My esteemed colleague themanintheanthill recently wrote an archive entry for Toy Biz’s Sentinel Series 10 Cyclops. The figure is based on Cyke in his blue and yellow duds, pretty much the look that he used through the Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, and Paul Smith eras of the Uncanny X-Men. themanintheanthill was none too kind to Scott Summers first appearance in Marvel Legends, and I can agree with some of the points. I am not, however, as down on this figure, which is why it’s great (as pointed out in themanintheanthill’s article) that there is a variant to allow for a counterpoint.
First things first — X-Factor was originally started as an X-Men spin-off featuring the newly reincarnated Jean Grey and other original X-Men: Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, and Angel. It was a great way to reintroduce/relaunch the original five members into the Marvel Universe and make them valid without having to travel back into time and pull their younger selves into the present. The book focused on them as a core, as a team, as a family. It also dealt with the “mutant” “issue” in a modern and relevant way. It was a good book and had a good run until the ’90s.
Cyke was the central character in the book and underwent some costume changes. First he was yellow and blue and then blue and white and I think he ended with yellow and blue. This figure represents, kinda, the blue and white costume. Bob Layton and Jackson Juice shared the pencilling early on, and Walt Simonsen joined, with Whilce Portacio closing out the era. I think it was Walt that gave Cyke the white and blue duds. After the initial my “fanboy” hate of the costume wore off, I was able to settle down and enjoy the change. I even liked the return of the boot cuffs, they were smaller, channeling Paul Smith’s boots on the classic costume.
The figure is a straight repaint. Where the blue and yellow version is physically tried to channel Dave Cockrum’s look, it doesn’t translate very well to Walt Simonsen’s more streamlined look for Cyke. The base figure used is fine but not without faults, like the navel and lack of ab crunch. But it really struggles in the boots and the gloves. The blue and white X-Factor costume is much more streamlined, the glove cuffs and boot cuffs are tight fitting and not loose like the old swashbuckler look of the ’70s. I get the easy repaint aspect, but I wished for something different.
The other thing that always bummed me out about this figure was that he was the only member of the group made in their X-Factor costumes. OK, wait. That needs a bit of qualification. Technically, Beast was made as a Marvel Legend, and that figure look does fit with the Simonsen-era being depicted. Iceman is missing his belt, Jean Grey was never made, and Archangel was never a Marvel Legend during the Toy Biz era. Blue and white Cyke becomes more of a novelty, a tease, than anything else.
For the Cyclops collector, you need to pick this one up. It’s a great figure for your collection and definitely worth having. But if you are trying to build teams, the figure doesn’t really have a home. You can pick him up today at:
