Packaging - ***
The packaging is the same as we've seen in the past several series.
It's not collector friendly, but it is fairly attractive and the all plastic
outer shell means it's quite sturdy too. It protects the figure from
both theft and damage well, and doesn't waste much space either. It's
not going to win any awards from me for design of the year, but it does the
jobs it needs to do quite capably.
Sculpting - Cyclops ***; Magneto **1/2
If you've been paying attention, then you know I'm a huge fan of the Icons
line. I haven't loved every figure in the series, and there have been
some stinkers from both Toybiz and Hasbro over the course of the full run.
However, this was a series I thought Hasbro was actually handling better
than Toybiz (with a couple exceptions)...until now.
The head sculpt on Cyclops isn't too bad. Oh, he's a bit pinheaded, but
he's a superhero and that's pretty much par for the course with the style.
Cyclops is also supposed to be rather svelte, so the smaller body isn't a
big deal for me.
He's very awkward in appearance though. The proportions combined
with the articulation just end up looking too funky for my tastes, as though
he's deformed, but just a little. There isn't any one issue that is
bad enough to draw immediate attention, but the overall package just doesn't
please the eye.
Magneto has more issues though. The body is identical in size and
proportion to Cyclops, with some minor sculpt changes for the costume.
This athletic body and young face just isn't working for me, at least not
for a character like Magneto. I think that Silver Surfer, who also
uses a very similar body, looks great, but Magneto needs more upper body
bulk and an older face. This version looks like a 35 year old swimmer
dyed his hair and dressed up in a Magneto costume for Halloween.
Both stand about 1/8" under the usual 12", and that's also a bit of an
issue for Magneto. Average height seems about right for Cyclops, but I
was expecting a bit more height out of Mags.
They do both stand well on their own though, and the sculpted gesturing
hands look good. I like the cloth cape on Magneto, and it's made from
a high quality material with a nice hem along the edge, and yet isn't too
thick or heavy to look right in this scale.
Paint - Magneto **1/2; Cyclops **
Both of these figures sport fairly weak paint jobs, with more slop than
is acceptable in even a mass market toy.
Magneto is the better of the two though. I had some odd
inconsistencies in the color on the belt where it looked like something came
in contact with it while the paint was still wet, and I'm not a huge fan of
the speckled look on the collar. The black on the back of the gloves
looks weird, and some of the cut lines aren't as clean as they could be.
The body does have a wash though, and there's very little bare plastic here.
The only major issue in terms of a color cast as part of the plastic is the
face, which ends up too shiny because of it. The other small details
on the face though, like the eyes, lips and eyebrows, are all nicely done.
Cyclops has more issues with the cuts between the thin yellow lines and
his darker suit. There's slop all over the place, and the application
is extremely inconsistent. The darker black and blue show through in
many places, and in others the yellow is thick and clumpy.
Articulation - **1/2
These two have similar articulation to past Icons, so there's really no big
surprises. Both appear to have actual ball jointed necks, rather than
the more common disc and peg joints we've seen before. I'm surmising
this (you can't actually see the joint buried up under the head) because I
can not only turn the head and get forward/backward movement, but you can
get some tilt action in there too. They get extra points for this,
even if it's a bit limited.
The ball jointed shoulders are the usual, with joints on both sides of
the ball. Unfortunately, both of the figures have shoulders that are
extremely tight. I had a very difficult time getting the arms down,
even when everything was lined up perfectly. In fact, I thought I was
going to snap Magneto's left arm off, I had to push on it so hard.
Getting them into good shoulder poses is much more difficult than it should
be.
There's also the double jointed elbows and knees, both of which work
great. They have pin and disk wrists and ankles, as well as cut waist
and a clicky chest.
In fact, almost all the joints are the click style. It works pretty
well here, except in the aforementioned shoulders, and to some degree the
hips.
The low score is a combination of the difficult shoulders, along with the
temperamental hips. It doesn't make much sense to get this much
articulation if it doesn't work all that well.
Accessories - Magneto *1/2; Cyclops Bupkis
Unfortunately, accessories seem to have gone bye bye with this series.
Magneto has his helmet, which fits fine and stays in place well, but that's
it for either character. I know Cyclops doesn't exactly have himself a
utility belt of goodies, but at $20 a pop you're going to expect a bit more.
Fun Factor - **1/2
Even with their faults, these are still pretty decent toys. The tough
articulation hurts them here though, because kids are more likely to get
frustrated with it and damage the figure than an adult will.
Value - **
As I said, these are normally $20 a pop, if you can find them At that
price point, you're not getting any accessories, and the re-tooled Magneto
body just ain't cutting it. Had they maintained the $15 price point, I
would be more forgiving, but giving us less at a higher price seems to be
like picking my pocket while I'm handing you money.
Things to Watch Out For -
You're going to need to move those shoulders, because out of the package
they come pretty warped. Take care, since the amount of pressure you
need to supply may be too much for the upper arm peg joint.
Overall - **1/2
I have to admit that the more I played around with these, the more I liked
them. In the package they look extremely poor, but once they are out
and posed they pick up a bit. Then you start getting a bit better
poses, and get a better feel for the articulation, and they aren't quite as
bad.
That's not saying they deserve a better score than this, however.
The paint on Cyclops is weak, and I simply can't get beyond the general body
sculpt on Magneto looking so out of place. The shoulder joints are
far, far too tight, and the lack of any real accessories means the twenty
dollar price point is high. These guys are blown away both Icons like
Hulk, Venom, Thor, Ghost Rider or even Doom, but they don't stink up the
joint quite as bad as someone like the Punisher.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - Cyclops ***; Magneto **1/2
Paint - Magneto **1/2; Cyclops **
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - Magneto *1/2; Cyclops Bupkis
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - **
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy -
If you're luckier than me, you should be able to find them at a
local Target or Toys R Us. If not, try these online options:
-
CornerStoreComics has them for $24 each or the pair for $46.
- Amazing Toyz has the singles
at $24 each as well.
Related Links -
I've reviewed many of the past Icons:
- most recent, for me anyway, was Doom and
Punisher.
- Ghost Rider (with his bike) is perhaps
the best that's been produced in the series.
- Others include Thor,
Venom,
Spider-man and Beast, and Wolverine.
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