Welcome to Figures & Speech, Nerdist’s regular column by, for, and about grown-ups who still play with their toys but might want to know more before they buy. From product reviews to informed editorials, these are most definitely the articles that’ll make you want to strike a pose. Click on all images to enlarge for detail.

We know by now that Fox’s Marvel movies rarely get toys any more, due to the differences of opinion between the folks at that studio and the Marvel brass. But as we see in the latest wave of X-Men figures, they can make the closest comic-book versions. Hugh Jackman as aging Logan? No can do. Old Man Logan, which inspired the movie Logan? Yes. Official Deadpool movie Colossus? No. Very similar comic design? Yes. And while ’90s Cyclops would be in demand anyway, his appearing at the end of X-Men Apocalypse in a similar outfit undoubtedly fuels demand.

Cyclops looks pretty cool from a distance: his costume is accurate, and he even has a hand in a tapping pose like he’s calibrating an optic blast.

Look a little closer, though, and all is not quite as cool. Because original sculpts cost big bucks, Hasbro (like any company) tries to reuse parts where possible, and in the case of Cyclops, he’s using one of their generic superhero bodies with a bunch of extra pieces slipped on top. Problem is, those extra pieces don’t always stay put.

Old Man Logan–who is packaged as “Wolverine,” on the other hand, is a wholly original sculpt. But he comes with no accessories or even a build-a-figure piece. Presumably that’s because Hasbro and Marvel know he’ll sell well on his own, and if you buy these as a set, it’s fine–the costs were obviously spread around the wave, with a lot on the absolutely fantastic build-a-figure. But if you just buy Logan, for $20 you might feel like you’re not getting a lot. Not even a cowboy hat or extra hands.

Colossus is so huge he could be the build-a-figure in another wave, but he gets an accessory as well: a bonus bearded head that has a bit more of a manga style to it.

So who else is in the wave? Well, let’s continue with…

That shoulderpad! That ninja headgear! The preposterously oversized weapons! The weird mark over one shiny eye! Yes, the Shatterstar action figure gets four Liefelds out of five. Why only four? Well…

Here’s the thing: Shatterstar has all the Liefeld hallmarks, but Colossus actually looks like a Rob Liefeld drawing come to life. Without sufficiently pumped-up pecs or double-wide arms, Shatterstar looks like someone dressed up as Shatterstar. It’s a subtle distinction, but the point is Liefeld fans should grab Colossus too. Particularly if you already have Deadpool and want to reenact some movie scenes.

Sunfire was initially set to be my least favorite figure in the series, as he looks like an anorexic luchador with a Japanese heel gimmick. But with the extra Spider-Man pec articulation and the fire fist effects, he turned out to be one of my favorites. He can even strike the “hero landing” pose!

Seriously, the fire effects are fun. And usable on most average-sized figures.

Instead, Polaris is my least fave. Not so much for the use of a generic body, but for using a tiny and light generic body in conjunction with a heavy cape that makes it really difficult for her to stand up. She also pales in comparison to the wave’s other female figure, a long-demanded favorite…

That’s not Metalli-Ga, but it’s close: Retro Dazzler! From the feathered hair to the sleeveless, bell-bottomed jumpsuit and even roller skates, this is period perfection.

Okay, so it would be even more perfect if the tiny wheels on her skates actually turned, but that’s picking a nit. I’m still lucky my fellow writer Eric Diaz hasn’t mugged me for her yet.

(If you get the specific reference, you’re probably my age. Congratulations.)

Buy all the figures–save Logan, if you want to–and you get to build Warlock.

Warlock is a challenge on many levels. For one, he’s an absolutely crazy design, like a drug-addled scribble drawing dropped into a photorealistic world. And two, Toy Biz already made a really great figure of him that was translucent, fired projectiles, and featured a removable mask for display with a more human face. It glowed purple under blacklight. Frankly, it ruled. But Hasbro may have topped it.

Warlock is tall. And fully articulated: knees and elbows are double jointed and most of the rest is ball-joints. Now, because his arms have tubes that plug into his back, you don’t get a great range of motion on the arms before the tubes pop out, but it’s up to you how bothersome that is.

His black body is painted in a metallic gold finish that makes him look like a sort of steampunk Struwwelpeter, and his right hand pops out to be replaced by a buzzsaw if you so choose (the buzzsaw does not rotate, because we can’t have everything). Both the sculpt and the wash are above and beyond the norm, and harken back to Toy Biz times. This is easily the best Hasbro build-a-figure, and a definite figure of the year contender.

While I have expressed some issues here, the only real dud in the bunch is Polaris, but she’s worth it just to complete Warlock, which is the idea, of course.

Bigbadtoystore sells a case of eight–the seven with an extra Wolverine–for $160, which is $20 each. They also sell a set of seven for the same price, so you might as well get the extra Logan. He’ll make his way in the world somewhere.

Time to watch Logan again, I reckon.

Images: LYT for Nerdist; X-men still from 20th Century Fox

Luke Y. Thompson is Nerdist’s weekend editor and a toy fiend. “Figure” him out on Twitter @LYTrules