Men In Black 2: Hasbro 2002

Men In Black was a huge success on its release in 1998 and was certain to become a franchise when the spin off Cartoon series also proved popular. MIB 2 reunited  most of the original cast and film maker but was generally considered poor when compared to its predecessor. At the end of the first Movie Agent Kay wiped his memory via neutralizer and so in part 2 Jay has some work to do convincing the former Agent of his past in order to defeat a new Alien enemy! For the 2002 sequel Hasbro acquired the licence to produce the Action figures (Galoob provided the tie-in's for the first movie) These figures are smaller in scale in order to fit in with Hasbro's Jurassic Park and Star Wars figures (The rights to which Hasbro had acquired after the demise of Kenner) and generally improved upon previous offerings by producing figures that bare stronger likenesses of the actors and that came with more interactive accessories! here we will look at some of those figures in detail:

MIB STRIKE CRUISER: A flip of a switch transforms a very smart looking 2003 E-500 Mercedes into a rocket powered-flying-alien busting-strike cruiser! Aiding Agents Jay and Kay in their mission to protect the universe from the scum of the galaxy!     

This is an impressive looking vehicle and comes complete with sound effects and light up features which can be activated by pressing the button on the top of the vehicle which will also make the side panels pop out revealing some MIB High-Tec armoury! 

The cock pit opens up and easily seats the accompanying Jay figure though the control panels and chair details are just simple sticker decals

Agent Jay with Alien Patrol Cycle: MIB Agents have access to some of the worlds finest alien battling technology and Agent Jay here, Played by Will Smith, comes equipped with an armoured Motorcycle! Accompanied also by one of the MIB's strangest agents (Robot Squid)

Where this line greatly improves upon the Galoob offerings in 1998 is in the likenesses of the actors particularly in the capturing Will Smith who got a bit of a raw deal in the "Independence day" and original MIB toy lines. Though articulation is very basic on this figure his pose isn't as awkward as some of the other figures in the line, he is designed to be placed on his vehicle so his arms are stretched outwards. This figure was also supplied with the strike cruiser

Robot Squid: This figure is based on one of the Rick Baker designed Aliens who can be seen at MIB headquarters who is dubbed "Robot Squid" as he is both a Robot and a squid! Each figure comes with a little Alien side-kick which are fun and well designed and sculpted and although there is no articulation on these they do have some very nice paint apps 

Alien Pursuit Cycle: Like the strike Cruiser this motorcycle has both light and sound features, the base of the vehicle illuminates blue and makes revving noises when the back wheel is pushed down. Like the all the accessories the other figures come with this earth patrol motorcycle has chrome painted applications!

Scrad and Charlie with Defence Blaster: As played by "Jackass" star Johnny Knoxville Scrad and Charlie are an alien comedy duo (in one) who act as lackeys to Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) an evil Alien Temptress who the MIB will have to defeat in order to save the universe! Scrad and Charlie come complete with what looks like giant hair straighteners and of course an Alien companion!

Scrad and Charlie: There isn't a strong resemblance to Johnny Knoxville on this figure but its still a nice looking toy with bright vibrant colours which offsets the dull black and white suits of Kay and Jay nicely also there are some nice texturing and detailing in the clothing portions of the figure, though one bug bear is the hose that protrudes from the figure and it isn't detachable so hinders the figure freely standing



Tri-Pod Alien: Another great looking Alien accessory! This figure even has some very slight articulation and some nice paint detailing!

Defence Blaster: As I mentioned above this accessory is reminiscent of a pair of hair straighteners which adds to the zaniness of these kinds of oversized accessories! The base attaches to Scrad and Charlie and even helps to balance the figure slightly better then when it is on its own. Again the chrome paint detailing looks really good on this.

When you push down the tab on the end of the blaster the shaft opens up to reveal a little green Alien holding a ray gun which lights up and makes a blasting noise at the same time as launching a projectile!





MIB 2 the movie may have been disappointing to some but there is no doubt the action figures were, if nothing else, a lot more fun to play with than the figures that were released for first film! Boasting better likenesses to the actors, a selection of inventive chrome painted light up accessories with sound chips PLUS an additional Alien creature for company. Not a bad set of figures at all.


