is all about the destructive Juggernaut who is one of the X-Men's most feared enemies.
In contrast when I look at the action posed Juggernaut of Bowen Designs for example, I believe the sculpt not so much emphasizes Juggernaut's enormous strength but much more his unique power to be virtually unstoppable once he starts moving in a certain direction.
When I look at the statue of BD I see the unstoppable force of nature who can march through any obstacle without giving it a second throught ; when I look at this sculpt of Kotobukiya I see an insanely powerful demi-God who is ready to knock your lights out the hard and unforgiving way.
Two equally valid but different interpretations of one and the same character with each statue highlighting a different aspect of Juggernaut's powers.
In my verdict below I will provide further thoughts and insights about the various aspects of this statue which I hope you will find useful.
The pictures turned out to be a bit dark unfortunately but I hope you will enjoy them nevertheless.
Before you scroll down one final warning though: whatever you do remember to stay out of harm's way since The Juggernaut is ready to punch hard and fast!
Have fun!
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My Verdict
Statue Number: #17/1600
Release date: August 2014
Sculptor: Erick Sosa
Statue size: 1/6th scale
As a big and dedicated fan of The Juggernaut I knew I had to add this statue to my collection ever since it was announced. I had high hopes of this statue and I can honestly say this statue has lived up to its promise in almost every way.
Kotobukiya has chosen to show us the raw power and sheer menace of The Juggernaut and I love the design choices made by Erick Sosa and Kotobukiya.
The Juggernaut is one of the X-Men’s most feared foes and when looking at the huge, bulky and intimidating presence of the Juggernaut as captured in this statue, it is easy to see why. Juggernaut is heavily muscled emphasizing his titanic strength and the danger he presents is made clear when realizing he just smashed his way through the front gate of his stepbrother’s School For Gifted Youngsters.
The Juggernaut is defying the X-Men and the school’s defense system to give it their best shot and the look on his face holds an angry promise for Charles and his gawky students students to settle an old score the hard and painful way.
That’s the Juggernaut I got to know when I first saw him in the comic books and that’s the behemoth who became my favourite character! The Juggernaut sculpted by Kotobukiya is a mean, hard hitting fighting machine who’s out to knock you out cold…
And you know what? I love it!
Of course there is nothing more personal than pointing out the merits and flaws of a statue and your mileage may vary from my scores below.
I will give it my best shot however and hope you will find my views useful even if you’d feel differently than I do.
With that in mind, without further delay ladies and gentlemen, please find below the verdict of the jury:
Sculpt:
10/10
I have thought about this for awhile since I realize giving a perfect score should really mean something. Being a fan of The Juggernaut is one thing but that should not mean that my objectivitiy should go out of the window.
That being said I must admit I really, really like the sculpt. Juggy’s heavily muscled arms and torso, the mystical bands around Juggy’s arms and fists and Juggy’s intimidating and defiant pose; it’s all top of the bill.
Juggernaut looks like he is going to demolish the entire X-Mansion and bury Charles and his X-Men deep beneath the rubble. This is a man on fire, a behemoth on a mission, a one man demolition army ready to do what he does best.
Looking at the statue I can’t help to think about that classic scene in the movie Scarface in which Al Pacino is yelling ‘Here comes the pain!’ to the thugs who have invaded his home since I feel Juggernaut is about to deliver on that promise big time.
Juggernaut’s enormous strength is captured masterfully just like his sheer mass and hazardous presence. You do not want to cross paths with The Juggernaut. Like never ever and under absolutely no conditions at all. The man is a menace to society and strong enough to sit comfortably on top of the world. The raw, violent side of Juggernaut is portrayed perfectly and for that Erick and the creative team at Kotobukiya deserves a straight A+!
I am not too fond of Cain’s face if you take off the helmet (the face without helmet looks a bit grotesque in my humble opinion) but since I will never display Juggernaut without his helmet , this is not an issue for me.
My final comments are reserved for the base which is a masterpiece in itself. I really love the broken, smashed sign of Xavier’s school beneath Juggernaut’s feet just like the broken tubes or pipes of the demolished front gate and school’s defense systems.
The base really adds to the appeal of this statue and it makes it easy to imagine Juggernaut just smashed his way into the school looking to get even with his stepbrother.
