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Sideshow X-Files
Cigarette Smoking Man

Mark D has been out for awhile, but he's back with a new great review of the mysterious yet oh so wrinkled CSM from the X-files.  Take it away, Mark!

This review is the latest release in Sideshow Toys X-Files line. This is C.G.B. Spender, often better known as the Cigarette Smoking Man. This was the “mystery man” in the series. Was he there to help Mulder find the truth or hide it? Eventually it was determined he was Fox Mulder’s biological father. He was definitely one of the more fascinating characters on the show. 




Packaging - ***1/2
If you’ve ever read my reviews before, you know that boxes are nothing more than functional transportation vessels to me. I immediately rip them apart to get at the goodies inside. However, these boxes feature great graphics of the movie posters on the cover and photos from the movie and of the figures on the sides and back. The flap style box allows full viewing of the contents. For those collectors that like to keep the boxes, these figures and accessories are easily removed and could be easily returned (only three twist ties!). While there is only three twist ties, Sideshow continues their annoying habit of securing the figure in the box with a twist tie that goes through the inner cardboard, then through the plastic tray, twists around the figures neck, then down around the chest. What a pain!! I had to nearly strip the figure to get it off!! Half a star off for that one dang twist tie!!

Sculpting - ****
The head sculpt is excellent!! Not much more to say about it. Andy Bergholtz at Sideshow did an EXCELLENT job. The figure bears an uncanny likeness to the actor, William B. Davis. The deep wrinkles or “character lines” to be politically correct, are right on. They even sculpted in a patch on the side of his neck. I remember it from the show but don’t recall what it was. Nicotine patch??? I have no complaints on this sculpt.

Paint -****
The head is the only things that is really painted. Sideshow did an overall great job on the head. The head has crisp edges at the hairline and very nice blending throughout the face, ears and hair.

Articulation - ***1/2
Sideshow has articulation that is comparable to the other top figures on the market. Overall they are very poseable yet stable figures. 

Outfit - ***
CSM is dressed in a two-piece blue suit, white shirt and red tie. This was the Sideshow “exclusive” version, so I also got a great overcoat. Sideshow did a nice job with helping the suit lay nice. They placed an elastic band on his shirttail that wraps under his leg to keep the shirt pulled down. They also added a snap on the front of his pants and the inside of his suit jacket to hold the jacket in place. The suit and overcoat are overall very nicely made with nice tight scaled stitching. My only complaint is that the suit is a tad small and tight, and the collar isn’t very crisp. It looks like CSM got it “off the rack” when he’d be the type of man to have a special black-ops tailor. 

Accessories - ***
CSM has three accessories if you don’t count the Sideshow figure stand that comes with all their figures. He has one loose cigarette, one pack of “Morley” cigarettes. The pack of smokes kind of disappointed me. It is thin cheap paper and may have a short life. Some of the other 1/6 manufacturers have done some really nice things using plastics and foam. The other accessory is by far the best. It is a high-powered sniper rifle on a tripod. The gun itself isn’t overly detailed, but the overall product on the tripod makes it an excellent piece.

Fun Factor - **1/2
I always rank the figures on this category because after all, it is supposed to be a toy. These figures are more suited to striking poses on a collector’s shelf than they are riding an avalanche down a back yard log pile in a child’s adventure. The Sideshow figures are overall pretty sturdy, especially when compared to some of the other high-end figures but they are obviously meant to be displayed and not played with.

Value - *** 
I got him on line directly from Sideshow Toys for $45. I bought the “exclusive” version for the overcoat. The regular version goes for $40 from Sideshow. This is towards the top end of what I allow to pay for action figures and at this price, it is an OK price…not easy to pull the trigger on a regular basis, but I’ll do it a few times a year.

Overall - ***1/2 
I was really tempted to give him four stars because I love the head sculpt so much. I had to take off a ½ point for the ill-fitting suit and for that one ridiculous twist-tie!!! 

The Rater: Mark D is an avid action figure collector old enough to have gotten vintage GI Joes for Christmas as a kid, but still young enough to play with his toys. He collects mostly vintage AT GI Joe stuff but still likes to grab the cool stuff that comes out now, especially law enforcement figures and accessories. He's always looking to swap with other Joe-heads and assist them in finding the hard to find stuff. You can contact him at mmdals1@aol.com or visit his site at www.the-precinct.com 

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpt - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Outfit - ***
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy: 
You can still pick up the regular version of CSM from Sideshow for $40.  Other on-line options include:

- Fireside Collectibles is a great source for all kinds of Sideshow items, including the X-files figures.  CSM is available from them for just $33.

- Alter Ego Comics has the regular CSM for just $32.

- Killer Toys has them available for $35 each. 


Figure from the collection of Mark D.

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