Jean Grey: The Phoenix
by XM Studios
Check out the video review of the Phoenix from XM Studios HERE
Released: September 2015
Edition Size: 999
Product Size: Approx. 29" Tall x 19" Wide x 15" Deep
Sculpted By: Adam "the Boss" Ross
Jean Grey/Phoenix Fun Facts:
First Appearance: As Jean Grey, X-Men # 1 (September 1963), as Phoenix, Uncanny X-Men # 101 (October 1976)
Real Name: Jean Grey or later on Jean Grey-Summers
Alias: Redd, Ms. Psyche, Jeannie, Marvel Girl
Place of Birth: Annandale-on-Hudson, New York City, New York
Height: 5’6”;
Weight: 115 lbs.;
Eyes: Green;
Hair: Red
Powers: Jean Grey has amazing telepathic abilities, allowing her to read minds, project her thoughts, and mentally incapacitate opponents. She also has incredible telekinetic powers, allowing her to levitate objects, generate force fields, fly, and generate concussive blasts. When she was chosen as the host for the cosmic Phoenix Force, her powers were essentially multiplied by infinite. She was able to manipulate matter and energy on a molecular level, making her one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.
Abilities: Able to break necks of ordinary men simply by walking past them (i.e. she's a total babe)
Please check out the video in the link above for all of my thoughts, but here is a quick breakdown for you guys:
Sculpt: 9.0 / 10
Excellent sculpt. Jean's body is rocking and the Phoenix itself has incredible detail (hopefully that shows through in the pics...might be one of those "must see in person" things). Per usual, there is tons of attention to detail on the amazing Sentinel themed base. Although I quite like all three portraits, there isn't much debate that there is some room for improvement there. All three are completely acceptable and I'm positive owners of this piece will be satisfied, but a truly great portrait would have earned this piece a 10/10 in this category.
Paint: 9.0 / 10
XM has established a reputation for amazing, meticulous paint applications, and this piece is no different. Excellent colours, clean lines...it's just a nice clean finish. The only reason I dock it is due to the orange overspray on the base. I believe the intent was to give the impression of reflection from the Phoenix flames and heat building up within the Sentinel torso. It looks good, but not great.
Design: 10 / 10
Continuing with the Sentinel theme established with Magneto and Wolverine, Jean stands atop a destroyed Sentinel torso while the Phoenix is bursting from within the Sentinel behind her. Her pose mimics the spread wings of the Phoenix...it's just a glorious concept, and XM really pulled it off, in my opinion.
Production & Build Quality: 9.5 / 10
Expect the same great quality on this piece that you've seen on other XM Studios statues. XM added a metal rod through the left leg all the way up to the hip in order to help reduce leaning. As I write this, I've had my Phoenix on display for about a month and I have seen no signs that leaning will be an issue. I think some minor deflection can be expected, but I don't foresee a leaning pandemic in the future. One gripe on mine, and others I have seen, are that some of the parts on this statue don't fit together very nicely. I had some trouble getting the peg under her foot to go all the way into the base and I've seen some reports about difficulty attaching the wings. However, most people do seem able to resolve the issues, and the statue displays brilliantly.
Overall: 9.4 / 10 (EXCELLENT)
This is a truly outstanding statue. There has been a ton of turmoil throughout the development of this piece regarding the portraits and clear vs painted bird. Ultimately, I think the choice of clear bird really benefits this piece. With the right lighting the bird just appears to dance in front of your eyes. The portraits all turned out well and I think buyers will be satisfied when they are viewed in person. Anyone lucky enough to get their hands on this piece will be happy (unless you're a total stick in the mud).
