The so-called HX-project is a collaboration between H.M.O. (Hand Made Objects) and XM Studios, started to release a new line of 1:6 scale statues, characterized by a very special and stylized design and presently applied to the Avengers team. As it is possible to read on the hx-project website, this approach was selected to best represent dynamic action and movements reflective of the Avengers characters [...] and also works well as dynamic dioramas set ups. As a matter of fact, these collectibles are quite unusual and unique in the wide variety of Marvel collectibles. Unlike the other 1:6 scale statues produced by all other Companies, in fact, the Avengers Assemble pieces exhibit an innovative look and literally seem to come out from a cartoon! The sculpt lines are very smooth, the painting avoids any nuance in excess, the poses are always dynamic and all characters are depicted with no special frill, texture or decoration, by paying, at the same time, a great care to the artistic and stylized details.



Due to the limited space available and being a passionate fan of all the key-characters, I decided to put in my collection just the most classic members of the team which, as foreseeable, were also the first pieces of the line to be released. The Thor statue has an edition size of 500 samples; it was sculpted by Khurram Alavi and Mufizal and is a rather large and heavy piece (slightly larger, I think, compared to the 1:6 scale), with a size of 20 x 25 cm, a height of 36 cm and a weight of 5 Kg. The God of Thunder is depicted in his Modern version, with a costume characterized by a dominant black color and the typical silver and checkered patch on arms; nevertheless (unlike the Comics' tables), the pants are black, there is no belt at waistline, the high boots do not have the classic and rigid kneepads and just show three lateral and unusual circular buckles. The dynamism of the pose is very attractive, with both trunk and face rotated with respect to the legs, the right arm raised, brandishing the legendary Mjolnir, and the large flowing red cloak which seems to follow the movement of the body. Note the aggressive expressiveness of the God of Thunder, the imposing size of Mjolnir (showing the well known edict of the Gods' father Odin, carved in relief) and the original, stylized helmet, with two large and squared winglets at sides and a metallic protuberance almost covering the whole nose. The piece devoted to Captain America has a comparable size (21 x 25 cm), although the character is clearly a little smaller (height of 31 cm); it was sculpted by the same artists and has exactly the same edition size (500 pieces). The pose is very nice, with both legs slightly bent, the left arm stretched forward and the right one elongated back, as about to throw the shield. The suit is rather faithful to Comics, with very bright and attractive tonalities of the dominant blue and red colors and a black belt at waistline with military pockets; however, also in this case some original features immediately catch the eyes: the two gray patches at both sides of chest and at shoulder level, the lack of the scaled patch on trunk, the presence of red pouches on gloves or the original design of the long boots, with no turn-up. Some dark shades emphasize the muscular countours on legs and abdomen, but the powerful physique of the American super-soldier is mainly pointed out by the excellent sculpt and the dynamic pose. The stylized look shines through the huge "A" on the forehead, the large and painted white flaps at the sides of the head and also the pointed shape of the mask, just below the eyes. A piece equipped with a great originality and appeal! The armor of the Iron Man statue reminds the high-tech look of the Extremis variant: the contours are generally rounded, except for the patches on the lower part of the legs, the metallic gloves on fingers and, above all, the two large shrugs which notably characterize the whole figure. The piece was sculpted by Daniel Simon in collaborion with Muzifal and still released with an edition size of 500 pieces; its size is relevant (30 x 34 cm), while the height is about 32 cm. The alter ego of Tony Stark stays erect in an aggressive, frontal pose, with the legs bent (and located as to move forward) and both arms bent backward, with clenched fists. The armor shows a huge rib cage, with a large and circular reactor perfectly centered on chest, and many horizontal lines on arms, legs and trunk; the base represents a sort of city cobblestones, embellished with the ruins of a taxi scattered everywhere. The statue is equipped with inner leds, positioned on chest and both hands, which can be turned on through a switch (hidden behind the base) and give a great charm to the figure. My favorite piece, however, is the massive Hulk statue, which was sculpted by Marthin Agusta and Mufizal in a more limited edition size (400 samples) and gives the feeling of a devastating power! The character has a very impetuous pose, with the legs bent and the arms open and slightly back with respect to the trunk, which emphasize the gigantic muscles of the body. The adopted colors are very brilliant and offer an excellent chromatic contrast to the figure. In any case, the most incredible feature of this piece is that, in spite of the lack of any color shades, the overall musculature of the giant stands out in an extraordinary way: the huge and squared pectorals, the hyper-defined abdominals, the impressively muscles on arms, shoulders and legs. Note the skin folds on hands, the veins just sketched on biceps, the tension of muscles below the neck: a breathtaking sculpt, to say the least! The statue also offers two interchangeable heads (with a closed and an open mouth) sculpted to perfection, with thick and arched eyebrows, green lips and an irregular and flowing hair. The stylistic features of these HX-project 1:6 scale pieces are really unique and, of course, one may like them or not; in any case, they represent something new among the tons of Marvel statues available on market: a quality which demonstrates (once again) the innovative creativity of the Singaporean Company.