Figures available in the line:


-Agent Kay with gravitation flight pack
-Agent Jay with Alien Patrol Cycle
-Sleeble and geeble 
-Scrad and Charlie with defence blaster
-Neural Root Serleena
-Anti-gravity Agent Jay


-Talking 12 inch agent jay with frank the pug


-12" Agent Jay (Doll)
-12" Agent Kay (Doll)


-Strike Cruiser

Resturant collectables: Batman Returns 1992 McDonalds

As with any highly anticipated sequel to a hugely successful box office extravaganza Batman Returns was met with much fanfare and enthusiasm which gave way to tons of merchandise and the odd promotional tie-in or two! The most notable of which came from Fast food giant McDonalds who went all out promoting the movie with special themed packaging, toys and collectables for children and adult customers, Giving some parents cause for concern when they realized that the movie itself actually wasn't intended for children given its mature themes and frightening interpretation of the Penguin despite the fact it was seemingly being promoted to children via  McDonalds Happy Meals. Though true that Batman Returns isn't a film for small kiddies the appeal of Batman himself is so wide that that toys aimed at children will invariably be produced at any given opportunity (see The Dark Knight Trilogy)
Despite that minor controversy the items McDonalds produced to commemorate Batman Returns release make for really nice collectables and here we will look at all of those items in detail:  
Bat-mobile Launcher: This Iconic vehicle has had as many incarnations as the caped crusader himself with some of the best versions featuring in the Batman Movies With this beauty coming top of the pile! First appearing in 1989's Batman this sleek and yet fierce looking Bat-mobile reappears in Batman Returns with only some minor tinkering being made to the original design. The biggest new development was this Bat-mobile's ability to shed some the body work  at a flip of a switch to transform into the streamlined  "Bat-missile"!

This toy recreates that feature by having the vehicle launch its front portion when a button the rear of the Bat-mobile is pressed!


Batmobile Neck pen: released exclusively in Australian McDonalds restaurants were a set of four different Neck pens depicting each of the three main characters and the Batmobile! The vehicle, which has moving wheels, comes with an orange coloured pen to simulate the flames that shoot from the Batmobile's jet Turbine!


Penguin Umbrella Roto-roadster: lurking in Gotham city's sewers is a hideous penguin man masterminding a plot to take control of Gotham! With a band of circus freaks and an army of rocket launching penguins at his disposal!
Penguin as portrayed by Danny DeVito is a vicious and hideous creature a far cry from the previous incarnations and so is possibly one of darkest characters to have a happy meal toy modelled after! Of course there is no hint at the sinister nature of the movie penguin to be found here it still manages to get the appropriate look of DeVito's character but just in slightly less threatening manner you could even call it a sanitised version! The vehicle itself is a kind of circus car with a penguin motif with his distinctive umbrella mounted at the front twirling round in hypnotic fashion when the vehicle is pushed along!      

The Penguin Neck pen: The penguin became one of the most talked about aspects of Batman Returns after its release and many cite Danny DeVito's portrayal as the definitive take on the character. These neck pens as you may be aware aren't unique in their design, both this penguin and the Batman topper can be found on a couple of other mass market products but they certainly work well as pen tops.  

The likeness to the character as he appears on screen is decent enough and there is a fair amount of detailing in the sculpt. The accompanying pen is plain as is the rope that can be placed around the neck, no Batman insignia or anything sadly.

Catwoman Cat-coupe: probably the most iconic female comic book character of all time with arguably the definitive live action version being Michelle pfiffers portrayal in Batman Returns. Catwoman's inclusion in the sequel to 1989's Batman was probably one of the most looked forward to elements of the movie and she didn't disappoint!     

The tight PVC clad, whip wilding vixen doesn't exactly scream out "Happy meal toy" but then again at least only a modest portion of her is actually featured in this figure the rest of which consists of her Cat-Coupe vehicle complete with tail wagging feature!  

The catwoman figure is actually quite a good representation of her on screen counterpart she even has stitching effect on her costume which is a nice little detail!

