Restaurant Collectables: the Flintstones Movie 1994 McDoanld's

Back in the summer 1994 kids everywhere were going Yabba-Dabba-Doo for everyone's favourite "modern stone-age family" The Flintstones! At the time the iconic 60's cartoon series was the longest running of all time and remained very popular all throughout that run and its subsequent re-runs on cable T.V channels such as Cartoon Network. The 90's was the decade for making movies out of anything that was even remotely popular with kids particularly if it was based on a cartoon or kids show or featured dinosaurs especially after Jurassic Park stormed the biggest box office a year earlier becoming a multi billion dollar franchise! Steven Spielberg served as producer and Jim Henson's creature work shop supplied the beautifully rendered animatronic prehistoric beasties whilst T.V and film favourite John Goodman was ideally cast in the lead role with equally solid support from Rick Moranis as long suffering best friend Barney! The movie saw great success at the box office but received mixed reviews with most citing that whilst the movie looks fantastic and the creature effects are wonderful as is Goodman as Fred Flintstone the overall plot was a little too adult and younger children struggled to engage with what was going on outside of the cartoon antics!

There was a huge promotional campaign following the Flintstones release as well as a  large number of merchandise being produced including Action figures and play sets courtesy of Mattel but one of the most impressive tie-in's came from fast food chain  McDonalds who went all out to promote the movie via Flintstones themed Menu, with giveaways including Etched collectable drinking glasses and a fantastic range of toys made available through their very popular Happy meal's! There were several different sets of toys produced for several different regions and here we will look at both the U.S and U.K sets:

 

Fred/Bedrock bowl-O-Rama: After Fred receives a promotion at the quarry he decides to live it up and trades in the flint-mobile for a snazzy  new "Le Saber Tooth 5000" sports car! A sort of prehistoric take on a Ferrari only this vehicle is powered literally by a sabre Tooth engine! Both Fred and his sports car both represent their on screen counterparts very well  boasting a pretty good John Goodman likeness particularly for the tiny scale! All of the little detailing, that extends to the vehicles wheels, are very nicely accomplished also!  

Each toy comes with a miniature play set, in this case Fred's favourite haunt the Bowl-O-Rama which is a really nice idea and makes for a fun feature. The play set opens up in order to store the vehicle inside, there are also a set a decals that accompany the toy to add extra detail such as the Bowling lanes!

Wilma Flintstone: The matriarch of the Flintstone family Wilma is often told by her overbearing mother that Fred is no good, until he gets a pay rise and promotion at work that is! All of the luxury and lavishness that the Flintstones enjoy as a result of their new found wealth comes at a cost however, and their best friends the rubbles hit rock bottom temporarily fracturing their friendship! Wilma comes driving the classic Flintstone family car and comes complete with the family home which is just big enough to store the vehicle when its not in use. Once again this toy boasts another pretty good likeness and both the figure and vehicle have plenty of detailing but only minimal paint apps!

As with each toy the Flintstones home comes supplied with a set of stickers to add detail including that of the woolly mammoth dish washer  which can be seen at the rear of the house while the sabre tooth cat is at the front window! The house can be accessed by the vehicle by pulling a bone shaped tab at the side and removing the side portion of the house all of which is really nicely sculpted but has no additional paint applications.

Dino/Pebbles/Toy-S-Aurus: Excitable family pet Dino is extremely fond of his owner and  looks forward to being able to greet Fred when he arrives home from work! Dino is peddling along with Pebbles on their trike whilst making their way to the prehistoric version of Toy-R-Us which features in the background of a couple of sequences in the movie! Whilst the vehicle in this instance isn't as interesting looking as the others it does have a decent amount of detailing to give the impression it is made of wood both figurines are very nicely detailed particularly as they are quite small in stature, Dino especially is very nice looking and very close looking to the animatronic puppet used in the film! 

When deciding on which real life stores to use in the movie they obviously chose the ones which work the best as prehistoric puns! The reason for its existence aside the toy replica is pretty great looking and has a really nice aesthetic complementing both the characters it comes with and the other buildings in the set nicely!  

Betty/Bam-Bam/Roc Donald's: Barney Rubble and wife Betty are given a chance to have a child thanks to the generosity of best friends and neighbours The Flintstones, in the form of an adoption. There new son Bam-Bam has incredible herculean strength and a rebellious streak but quickly becomes best friends with Fred and Wilma's daughter Pebbles! Betty and Bam-Bam come seated in a twin log double seater vehicle with as doesn't appear to have a name of any kind but is nicely sculpted to look as though it is made of wood. Betty and Bam-Bam themselves are decent looking though not especially detailed but accurate looking enough that it is obvious who they are suppose to be!     

