{"id":572,"date":"2016-02-14T15:57:58","date_gmt":"2016-02-14T20:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/?p=572"},"modified":"2016-02-14T18:10:44","modified_gmt":"2016-02-14T23:10:44","slug":"memorabilia-palisades-the-x-files-palz-figures-series-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/?p=572","title":{"rendered":"[Memorabilia] Palisades \u2013 The X-Files PALz Figures – Series 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
“A television cult phenomenon began in 1993\u00a0with the creation of The X-Files. \u00a0FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully encountered mutants, vampires, aliens, madmen and\u00a0government\u00a0conspirators to investigate\u00a0unexplained\u00a0phenomena contained in what the FBI\u00a0labeled\u00a0the “X-Files”, cases that defied traditional explanation. These all-new Series 2 X-Files PALz action figures feature great well-loved characters and some incredible fan\u00a0favorites from the creepy and compelling series, and prove once again that “The Truth is Out There.”<\/em><\/h6>\n

— PALz Series 2 Case<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this post we’re taking a look at the second set of The X-Files PALz block figures. \u00a0For the first set\u00a0and general history of the PALz line, check out\u00a0The X-Files PALz Figures – Series 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
12 of the 14 figures in The X-Files PALz Series 2 set. Not pictured are the variants of Skinner in his trench coat and Scully in her autopsy gear.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second and final set of The X-Files PALz figures arrived about nine months after the first, in November of 2005. \u00a0During this time, the decision was made to switch from the nicely designed blister packs of Series 1 to blind packaging for Series 2. \u00a0While blind packaged figures are common in North America now, this was an unpopular decision among fans back in 2005 who didn’t want to spend a fortune buying random characters in order\u00a0to complete the set. \u00a0In addition to the blind packaging, the chances of acquiring a chase figure had also grown slimmer. \u00a0Whereas the three chase figures in Series 1 were limited to 1 per case of 24, the six chase figures in Series 2 were limited to either 1 in 32 or 1 in 64.<\/p>\n

\"palz2_box_4_views\"<\/a>
Packaging for The X-Files PALz Series 2 blind packaged box. \u00a0Like Series 1, the box features the credits on the package. \u00a0The Series 2 boxes also provided the rarity of each figure. \u00a0The figure and accessories were held within a clear plastic bag inside.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But perhaps the blind packaging did have one silver lining: \u00a0It forced you to open the figures up and play with them! \u00a0The Series 1 packaging was perhaps a little too<\/em> nice. \u00a0They looked great on display in the package, so why ruin that by taking them out? \u00a0But at the same time, the point of the figures was to pose them and play with them and make use of all of those neat little accessories, and blind packaging by its very nature forces the customer to open it just to see what’s inside.<\/p>\n

While both series seem to have received a relatively small production run, figures from Series 2 tend to appear even less frequently than Series 1 in the aftermarket, leading me to believe that this series may have been even more limited than the first. \u00a0Either that, or perhaps spread a little\u00a0more thin, as this series contained 14 different figures compared to the 11 from Series 1. \u00a0Like Series 1, the base set contained eight different figures, but here we have six chase figures instead of three, with four of them being variants of figures in the base set, and two being entirely new figures (Alex Krycek and Marita Covorubius).<\/p>\n

\"palz2_case\"<\/a>
Box containing 16 blind-packaged figures. \u00a0Due to the rarity of the chase figures, it is extremely unlikely, if not impossible, that one would be able to obtain a full set of 14 figures from a single box of 16, as the chase figures were limited to either 1 in 32 or 1 in 64.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The individual packaging divides the second series into two categories, separating the standard and chase figures by rarity. \u00a0They’re listed as follows:<\/p>\n

X-Files PALz Series Two<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1:8 Mulder – FBI Field Jacket
\n1:8 Scully – FBI Field Jacket
\n1:8 Assistant Director Skinner
\n1:8 Newborn “Attack” Alien
\n1:8 George Peacock
\n1:8 Eugene Victor Tooms
\n1:16 Cigarette Smoking Man
\n1:16 X<\/p>\n

X-Files PALz Limited Edition Chase Figures<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1:32 Special Agent Fox Mulder “Reynard Muldrake” (Mulder in suit with trench coat)
\n1:32 Cigarette Smoking Man “Raul Bloodworth” (CSM with briefcase [no trench coat])
\n1:64 Walter Skinner “Field Operations” (Skinner in trench coat)
\n1:64 Special Agent Dana Scully “Quantico Forensic Training” (Scully in scrubs)
\n1:64 Alex Krycek “Comrade Artzen” (a misspelling of Krycek’s alias “Comrade Arntzen”)
\n1:64 Marita Covarrubias “United Nations SRSG”<\/p>\n

Overall, of the 14 Series 2 figures, 10 are unique characters, and the only characters repeated from Series 1 are the new versions of Mulder and Scully. \u00a0As far as variety of characters, this would put the PALz Series 2 set just behind the recently\u00a0released set of The X-Files\u00a0Titan vinyl figures, which contains 12 unique characters in its base set (the four chase figures are all variants of existing characters), though the combined Series 1 and 2 PALz end up beating it with 16 unique characters between the two.<\/p>\n

