My hardcore X-Men fanboy-ism was born in the early 90s, so I have vivid memories of thinking Bishop was the coolest and most badass dude ever. The ripped, arms-wielding enforcer from the future was a central character and plot element for years after his arrival, and I was delighted to buy his first-ever mini bust and statue from Bowen Designs a good decade-plus ago. And now, I’ve added another resin Bishop to my collection. The 1/10 scale Iron Studios Bishop statue is now shipping—is it worth having this time-traveler travel to your home? Here’s my review…

Statues remain one of the major loves of my life, despite my post-stroke impairments making it immensely more difficult to lift and assemble (not to mention see) them.

With that in mind, I am falling even more in love with appreciation for Iron studios’ fairly-priced and reasonably-sized 1/10 scale X-Men battle Diorama Series resin statues that are accessible to a wider audience than larger and more exorbitantly priced collectibles from Sideshow, XM Studios and so many other premium companies. Iron Studios prices are increasing (as prices are industry-wide), but he still cost me under 200 bucks, which is perfectly fair in my book for this day and age.

Like most pieces in this series, Bishop comes in shipping and art boxes that are about the size of a Hot Toys box, so they’re large but not obnoxiously monstrous.

Bishop comes in 5 pieces inside his box: main body, base, extra gun and separated hands. They’re all individually wrapped with no paint sticking or other common problems. All of the pieces were light and not at all unwieldy. The assembly took me a couple minutes since I’m semi-blind, but the hands popped into place with strong magnets that made me feel confident they’d stay firm and secure.

Bishop’s foot peg was a bit more difficult for me to orient, and while I got him correctly positioned with little effort, he feels more like he’s balancing on the base than being solidly held in place by it. Given my difficulties with vision, I’d be a lot happier if he felt more stably attached so I wouldn’t be worried he’ll topple off and break with a slight nudge.

The initial prototype photos had me worried about the portrait and hairline on the BDS Bishop statue, but I’m relieved to say that the whole head sculpt looks awesome in person. The windswept hair looks natural for the character, and the paint wash on the teeth really helps differentiate the individual teeth sculpted in the partially open, gritted teeth mouth.

I might have preferred the classic, pupil-less eyes for Bishop, but it’s tough to fault Iron Studios for including additional detailing. If I ever want Bishop with whited-out eyes, that would be an easy enough customization to make. The eyes being painted as they are may really bug some folks, though.

Lucas Bishop (as his full name would be revealed to be many years after his debut) isn’t really a one-gun kinda guy, so Iron Studios kindly gave him a second blaster rifle that can be safely stowed into the open holster on Bishop’s back. The gun securely slides into place, and I have few worries about it popping out and breaking.

This second gun needs to go on Bishop’s back because his left hand is actively occupied being powered up with glowing pink energy. Bowen painted the energy on their Bishops, so I wasn’t sure how a clear resin alternative would look. However, the translucent pink energy really pops and is a surprise star feature of this piece! I absolutely love it. Looks stellar.

The base continues the theme of a destroyed Xavier Institute/X-Mansion. The broken pieces of wood and furniture are more fully detailed than anyone would ask for, including tiny drawer handles and a damaged lamp.

Even Bishop’s boots are exceedingly detailed, with a crazily-elaborate texture for the scale, as well as dirt and weathering deco adding even more realism to the boots.

In fact, even Bishop’s recognizable red bandana has tons of little sculpting details on it to simulate fabric. Iron studios really went above and beyond to make the time-lost Xavier’s Security Enforcer look great.

Overall: Iron Studios’ prices may be on the rise, but their BDS Bishop statue is another piece that manages to exceed my expectations. There’s nothing particularly flashy here—just a surprisingly highly-detailed 1:10 scale statue that does all the little things right. I wish Iron Studios Bishop fit more securely onto the base and I may decide to have his eyes painted white, but concept and design-wise, I love this piece an awful lot. An excellent piece of art for a 90s character that doesn’t get enough merch.

GRADE: A