Betty and Bam-Bam come with a miniature replica of the Roc-Donald's  restaurant glimpsed briefly in the movie and featured in the advertising posters for McDonald's Flintstones promotion. It has a fair amount of detail but as with all of the buildings in this set has no additional paint applications which is made up for by the inclusion of a couple of stickers!  
Barney/fossil fill up: Barney is best buddy/Work college/Bowling partner/neighbour and more to the hapless Fred! the poor sap even switches test results with Fred meaning that instead of himself being made vice president Fred is instead! Barney takes a one man log style vehicle for a fill up (even though all the cars are powered by foot?) in a nod to one of the various job's that Barney takes on after his dismissal from the quarry! Barney's vehicle is basically a log with wheels and a canopy which have basic but effect detailing, the figurine however is very nice indeed and actually looks a lot like actor Rick Moranis!  

There are some nice sculpted details on this including the humorous caveman/cavewoman toilet signs on the back section as well as the usual decals to add some colour and personality! there is a section at the back that can be removed in order to place barney (or any of the toys for that matter) within!   

Wilma/Dino: The first of the UK offerings is probably the best figure in the set, which like the U.S version depicts Wilma in the classic Flintstone family car but this time she comes with Dino who is popping his head through the roof just like in that classic opening sequence! as you roll the toy along Dino bobs up and down and the front and rear wheels also roll along! Due to this toy being a couple of times larger than the vehicles from the U.S set the detailing is that more intricate and impressive particularly on the vehicle itself and the detachable roof! 

Roc Donald's: Another replica of the restaurant as it appears in bedrock but this version is somewhat larger but somewhat less detailed, it has four panels which can slide across in order to access the inside but there is nothing on within plus the figures from this set can't even fit inside!

Supplied is a sticker to decorate each panel with each one depicts the main characters ordering their fast food meals, bizarrely they all look like they are modelling for an McD's advertisement campaign!  

When Fred isn't at home with his feet up or at the Bowl-O-Rama he is hard at work in the quarry, operating his brontosaurus crane as depicted here is this toy! Pulling on the Dinosaurs tail will raise the Bronto's neck and have Fred bounce up and down!

This is a simple but nice looking little action toy, with both the Brontosaurus and Fred looking pretty decent but just not much like John Goodman it has to be said! Also Fred's Tie seems to stop at the neck collar which is odd perhaps it was intended to be attached later but the manufacturers never got round to it?

Live action incarnations of cartoon shows rarely work and while The Flintstones is probably no exception it is certainly miles better than some of the other ill fated attempts such as Yogi Bear and Garfield! McDonald's certainly went all out in promoting it and for the most part produced some great little collectables which Flintstones fans will want to pick up in their entirety, chief among them are the U.S mini play sets and figure/vehicle combos which if you were so inclined could create your own miniature Bedrock!   

The Wizard of Oz 1998 BlockBuster entertainment/Play Pak Mattel

Movies do not come much more revered and celebrated as 1939's The Wizard of Oz, Every line of dialogue, every lyric of every song and each and every performer and costume design is permeated into the hearts and minds of generations of film fans the world over! simply put: if Ever oh ever a classic there was the Wizard of Oz is one because, because, because, because BEEECAAAUSE... Because of the wonderful things it does! Every decade that passes The Wizard of Oz reaches some milestone which is usually marked in one way or another, nowadays you could  probably expect some newly minted special edition of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray as standard plus a theatrical re-release, most recently the classic film received a 3D upgrade available on Blu-Ray and spent a limited time in theatres. Back in 1998 the movie was fast approaching its 60th anniversary and in preparation was given an all new digital restoration before being shown in cinemas for a new generation who had perhaps only seen the film on Television or VHS and so wouldn't have experienced it in its full glory!


