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Packaging - **1/2
The first set of X-Men 2 figures were released earlier on this year in April to coincide with the theater release (check out my earlier review on
X2 Wolverine). This set seems to coincide with the DVD release in November 2003. The good thing about the packaging is that it matches that of the original X2 set so MOCers can simply put these directly next to wave I but thats it. Its more or less same old same old. I still like the shape of the blister and the card and while the pictures of the inserts and the back of the card are updated with pictures of the new figures, I can't help think that there could have been a minor addition to improving the look of the box.
Sculpting - *** 1/2
When I first saw pictures of this back in February during ToyFair 2003, I knew that I had to have this figure. It looked amazing at the time and luckily for me, it hasn't changed a bit. One of the tiny things I was diappointed with the X2 Cyclops from wave I was the overly large translucent visor. In both of the X-Men movies and also in the recent comics, the visor is streamline and thin. The figure keeps that new tradition and rather then have it as an accessory, its well sculpted and it definately looks alot better and more accurate then the first figure.
Another major improvement over the first is the addition of the trenchcoat. Its made of a thick rubber material and nicely detailed and not stuck in an over dramatic pose yet wraps around Cyclops well with a lot of detail around the sculpted collar and buttons. The trenhcoat ensures that the figure doesn't look too thin and weedy which a catergory most of the Marvel movie figures seem to fall under.
The new head sculpt carries the likeness of James Marsden as well as the first. There are reused parts, mainy the legs and possibly the torso of the figure but this is understandable as these worked well for first figure, allowing the figure to stand with no difficulty. The sculpting didn't get full marks mainly due to the reused parts and the left hand not being able to hold the plastic batons.
Paint - **1/2
ToyBiz seem to be mixed when it comes to paint jobs. The figures from The Lord of the Rings line always seem to have top paint jobs. However, whenever it comes to Marvel figures, a problem seems to arise and not just in the X2 figures. First thing I want to point out is the glossy/shiny paint used for the main part of the uniform. This is nicely done and works as it represents the leather portions of the outfit. The patterns on the uniform are well in the lines with no bleed, making it look better then the first.
The trench coat is a matt black as it should be and is nicely
separate and extinguishable from the main uniform. All these are positive points which makes you wonder why a score so low was given. The negative is mainly due to the average paint job on the head. The visor, one of the most important parts of this figure, isn't fully painted, especially around the bottom by the nose while theres also a tiny bit of black paint just below the visor on the nose. The same thing applies for the hair. One of the bangs is half brown, half flesh colored. This seems to really let the figure done as the body was almost flawless.
Articulation - ***1/2
The packaging clearly states 32 points of articulation, which is definitely something to expect from ToyBiz now since Marvel Legends. All of the articulation points are actually of some use, allowing maximum posability for different poses. Mainly check out the photos for what I mean. The scene this version of the character was taken from was mainly a hand to hand combat scene so it's natural that this figure needed all the articulation it could possibly get.
Accessories - **
Another low score from me. Cyclops is given two plastic batons and thats it. Although he doesn't use much in the actual scene but giving a figure the same single accessory twice is poor in terms of figure collecting these days. The clear batons are nicely done but beware as they can become deformed as they don't seem straight anymore.
The one thing that saves this figure from humiliation in this
category is the battery pack embedded in the torso. As expected, the figure has a button on the back. Once pressed, the visor lights up, as if firing a concussive optic blast. The feature never seems to get old and this one is better as it involves the whole panel of the visor lighting up and not just the two eyes, giving a more comic-like blast. To improve on this figure in terms of accessories, a base which incorporated the room outside the plastic prison cell would have been nice.
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