CGL Toys are one of those 1/6 scale figure companies floating around that most collectors know of but may have never actually bought any of their releases. For the most part, CGL Toys seem to be focusing their releases on unofficial figures, namely last years very cool Angelina Jolie/Mr and Mrs Smith head sculpt, a Walking Dead Rick Grimes figure and a Heath Ledger/Joker release.

More recently, the company has begun to focus on characters from X-Men: The Last Stand movie (2006) with a Professor Charles Frances Xavier figure and a King of Magnetic Force figure already released.  This year, saw the release of the third figure from this line, an X-Men Phoenix Girl figure based off Famke Janssen’s portrayal in the movie.

So let’s get into the figure.

The box itself is rather plain and non informative. There is no product description, photos or any other markings besides a small gold decal on the front which spells out CGL’s letters. The straight forward shoe box design opens up to reveal a padded tray containing the dressed figure, an alternate head and an alternate set of hands. Whereas the Xavier and Magneto releases came with useable extras (a wheel chair and a stand with base), this release see’s no other accessories included, thus explaining the cheaper price for this figure compared to the other releases.

The figure itself feels quite sturdy in design with no loose joints and while I have no idea on the base body used, it is easy to tell that it’s not one of your generic bland bodies. There is decent arm articulation to which I was able to make Jean’s hands touch her head and stay there without much effort and while there is leg and ankle articulation, the heavy boots and tight fitting pants restrict just how much you can move the legs about.

The clothing appears to be of a high standard with quality stitching and decent quality materials used.  Nothing feels cheap and nasty. While the design of the coat alters from the promo pictures, the added material strands in front feel a bit more true to what Jean wore in this X-Men movie. The coat is removable though I can imagine trying to take this off would be a nightmare due to the fiddly stitching done on the back of the corset which is attached to the coat. Underneath, Jean wears a top in another shade of red and a pair of pants that match the jacket.

The head sculpts have not altered much from the promo shots. One thing you can say about CGL Toys is when it comes to heads, what you see is what you get. The ‘standard’ sculpt bears minimal resemblance to Famke Janssen and her X-men alter-ego, but it’s enough to possibly be able to put a name to the face for those who haven’t seen the movie since it’s release.

The hair is a slight letdown though as CGL Toys (like most 1/6 scale companies) use acetate which is probably the most horrible material ever used for hair on figures as it’s brittle and thin and impossible to style.  Had they gone with something similar to Kumik’s hair, then I could have forgiven the fact the hair is so much shorter than the style Jean had in the movie. The style shown in the promo pictures also differs to the final release which came with wild uncontrollable curls.

The alternate ‘angry’ head which we saw Jean with when she killed Xavier in the movie, is actually much better than the promo photos where the final released product is nowhere near as dark, grey and sickly looking allowing for the red lightning/vein streaks to shine through. If there was one con on the release, it’s that she doesn’t look as angry as she does in the promos! This head also came with the wretched acetone hair in a wild curly style.

Final thoughts:

This is my first CGL Toys figure and it’s a clean, solid release.

Articulation: 6/10 – plus for arm movement and a minus for lack of leg articulation.

Character Likeness: 8/10 – most elements seem spot on with the movie with the exception of the hair.

Head Sculpt: 8/10 – While not exactly Famke Janssen, there’s enough likeness to acknowledge it’s Jean Grey from X3.

Hair: 1/10 – One point for colour! Recommendation to CGL is to ditch the acetone and move onto nylon or saran hair.

Outfit: 9/10 – quality stuff. Great design, doesn’t feel cheap, no loose threads. Boots too, are heavy and well made.

Overall: 7/10 – should sit well into any X-Men fans collection. Jean/Phoenix is a great character and with the dozens of 1/6 scale Wolverine’s out there, it’s nice to see an X-lady get some love.