A slew of all new merchandise had been put out around the same time including a great range of action figures and dolls sold exclusively at The Warner Bros store! You could also pick up fantastic set of four premium figures made available briefly at Blockbuster video stores through their experimental "Play Pak" scheme! The "Play Pak rental program" (to give it its full tittle) was launched in 1997 in conjunction with Mattel and began with promotions based on Disney's then current release Hercules. The concept was similar to that of a McDonald's Happy meal in that there would be a free toy supplied with the purchase of a children's video rental along with an activity bag and a small popcorn. The Wizard of Oz toys were by the far the best promotional toys available through the short lived Play Pak brand and here we will be looking at three of the four toys in detail:

The Scarecrow: Dorothy Gale finds herself in a wonderful and colourful magical land named Oz after being caught in the midst of a cyclone back in her native Kansas, where she is desperate to return to and Her only hope of which is to find the mysterious and all powerful Wizard who rules over Oz who is located in emerald city and so she must "Follow the yellow brick road" to reach him! shortly into her journey she comes across a straw man who is being pestered by some crows while he helplessly dangles from a tree trunk, after being freed by Dorothy the Scarecrow decides to accompany his new friend to Emerald city in the hope of receiving a brain so he can "while away the hours conferring with the flowers and consulting with the rain"!  

Originally released as a set of four available through the earlier mentioned "Kid's Play Pak" promotion from Blockbuster entertainment outlets in the USA these Wizard of Oz inspired toys are very similar to the kinds of toys you might expect to find in a fast food restaurant Kid's meal, the "puzzle slot train" gimmick has even been used several times in various Happy meal toys from McDonalds.   
The Scarecrow here is probably the best looking toy of the set, he is a single sculpted solid PVC figurine posed tied up on a tree trunk which spins around when you push or pull the yellow brick road base along! The figure is really very nicely detailed and strongly resembles the on screen character and the fantastic make up and costume design with a good amount of individual paint apps that help to highlight out all of those wonderful sculpting details in this toy!  

The Tin Man: Stood rusted solid for weeks in the same spot mid chop the mild and sensitive Tin man is discovered and fixed up by Dorothy and the Scarecrow and is soon skipping off down the yellow brick road in the hope of receiving that which he is most desires: a  heart from the great and powerful Wizard of Oz!

The second toy in this set is another impressive looking figure with a solid likeness of the movie character and a decent paint job (though minimal is mostly accurate to the film) Tin Man even has the best action feature by far particularly when compared to the basicness of the others in this line! When you Push him along the figure raises his Axe and  chops at the accompanying tree trunk which is a simple but effective function that works really well!  

The Cowardly Lion: Dorothy and her new friends carry on down the yellow brick road singing merrily, oblivious to the evil old witch lurking in surrounding woods who pounces on them and vows to wreak vengeance for the death of her sister caused inadvertently by Dorothy's falling house! The witch departs but the path they have taken leads them further into the woods where they find themselves face to face with a ferocious lion! at least he appeared ferocious until Dorothy puts him in his place for trying scare poor little Toto when the Lion confesses to be nothing but a coward but wishes he wasn't and so is invited along to go and see the Wizard who they hope will grant their individual requests!

Here we have another fantastically sculpted figurine but one that has far fewer paint applications than the Scarecrow and a much less effective action feature than the Tin Man! The Cowardly Lion is cowering behind a shrub or bush and bobs up and down above it when rolled along which, as I eluded to earlier, isn't all that impressive but doesn't detract from what is an incredible looking (and quite weighty) figurine with lots of great detailing throughout and featuring a solid likeness of Bert Lahr's indelible cinematic icon!   






A classic of classics with tons of merchandise and a huge following that shows no sign of letting up (on both fronts). In the pantheon of Wizard of Oz collectables these figures are pretty minor additions but considering they were giveaway premiums produced at a time when there were no shortage of giveaway premiums clogging up children's toy boxes these are pretty nifty and well made and shouldn't be written off by serious Oz collectors! They may come with a tried and tested action gimmick that is hit and miss depending on what toy it is but these are undeniably well made and great looking with each character also being spot on in the likeness department! The full set includes Dorothy with Toto, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and The Cowardly Lion.  

The Mask 1994 Kenner

Back in 1994 there was one guy everyone was talking about, a fresh-faced rubber-faced Canadian comedian by the name of Jim Carrey, who came out of nowhere and all of sudden had three mega hit movies under his belt all in the space of 12 months! All comedic vehicles for the hilariously energetic and manic Carrey who had previously been a staple of T.V and the stand up circuit but was now a bona-fide movie star with a salary to match. The MASK was the last of the three to be released and probably the most high profile of the bunch, with multiple tie-in merchandise from Comic book adaptations to a Kenner toy line which we will be covered here. With state of the art cartoon inspired special effects and dark humour The Mask ranks as one of the most recognisable and memorable movies of the 1990's.


