This Black Panther Statue is So Good You’ll Wish It Was Available to Buy in the US

The Black Panther has been around for decades, but hasn't exactly gotten a lot of collectibles compared to the other superheroes of the Marvel Universe. Thanks to his reignited pop culture relevance due to his new solo series and his appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, those tides are finally changing.

We've seen a number of new action figures for the Wakandan king, but the latest statues coming from a range of companies have really caught our attention. If anyone is deserving a fine art collectible, it's the Black Panther. That's why XM Studios' latest Marvel Comics creation caught our eye, even if we'll never be able to actually buy it.

XM Studios might not be a name you're familiar with, but anyone in the collecting community can tell you they make some incredible pieces of art. The only problem is, the company isn't licensed to sell a majority of its products within the United States or Europe. Based in Singapore, XM Studios is a big deal in the Asian market, where the products are still relatively sanely priced. If you hope to get any of their goods here in the States, you are looking at an investment well into the $1000 realm... unless you've got a good friend with an address overseas.

Regardless of the fact that you likely need some deep pockets to even think about getting this Black Panther statue, or any of XM's other fantastic works, that doesn't diminish the quality of the goods. T'Challa's sculpt is fantastic, and carries the full weight and personality of the character. His "on the hunt" pose is one we see with regularity in comics an pin-ups, but seeing it rendered in 3D gives it even more energy. It's not quite as dynamic a pose as some other heroes have gotten from XM, but it suits the Black Panther just fine. There's an understated tension there, as you feel he's just landed, but could pounce again at any moment.

Plus, there are a lot of fine details in there. The different textures of his suit, the wonderful flowing cape, the carved Wakandan relics, and even the unmasked head sculpt capture your eye in different ways. Even with all that black being used, you can tell the paint app was carefully applied to give definition in all the right places without any of those sculpted nuances being lost.

The XM Studios Marvel Comics Black Panther statue will be available for pre-order beginning on Nov. 11, and will cost ~$640 USD... if you somehow manage to get it direct.