Diamond Select Toys have just released Cable as their latest offering in the 7” scale Marvel Select line. Following the release of perhaps their most well received figure to date, The Mighty Thor, Cable has been hit with a wide range of reviews and criticisms. Some are thrilled to add the X-Force leader to their collection, while others would rather see him teleported right into a fire. Is the cybernetic soldier worth adding to the collection? Let’s find out!
Packaging
This is the standard MS fare—complete with cool artwork and interesting text on the back. There are numerous twist-ties holding cable and his weapons in place, so it’ll take some time to free him.
Sculpt
This is another fantastic sculpt by the Marvel Select crew. Cable, of course, is based on the ridiculously awesome 1990’s Rob Liefeld design, which means there is crap everywhere. Belts, bullets, grenades, robot arms, and pouches. Dear Lord, the pouches. Aside from the relatively simple pants, there are sculpted details covering the entirety of this figure, and I think it looks incredible. I’ve heard a few complaints about the proportions being a bit off, but it honestly doesn’t bother me a bit. The head is too small and the legs are too long, but this figure screams Liefeld—which is why I bought it. My one little nitpick is that I generally don’t like when beard stubble gets sculpted on, as it usually just ends up making the face looking pitted and pock-marked. Other than that, the headculpt, with scars and sneer, is spot-on.
Paint
This is another example of the top notch paint apps that MS is capable of. Aside from his right eye, which is slightly off-center (the downside from ordering online), the paint is near perfect. The cuts and tiny details are all clean and there is very little slop. As with Thor, the applied color palette is a bit muted, giving him more of a gritty real world feel. I’m also happy to say that MS has taken it easy as of late with the washes.
Articulation
Articulation and functionality has always been the main point of contention amongst fans of the Marvel Select line, and it’s no different here. Fwoosh’s own RoboKillah has an in-depth look at what this figure can do in the video review, so be sure to check it out!
To summarize, Cable has ball jointed neck, hinged shoulders, single pinned elbows, peg wrists (function like a cut), cut waist, DCUC style hips, double jointed knees, cut thighs, and pin and disc ankles.
Aside from the ankles, which don’t get much pivoting action, the legs are pretty great. The hips have great range and the thigh cuts are functional and well hidden. The sculpt of his glutes do somewhat prevent the leg from going backwards. The problem with this figure is the upper body. The vest is sculpted in a very rigid plastic, so it greatly limits the range of motion that you get with the head and shoulders. It also completely removes the possibility of any sort of an ab joint. I’m actually ok with this. Don’t get me wrong, I would have much preferred a solution where cable could raise his arms and turn his head, but as I’ve become accustomed to MS’s product and the materials they use, I expected these limitations. Aside from capes and tunics, I don’t know that they’ve ever really used soft plastic in the way that someone like NECA does. The fact is that Rob Liefeld made a career out of pumping out absurd designs that wouldn’t work well in the real world. Not to get all true-life here, but as someone who’s worked for a law enforcement agency for the past 15 years, I’ve seen my fair share of tactical gear. Our guys would be able to move just about as well as Cable here in a getup like that. The arms do seem to be sunk into the torso so much that you can’t put them all the way down. In a vanilla pose, that’s fine, but it does limit his playability.
No—the real issue I have is the lack of any sort of rotating joint in the arm—be it a bicep cut or an elbow joint similar to NECA’s. A cut right below the shoulder almost never disturbs the sculpt and adds tremendously to the playability of the figure. In my eyes, it’s an essential point of articulation that should always be included. MS just dropped the ball on that one.
Accessories
At $25, it’s always nice to have a few accessories, and Cable does not disappoint. He’s equipped with 5 guns, a knife, and a character specific base featuring Stryfe’s helmet and cape. The guns are all enormous and are cast in silver plastic, with minor detail work and washes and are, thankfully, hollow. Due to their size, it would have been quite difficult to keep Cable standing had they been solid. There are a couple of issues in that the hands can’t seem to hold all the guns. They work perfectly with a few of them, but with others, they just fall out. It should also be noted that I have no idea how to get his shoulder gun to stay in place. The tabs on the weapon are spaced too far apart to fit on the holster.
Final thoughts
Judging this figure solely on its own merits, I’d put Cable in B/B- range. He’s nowhere near the achievement that their latest Thor is, but he also doesn’t illicit the same frustrations as, say, the Silver Surfer. It’s a well sculpted and well painted figure marred by some missing (and essential ) articulation points and weapons that don’t quite fit. I was 15 and in peak nerd condition when Liefeld’s New Mutants/X-Force was all the rage, so an MS Cable was an instant purchase. While not perfect, this figure meets most of my wants for the character. He was definitely worth my money.
Thanks for reading!
