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X-men Classics
Wolverine and Cyclops
 
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Tonight's guest review is from Coheteboy, and covers the new Wolverine and
Cyclops from the X-men Classics line.
Toy Biz once again strikes a familiar chord with comic fans as they
release a NEW line to coincide with Marvel Legends and Spider-Man Classics.
As if those two lines weren't enough, X-Men Classics and Hulk Classics were
launched to pump even more out of the property. The first series contains
five figures, and yes, action gimmicks are abundant. We can cheer for these
new X-Men figures but only partially unfortunately because they're not done
with as much care as the Marvel Legends.
In the first assortment: Tiger Stripe Wolverine (yes, another one, but it's
closer to scale), Gambit (yes, another one and it blows), Archangel (still
can't find), and the ones we are reviewing today, Cyclops and Wolverine with
Sentinel Attack Action.
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Packaging - ***
The packaging is exactly what you'd expect from Toy Biz if it wasn't a
Marvel Legend. Standard card and bubble just like the Spider-Man and Hulk
Classics, but we have Wolverine art gracing the card. Hmm, I thought these
were "X-Men" classics not "Wolverine" Classics. Anyhoo,
the packaging works for what it needs to accomplish, and that's to sell an
action figure. And like most other "Classics" figures,
instructions are on the back for whatever the gimmick is.
Sculpting - ***
Both Cyclops and Wolverine have above average sculpts but are missing just a
tiny bit of something to make it better. Let's start with Wolverine, which
I'm pretty sure is 100% new. The body is actually sculpted exceptionally
well and the head sculpt is pretty good, but he has a pretty ugly mug on
him. I've read enough Wolverine comics to say that they could have improved
just a tiny bit on his face. Very minor in the long run, but they gotta stop
making all their Wolverines butt ugly... I guess it's accurate that way?
Cyclops has a pretty good head sculpt that fits well with the Jim Lee
artwork, but something needs to be done with his body. I don't recall this
guy being so SMALL! He's probably the size of Gambit, who's probably too
small as it is. And to add insult to injury, check out the area below the
waist; it's seriously the smallest I've seen on any toy. But putting that
aside, the details in Cyclops' uniform is really nicely done so it really is
hard to hate this figure for all his...hehe... shortcomings.
Paint - ***
What can I say? This is your typical Toy Biz figure paint job so what you
see is what you get. These two figures both have pretty strong paint detail
but I've seen a few with missprays and what not. But for action figures of
this size, what they've done is pretty solid. Cyclops has several different
shades in his hair, which is pretty cool. Wolverine's extra detail includes
body hair all over...which is pretty cool too I suppose.
Articulation - ***1/2
Rating these figures over a year ago, it would definitely be a four star
winner in this category, but after seeing Toy Biz raise the bar to the mid
40 range, half a star lower is what this is. Wolverine has 32 points of
articulation and Cyclops has 36, which really isn't bad at all!
Even at 32 points, Wolverine is pretty complete since there really isn't
much you can do with the jacket on. Cyclops overall is great as well, but
I'd rather do away with the optic blast gimmick and give him more
articulation in the neck since he's unable to look up or down.
Accessories/Action Feature - Cyclops ** 1/2; Wolverine ***
I grouped these two categories together because it kinda ties together in
this toy line. Cyclops comes with an action base that allows him to use his
"optic blast" action. The base is very similar to the X2 Cyclops
base but you plug the figure in to see the light up visor. Stick Cyclops on
the base, turn the lever and the cannon opposite him "blows up"!
It works great but I don't see myself using it much even for display.
Wolverine comes with a robot with VERY loosely affixed arms so he could use
his action gimmick to take them down. Pull back Wolverine's left arm and let
him go! I'm not a big fan of action gimmicks but it could have been a lot
worse. What gives Wolverine the extra edge in this category is his removable
jacket. And it's not just the usual jacket as seen in previous Legends
figures, this one has details and markings clearly making it an X-Men
jacket.
Definitely not as great as the larger bases usually given with Marvel
Legends figures but it's better than nothing.
Value - ***
At $6.99 each, this is really an unbeatable value. But since you are getting
much less than the Marvel Legends, I can't give it above three stars.
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Overall - ***
As you can probably see with all the scores, these are pretty much above
average offerings but a lot more could still have been done to plus it, if
you will. The sculpts are generally close to Marvel Legends quality with a
few minor flaws (Cyclops being too small) and with fewer accessories. I see
the potential for this line but hope that it doesn't become a gimmick fest.
There's plenty of minor X-Men characters I'd love to see, but only if
done with the proper care it would have received if it was in the Marvel
Legends.
Where to Buy:
These two figures were purchased at Toys'R'Us but I've seen remnants at
Target and at Wal-Mart.
KEEP SCROLLING DOWN FOR A LOT MORE GREAT PHOTOS AND COMICS!
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Figures from the collection of
Coheteboy.
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