Got my Astonishing yesterday and I love it. I have a list of complaints about the Jim Lee version, and none of those apply to this one.
Jim Lee’s version was a victim of the 90’s muscle trend. As such, I find it jarring when a company makes that version but uses their skinny bodies. While I think the basic sideshow body looks great for Astonishing, and any other era variant they could imagine, he looks wrong to me in the Jim Lee suit. Mezco did a similar thing when recently making two Cyclops, and it is no surprise I prefer their non-Lee version also.
I hate how Sideshow produced the Jim Lee belts. There is a lot of off-center belt buckles on them with no easy fix considering how the shoulder strap is glued in the front. The belt also makes it difficult to body swap the figure without also needing to repair the belt. At least it gives you an excuse to fix the off-center belt buckle.
For how long the body’s legs are, combined with how high the boot cut is, I think the leg straps are too small and too low on the leg.
The biggest issue for me is the Lee face sculpt. Even in X-men #1 1991 the face mask changes shape on Cyclops. I know which frames they were referencing when sculpting this, but I don’t think they should have used this shape in plastic. His chin looks pinched from straight on. I think it is why a lot of people are slightly unsettled by the product photos. I feel this makes the Lee sculpt only worthwhile in profile or partially obscured by the included blast effect. Astonishing, while using the same digital files, reshaped the face as the face mask edge is different. When they did this, they resolved this pinched face issue. The lips are even slightly larger on the new mold. I love it and think it looks so much better as a figure.
Even though Jim Lee‘ s Cyke was who I grew up with as my default Cyclops look, the Astonishing version from Sideshow is my preferred figure.