As mentioned above The Mask presented an ideal opportunity for licensors to cash in on the massive success of this quirky comic book inspired character, including PVC collectables from Applause and the obligatory Toy-Line courtesy of Kenner and later Toy Island. A handful or two of figures were produced along with a couple of vehicles all of which were typical of the time and so not in anyway remarkable or enervative but still nicely made and with a good variety of toys to choose from as we will now explore:  

Heads up Mask: The benevolent Norse God Loki crafted a mystical Mask which turns the wearer into a crazed loon with super human powers, making them able to live out there wildest fantasies! In the case of "nice guy" Stanley Ipkiss it transform him into a green faced Wildman who can contort his body into any form imaginable (usually pertaining to Cartoon character inspired guises) where he makes a stir at the nightclub he was thrown out of and impresses the girl he has a crush on! But the Mask becomes an addiction for Stanley, one which he tries to sustain from but his social awkwardness draws him back to! 

As the title of this figure might suggest the main gimmick here is that the figure is able to "transform" from Stanley Ipkiss into his crazed alter ego! Rotating his arm will see Stanley's head enter in his body via the chest and his Masked head appear in its place, its an effective action feature but sadly gives the character a little too much bulk in the chest are in order to accommodate the concealed head which is also much smaller than the head sizes on the other Mask figures but still manages to be decent representation of the on screen prosthetic make up design! The rest of the figure fairs well despite a lack of detail and oddly posed hands (one of which looks as though it should be holding something yet no hold-able accessory was supplied!)

Stanley, looking quite pleased with himself here, is an awkward and meek cartoon lover and bank clerk, who is taken advantage of or mistreated by practically everyone he meets but when he discovers an ancient Norse mask he is gifted with amazing abilities and starts to live out his wildest fantasies and confront those who makes his life a misery! There are too few action figures based on Jim Carrey and those that are very seldom represent the actor without some kind of mask or makeup on which in itself makes this particular figure quite unique it's just a shame the likeness isn't stronger but that's not to say it is bad just not spot on! 

Milo Mask: Stanley's loyal mutt Milo is a curious and athletic dog who provides companionship for Stanley and even helps him escape from jail before he and Stanley take on Dorian and his goons at the coco bongo club at the movies climax where Milo ends up wearing the mystical mask himself with hilarious results!



Any accessory that is a character in its own right is always a plus and Milo is the ideal accompaniment especially as he comes with a removable Masked head of his own (which would have worked great for the main figure had they gone down that route with him also) Both of which are nicely sculpted but a little basic looking due to a lack of paint applications but for a toy that is essentially an addition to add value to the main figure it is pretty impressive!

Face Blastin' Mask: When Stanley Ipkiss' love interest Tina requests a get together with the mysterious green faced felon known as The Mask only their date (where The Mask comes attired as an obnoxious Frenchman) is cut short by the presence of detective Callaway who proceeds to arrest The Mask but  is unsuccessful! As The Mask makes his escape he comes face to face with an entire army of Police offers who are then treated to a rendition of "Cuban Pete" before being lead into a conga!  

This figure depicts with some accuracy The Mask as he appears in the scene described above in particular the moment where The Mask is confronted by a huge swarm of police officers responding by screaming his face off which forms the basis of this toys action feature which has his eyes pop from its sockets and his green face spring from his skull at the push of lever! This is possibly the best  looking figure in the set if not it is certainly the most humorous and fun of the bunch and represents the sequence it was inspired by very well!

Quick-Draw Mask: The last time we see The Mask in the movie he has just defeated nemesis Dorian and has consumed a large amount of TNT while dressed as a 1930's gangster and brandishing a huge assortment of firearms!
This action figure is based on that brief scene and like "Face Blastin' Mask" Kenner has managed to capture the spirit and humour of this particular sequence! The face sculpt is especially brilliant on this figure and is probably the closest in accuracy to the movie make up! The "spring arm" action feature is basic and not all that exciting but is appropriate for the choice of design and the weapons are only vaguely reminiscent of the ones seen in the movie but complete the look of the toy nicely!