Push and Go Batman Man: Though his initial casting received plenty of negative attention Michael Keaton proved himself to be a more than effective Batman and there was no doubt that he would reprise his role in the sequel Batman Returns marking Keaton out as one of the greatest Batmen ever!

On to the toy itself and it is clear which Batman this is straightaway with a pretty strong likeness of the actor albeit with much shorter ears than the movie costume. The vehicle is modelled on the Bat Ski Boat as featured in the movie but is modified slightly with tank style trims. The action feature is basic but effect simple push the figure down into the vehicle and watch as the toy is propelled into action!

Batman Neck pen: The nicest looking of the bunch is this Batman, which is very nicely modelled on Keaton's Batman complete with elongated ears and cynical expression!


Again there is no added detail on the pen itself but the batman topper is cool enough without it.


Batman returns may have garnered some negative responses by seemingly promoting what is quite a dark and adult orientated movie via Kid's meals promotions, though not all of what McDonalds had to offer in way of collectables were aimed a the kiddies! Batman Returns is one of the most heavily merchandised movies I can think of and it seems a little unfair that McDonalds got the brunt of the scorn parents were heaping on merchandisers! still its Batman after all and in all of his interpretations Kid's, big and small, are going to want stuff and lots of it and promos of this quality will always be welcomed.

Resturant Collectables: The Lord Of The Rings: the fellowship of the Ring/Return of the King Burger King and KFC 2001-2003

Based on J.R.R Tolkien's epic fantasy series of the same name the highly anticipated release of the motion picture trilogy The Lord of the rings breathlessly brought Tolkien's classic books to life with dazzling special effects and brilliant performances from a seasoned cast of actors, many of them British, along with amazing shots of new Zealand beautiful landscapes standing in for Middle earth. The LOTR trilogy had exceeded all expectations and became not just record breaking box office blockbusters but also critically acclaimed Oscar winning successes! pushing the envelopes of special effects, particularly in the creation and execution of Gollum, as performed through motion capture by Andy Serkis, and gaining a whole new generation of fans of Tolkien's creation. Rounding off the series (until the Hobbit trilogy of movies were made some years later) was the most exhilarating instalment of the movies which would conclude Frodo's journey to destroy the Ring of Power!


No epic movie series could be complete without toys and collectables and the LOTR trilogy certainly had its fair share of wonderful merchandise to be had including some of the most impressive restaurant promotional tie-ins I've ever come across... For the first instalment of the Trilogy (The Fellowship of the rings) USA Burger King restaurants  released a huge selection of figurines (almost 20 individual characters) which can be combined to create a circular diorama. A set of collectors chalices which light up were also available for purchase. In Europe we also received a selection of figurines which while nicely detailed weren't as much fun as the US set, with no light up or sound features and a much smaller variety of characters available to collect! To promote the movies release in 20003 in Europe KFC restaurants produced a series of figures to collect with purchases of their kid's meals along side which was Gollum Fridge magnet which came with a motion activated sound chip spouting such phrases as "Filthy hobbitseses" Here we will look at these sets in detail:
 

Bilbo Baggins: When the movie begins we find out that a humble elderly hobbit named Bilbo had been in possession of the one ring to rule them all for hundreds of years eventually he leaves his "precious" in the capable hands of his nephew Frodo and wizard Gandalf the grey who embark on a perilous journey to destroy the ring in the fires of mordor from which it came!

Actor Ian Holmes's likeness is perfectly captured in this 3" figurine with  textured detailing on his clothing and nicely applied paint work!







With each figure is a decorative base which in Bilbo's case represents the grassy and cobbled filled shire when he lives, the base also has a sound chip which is activated when the "one ring" is pushed down speaking: "The ring must go to Frodo"  with each characters name etched onto their individual  base being an nice extra little touch!

Galadriel: The Beautiful ancient Elven queen, also known as The Lady of light, bestows upon Hobbit Frodo the gift of the "light of Earendil" to aid him on his journey though even the great and powerful queen is susceptible to the lure of the one ring!

