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X-Men 2: Optic Blast Cyclops 
w/ X-Ploding Gun Base

Coheteboy chimes in with tonight's great guest review of the Cyclops figure from the new X-men 2 line.  Take it away!

The highly anticipated sequel has just hit, making record setting numbers, and fans are singing the praises of X-Men United. The first series of Toy Biz's X2 figures are now showing up so you better get shopping! You can catch up on Super Poseable NIGHTCRAWLER and Super Poseable WOLVERINE which have already been reviewed here. 

The X2 Figures, which also includes a Battle Attack Logan, are a vast improvement over the original series. That's a huge step up, and I hear that the movie is the same way.





Packaging - ***1/2
The packaging is almost similar to The Hulk's, with a large sturdy bubble but with a fully themed X2 insert tray. Looks like "X-Men United" is the subtitle for the sequel as the packaging shows. The insert tray also displays decent artwork of the character on one side and a shot of the toy and accessory on the other. The backing of the blister is definitely worth saving, as it provides instructions on how to swap out the batteries included in the Cyclops figure as well as how to perform the gimmicks associated with the included gun. 

One thing worth mentioning is the "TRY ME!" feature in the packaging. There's a small hole cut out of the blister to allow a test of Cyclops optic blast. While it's great to be able to see if your toy actually works, I somehow feel weird about wondering how many other collectors have "toyed" with my One-Eyed hero. 

Sculpting - ***1/2
The sculpt on this figure is pretty awesome. It resembles James Marsden who plays the character to a T and that's all that matters (although the first Cyclops had a pretty decent likeness as well). 

There's not much more to say about it, since I'm sure we all know what to expect from ToyBiz. This is definitely one of the best likenesses of the line so far.

Paint - ***1/2
Not sure if it's a real problem but the lining on Cyclops' threads are occasionally uneven, but even I can understand that it's a pretty difficult thing to do that accurately. As for everything else, great job. The flesh tones aren't distracting and the hair is also nicely done.

Articulation - ***1/2
In all honesty, the articulation score here should be a perfect 4 stars, but the half is mostly my own personal opinion for the lack of an upper torso joint. Like Wolverine, the upper body is incredibly stiff due to the missing articulation, but it's understandable that these uniforms don't allow for much movement in real life either. But still, as a toy, it would be fun for more possiblities for action poses. 

But other than that, there's a ton of articulation to make toy fans happy. Did I mention that it's super poseable?

Accessories - ***
Cyclops technically comes with two different accessories. The first one is the ever essential visor, which is removable. What can I say? It's perfect. The red portion of the visor is see-through for the optic blast effect. 

The second accessory is the "X-Ploding Gun Base". Can we all GROAN in unison for that title? Despite the cheesy name, the gun base is still relatively cool, although it's not enough for the more mature collector. The gun has two action features: 1) the ability to fire 4 projectiles and 2) "x-ploding" gun action. The exploding feature works decently but the projectiles don't seem to fire ver well. But it might just be a problem with mine specifically. 

Value - ****
At eight dollars, I find this toy be a good buy. With excellent sculpting, paint, articulation and an "X-ploding" gun, it continues the tradition of great Marvel characters brought to the plastic form. Of course you'll have an even better value when purchased at retailers such as Wal-Mart or Target.

Overall - ***1/2
If Nightcrawler was the X2 figure that recieved a perfect 4, and Wolverine recieved a so-so 3, then the super poseable Cyclops here falls right in between. It's a great figure with great articulation and check it out....OPTIC BLAST! If you collect any of the Marvel movie figures, Cyclops would definitely be the one to get.... AFTER you buy Nightcrawler. And if the figure disappoints after opening, don't worry... it'll grow on you. 

Where to Buy:
I picked this up at my local KB. On-line:

- Entertainment Earth has a whole case for $120, but that means you'll have to find some folks to share.

About the Reviewer:
Coheteboy is an avid toy collector and a big X-men fan. He also writes for Galactic Hunter.


Figure from the collection of Coheteboy.

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