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X-men 2 Magneto

Coheteboy loves lots of toys, but the X-men hold a special place. Here's his guest review of the X-men 2 Magneto - how can you not love this line when you look at the last photo on this page!

Here's a question for you: Why is it that a toy line based on the popular X-Men sequel gets ignored by retailers while wave after wave of the Hulk movie toys clogs all toy aisles everywhere? There's only been two series of figures based on X2: X-Men United and it really is a shame since the second series is next to impossible to find! You'd think with this many different characters, Toy Biz would have treated this line more like the Lord of the Rings, but it was instead treated with the poor mentality that Wolverine is the most popular character. While that may be true in certain cases, when it comes to toy collectors, every character is just as important.

Getting back to the review however, the X2 figures (except for all the Wolverines) have excellent sculpts and Magneto is no exception. This is one of the best Ian McKellen likenesses anywhere and probably my favorite figure from the film. Other X2 series 2 figures, if you can find them are: Clawstrike Wolverine (thumbs down from me), Cyclops with Trenchcoat (thumbs up), and Ice-Man (N/A).

Packaging - **
I gotta say, this packaging is nothing special. It's not horrid but it's kind of on the tacky side. This is essentially the same packaging as series 1 except for the addition of the "Marvel" logo in the upper left corner. So if you guys are searching for series 2, keep your eye open for the "Marvel" logo.

There's more reason to the packaging getting a low score. After removing the bubble, there are two separate card inserts that fall out, and in my opinion, the more trash that comes with it, the more obvious that improvements are needed. It's not rocket science. We just want simple yet attractive packaging.

Sculpting - ***1/2
As I said before, this is one of the best likenesses of Ian McKellen anywhere. Yep, even better than the LOTR figures. This is THE Magneto figure to own. Forget the slop that was made for the first X-Men movie, this is the one Magneto that will "attract" all fans of the film. If only it were a little easier to find.

The rest of the figure is also pretty darn well sculpted, right down to the boots. The outfit and body appear to be accurate and proper scale. Hands are sculpted not to hold any accessories but sculpted open to better use his "magnetic" powers. And yes, he can hold his helmet just fine.

Only problem I have, and it's just an opinion, is the soft plastic cape. I would have preferred a cloth cape for a figure sculpted this well, especially since the film shows Magneto grasping his cape as he walks, hanging it on his left arm.

Paint - ***
The paint application is actually quite good and I'm pretty happy with what they've done. The skin tones are a little pasty but Cyclops had the same problem. The outfit is jet black with some noticeable detail in his collar and the heel of his boots. One thing I'd like to point out are his hands. This is another matter of opinion but I would prefer to have gloves painted on, as he does wear them in the film.

Articulation - ***1/2
With 29 points of articulation, this has got to be one of the most well articulated old-man figures around. And to be honest, he doesn't really need more than this. This is the type of articulation that Red Skull and movie Daredevil should have gotten at least! Magneto here has points for just about everything you'd need to pose him as seen in the film. Compared to other legends, Magneto doesn't sport the extra joints in his elbows and knees but it really doesn't matter here. He's an old man and he pretty much floats from place to place or takes a quick stroll.

And yes there are indeed joints in his wrists and hands as well as the feet and legs. Whatever the bare minimum is, the Magneto figure goes well above that.

Accessories - ***
The removable helmet is the greatest accessory one could ask for. It is well sculpted and fits snugly on Magneto's head. It's made with sturdy plastic so there is no warping to be found. It looks great in his hand or on his head.

The other accessory is not quite a base, but a doorway that opens and closes with the press of a button (actually, it just opens with the button). The doors are actually made with squishable material so the frame doesn't look horrible when the chamber doors are open. Quite a nice, well designed, and painted accessory, but not quite large enough for Magneto to crawl through.

Value - **
Of course if you find this Magneto for the proper price of $6.99 or 7.99, I'd go ahead and give it four stars. But since it is so difficult to find, I bought mine from a dealer for $15. And seeing how I still can't find this figure, $15 was very much worth it.

Overall - ***1/2
I passed completely on the first X-Men movie toys as they looked nothing like the characters in the film. The toys for X2 were greatly improved but unfortunately stores never fully supported the line. It really is a shame because this is one of the best figures made for the entire X2 line up. Great articulation, terrific sculpting and a removable helmet, what more could you ask for? A cloth cape would be a personal request since he's pretty restricted with that plastic cape, but it's all good. I sure hope this figure finds its way to the shelves eventually, it really is one to own if you're a fan of film-based figures.

Where to buy -
KB Toys has been the ONLY place I've seen series 2 of X2 figures, and we all know that many of those are closing down, not taking in new stock. Ebay and other dealers would be my suggestion, though I wish there was a better way.

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Figures from the collection of Coheteboy.