DIMIC

One of the major downsides that comic reading brought us was that we started to get interested in various Marvel characters.

At first, I didn’t really like this statue. Well, I didn’t disliked it but it wasn’t on my wanted list. Then I started to read X-23 in which a certain Cajun also appeared. I started to like him. A lot. And then I started to stare at a certain statue. And that was a big mistake…

As you might know, I don’t like buying second-hand. I don’t like taking the risk of trusting someone from overseas. And I certainly don’t like to take my chances with the postal services and customs. So far, I’ve bought several statues second-hand namely Darth Talon, Evil Queen and Morrigan. I don’t include our three Street Fighters (Cammy, Vega and Bison) because we picked them up ourselves. It limits the risks a lot.
One major upside from this deal was that the seller lives in England. So that excluded the customs which was a good thing since he wasn’t cheap. Well, technically, I did get him fairly cheap. At least, cheaper than he goes on Ebay and the forums. Which still is a huge plus.
The main reason why Gambit’s price started to rise was because, about a half year ago, SideShow launched the pre-orders for the Rogue Premium Format. And if you know a bit about Marvel, X-Men and/or Gambit, you probably know a bit about their troubled past. What’s also cool is that they (SSC) included something extra with the Rogue Exclusive: a Gambit Art Print! They are going to look so cool next to each other!

Like I said, I didn’t want this statue in the beginning but after looking at it a lot, it started to grow on me. Even knowing our chances were slim (they released this statue over a year ago), I jumped on the waitlist. Ingis still wasn’t completely convinced but he definitely changed his mind when he saw this statue in person.

First off, the base is freaking huge! And I really mean huge! About 30-40cm (12-16 inch) diameter! I doubt he and Rogue can fit on one Besta shelf. But he really needs his space. He’s such a big boy. He covers the whole base with his stance, the stretched out hand and his Bo staff. Both the regular and the exclusive came with the interchangeable, Jim Lee style, head. That one is my absolute favorite! I just love that bad boy look so much more than the cleaner, long hair version. The exclusive part is the switchable hand with the charged cards. Combine the energy cards and the Jim Lee head and you have absolute awesomeness! Especially the energy looks so much better in real than on most of the pictures.

There was a lot of disappointment when it became clear that the only mixed media would be his jacket and that it wouldn’t be made in leather. Not that it matters to me. I think the jacket came out better that way. More durable for sure. And I like it that they used metal wires in the jacket so you can pose it around a little. Much like Talon’s skirt thingies and Ms. Marvel’s sash.
You can’t see it in my pictures but Gambit is fully sculpted underneath the jacket. I included a picture for reverence ’cause personally, I don’t like taking the chance on something like that. Could tear the jacket you know… And I don’t think SSC has any replacements left.

Speaking of replacements… There were some issues with this statue. The main trouble maker was the exclusive hand. On some, the paint just loosened between the fingers and the first card. Even we had this problem. Luckily, it’s an easy fix. With others, the fingers just arrived broken. Also some lazy or crazy eyes have been reported. And I believe there were some with a broken Bo staff, but couldn’t find the records of those.

Conclusion
I kind of slowly fell in love with this piece. Ingis didn’t. But in the end, he likes this statue now that he’s seen it for real. The jacket is nicely done and I really like the exclusive hand. Also the Jim Lee portrait is awesome! It’s a rather big piece and the first of the X-Men Base Line. The second will be his companion Rogue (with an extra art print for Gambit) and the third is also available for pre-order (Psylocke).
If you want a kick-ass representation of Gambit, this is the statue to buy!

Item reviewed: Gambit Ex
Type: mixed media (resin with cloth)
Manufacturer: Sideshow Collectibles
Variations: regular edition (without the switchable hand)
Rarity: Getting hard to find, even on Ebay. Absurd price increase due to the fact that Rogue is also coming. 750 (ex) and 1000 (reg) made worldwide