Heads up Dorian: Every superhero (even one as anarchic as the Mask) needs a villain and Dorian is as mean and dangerous as they come! The former heavy decides to take revenge on his boss by "borrowing" Stanley's mask, while delivering him to the cops, and wreaking havoc at the Coco bongo club!
The Dorian figure is very similar to the heads up Mask above and even has the same hand poses though at least this figure comes with a projectile launcher (not pictured) he has decent detailing on the body portion of the figure including the lapels though as stated with earlier figure the proportions aren't great plus the head is far too small compared to the body and not all that detailed either, which is a shame as the make up in the movie is pretty impressive looking! This figure has the same gimmick as before which works even better on this figure as the puffed out chest is in keeping with the muscular Dorian in Mask form!

Here we have Dorian minus the Mask and the likeness isn't too bad though is a perhaps a little heavy on the rouge colour lips and Jack Nicholson eyebrows! Overall it isn't a terrible looking representation but is distinctly lacking in effort!


If The Mask didn't have Jim Carrey and his indelible gift for wacky comedic tom foolery it may have been a slightly darker and more sinister effort from the movie studios that brought us A Nightmare on Elm Street which might have been more accurate to the comic book on which it took inspiration! As it is however the Mask is enjoyably goofy and energetic plus special effects are still convincing some 20 years later Kenner's toy line also has a lot going for it including fun action features and decent likenesses  plus these toys are pretty easy to get hold of at very low prices nowadays making them easy to collect even if they aren't Kenner's best effort!  


The figures available in this series:


-Belly Bustin' Mask
-Heads up Mask
-Killing Time Mask
-Quick-Draw Mask
-Face-Blastin' Mask
-Tornado Mask
-Wild Wolf Mask
-Chompin' Milo
-Heads up Dorian


Vehicles:
-Mask Cycle

Restaurant Collectables: X-Men 2 (X2: X-Men United) 2003 KFC/Jack-In-The-Box

In the pantheon of comic book movies X-Men 2 or X2: X-men United, as it sometimes referred to, is one of the most highly respected and enjoyable in the entire sub-genre bettering its predecessor in almost every way and setting the bar high for those other big screen comic book adaptations that followed! X-2 is more ambitious and visually thrilling than the original and yet maintains the very grounded emotional character beats from its predecessor making this sequel a prime example of how to expand upon and in many ways improve upon what had come before but also retain what worked well prior and more importantly what audiences really appreciated about that first instalment.
At this moment in time X-Men 2 is still highly regarded as one of the finest adaptations of a comic book property and despite a slew of other X-Men based movies that followed few managed to fell as epic and emotionally gripping as this 2003 effort which was also by far the best of Marvel's offerings in the summer '03 (the others being the mediocre Daredevil and the disappointing big screen debut of the HULK)


Aside from the slightly anaemic yet fantastically crafted Toy Biz toy line there was less emphasis on X-2 related merchandise than had been the case with the previous X-Men,2002's Spider-Man and that years HULK movie but what was available was above average including tie-in Fast Food promotions from KFC (in the UK and Europe)  and Jack -In-The-Box (in the US and Canada) the latter of which were released to coincide with X-Men 2's DVD release. here we will be looking in detail at both those fast food promotional toy sets released in 2003:

Cyclops-Optic Visor Blaster: Scott Summers AKA Cyclops had successfully lead his X-Men team mates on a rescue mission to save Rogue culminating in a  battle with Magneto and his Brotherhood at liberty island but this time around he is the one who is need to rescuing as both himself and Professor Xavier have been apprehended by the Militant Mutant hater Col. Stryker! Scott wasn't going without a fight but had met his match with the super agile "Lady Deathstrike" and was further over powered by Stryker and his mind control serum derived from his mutant son Jason turning Cyclops temporarily against his own team mates including wife Jean Grey!       

This may be the stand out toy in this KFC set in terms of its design and function, who doesn't love a toy that lights up right!? and in order to have Cyclops' visor light up the toy couldn't be a stand alone figure with detachable base combo like the other toys in this set making him all the more unique! He instead comes incorporated into what appears to be a metallic door with an "X" motif crushed around Cyclops! Overall this is a very nice looking toy with a great likeness of the character and some fantastic detailing throughout!

The fantastic detailing in this toy even carries through to the back section where you will find the X2 symbol and what appears to be some damage caused by Cyclops' powerful laser beam! Another function this figure can perform is the projection of a small "X" symbol that can be emitted from the top of the toy!

