The XM proto was nearly complete last we saw. With an amazing base and swap out options showcasing two completely different and equally awesome poses, this will be hard to pass up. Why pass on this and have it sell out when the SSC's proto isn't even ready yet for the VII, and has a very tall task of taking this on head to head?
I can't imagine what the secondary market price for a XM IM would be, and I don't want to.
Sure, it's possible SSC/Legacy can equal or best this product with their Mk VII rendition but judging the protos I've seen their latest IM's aren't convincing me they can, or even want to. They seem content to march out sloppy, rushed protos (Mk 2) or inaccurate pieces (Mk 2, Mk 42, IP) with insane edition sizes of up to 4,000. If anyone wants an SSC piece down the road they'll be easy to find retail. XM, not so much.
SSC's Mk 6 & War Machine Maquettes are my two favorite statues I own, so believe me when I tell you I want to see their new IM line do well. Problem is that they have struggled to produce a solid IM product that matched the proto, and many are plagued with QC issues. Take a read in any IM bust thread: Mk 2, Mk 3, new Mk 6, new Mk 7, and you'll find major QC problems in all of them. The Mk 6 Maquette is known for poor paint on the chin, and faceplate alignment issues. It's a bummer because you'd think that teaming up with Legacy would enable them to really knock IM collectibles out of the park like they do with Hulk, but it just isn't happening.