What's Your Obsession

Today I’m taking a look at the version of Jean Grey I’m most familiar with, the 90s suit, as recreated in statue form by Bowen Designs. Though I’d started reading X-Men before she wore this costume, this costume was prominant in many of the issues when I was absolutely hooked on the series. This costume was also the one she wore when the series got bogged down in bullshit and I quit reading.

I’ve always been puzzled why Jean had so many different outfits. She’s somewhat of a plain character so perhaps every writer had to give her new outfits to spice her up a little bit. This one was fairly well known due to how popular X-Men was at the time, prior to the comic crash, as well as being featured in the animated series.

I’m happy to say this is an excellent representation of that particular costume. The sculpt is superb. While the details on the costume never made any sense (thigh armour, mid-arm bands??) they’re perfectly represented. I’d go so far as to say they look better on the statue than they did in drawn form. The hair flows very nicely, the face is fantastic while having a determined expression, as if she were concentrating on whatever battle she’s in. It’s one of the better action poses for a female, especially when you take her powers into consideration.

I’m a little puzzled why the base looks as it does. Her powers, as far as I recall, don’t show up physically in purple energy forms, but I don’t really care. I think it looks pretty cool and I’m sure that the purple energy goop looks better than clear resin would’ve in this case.

The paint is great, with the exception of some of the detail work. The colours are vibrant, the metallic areas really stand out, and the face is fantastic. The detail work I mentioned can be seen around the belt primarily. My particular statue was a little sloppy, I’m not sure if this is a common complaint. It doesn’t bother me enough to repaint or return it, it’s just a little disappointing on such a solid effort otherwise.

4/5. Minor flaws aside, it’s a visually impressive piece and a great representation of a certain era of X-Men.

Buying Options : Still available at some retailers and comic shops like most recent Bowens, take a look around, you might be surprised. There’s always the Ebay option if you can’t find it anywhere else.