Wolverine-Battle Rager: Logan came to Xavier's school after 15 years of roaming around from place to place with little to no memory of his past, haunted by ominous nightmares of the surgery he endured which resulted in his bones being coated with "Adamantium" but his past is about to catch up to him when William Stryker enters the scene a man bent on waging war against all of mutant kind but who holds the secrets to Wolverines shady past! Wolverine must make a choice between standing by and protecting the mutant students at Xavier's school or taking the opportunity to find out who he really is and possibly exacting revenge in the process!      

This figure is a decent representation of the Movie version of Wolverine even if it is not a spot-on likeness of actor Hugh Jackman! There is some very nice detailing throughout though it would have benefitted from some extra paint applications to fully bring out some of the intricate sculpting on the X-Men uniform Logan is sporting! The figure also has an action feature which can be activated via the levers on his back which will make his arms move up and down in a slashing motion! It is also worth noting that each figure (minus Cyclops) has the pegs that attach the figures to the stands situated at the bottom of the figures feet preventing them from standing independently!

Wolverine also comes with a base in which to place him on which while simple in design is still a very nice looking piece which is embellished with the "X-2" Logo in the centre and is surrounded by claw marks!

Storm-Tornado Activator: Not only is Storm an integral part of the X-Men team but she is also Earth mother and Mentor to the students of Xavier's School for the gifted. It is her calm and level headedness that helps persuade reluctant Mutant Nightcrawler (who had been manipulated into attacking the US president) to join Xavier's institute where help will be available to him! Storm has the ability to control the weather and uses her gifts to help take down two hostile fighter Jets when they are in pursuit of  the X-Jet and later uses her gifts to help save the day during the climax at Alkali Lake!

If there has to be a weak link in this set it is probably the Storm figurine which lets down an over wise really great toy! Its not that it is really terrible but it just doesn't do the on screen character justice there is something about it that isn't quite right even though she has some nice detailing on her X-Men uniform which redeems it somewhat! No such complaints for the Tornado action feature however which works really well and fits the character perfectly!

Iceman-Ice Blaster: Bobby Drake is one of the younger members of the X-Men team and still very much a student at Xavier's school for the gifted learning to develop his unique abilities! He is in a relationship with fellow student Rogue but the two are unable to share in the sorts of physical affection most couples are able to due to her own mutant gift which enables her to absorb a persons life-force through skin to skin contact. Bobby's own powers might be more fun to possess namely the ability to emit Ice from within but due to the prejudice  against mutant kind he had kept this a secret from his own parents before "coming out" to them when he pays an unexpected visit on them after Himself, Pyro, Rogue and Wolverine flee from Stryker's attack on Xavier's School!

At first glance Bobby here doesn't exactly stand out amongst the more visually appealing figures in this set, if you weren't a fan of the movies you might not even realise he was a Marvel superhero of any description! However that is all the more reason why this figure is so impressive this is coming from someone who LOVES this franchise and particularly X2 and who fully appreciates it when these promotional toys don't just go down the obvious route and in this case rather than just stick him in his X-Men uniform that he sports very briefly they went for Iceman's civilian appearance and in doing so gave us a figure that could have felt a lot more generic but is surprisingly very accurate to the character likeness not to mention all of the fantastic and intricate detailing on his clothing which is hard to appreciate as there isn't much in the way of additional paint applications to really bring those details out!   

Almost as great as the figure itself is the base that accompanies him which is some kind of icy glacier that you load up with ice projectiles (printed on card) and which fires them out as pull the toy along!  

Nightcrawler-Teleporter: Kurt Wagner, known in the Munich circus as the incredible Nightcrawler, is a "Teleporter" and devout Catholic who had been brain washed by col. William Stryker into attempting an assassination on the U.S president after which he was discovered by Jean Grey and Storm hiding out in an abandoned church in Boston! The kind hearted elven mutant soon proves to be a valuable asset to the X-Men with his incredibly useful gift of being able to Teleport proving to be a great help during the rescue mission to retrieve Charles Xavier who was being held by Stryker in his underground base at Alkali Lake!   

The standout character from the second X-Men Movie instalment was without doubt Nightcrawler who features in the film's best sequence set in the white house! Perhaps it is that fondness for the character that places this figure so high up in my estimation but there is no denying this is a rather impressive looking little toy which features some fantastic detailing from the scars etched into the figures face to the tiny details on his over coat despite the fact the coat itself is coloured  cream as appose to the grey/black seen throughout the movie but this could have been influenced by the above mentioned sequence in the movie where he does wear a similar coloured but differently styled over coat!
The base on which he can be pegged onto is also nicely designed with similar looking symbols to those on Nightcrawler's face carved in, the action feature can be activated by pressing down the button in the centre and selecting which direction you want the toy to head off in!

