When you’ve been on a forum dedicated to toys for a while, you start noticing things. And since I have an advanced degree in, like, entelegense and stuff, I have deduced, in all my time on Fwoosh, that people have strong opinions about all things beginning with the letter X. The average wishlist around here contains more X than a grindhouse theater in the ’70s.
As I have said many times and will continue to say because every article might be somebody’s first, (we call that “popping your fwooshy.” And by we I mean, absolutely none of us say that, and I’m being handed my pink slip right now. I’ll hang my head in shame for ten minutes.) box sets are a perfect vehicle to get large, thematically linked groups of figures. And what better way to knock off a ton of characters than with a team box set.
Now, we know that there is no way Hasbro will do a Giant Size X-men set. The characters therein are too viable to release all at once. They will continue to stagger them out. Trickle, even.
With that said, there are still plenty of mutants out there. Continuing a box set theme this week, I’m going to concentrate on the X in box and, like the title said, come up with five teams that could be released in box sets. In no order, here we go:
Excalibur
Excalibur was an eclectic mix of characters, some of whom have already had releases in different costumes. Nightcrawler is no doubt due for release, but I don’t see why he can’t be released as a single and also in an Excalibur set. Add in a classic Captain Britain, Meggan, a Shadowcat version of Kytty Pryde and the spiky red version of Rachel Summers as Phoenix and you’ve got a snazzy set of figures. Throw in Lockheed and Widget and I’ll buy two.
New X-Men
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely did something very unique to the X-men, both from a storytelling perspective and from an aesthetic sense. This is the most stylized the X-men’s costumes have ever looked, and a full set of them would…well, it would probably divide opinions faster than Thanos with the Arithmetic Gem, but it would look awesome doing it. The excitement factor for these uniforms would rest on how much you dug Morrison’s run on the title. I personally loved it, and would not hesitate to pick up a set. Bonus points for an Emma that might not suck.
Outback X-men
These were strange time for our favorite team of mutants Believed dead and living in Australia with an aboriginal teleporter, the Outback x-men still managed to become iconic despite how strange the circumstances. With a shirtless Colossus, a pre-Asian Psylocke and dazzler in her blue leotard, this set gets us some very interesting and underrated versions of characters. Toss in Flashdance Rogue and a new Longshot and I am excited for this thing that is not a thing! Metal nipples not included.
X-Factor Investigations
We’re getting a Madrox in his earlier X-Factor costume, and that’s great, but there’s still an eager fandom out there that wanted his modern appearance. There was a large rotating cast, so nailing down the exact members that would make a good set is hard, but with Madrox anchoring it all, you wrap him with M, Siryn, Wolfsbane, Guido Rictor and…I don’t know, maybe Layla Miller, or the modern Shatterstar if that sounds better. So basically, either Madrox or Rictor can have strange action figure sex, but not both.
New Mutants
Okay, so there’s actually no “X” in the title, but it still counts. With unified costumes and multiple never-before-done characters, the New Mutants might seem like a difficult thing to find individual slots for in waves, but as a box set, they’d be perfect. More than practically any other team, the New Mutants just feel like they should be released in one chunk. With an original roster made up of Cannonball, Sunspot, Mirage Karma and Wolfsbane, you’d have a pretty good set. Consistently disapproving Professor X sold separately.
X-people change teams and costumes the way most people change their underwear, so there is an almost limitless amount of options. But for me, these five sets would make me start tossing my money the hardest. Have some other choices? Let us know!