Review of Magneto X-Men Animated Series
Exclusive Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Mondo has been doing a terrific job with animated style sixth scale action figures. They've done excellent versions of key characters in both Batman the Animated Series, and Masters of the Universe. They've followed that up with a new line based on the fan favorite X-men Animated show.

A couple weeks ago, I looked at their Jubilee, and this week I'm following it up with a review of their Magneto. Like many of their releases, this guy comes in two versions - regular and exclusive. I'm reviewing the exclusive version here, but it is simply a difference in accessories, which I'll mention when I get to that section.

The regular release runs $215, and the exclusive is at $225. Since the exclusive includes two more portraits, that's an extra ten bucks that's well worth it.

Packaging - ****
The box art is very comic book themed, and hearkens back to the old show nicely. It's attractive and well designed, and the box and trays are very stiff and sturdy. This will hold up nicely to storage and shelf wear. It's also fully collector friendly of course, and you won't have to damage anything to get the figure and extras out.

And yes, I know that's the Jubilee box in the photo below, but that's because I totally forgot to shoot another shot of the Magneto box. They style is the same - just swap the character theme.

Sculpting - ****
The exclusive includes FIVE, yes, count them FIVE unique head sculpts. The regular release is nothing to sneeze at, with three, but since the exclusive only costs ten bucks more, you're getting quite a big bang for that extra ten. All five are lined up in the photo below.

Of course, he starts out with the regular every day helmeted head, in the center above. There's his usual stern expression, and the helmet is a permanent feature as you'd expect. Details are nicely cut, and the overall scale works well within the animated style.

Also with the regular release is the "angry" portrait. Gritted teeth and pissed off expression, but it's still wearing the helmet. Again, plenty of sharp detail in the sculpting, and probably the best all around portrait of the group.

Finally for the regular edition, there's the unhelmeted Eric Lensherr. He's got the wild, flowing white locks, chiseled good looks, and strong jaw line you expect. It's a serious expression, but not too over the top. Personally, this was my favorite for the shelf.

The exclusive adds two more heads to the mix. First, we have another helmeted version, this one the 20XX version. The long hair is clearly present down the back of the head, poking out under the helmet, and the bushy facial hair is also present. This one would be my personal second favorite, but obviously your mileage will vary.

Finally for the exclusive, there's the evil Morph portrait. Morph impersonated Magneto at one point on the show (the Wolverine release also has a Morph head, but the 'good' design), so this one is a pretty episode specific addition.

All in all, the sculpting is excellent, and this big boy comes in just over 12" tall. Thanks to the thick body and large cape, he takes up quite a bit of volume. I did have one issue at first, but the more I looked at the figure on the shelf, the more it looked 'right'. It's those big puffy shoulders on the cape. Yea, it's clearly what they often looked like in the cartoon, but when you translate 2D to 3D, sometimes these design concepts don't quite work. That's what I thought when I first opened the box. But the longer I looked at the figure and posed him, the more I liked how this version came out.

Paint - ***1/2
The overall quality of the paint work is excellent, but I do have one issue that might become a problem over time.

The figure sports lots of broad colors, taken right from the show. There's also plenty of shading, designed to add some depth to the animated look. There's even the black lines, specific to certain types of cartoon designs. All of this works great, and it recreates his appearance from the show extremely well.

Details are sharp and clean, and the colors are generally consistent in coverage and finish. But I am worried that this paint job isn't going to hold up particularly well, proven by the marks I already have on the neck.

Swapping the heads ended up scratching the paint on the neck pretty badly. Now, these scratches are covered by the head sculpts themselves when they are in place, but you know how collectors are - we know when there's a problem, even when it's not visible, and it can drive us nuts. I'm worried that over time any slight bump or ding against another object will damage the exterior paint work. Fingers crossed that never happens.

Articulation - ***
The articulation is pretty standard stuff for a mass market style action figure, which this is trying to emulate.

There's a ball jointed neck, and while the heads scratched the paint, they weren't hard to get off and on. There's some reasonable tilt and lean in most of them, although those with the longer hair will have less mobility.

The rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists, along with the cut biceps, will give you plenty of decent arm poses. Most importantly perhaps, the joints are tight enough that he can hold the special magnet effects chest high, and the arms do not droop.

The chest has a rolling joint, and there's a little lean, crunch, and twist, just enough to break up the straight torso lines a little. You aren't going to get any extreme poses with it.

The legs have ball hips, double pin knees, and rotating hinge/rocker ankles. I was also able to get a little twist out of the calf where the pin enters as well. You can get some good shallow to deep stances, with a very natural look.

The cape is not articulated - it's a solid plastic sculpted piece. He can stand fine on his own even wearing it though, thanks to the large shoulder pieces that shifts some of the weight more to his body. That's important because it is not removable.

Accessories - ****
As I mentioned earlier, this exclusive version includes five head sculpts. That alone is going to get this guy four stars from me in this category. I love portraits, and there's real cost in getting them produced, making them a valuable extra.

There's also seven additional hands to go with the pair of fists he comes wearing. One set is a pair of grasping hands, a very appropriate pose for Mags, especially in the comics. Another set is splayed wide, more appropriate for his behavior and poses in the cartoon itself.

There's a second set of these splayed hands, but this time there's a magnet in the palm. He can use this magnet with the extra effects, to be discussed more in a moment. And finally, there's an additional right fist, also with a magnet but this time in the back of the hand. Again, perfect to use with the extra effects.

There are three of these effects. Two of them are sort of 'magnet rings'. These have a magnet at the center, and can attach to either the fist or the open palms.

There's also a big hunk of gnarled metal bits, also with a magnet that can attach to the appropriate hands. Look close, and you might notice the watch Professor X lost.

A long metal piece of piping is also included, although it's sculpted plastic of course. It's supposed to be bendable, but it didn't seem to be particularly so when I tried it.

Finally, there's the simple display stand. However, it's not really necessary to keep him standing, and it actually is difficult to use with the large cape.

Fun Factor - ****
This guy is a lot of fun on his own, with useful articulation and plenty of extras. But it's when you combine him with Wolverine and Jubilee, and the others coming soon, that you really have a party on your hands. You'll return to this guy over and over on the shelf, coming up with new poses and combinations.

Value - **
He's going to take a hit here with most collectors, no doubt about it. He's a bit higher than most of their other animated releases, especially the exclusive. When you start getting into the general range of fully clothed sixth scale action figures, the idea of a big mass market style toy gets to be a harder sell, even when it looks this good.

Things to Watch Out For -
Take some extra care swapping those heads - learn from my issues. Since the paint scraped off pretty easily there, pay attention to the rest of the figure, like the cape and torso if you use the stand, or the hands and arms when swapping.

Overall - ***1/2
If you're a fan of the show, this is a series you need to take a good hard look at. We've only had three releases so far that I know of - Wolverine, Magneto, and Jubilee - but I believe we should have Gambit and Sabretooth in hand very soon, with potentially additional announcements this summer. Better to get in now while figures are still available at retail, than wait too long and get burned by after market pricing on some of these early releases.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
The exclusive version is only available through the Mondo store, where he's $225. Online options for the regular release include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the pre-order still up for $215. Use my link and get an additional 10% off, plus free shipping on any in stock items!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
A couple weeks ago I covered the Jubilee figure in this same series.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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