This is a particularly nice looking figurine and has a fabulous likeness to actress Kate Blanchet! moulded in translucent plastic as to glow when she is placed on the light feature on the base

here we have the aforementioned Galadriel base which is detailed with stepping stones and the mirror pool she uses to gazer upon "what is now, was and will be". The figure glows when placed on the light up feature on the base and is very effective!
Arwen: The Elven  Daughter of Elrond has power over water which she uses to save Frodo from the clutches of the Ringwraiths!

The figure comes astride her trusty steed and is reasonable detailed but is curiously much smaller in scale than the other figures making her look slightly out of place in the set!

Arwen's Base is moulded to look like a running stream bringing to mind the aforementioned scene in the movie when she summons the waters to drown the Ringwraiths in their pursuit of Frodo! This has another light up feature making Arwen and a portion of her horse light up red which isn't at all effective and has no bearing to the characters ability's unlike some of the other figures, This figure would have fared better with a voice chip feature instead!



Cave Troll: When the fellowship find themselves in what is essentially a crypt for dead Dwarves they disturb the residing Orks who come to do battle along side a hideous giant Cave troll!

Appropriately this is the biggest figure available in the set and also one of the nicest detailed of the bunch he really is a very nicely executed figure who even has some basic articulation for limited posing!

Again this figure comes with a light up feature on the base, glowing red when the ring is pushed to simulate a fiery lava filled rocky cavern!



Orc: These nasty little miscreants are loyal to the dark lord Saroun  and as such help to make the fellowship's journey that much more difficult!

This  figure isn't based on a particular character rather its of a generic Orc attired in battle armour complete with helmet with  authentic detailing and some nice paint applications to distinguish between armour pieces!

The Orc's helmet has a light up feature  when contact is made with the base and the ring is pushed down, the base also has some nice detailing with a broken blade and Orc helmet visible! 
   


Frodo Vs. Gollum: When Frodo reaches his journeys end and is about to destroy the One Ring once and for all he is set upon by Gollum who is obsessed with the Ring, having once been the bearer of it, and Gollum will do all he can to protect his precious while Frodo will do all HE can to destroy it!

Frodo: The humble young Hobbit who hadn't even ventured from his home of the shire before sets out on a truly perilous journey to destroy an all encompassing and powerful Ring which was forged in the fires of mount Doom and it is there that the Ring must be destroyed! Of course the Lord of the Ring Sauron is searching for his Ring of power and has commanded a powerful army to retrieve it! While battles rage across middle earth Frodo makes his way to Mordor to vanquish the enemy by destroying the Ring! This figure has a very good likeness of actor Elijah Wood with some nice paint detailing, he comes armed with a sword, which is coloured  blue as it appears in the film when Orcs are nearby! The ring, which can also be seen dangling around his neck, forms the base on which the figure/bust is mounted. The toy also has an action feature, a simple rotating of the arms when a lever on the back is moved up and down.

Gollum: or Sméagol as he is sometimes referred, has lived a long and pitiful life whose love and loathing of the one ring has divided his personality in two, making him both a friend to Frodo and a foe whose actions and motives cannot be entirely trusted! As with Frodo Gollum has a simple arm rotation action feature which can be achieved by moving the lever on his back up and down! Again a very nicely detailed sculpt especially in the face which resembles the character very closely! Also unusually for a fast food toy there is some shading painted on him to give some extra definition and realism!  

Gandalf Vs. Saruman: Once good friends they parted ways when Saruman pledged his allegiance to the Lord Sauron and helped supply him with an army of Uruk Hai to retrieve the one ring!

Gandalf: Here in his "White" incarnation Gandalf the wizard is a loyal Ally and trusted friend to Frodo Helping to lead the way in the various battles against Sauron's armies while Frodo carries on his journey to mount Doom! This figure is impressive looking with lots of detailing on the clothing features a very strong Ian McKellen likeness! The action feature here is a raising of his staff when the lever on his back is moved from side to side.

