And the best thing about X-MEN 2 is the amazing opening sequence featuring the equally amazing Nightcrawler. He's always been a cool character, but he never had his mainstream due until this film. Sadly, after the opening, he doesn't get much to do beyond spouting the occasional witty, pseudo-Catholic philosophical remark, or bampfing in and out to save someone who's been stupid and got themselves in a tight situation.

Since he's a visually cool character, it's no surprise that we've seen an upswing in the number of action figures and statues based on him. One of the best was last year's rotocast version from Toybiz, based on the film. Now, the Marvel Collector's Club has released a sixth-scale statue at the super reasonable price of $35.

The MCC is designed to provide great quality, excellent-looking statues at reasonable prices. While most 12" scale statues run $100 - $150, MCC releases all their sculptures at $35 each. So far they have released Spider-Man, Psylocke, and now Nightcrawler. Next up is Punisher, due in May.

So how does the "club" work? The club was developed by NECA and Marvel together. For $35, you can sign up as a member and also receive the your first collectible, and your current choices are Psylocke, Nightcrawler or Punisher. Spider-man sold out long ago, and I'm betting Psylocke isn't far behind.

It's also possible to become a "super member." There are only 500 super members, and these folks will automatically get each collectible shipped to them as soon as it's available. Instructions for becoming a super member are in the FAQ at the site. I have no idea if they've already filled up their quota of Super Members or not, but it's worth a try if you're interested in getting all the releases.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Marvel Collector's Club Nightcrawler"

Nightcrawler is limited to 2500 pieces, the same as the previous statues. He is based on the dynamic artwork of Jim Lee and sculpted by Sam Greenwell and Rudy Garcia.

Packaging - *1/2
Yep, a very low score - but part of the reason these are able to be sold so cheaply. They come straight from the manufacturer to you, no middle man, and no fancy boxes. He arrives on your doorstep in a plain cardboard box, with a nice foam insert that holds him safe and sound. Mine arrived perfectly, and very well packed. There is also no COA, although the figure is marked on the bottom with the issue number.

Sculpting - ****
Of the three statues released so far, this sculpt is my favorite, hands down. Not only is there plenty of detail and great scale (a little better than Spidey), there's also an excellent action pose. He just bampfed in, and he's ready to fight. The facial expression looks great, stern and serious without being constipated, and the detail work on the hair is particularly good. This bust can compete with some of the best in this scale in this category, the big Nightcrawler fans should be very pleased.

Paint - **1/2
The paint application continues to be the bane for these statues. While the colors are bright and the choices good, the application still leaves something to be desired. It seems that one area that comes up short at this price point is the paint application, and if NECA could just solve that issue, they'd have perfection.

In this case, the biggest issues are on the white areas, and the red of the costume. The white areas aren't thick enough to completely cover the color underneath, and part of this may be on purpose. By not being too white, and allowing the lower color to show through, it adds a sort of shadowing or wash to the appearance. While that sounds good in theory, in practice it appears like poor paint work.

The back is where the other big issues are for me, where the red has trouble with consistency across his costume. There are rub marks and inconsistencies in the thickness. But not all is bad - the work on the hair, face and eyes is excellent. If they can just get that same quality all the way around, they'd be amazing. And of course, they'd probably be $100.

Design/Quality - ***1/2
As I mentioned in the sculpting section, the overall pose is my favorite thus far. They managed to not only capture an action pose, but one that's tough to convey - his "bamf." The quality is also very high overall, except for the continued issues around the paint ops. The statue has a nice heft to it, and there's little chance for easy breakage. The figure is a separate piece from the base, and he has two metal pegs that attach him. But don't forget and pick him up off the shelf by his head - the base is going to be history!

Perhaps the only flaw in the design is one poorly placed puff ball of pink. Look at him from the right angle, and you'll get a rather disturbing image of just where cotton candy comes from.

Value - ***1/2
At $35, these really can't be beat. If they could just get the paint quality improved a tad, they'd be a pure four stars in this category. You won't find similar statues any where near this price in this or any other collectible market.

Overall - ***
As I mentioned earlier, this is my favorite so far of the three released statues. He doesn't score quite as high as Spider-man did, because he has more paint issues than my Spidey did, but for overall appearance and design, he's my top pick. While the next release, Punisher, looks pretty good, I don't think he'll have what it takes to knock Nightcrawler off the top of the hill.

These statues aren't perfect, but considering the price point, they are extremely nice. You don't have to be Donald Trump to have a great set of Marvel statues on your shelf, and that's the best aspect of the Marvel Collector's Club.