.

The colour palette and layout of the packaging for wave 20 is exactly the same as wave 19. The carton features large images of the ‘mates on the front with Polaris in the foreground and Havok in an action pose in the background

The back of the packaging has the usual gang shot, though interestingly none of the characters are named. The ubiquitous biography boxes are also present.

The first figure in the set is Alex Summers, brother of Scott Summers (Cyclops) and also a mutant solar battery. Rather than eyebeams Alex channels plasma energy from his body, which he usually directs along his arms. X-Fan factoid: Alex and Scott’s powers cancel each other out.

I’m not 100% up with all the current X-Men costumes but feel safe assuming this is Havok’s original suit first seen in the 1960’s. I have to say I’ve always hated this costume. I think the headpiece looks ridiculous and I far preferred his 1990’s Jim Lee-inspired blue and yellow duds. However this is the archetypal Havok and to be honest he does look good in ‘mate form. The headpiece has been attached to a normal Minimate head and is complete with the weird jewel at the centre of Havok’s forehead. The mask details are spot on, as is the expression. Alex was always the angry young man to Scott’s stoic leader, and this Minimate is certainly a tad miffed about something.

I have issues with how Havok’s mask has been done. Firstly I feel it should have been a slip over affair and that Havok should have been packed with an alternative hair piece. Secondly, it’s wonky. The ‘straps’ should be one central and the two outers at around 45 degrees to the centre. On my ‘mate there’s a significant list to the figures right and it does somewhat spoil the look.

The rest of the ‘mate is a fairly simple black body with Havok’s signature concentric circles on his chest. The front of the figure has the circles in mid-energy burst while the back has a plainer version. This is quite cool as you can twist the chest block around and have a more relaxed looking Havok, then again, with that permanent angry expression on his face – perhaps not.

Havok has no accessories.

In conclusion: Havok, distilled into two inches of plastic. Slightly spoiled by a dodgy headpiece.

MMC Score – 8 out of 10

Lorna Dane: Mistress of Magnetism was one of the first mutants to join the original five founder members and become an X-Man. Her ability to manipulate magnetic forces has lead to a lot of speculation over her familial relationship to Magneto. She is a fitting second figure in this set due to her relationship with Havok.

I’m guessing that this version of Polaris is based on how she was originally depicted. It certainly has a 1960’s type of vibe to it, what with that huge hair and equally impressive headdress. The hair looks excellent. It may not be contemporary in style but a lot of thought has gone into the execution. It’s also a very fetching shade of green, just as it should be. The headdress section of the hairpiece frames the eyes and mouth well but to be honest I’d have rather seen a more modern version of Polaris without all the junk obscuring her features. Facially it’s another let-down. For some reason a lot of female ‘mates have very neutral expressions and sadly Polaris is no exception. It’s not horrible to look at, but there’s not a lot about the face to capture your attention.

The costume is good, well applied with no areas of bleed over, there’s a lot going on in the chest area (ahem!) but it’s never muddied or over complicated. I like the way that Polaris’s cape is continued down her shoulders via the print, it’s very effective from the front but there is an obvious gap between the plastic of the cape and the print when you look down at the straps of the figures cape. It’s also good to see that Polaris’s corset continue right around the back of the ’mate despite being completely obscured by the cape, no cost cutting going on with this Minimate.

There’s additional detailing to the wrists and ankles. The ankle print looks to be the same as Valkyrie’s from the Defenders box set but is obviously a different colour. Overall it is a nice looking ‘mate but this particular fan would have rather seen Polaris in her blue and yellow X-Factor costume from back in the 1990’s. A costume that’s visually more striking though doesn’t show anywhere near as much lady flesh. Or in this case, plastic.

Polaris has no accessories.

In conclusion: Nice looking and definitely worthy of mateification, but not a stunner.

Review and pictures by Rad Kerrigan

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