Marvel collectors have been screaming out for a Strong Guy Build-A-Figure for ages, and after many long years, their cries have been heard and are being answered: a Strong Guy BAF is finally on the way! Oh… did I mention it was a Minimate? As announced at New York Toy Fair 2019, Marvel Minimates Series 78 is an X-Factor series featuring the original and 90s X-Factors, and will be headlined by Strong Guy!

It’s been a good week and a bad week for Strong Guy. It’s been a good week because the first new Strong Guy figure in what feels like a million years (but is actually merely 26 years) was finally announced at the 2019 Toy Fair! It was a bad week for Guido because, well… those who’ve read this week’s Uncanny X-Men #12 know why it was a bad week.

But hey! While Guido Carosella didn’t have the best week story-wise, it’s definitely worth celebrating his first figure since 1993. Diamond Select Toys’ Marvel Minimates has long been a groundbreaking line for releasing characters and variants that other companies can’t or won’t, and I think Minimates Series 78 is an excellent example of this.

As more and more of the 90s X-Men Jim Lee lineup gets filled in in Hasbro Marvel Legends form, fans have started asking for other characters such as the 90s X-Factor versions of Havok, Wolfsbane, Polaris and Multiple Man. Hasbro hasn’t really committed to making this Peter David era team yet beyond Madrox, so I think DST dancing in and knocking out the whole team in one fell swoop is a bit of a coup.

With only Quicksilver unaccounted for in this wave as far as the Peter David X-Factor era goes (Pietro just wore his standard blue costume while with the team), I thing longtime fans will be delighted to build this whole team for about 30 bucks later this year in the absence of 6” Legends iterations.

Those whose jam runs even more classic don’t need to fear, though: the original X-Factor team of Marvel Girl Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast and Archangel is also represented here. These original X-Men are all characters that have had numerous Marvel Minimates figures before, but they’re perennially popular and I foresee Diamond Select Toys having zero issues moving these two-packs.

X-Factor Iceman is missing from the assortment, so an old version might have to be tracked down to fill that gap. In the old days I’m sure we would have gotten a Toys R Us exclusive pack of Quicksilver and Iceman Minimates, but I don’t think there’s much hope of that now unless Walgreens is really jonesin’ to complete these two teams.

The X-Factor Minimates Series 78 assortment should be up for order in the next month or so, as it’s got a Summer 2019 release date according to the placard at NY Toy Fair. This wave of four two-packs and Build-A-Figure should run the standard $30-$33 total once it’s solicited via online retailers. With TRU closed, I doubt we’ll see any figures from this wave at actual mass retail.

Who’s excited to pick up some (or all!) of this Minimates X-Factor Series? Are you pumped for a Build-A-Figure Strong Guy after waiting all these years for one, or are you going to sit out this Minimates Wave and hope that Hasbro follows through with a Marvel Legends Strong Guy figure of their own someday?