Of all the characters Toy Biz made five-inch X-Men action figures of during their legendary run in the 1990s, they somehow never made this 1991 Jean Grey design.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychoandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jimlee-jean.jpg?resize=317%2C1024&ssl=1)
Well, that’s not ENTIRELY true. This version of Jean DID come out in the 1997 ONSLAUGHT wave, but she was an inch taller than the entire rest of the X-Men. That could work for a character like She-Hulk, but not Jean.
Otherwise, a variant of this costume with extra armor bits came out in the Space Riders line…
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychoandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/spaceriders-jean.jpg?resize=468%2C812&ssl=1)
And the Marvel Hall of Fame: She-Force line saw a repaint of the X-Force Domino figure, which was pretty close, but gave Jean extra straps and gear that she never wore (but Domino certainly did)…
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychoandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/sheforce-jean.jpg?resize=512%2C679&ssl=1)
Jean DID get some good figures, including as both Phoenix and Dark Phoenix, as well as two of her X-Factor costumes, and an okay version of her green minidress outfit from the 1960s. But never just a decent, comic-accurate toy of her early 1990s look. So I had to fix that.
In 2000, Toy Biz did a bunch of re-releases and repaints under the name X-Men Classics, and they released this Jean:
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychoandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/battleblasters-jean.jpg?resize=300%2C400&ssl=1)
Okay, that’s a decent start. She’s missing her shoulder pads, gauntlets, and those weird hip pads. And she’s got a shorter haircut than usual, but it’s not the worst. I knew I could sculpt some of the minor details, but the hair. That would be tricky…
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychoandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/toybiz-blackcat.png?resize=936%2C467&ssl=1)
You wouldn’t know it now, with how many 5-POA, 3.75-inch toys I’ve bought in 2021, but back in the late 90s and early 2000s, I was kind of an articulation nut. If a figure didn’t have bendable elbows and knees, I generally wasn’t into them. I recognize the irony of saying that, as Jean only had the 5 points of articulation herself, but I was gonna be painting her. In terms of customs, I find the fewer the joints, the easier things go.
Besides, Toy Biz re-made and rereleased most major characters every couple of years anyways, it seemed, so at the time I felt that this Black Cat was expendable… especially since, as it turned out, her hair was a separate piece from her head! Coincidentally, Jean’s hair was ALSO a separate piece from her head. This is a more common practice now, but in the 90s, it was basically unheard of.
Anyways. Two haircuts, some sculpted details, and a whole lotta paint later, and I had my own 5-inch Jean Grey!
I decided to leave off her mid-bicep pads that were inconsistent, and I painted the hip pads blue, because making them off-yellow always seemed like a weird choice to me. I also painted her tights YELLOW like in Jim Lee’s X-Men #1, instead of the weird light orange that she was in the cartoon that made it look like she was half-nude all the time.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychoandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/image-9-e1569559276867-768x1024.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1)
She’s been hanging around for almost 20 years now and has moved house a few times, so some areas could use some touching up. But for now, this is where she stands. And I’m still pretty happy with her, overall.
Jean Grey, X-Men, Black Cat, and all related characters are owned by Marvel Comics, a subsidiary of Disney.