XM Studios – MEDUSA STATUE – StatueForum Review
The extraordinary creative team behind the Medusa and Lockjaw statue are Alejandro Pereira Ezcurra (sculpt), Andie Tong (design and concept collaboration) and the XM Studios Design & Development teams led by the super talented Ang Seng. The Medusa statue stands an impressive 16 inches high, 12 inches wide, and 10 inches deep. While wielding her royal staff in a ringlet of hair, Medusa actually stands a towering 21 inches high. The Lockjaw is a staggering 19 inches long, 11 inches high, and 14 inches deep. The two figure piece weighs approximately 30 pounds. It was limited to only 999 pieces worldwide at a retail price of $1050 SGD (approximately $770us).
The Medusa statue was largely available for order at select locations in Asia only. XM Studios began shipping out first batches of this statue in early May, 2016.
Sculpture: This is a spectacular sculpture. It typifies Medusa’s royal heritage and epitomizes the temperament of the Inhumans which is characteristically portrayed as solemn and grim. She presents as a warrior queen destined to boldly rule without apology. Her prehensile hair is being used here to create an imperial throne, which is a delightfully original concept as it highlights the unique advantages and abilities of her tresses. As noted earlier, the sculptor also manipulated ringlets of her hair to wield the Inhuman royal family staff, which adds to the tremendous visual. Wearing an original purple, blue, and black inspired body-forming costume, Medusa looks as graceful and uncompromising as she looks beautiful. The virtually countless hair extensions featured on this piece presents as remarkably authentic and faithful to the character.
Upon closer inspection of the royal staff, one can find some hidden visual treasures too. For example, midway up the staff, you can see a Greek mythology inspired Medusa carved right into the staff. Higher up the staff, you can see what looks to be traditional Inhuman motifs and themes also carved into the staff, perhaps inspired by the Inhumans’ Kree heritage. And finally, atop the staff is a light reflective jewel which embodies the opulence and abundance of the royal family destined to rule the Great Refuge with honor and poise.
Lockjaw presents as the genuine pleasant surprise. While he may appear cartoony to some, and perhaps burdensome to others, there’s no denying the remarkable visual of a giant teleporting bulldog. The facial expression embodies the sentiment of the royal family which is typically reticent and unforthcoming. Truth be told, as Lockjaw takes up so much space, I have yet to decide if I will keep Lockjaw displayed beside Medusa. However, I find myself unable to put him back in the box at this time which should serve as compelling narrative on the subject. I like him a lot.
Where this piece might fall a bit short is on the intricate detailing. When compared to the detail on other XM costume designs like the one featured on Cable, for example, Medusa’s costume looks rather simplistic. While that does not necessarily mean a bad thing, it does make one wonder if there was more they could have done with the costume other than knee pads, anklets, and sharp colors. And, while her hair generally looks phenomenal, there are a couple angles where it might look like hat-hair to some, though I’m not sure how that could have been avoided given how much hair there was to include on this piece. Lastly, there’s Lockjaw. I admit, to some, it might feel like there’s a breaking-the-fourth-wall component to him, as if the statue crossed over into the toy arena, if that makes any sense. He’s definitely cute but the size and lack of detail on the body does make him a bit of a hard sell when it comes to deciding if he’s going to be displayed in the long term, at least for me. However, none of these issues presented as deal breakers to me. I’m quite happy with this piece. It’s a remarkable work of art. Fans of Medusa should be very pleased with this impressive rendering of the sovereign and matriarch of the enigmatic Inhumans.
The statue comes in 14 pieces: The Medusa body, seven hair extension pieces, two forearm pieces, the royal staff, Lockjaw, his tuning-fork headpiece, and the full color print designed by Andie Tong.
Rating: 9/10
-------------------------------------------------------
Paint/Mixed media: Blue, black and purple, and flesh tones are the main colors featured on Medusa. As is typically the case with XM Studios, the paint applications look really smooth and employ professional confident strokes. However, at first glance, Lockjaw presents as a large blanket of brown fur paint, which probably could have benefited from a bit more shadowing, but it nonetheless works. While I do appreciate all the folds of fur in the sculpt, something might be lost in the overall finish due to its near mono-coloring scheme.
There was virtually no painting over lines, smudges, or off-centered eyes, or other paint imperfections we sometimes see on sculpts, which is always a welcome positive. Very nice job overall.
Rating 9/10
-------------------------------------------------------
Production and Build quality: As always, when it comes to XM Studios, you can pretty much guarantee that you will be receiving a solid piece of craftsmanship. The Medusa and Lockjaw is no exception. The diorama has a fabulous size, shape, and weight to it. While it was a bit of a challenge knowing where all the hair pieces go, it’s not rocket science. Out of all the hair extensions, I did wonder if one of the hair pieces was improperly installed because it felt like it dangled a bit but it seems to be staying in place so it could just be in my imagination.
The magnets worked really well. There’s no tilting or imbalance to the statue or cause to be concerned about long term leaning issues. Again, very nice job overall.
Unlike the Ghost Rider and Punisher statue, Medusa does not come with an easy to follow assembly booklet which identifies what goes where, when, and how. I believe this was an extra feature XM added to later releases.
Rating 9/10
-------------------------------------------------------
Design: As noted in earlier reviews, I’m generally in favor of classic silver-age inspired designs, however, again, that did not need to be the case here. XM Studio’s decision to move forward with a more modern interpretation of Medusa works as well. The design team presented a confident, stately-mannered, warrior queen which respectfully defines the character and her attributes. This veritable interpretation also allows for the design team to produce a more complete story in design. Worth noting, with regards to storytelling designs, XM Studios is arguably the best in the business.
In closing, this ideal interpretation of Medusa is another winner for XM Studios, who continue to set the bar for passion and creativity in the industry. While this piece has long been sold out, it may yet still be available on eBay or through other online selling and trading sites. It is very much worth acquiring.
Rating: 9/10
-------------------------------------------------------
Overall rating: 9/10
P.S. Lastly, please do not forget to register your statue’s serial number on the XM website. Join the fight against recasters who continue to plague our industry in growing numbers.