You know, I love Jean Grey, but she can be a bit finicky to say the least. I mean, Cher has nothing on her in terms costume changes over the years, and frankly, we could probably spend a few series of Marvel Legends featuring only her to get through all of them. Not that I am complaining or anything.
The X-Men continue to enjoy the spotlight in this line, and the Hasbro team is doing a good job of celebrating looks and runs from various periods of the comics, and this new House of X theme, while modern, brings some classics characters and looks to the fore. I am always keen on getting a new comic character in the line, but meaningful looks are right behind those unique characters in terms of importance to me.
I will admit that I have not read the House of X comic run, but fortunately for me, this Marvel Girl outfit for Jean hits pretty spot-on for the classic look, too. I have gotten a little bit more choosey about my Marvel Legends pick-ups as of late. It is not that I am enjoying the line any less, it is just I have wanted to put my focus back on the characters and costumes I have a history with (or just find cool), so Jean and Moira were the only two I picked up from this series. After the Phoenix costume, this is probably the most memorable Jean look for me, so it is nice to finally get a good ML figure.
The go-go boots, skirt, and pointed mask are all quite unique in terms of costume for Jean, and they are are represented well. This figure highlights the “girl” aspect of Marvel Girl, too, as this figure is much smaller and slighter in terms of stature than previous Jean figure. I am not sure how the time frame/age pieces of House of X work, but as classic Marvel Girl, this build works well for Jean.
This figure is fairly well-articulated by the standards of most action figure lines of the day, but as an ML, it is less-so than most we have seen over the past several years. Most of the points are there in terms of numbers, and while this retains important cuts like double knees, and forward ankle rockers, some spots are limited. The skirt is made of a pretty thick plastic and while it has a slit up one side, the hips are still really limited in terms of movement. The “elbros,” while prevalent in most ML females feel more limited here than in most. Jean also has a great neck joint, but that is limited as well due to the long hair. So, if you were wanting to get some Spider-Man like poses out of this figure (even as out of character that might be), you are likely not going to get there.
Marvel Girl comes with swappable open hands to compliment the fists, and yes, you have seen these before. The Tri-Sentinel Build-a-Figure leg is also included, as is the Krakoan flower. The flower itself is a great touch for an accessory, so it is cool to get something we have not seen in the line before.
Overall, this is a good Marvel Girl figure and a nice entrant into the line for an iconic costume for Jean. The articulation doesn’t feel up to snuff for what ML usually offers, but it isn’t bad. This wave also has Moira, Wolverine, Charles Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, and the Omega Sentinel, and you can order all of them from Dorkside and BBTS.