\"PALz<\/a>
A sampling of the PALz Series 2 accessories.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the highlights of the PALz figures are the various show-specific accessories. \u00a0Each figure comes with its very own little paper X-File based on an episode of the show, usually one that in some way relates to that particular character. \u00a0There are also the standard sort of accessories that we’ve seen other figures come with such as guns, FBI badges, flashlights, and cell phones, but the PALz line isn’t afraid to tap into the details of each episode for some more unique (and occasionally disturbing) items. \u00a0Tooms comes with an extra set of stretchy arms and a roadkill snack, and CSM comes with an alternate hand holding a cigarette and a pack of Morley’s. \u00a0Mulder’s iconic sunflower seeds and “I Want to Believe” poster are there, as is the classic photo of Fox and Samantha Mulder as kids. \u00a0The Alien comes with an alternate chest plate that can fit over any character’s torso, just in case you need to simulate its “birth.” \u00a0Scully comes with an amusingly bizarre PALz version of the x-ray film of her brain tumor from “Momento Mori,” and George Peacock comes with a bloody ax, pitchfork, and baseball bat, as well as a little block figure version of a deformed dead baby. \u00a0Uh… \u00a0Let’s just not mention that last one to LEGO when trying to defend The X-Files from getting shot down for not being a family-friendly property…<\/p>\n

\"Krycek<\/a>
Krycek taunts Skinner with nanobots, his fake left hand hanging at his side. Skinner is not amused.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite their small size, the PALz line of figures is pretty well articulated and fairly poseable. \u00a0Their arms and legs have a decent range of motion, and they can bend at the knees and elbows and rotate the hands and feet. \u00a0The blocky heads can rotate and tilt slightly, and the hair\/ear pieces are removable. \u00a0They can technically be moved a bit at the waist, though that is often limited by\u00a0longer shirts and jackets. \u00a0Like most block figures, the pieces can come apart and are interchangeable between figures.<\/p>\n

\"Mulder<\/a>
“Hey, look, I found this thing in a lamp. Now, what were you talking to my mom about?”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the downside, however, the flexibility of these figures seem to come at the cost of fragility. \u00a0While they’re certainly meant to be played around with and put in fun poses, they can really only be recommended for adult collectors, as they just won’t hold up to rigorous play. \u00a0The arm and leg joints in particular tend to come apart very easily, which is fine if you want to swap some body parts, but they often come off too easily when just trying to pose a figure. \u00a0Also,\u00a0now that it’s been more than a decade since their original release, it’s become clear that some of the plastics used are prone to discoloration over time. \u00a0So far, this generally seems most noticeable with some of lighter colors, such as the hands.<\/p>\n

\"Mulder<\/a>
Um, Scully, you might want to get that alien artifact away from Mulder, or we might have to deal with more awful “brain disease” plotlines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, now that Palisades is no more and the proposed third series of X-Files PALz figures never saw the light of day, is this the end of The X-Files block figures? \u00a0The demand was obviously there after the X-Files Revival was announced in early 2015 when Brent Waller, designer of the excellent Ghostbusters LEGO set, proposed a set of X-Files LEGOs, complete with Mulder and Scully’s basement office, to \u00a0LEGO Ideas. \u00a0The proposed set was very popular with both X-Files and LEGO fans and was widely reported on in collector’s circles, however it was ultimately rejected by LEGO due to the show’s mature themes (damn it, Home… \u00a0<\/em>we still love you, though). \u00a0While unofficial, custom versions of the LEGO Mulder and Scully figures can be ordered at a premium, it sadly doesn’t appear that we’ll be getting official versions anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\"Peacock<\/a>
“Hey, George, I think you’ve got a little something on your shirt. Want a bite of my liver?”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But fortunately LEGO’s lack of interest was not the end. \u00a0As I mentioned in the PALz Series 1 review<\/a>, the PALz figures were originally a derivative of Art Asylum’s Minimates line, and now it seems that we’ve come full circle, with Art Asylum picking up the license and putting out figures for both the 2016 limited series as well as a set of figures for the classic series. \u00a0So far the range of figures is nowhere near the variety seen in the two PALz sets, but these will be the first new figures released specifically based on Mulder and Scully’s Season 10 look, so it’s still an exciting prospect.<\/p>\n

\"X<\/a>
Currently the only available figures of the informants Mr. X and Marita Covarrubias. I realized after taking this picture that Marita’s scarf is on backwards. Oops. Also, her coat is removable, however, the plastic has stiffened with age and no longer comes off easily!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, that brings us to the end of the road for the X-Files PALz line. \u00a0As mentioned earlier, these figures can be hard to come by these days and can be quite pricey when they do appear for sale. \u00a0With that said, if anyone has the Scully and Skinner chase figures and would like to contribute photos\u00a0for this review, please feel free to leave a message in the comments section or contact me on Twitter! \u00a0And hopefully we’ll be able to check out just how the PALz figures stack up against the new Minimates in an upcoming review…<\/p>\n

Information was compiled from my own memory and 2005 email receipts, as well as old retailer and eBay listings (especially the super-informative Corndog Collectibles) and message board posts.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“A television cult phenomenon began in 1993\u00a0with the creation of The X-Files. \u00a0FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully encountered mutants, vampires, aliens, madmen and\u00a0government\u00a0conspirators to investigate\u00a0unexplained\u00a0phenomena contained in what the FBI\u00a0labeled\u00a0the “X-Files”, cases that defied traditional explanation. These all-new Series 2 X-Files PALz action figures feature great well-loved characters and some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[28,29],"tags":[31,30],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=572"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":814,"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572\/revisions\/814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/x-files.rainknight.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}