Havok & Polaris

It's 2019 - isn't nostalgia for 1992 running a little bit late? Alex Summers is an Alpha Level mutant with the power to absorb cosmic energy and convert it to plasma. That whole "Alpha Level" mutant thing just means he's powerful but still looks human. And it's a recent invention, so it really shouldn't be applied to a figure based on the early '90s. This is Havok in his X-Factor uniform, the first time he ever got to step out from his brother's shadow, and also the first time he ever wore anything other than his plain black suit. It's a very '90s costume, with straps on his legs and a padded leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up. He uses the same body as the previous Havok (and all those Cyclopes), and this costume more often had tall boots than leg-straps, but that's still a lot of new pieces for May Thamtarana to sculpt: the coat, the arms, the belt... and of course the head. In his attempt to not be like his brother Cyclops, Havok started leading a mutant team and wearing a weird head-sock mask that left his face exposed and his floppy hair sticking out the top. Yeah, that'll set you apart, Alex. The blue of the X-Factor uniforms is darker than the X-Men's, but for some reason they've made his jacket black. That was just shading, folks, not its color. The jacket keeps the chest hinge from moving much, but the rest of the articulation is fine - he's even got double-hinges in those big new arms. Just like the last time they were used, the leg-straps don't want to stay in place, so you might have to give them a drop of glue. For accessories, he gets the circular energy effects, which is precisely how his powers were drawn in the comics. This time, they're a metallic yellow. Like her father, Magneto, Lorna Dane has the mutant ability to control magnetism. Now that's funny: the artwork on this package is inspired by the iconic trading cards from the early 1990s; the bio text has been rewritten (and also for some reason, Polaris's stats have been changed), better matching who the character is today; back in 1992, the fact that Polaris only once believed that Magneto was her father was a piece of bonus trivia, because that was the official story at the time. How things can change! This figure shows Lorna in her first X-Factor uniform, which means the body she got last time has been given a new chest mold to accommodate her shoulder pads and the zipper of her jacket. That's some nicely designed re-use, Hasbro, because she looks just like the art. The straps that form her gloves, short boots, and her belt are new for the female bodies, too. The head seems slightly smaller than usual - or at least, the face does. It's hard to judge, because she's got a mane of hair that would make Aslan proud. It's very thick and curly, and painted several shades of green, of course - though very "stripey," not natural shadows and highlights. Her uniform is the same dark blue as Havok's, because that's how uniforms work. Her accessories are also the energy circles - you may view that as Hasbro having a very limited pool of effects parts to give their characters, we view it as proof that Havok and Polaris make a really good couple. Hers are metallic green, in keeping with the way her powers are generally depicted, and she also gets a pair of alternate hands, so she can really concentrate her power by making fists. The new torso doesn't mean any loss of articulation, but the hair kind of does: no way to avoid it with a mop that big. This is a nice two-pack. We already had a Madrox and Quicksilver, plus there's a Strong Guy Build-A-Figure on the way soon, so really all we need is Wolfsbane (who'd likely be able to reuse Polaris's new torso) and we'll have the whole team! -- 11/04/19

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