Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Mini-Mate Women of X-FORCE!

A Few Marvelous Mini Mutants - Domino, Boomer, Feral - DST/Art Asylum 2010-14

X-Force was a major obsession of mine in the early Nineties. I was a New Mutants loyalist for years and I was excited for all the new changes and incarnations brought about in 1991's X-Force.  I even loved Rob Liefeld's art. My fascination didn't last too long though.  The "extreme" storylines began to bore me pretty quickly (and yes, I realized how very ironic that was at the time) and Rob fled with the rest of the heavy-hitters to form Image.  Still, whenever I see imagery from that era, I feel a massive wave of nostalgia.  Mini-Mates are the best collectible for satisfying that kind of collecting itch.  They don't take up much space, they're inexpensive, and they have a great track record with team completion and costume variations.  And while I think there could be a few additional characters added to the roster: Rusty & Skids, Siryn, Sunspot, a reissued Warpath, etc, I think it's a pretty great collection overall -- and there is always room for expansion.  Let's check out Domino, Feral, and Boomer below!




I'll start with the original set

X-Force SDCC Exclusive Boxset 2010
Cable - Domino - Feral - Deadpool





Domino was my favorite new character.  She was badass.  She was mysterious in every way.  Her history with Cable was a mystery.  Her powers were vague.  And at one point you learned that we never actually met her, but rather a shapechanger named Vanessa who had stolen her identity.













While Feral was pretty cool character, it was kind of awkward how she was basically a plagiarized Wolfsbane (who had been depowered in the X-Tinction Agenda storyline just a few issues before Feral was introduced).












The next lady we saw was in

Marvel Mini-Mates Toys R Us Exclusive Wave 13 - 2012
Rictor - Boomer









Boomer (née Boom Boom) was one of the staple young characters in the Mutant world for many years.  She filled the role of Kitty Pride (once Kitty was all grown up) but more in the style of an Eighties mallrat.  Eventually Jubilee was introduced as (basically) the Nineties version of the same character.  Boomer saw herself as a fashionista and a bubblegum-popping Girls Just Wanna Have Fun type.  She never did manage to get a good codename though.  Just call her Tabitha Smith... nevermind that's bad too.















Finally we have the...

Classic X-Force Box Set - 2014
(X-Ternal) Cannonball -  (Warrior) Shatterstar - (Heavy Armor) Cable - (Triumphant) Domino






This updated version of Domino is a wonderful addition.  The padded costume is very iconic.














I thought I'd take a moment to point out some of the different looks you can give Cable with the second Boxset version.  
He has a ton of add-ons.






Now, for the sake of completion I'll mention the lady-less sets that have been released.

Marvel Mini-Mates Toys R Us Exclusive Wave 9 - 2010
Cannonball - Shatterstar







And the bane of my existence, the impossible to find under $150...

Marvel Mini-Mates Toys R Us Exclusive Wave 4 - 2009
X-Factor Angel - Warpath

Seriously, having two must-have team characters in an exclusive shortpacked set is just cruel.











Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!


Here are the two Dominos side by side.




And all four ladies together.




The whole crew, including repeats, but missing Warpath.




And a little doppelganger lover's spat




Cheers!





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