If the Figures on their own weren't enough for you each toy came supplied with a collectable trading card featuring the relevant character, on the front of the card are two overlaid images which alternate when you move the card and on the back there is a short bio of the character!



Cyclops: The group leader and husband to Jean Grey  Scott Summers is one of the most iconic and beloved characters in the X-Men series of comic books but was sadly underutilized in the original Trilogy much to the dismay of the fans! That said the sequences where the character feature are memorable and actor James Marsden puts in a solid performance in the role!

Though these JACK-IN-THE-BOX toys are relatively small there is quite a good amount of sculpting detail on these particularly in the X-uniforms and especially on Cyclops, the same cannot be said for the likenesses which are hit and miss! Each figurine in this set stands at around 3 inches tall and were originally supplied with a base and a lenticular trading card.  

Jean Grey: With her powers continuing to take strange and unexpected turns it is no wonder Jean is struggling to properly control them. As Cyclops points out Jean has been acting "strangely" of late, having to concentrate extremely hard  just to levitate a book yet when ever she has a bad dream the entire room shakes! During the climax of X-men 2 Jean sacrifices herself in order to save the rest of the X-men with its closing sequence heavily implying Jean's transformation into "The Phoenix"!  

Jean here fairs a little better in the likeness department but has a slightly awkward looking pose! Again the detailing in the uniform is what stands out most on these figures and Jean Grey is no exception!  

Nightcrawler: Former circus performer Kurt Wagner had been manipulated into attacking the white house by the shadowy colonel William Stryker who is intent of starting a war with mutant kind! Kurt however is no cold blooded assassin but rather a sweet and kind teleporting mutant who joins the X-Men to combat the evil military leader's deadly plot!

Nightcrawler certainly stands out amongst this set mainly because he is the only figure which isn't clad all in black! He certainly has the most paint applications even if not all of them are exactly screen accurate (His coast is painted gold for some reason!) once again there is some decent sculpting throughout let down however by a rather generic looking facial likeness!  

Iceman: Bobby happens to have one of the coolest (pardon the pun) of mutant gifts which he puts to good use in evading the evil Col. Stryker and his military assailants pay an unwelcome visit to Xavier's school! Bobby is your typical teenage guy who just wants to be excepted by society for who he is almost as much as his girlfriend rouge who views her mutant abilities as a burden!     

Bobby has been given his trademark "Ice slide" pose similar to the KFC toy above but unlike that figure the likeness  here is very generic looking but not so far removed from his on screen counterpart as to be unrecognisable! Iceman is sporting his X-Men uniform which has its own unique detailing even if he only appeared in it for about a minute in the actual movie!  

Rogue: When we first met rogue she was a teenage runaway, ashamed of her mutant gifts and looking for a fresh start somewhere she wouldn't be recognised she eventually found solace at Xavier's school for the gifted where she would learn how to use her powers and bring them to their full potential! Of course the inability to be able to physically touch another human being takes its toll on Rogue effecting her from having a full and intimate relationship with fellow student Bobby! 

Rogue like Bobby was only briefly seen in her X-Men Uniform which Wolverine barked at them was "On order and should be ready in a couple of years!" but seeing as this is probably the only figure based on movie Rouge other than the Toy Biz action figures from the first movie its just nice to have her included at all in uniform or not! actually this one came out rather well though could be said that it doesn't resemble the on screen character perfectly but the likeness is certainly not terrible! One thing this set manages to get right above everything else is the little nuances of each suit  which are for the most part really nice representations of the on screen costumes even if they are presented in sometimes very odd looking poses!


Other figures available were Wolverine, Lady Deathstrike and Storm.     




X-Men 2 (or X2: X-Men united) is as exciting and gripping as any movie in the comic book movie sub-genre and is easily the best movie in the entire X-Men series (Days of Future Past coming a close second perhaps)  and so it is always fantastic when a brilliant movie gets brilliant merchandise as was the case here with the Toy Biz action figures and these Jack-in-the-box and KFC promo toys  which make for particularly unique little collectables for those who are collectors of X-Men/Comic Book superhero merchandise or restaurant toys in general!