XM Studios Electro
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Sculpt:
XM Studios have once again crafted an outstanding statue of one of Spiderman’s earliest villains and founding member of the Sinister Six. As with the other pieces in the XM Spider-man line, this statue features the classic themes of the original iconic costume, as well as modern tweaks to bring it up to contemporary standards.
I find this piece unique in that it straddles the line between diorama and traditional statue. For XM’s Electro, the base does so much more than simply provide a platform for the statue to stand on. It creates an environment for the figure to live in!
Figure:
Electro is portrayed here with a powerful stance as he grips cables from the 4 large transformers behind him. Daniel Bel gave Electro excellent muscle definition and muscle mass which gives the figure a super-villain quality to it.
Electro’s costume features ribbing to the suit and gauntlets. His belt is well sculpted with lightning bolts adorning each side of the buckle. There are sculpted folds in the costume and the lightning bolt pattern is raised, not simply painted on.
Both portraits are outstanding. I’m glad XM considered customer input with ensuring that the “masked” portrait was flared, not curved as shown in the early production pieces.
The expression of the unmasked portrait may be my favorite of the two. It goes exceptionally well with the pose of the figure.
For both head sculpts the details such as the teeth, tongue, veins among other features are done flawlessly.
Base:
As I noted earlier, “base” is probably not the most accurate term when describing the platform for this statue. I prefer to think of it more as an environment.
From the diamond plate design of the floor, to the meticulously detailed “power pole” at the back, there is so much visual interest in the environment for this statue.
The sculpted power cables on the periphery of the base add to the theme and overall detail of the piece.
Score: 10/10
Paint:
As we’ve come to expect from XM, a practically flawless paint job with exquisite details!
Clean paint lines throughout for the various costume elements and portraits. The colours used are accurate to the source material although I personally would have preferred a slightly more saturated yellow for the costume and mask.
For the base, once again clean paint lines throughout. This is especially impressive considering the power pole at the back features dozens of painted “cables” that must have taken hours to do.
The transformers have a nice metallic paint application to them and the diamond plated floor give the appearance of being worn and weathered.
Score: 9.8/10
Design:
An epic design by the team at XM Studios and Daniel Bel! I can’t imagine Electro in a more fitting posse or setting. Flanked by power transformers and with his maniacal pose, you really get the sense of Electro absorbing power from the cables in his hands. The composition of the piece with the transformers sitting at an angled position and Electro with his energized pose gives the piece a dynamic and exciting feel to it.
The use of rubber cables for the transformers was an excellent decision by XM. Leaving the positioning of the cables up to the owner of the piece allows for each XM Electro to have a touch of uniqueness to it.
Score: 10/10
Production and Build Quality:
Excellent production and build quality overall. My only gripe is that I wish XM would have used magnets for the 4 large transformers. They’re held in place with pegs and gravity, but I think magnets would give that extra bit of security to ensure that they don’t move or wobble.
Score 9.8/10
Overall:
The XM Electro is a wonderful addition to the already exceptional XM Spider-man rogues gallery. If you’re a Spider-man fan, you owe it to yourself to get this piece into your collection. The sculpt, paint and production of this piece puts it among the best pieces released this year.
I’m not going to lie; this has been my most anticipated statue for a long time (as of writing this review, Electro is still my avatar). I’ve been smitten with the statue since the original renders and then finally falling in love after seeing the full reveal at SGTCC last year. This statue easily ranks among my top three pieces. I’m so happy that XM decided to do a 1/4 scale Electro, but not only that, to do one so exceptionally well!
Overall Score: 9.9/10