Saruman: Though he doesn't appear in the theatrical release of the  third movie scenes featuring Saruman were restored in the various extended editions for the DVD's/Blu ray's though they are quite brief! In any event Saruman, as played by Sir Christopher Lee, features heavily in the first two instalments so fully deserves a figure in this collection! This is without doubt the best of the bunch with a spot on likeness of the character and nice clean paint work and plenty of detailing on the clothing.

Aragon Vs. Uruk Hai: Strider AKA Aragon, Heir to the throne of Gondor, defends against an imposing Uruk Hai warrior who prepares to strike with his sword as Aragon swings his weapon in defence!

Aragon: Though this figure is very nicely detailed the facial likeness of actor Viggo Mortensen is really quite poor which is a shame as overall the likenesses in this set have been very strong! but I digress this is still a nice looking figure and he comes complete with swivel action!

Uruk Hai: Though this figure is just a generic Uruk Hai it is a very nicely designed and sculpted figure with lots of attention paid to the armour gloves and helmet! and although it has only one paint application which is on his face (or the part of it that's showing anyway) it doesn't take anything away from the figure as its only a small part of the face showing! He of course has an action feature a lever on his back makes his arms above his head come down in a slashing motion!

Legolas Vs. Orc: The elven archer battles with a gruesome Orc, bow and arrow at the ready, he takes aim at the foul creature who defends with a sword and shield!  

Legolas: Now this is a stunning looking toy, I cannot believe the level of detail and sculpting gone into him right down to the tips of his quivers! This has a spot on Orlando Bloom likeness and has the most effective of all of the action features, though he simply twists from side to side it is perfectly suited to his action pose (Aiming his bow and arrow) This is one of the best toys in this collection!

Orc: It is interesting to note that the insert for these figures had diagrams of each character and the Orc drawing depicted a much different looking design, complete with eye patch! I'm not sure if this  is suppose to be based on a particular Orc or if he is just a generic one but it is certainly a very impressive looking figure, the detail on his armour with all of the straps and so on are very nicely sculpted and the face has lots of personality and captures the ferocity of the Orc creatures perfectly. Though it is lacking the paint department with some effort being made to colour the teeth and hair and bring out the eyes the shield and sword would  have been better painted! Though I can't complain when a toy supplied by a fast food restaurant has this much detail and comes in sets of two!

Eowyn Vs. Ringwraith (Nazgul): Last in the set we have the Eowyn and a Nazgul though in the movie it is the King-Witch which Eowyn actually battles! Eowyn is a noblewoman who takes up her armour and heads into battle disguised as a man to prove herself a worthy warrior!

Eowyn: Unlike the Nazgul (bellow) This figure based on Eowyn has a very nice sculpt, a great likeness and nice paint applications as in keeping with the majority of figures in this set. Her action feature is very ineffective however her waste swivels when a lever on her back is moved from side to side but only just!

The Ringwraiths or Nazgul as they are otherwise known may have played a much smaller part in The return of the King however we are introduced in this film to the Witch-King of Angmar which is the actual character Eowyn faces off against in the movies climatic battle. This figure however is based on a generic Nazgul with its trademark striking pose! This is probably the least interesting figure of the bunch with only his sword having any kind of paint application the rest of the figure is black even the hands, which in the films are silver metal claw like appendages! The sculpting also looks basic and more like what you might expect from a cheap fast food toy even the action feature isn't very interesting, his arms move up and down very slightly when the lever on its back is moved up and down.

Gollum Talking Fridge Magnet: In addition to the five two-figure sets this very nice looking Gollum figure was available to coincide with the release of "the return of the king" originally priced at £2.50 it could be purchased separately and wasn't given away free with a meal unlike the other toys.

What's great about this figure is he is both magnetic and has a motion activated voice chip which says a couple of sentences from the film when movement is detected! He is also larger scaled than the other figures measuring around 4.5" and is very good quality with a great facial sculpt of the character!

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is one of the finest movie series of all time for a whole multitude of reasons and these fast food promotions certainly reflect the brilliance of Peter Jackson's epic franchise! These all come highly recommended as they are not typical of Fast food toys these are far superior to a lot of the freebies that come with Kid's meals generally and would look fantastic in a multitude of collections!