There is no doubt that the Magneto statue produced by XM Studios and released at the end of 2014, with an edition size of 800 samples, has represented a true turning-point for this kind of collecting and the inception of the incredible success of the young Singaporean Company all over the world. A succes due not so much (and not only) to the general top quality of the piece in terms of sculpt, painting and attention to details, as to the innovative concept and original style which permeate this out-and-out piece of art! The statue was sculpted by the talented Suheryanto Hatmaja and is composed by a lot of separate parts, which demonstrate a notable, engineering design; in fact, the magnets and metallic pivots connecting the different components are very robust and positioned with a great care, so as to be the most functional and the least invasive as possible. The piece is very heavy (approximately 14 Kg) and requires a significant space for display, because of the large base; in any case, the overall aesthetics is simply astonishing, due to the beauty of the figure, the wide use of textures, the bright coloring and, above all, the unique visual impact of the huge Sentinel's hand, representing the original seat of the character. The archenemy of the X-Men comfortably seats on this very special throne, with both legs bent and extremely relaxed and the elbows resting on the armrests: the pose of the body is very realistic and gives a true feeling of naturaleness. The physique is muscular and sculpted to perfection, with a large rib cage and well-defined muscle contours on abdomen, arms and legs, pointed out by the folds of the suit and many excellent color shades scattered everywhere. The frontal part of the trunk and various patches on legs are characterized by a dotted texture, while both forearms and shin are protected by violet pads, clamped by strips with metallic buckles, and a large belt encircles the character at waistline. A rounded metallic bar underneath the neck acts as the hooking-point of the long cape, which covers the shoulders and is located below the figure, softly ending at the foot of the character. The base is nothing short of stunning! The huge hand of the Sentinel shows all fingers slightly bent and is notably characterized by big circular hinges between the phalanxes and eye-catching metal cables with a copper color. A lot of scratches and dents are scattered here and there, while both the broken off thumb (frontally placed on the left) and the right part of the seat, reveal the inner cables and mechanisms of the giant robot. The dominant blue color exhibits an amazing metallic tone and the name/origin of the Sentinel (MK-247, TRASK INDUSTRIES) are imprinted on the back, colored with a pale and dirty yellow. The base of the figure is completed by a spectacular and huge circular logo of the Xavier's Institute and some small cogwheels, which Magneto rests his left foot on. The statue is equipped with a lot of add-ons which allow to vary the display: two interchangeable left arms (one with open palm and a hovering Cerebro helmet and one with the hand resting on Magneto’s helmet); two alternative heads (with and without the same helmet of the character); one extra Cerebro helmet, to be placed on a forearm; an art print designed by Studio HIVE and (in a limited number) the typical silver plated coin. Both the heads of the hero, in my opinion, are very well done. The one with the helmet (colored with a beautiful metallic purple) has long and curved eyebrows, the teeth clenched in an angry grimace and two white eyes which enhance the aggressiveness of the expression; the other one, on the contrary, shows some hollowed facial traits, two blue eyes, a fluent white hair and an intriguing, thoughtful expression, very appropriate to the whole figure. This statue is a true masterpiece! The incredible attention paid to any detail, the originality of concept and design, the brilliance of painting, the number of add-ons and the overall top-quality of the piece, make it one of the most sought-after pieces among all collectors and, not by chance, its quotations on market soon reached really crazy values. This is no doubt what collectors usually call a grail!