The Kotobukiya ARTFX+ X-Men ‘92 statues line has been one of the best surprises of 2018 so far, with figures of Wolverine, Jubilee, Cyclops, Beast and Professor X in hoverchair already solicited. And this week, the team grew some more with two more 90s mainstays: the Kotobukiya ARTFX+ Storm and Bishop two-pack is now up for order! Oh, and for those wanting the most famous Avengers mutant? ARTFX+ Scarlet Witch is on the way as well!

The Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo statues series has been running long enough now that some of the older figures in the line are at a point where they’re just too expensive to be accessible for many new collectors. The Bishoujo Scarlet Witch is one of those statues, leaving many Koto fans without a Wanda Maximoff to their names.

But not to worry, because Kotobukiya is giving Scarlet Witch some love again for the first time in years—this time, in ARTFX+ figure form! Scarlet Witch is the second figure in the new Avengers ARTFX+ series, following up the Black Panther figure that was revealed out of nowhere back in April.

Whereas the Bishoujo Version was in the 1:7 scale, the new Kotobukiya Scarlet Witch is in the somewhat smaller 1:10 scale. Even so, she’s posed similarly to that statue and her face still has a bit of stylized “anime” look to it that the Bishoujo has—a stylistic choice that’s all but sure to divide fandom.

Wanda is standing awkwardly on a rocky terrain base, which brings the total height of the statue to about 8.2” tall. According to the official description, this is meant to make it look like Scarlet Witch is “levitating”, but the way she’s perched on the rock seems to defy physics to me.

I wouldn’t mind having a Scarlet Witch PVC statue in my collection, but I’d have to think long and hard before pulling the trigger on this one—I’m not sold on the face, and the gravity-defying pose just doesn’t work for me. At the increased price-point of 80 bucks MSRP for this plastic Avengers statue, the design really needs to resonate with me to earn my sale–and I’m just not sure that does for me personally.

What I am sold on, however, is the next addition to the 90s X-Men ARTFX+ statues series: the Bishop and Storm two-pack! This low-priced line of X-Men statues (averaging around $40 per character besides the oversized Professor X) is giving us the iconic animated series looks for some of the most-loved X-characters ever, and I’m thrilled to see the expansion to Storm and Bishop.

Kotobukiya actually passed over Storm when they released their Marvel NOW X-Men ARTFX+ series a few years back, so this is the first time Koto is actually tackling Ororo Munroe (though a Danger Room Sessions resin statue was shown at Toy Fair and is still forthcoming).

Storm’s got a clear flight stand she’ll need to stay affixed to in order to “stand” up, as she’s permanently in her recognizable one-legged hovering pose. This is how I remember Storm from the cartoon and Marvel vs. Capcom, so I’m delighted to get a new 1/10 scale statue of her authentically looking the way she does in my mind.

An ARTFX+ Bishop Statue was a total shocker, as Bishop only appears in a couple episodes of the X-Men cartoon and is the first supporting character made for this line. Some people may dislike the bright colors for the normally-gritty XSE Agent, but Koto has faithfully recreated how he looked in the X-Men 1992 animated series.

It seemed as if we were likely to get two more core roster two-packs with Rogue & Gambit in one and Storm & Jean Grey in the other, but this reveal has thrown that second pack out the window. Could Jean end up being packed with a Morph figure instead to truly complete the 90s team, I wonder?

The Kotobukiya ARTFX+ Scarlet Witch and Storm/Bishop two-pack are now available for order, and are all expected to be released in December 2018/January 2019. Kotobukiya have actually closed wholesale orders on some of these X-Men ’92 sets already, so I have a hunch that the Bishop and Storm two-pack has a much better chance of selling out quickly than Scarlet Witch does. Something to keep in mind when deciding when you want to place your reservations!

What are your thoughts on the latest offerings from Koto, Marvel collectors? Is the new Scarlet Witch a “go” for you, or you turned off by the price or design? And who–besides me–is “all-in” for this X-Men ’92 series of reasonably priced animated-style statues? Who are you hoping to see paired with the remaining core X-Men (Jean Grey, Rogue and Gambit)?

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