Paint & Mixed Media:
9/10
In my opinion the paintjob on this statue is truly outstanding. I love the brown and red colors of Juggernaut’s classic costume and really like the glossy finish which makes the colors shine and pop. The only exception are Juggy’s boots which do not have have a glossy finish but I feel this looks more realistic and contrasts nicely with Juggy’s costume.
Cain’s skin color is nicely done as well and I really admire the shadow tones painted on his muscles. I would have loved for Juggy’s veins to have a more realistic color but that really would have been the icing on the cake. When looking at the paintjob as it is however, I have to say that the level of quality you would expect is convincingly delivered; overall it really is quite good.
The statue does not include any mixed media but with such a good paintjob I never missed or wished for mixed media elements at all.
Design:
9/10
The Juggernaut’s looks and presence are greatly captured in this design. I like the look and presence of the statue and believe the violent, destructive side of The Juggernaut is captured incredibly well. The design is spot on and this is The Juggernaut we came to know many moons ago in X-Men #12.
I must admit I would have preferred to leave the ‘frown’-marks off Juggernaut’s helmet since as far as I know his helmet is not able to do that. It does not look bad but it is a bit odd when you think of it and to the best of my knowledge it is also not comic book accurate.
I have noticed some fans wonder why Juggernaut has such big feet but the size of his feet does not bother me at all. I can see why a big, magically powered behemoth who is virtually unstoppable would need strong legs and big feet in order to keep his momentum and break through each and every barrier put in his way. Juggernaut’s large boots look cool to me and they fit in the picture I have of the big man.
Production & Build Quality:
8/10
The statue feels reassuringly solid and has a nice heft to it. The statue consists of three parts: the base, Juggernaut himself and Juggernaut’s helmet and assembling the statue is a quick and easy job. As stated before I noticed some slight damage on Juggernaut's helmet on my particular statue: there is a scratch on the helmet as well as an uneven spot on the left side of the opening for Juggernaut’s mouth.
I think the helmet can be fixed easily by a pro and I will have my helmet repaired soon. My helmet is hopefully an exception but for these two flaws I deduct one point each.
However such things can happen with any statue of every manufacturer and it would not be fair to specifically point fingers at Kotobukiya for this.
When handled with a little TLC you should be able to enjoy this robust statue in your collection for many, many years to come
Overall rating:
9/10 –
A great piece which is highly recommended to every fan and collector out there!
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You X-clowns just don't get it, do you?
- The Juggernaut
Background Information
Cain Marko’s mother died when he was very young, leaving him to live a life of psychological and physical torment at the hands of his abusive father, atomic researcher Doctor Kurt Marko.
Following the death of his colleague Doctor Brian Xavier, Kurt married Xavier's widow Sharon and he and Cain took up residence in the Xavier's Westchester mansion with Sharon and her young son, Charles.
Kurt seemingly preferred Charles to his own son, which consumed Cain with jealousy and he took to bullying his stepbrother.
Cain's father continued to beat him, but Cain did not suffer the abuse alone.
Inexperienced at the use of his emerging mutant telepathic powers, Charles shared the pain and inadvertently learned of Cain's jealousy towards him.
This only ensured that Cain would forever hate Charles for his unwitting betrayal.
After an argument with his father, Cain accidentally caused a fire to engulf his father's home laboratory.
Kurt saved Charles first, and then went back for Cain, reinforcing Cain's belief that his father loved Charles more than he.
Kurt died of smoke inhalation, but not before warning Charles to always beware of Cain.
Years later, both Cain and Charles were drafted into military service and served in same unit. When Cain deserted under fire during a mission in Asia, Charles pursued, hoping to convince his stepbrother to return of his own accord. Charles followed Cain into a cave that housed the lost temple of Cyttorak, a powerful mystical entity.
Therein, Cain unearthed the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak and, upon touching it, was transformed by its mystical energies into a human juggernaut. A subsequent cave-in buried Cain, and Charles believed his stepbrother dead.
Cain eventually dug himself free and made his way to America where he sought to use his newfound strength to exact revenge on Charles.
The Juggernaut has long been the toughest and nastiest guy in the world. This did not bother Cain one bit: he knew it and was very satisfied with that. He did whatever he wanted to do and took whatever he wanted to take knowing full well that no one was able to truly stop him.
Cain never stopped to think about the amorality of his actions and he cared little about the sanctity of human life, the rights of other people or higher moral values, etc. etc.
Cain was a big, powerful bully in the classic meaning of the word who only thought about himself or his buddy Black Tom Cassidy.
Later on, Cain began to change however. He made his peace with his stepbrother Charles Xavier and even joined the X-Men for awhile to atone for his past wrong doings. After his stint with the X-Men Cain was offered a chance to rehabilitate himself as a member of the Thunderbolts under the supervision of Luke Cage.
Physical Attributes
Height: 9'5"
Weight: 1,900 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red
Powers and Abilities
Juggernaut is an avatar for the deity known as Cyttorak. Juggernaut gains various superhuman powers while acting as an avatar, as described below:
Superhuman Strength:
The Juggernaut possesses vast superhuman strength the limits of which are unknown. He was able to go toe to toe against an enraged World War Hulk until the moment Cain was outsmarted and removed from the field of battle .
Superhuman Stamina:
The mystical energies of Cyttorak that empower his musculature generate no fatigue toxins during physical activity, granting him limitless superhuman stamina in all physical activities.
Invulnerability:
Cain is virtually impregnable to all forms of conventional physical injury regardless of magnitude or intensity. Although Cain is able to be harmed by exceedingly high levels of mental or mystical attacks, these attacks have rarely been shown to cause any permanent damage.
Regenerative Healing Factor:
Despite his extreme resistance to physical damage, Cain can be damaged by sufficiently powerful forces such as mystical forces. If damaged, Cain possesses an accelerated healing factor that enables him to nearly instantly regenerate any damaged or destroyed bodily tissues. For instance, he has been injured by Shatterstar's sword, which is forged from a mixture of extra dimensional technology and magic and healed instantly.
The demon being D'Spayre once flayed the Juggernaut down to a skeleton only after absorbing almost all of the Juggernaut's power and even then, the Juggernaut could not be stopped and was able to instantly regenerate all the damage done once he regained his full power. The only other time the Juggernaut has been physically injured is by the likes of Thor in a physical battle, and that was only after Thor used Mjolnir to negate his mystical enchantment.
Immortality:
Cain is functionally immortal. His aging process is completely halted and he is immune to the effects of all toxins, poisons and diseases. He is also sustained by the mystical energies flowing through his body and has no need to eat, drink or breathe.
Force Field:
The Juggernaut is capable of generating a personal force field around himself, extending to about 1 foot in diameter. He uses this force field to heighten his already impressive resistance to injury. In his earliest appearances, he is able to use this force generating ability to hurl people and objects near him away from him, though now it seems to function only defensively.
Rampant Charge:
Once he begins to advance in a certain direction, it is virtually impossible to halt his movement. Some obstacles such as many tons of rocks and plasma-discharge cannons have slowed his pace but can't stop him.
The only known examples of him being stopped involve physical force with mystical involvement which is Juggernaut's sole weakness.
Thor unleashing his power was able to stop him in his tracks but his powers are mystical in origin and during a battle with War (Hulk), in which the mutant Apocalypse, increased the Hulk's strength and power enormously by grafting Celestial tech to him, which again involved mysticism, Juggernaut was ultimately stopped and almost killed by Apocalypse's Horseman.
Abilities:
Juggernaut is able to summon and remove his mystic armor at will. As a result of his days in the military and his experience as a superhuman criminal and hero, the Juggernaut is a brutal hand-to-hand combatant, preferring to use street fighting and brawling techniques that allow him to make full use of his great strength.
Strength Level:
Class 100+ without breaking a sweat.
The Juggernaut possesses vast physical strength which exact limit is unknown but he is able to lift far in excess of 100 tons effortlessly. He is one of the strongest beings to ever walk the Earth.
Weakness:
Cain is susceptible to exceedingly high levels of mental and mystical attack. Both have been shown to be able to at least temporarily defeat him but neither have been shown to cause any type of permanent injury.
A Personal Tribute To The Juggernaut!
Thunder and lightning
The breaking of glass
An earthquake of violence
A hurricane which lasts
A volcano of danger
A tornado of strength
The destructive force of nature
Wreaking havoc close at hand
There is nowhere to hide
And nowhere to run
Your fate is sealed
Your doom has come…
The sound of your fear
Is like a drum beaten hard
Now that you are certain
…
The Juggernaut is near!
So you call yourselves the New X-Men, do you?
Well, among the lot of you... Who will stop the Juggernaut?
- The Juggernaut
Rainer
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Nothing can stop The Juggernaut... NOTHING!
