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Back before they went away, TRU-exclusive assortments made for an important backbone of just about every movie line-up.  This was the case for 2013’s The Wolverine, where the TRU assortment ended up being perhaps even better executed than the main wave.  Today, I’ll be taking a look at a variant of the title character, this time packed with his trusty companion Yukio.

The Packaging

This pack is the usual style of Marvel Minimates packaging.  The packaging was branded to look like the promotional art for the film, which is aesthetically pleasing, though the off-white coloring being so predominant does make the packaging a little bit drab.  For pictures of these two in package, head over to their database entry.

The Figures

Wolverine (Yukon)

Wolverine is seen here in his “Yukon” look, from early in the film, when he is found by Yukio while in the throws of his post-X3 depression.  It’s okay Logan, we were all right there with you.  This is the look that Logan sports for the first half an hour or so of the movie.  It’s a very different look for the character, and is important to the character’s story in the film.  It’s also really unique, which makes it stand out pretty well on the shelf.

Yukon Wolverine has sculpted pieces for his hair, jacket and claws.  The claws are the same as those used on the rest of the Wolverines in the wave.  The hair and jacket are new pieces.  They are sculpted well, and accurately depict his look from this point in the movie.

As far as paint goes, all is pretty decent here.  In spite of it not being a default look, I think that the likeness on this Wolverine may be the best Jackman likeness so far.  The paint on the coat could possibly be a little better, with so noticeable slop on the edges, but nothing too bad.  There’s some great detail work on the pants, with the wrinkles and such all being present.  And underneath the jacket piece, there’s also chest detailing, showing Logan in a brown turtle-neck.  I don’t recall him wearing it in the movie, but I could be wrong.  Regardless, it’s a nice touch.

Yukon Wolvie is packed with a pair of spare normal hands and a clear display stand.

Yukon Wolverine was a refreshing choice for a Wolverine movie assortment.  Unlike so many Wolverine variants, he actually feels different, and not just more of the same.  And, as an added bonus, he makes for a decent Alan Moore stand-in!

MMC Score — 8 out of 10

Ninja Yukio

Yukio fills a role that would conventionally be referred to as the “sidekick”,   but that doesn’t seem quite right for Yukio.  Were it not for the fact that the title of the film was “The Wolverine”  I feel like she’d fall more into the hero role.  Anyway, she’s depicted here in her “ninja” look, at least according to the package.  I’d personally describe it more as a formal look, since it’s what she wears during the funeral sequence.  It’s one of her two main looks from the movie, so it makes sense to see it here.

As far as sculpted pieces, there’s her hair, her forearms, her skirt, and here boots.  The forearms are shared with Mariko from the specialty wave, the hair was previously used on the Amazing Spider-Man Gwen Stacy, and the boots have seen numerous previous uses, including the Urban Yukio from the specialty wave.  Near as I can tell, the skirt is a new piece.

The paint is all fairly well done, though there is a bit of slop on the hair.  The likeness is better here than on the Urban Yukio I feel, but still a bit off.  Rila Fukushima, who plays Yukio in the film, has a very uniquely shaped face, which seems to be difficult to translate to the cylindrical Minimate head, so I think Diamond did a pretty good job.

Yukio is accessorized with a sword and a clear display stand.

Yukio was one of the best characters in The Wolverine, and while the Urban look is certainly the more eye-catching of the two, this is definitely a solid addition in its own right.

MMC Score — 7 out of 10

Agree? Disagree? Why not vote for yourself below, or comment further over at the Minimate Multiverse MMC Review Forum.

Review and pictures by Glantern.

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