In the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, being the funny sidekick can be as cool as being the Slayer Herself. Well, not quite. But almost. The show can be so funny, and so character-driven, that even a goofy guy like Xander Harris deserves a place in the annals of Slayer lore.

Xander's the class clown, the guy always pining after Buffy, and never quite making it into her arms...which isn't to say he doesn't get his share of the babes. Unfortunately, they end up being babes that are part praying mantis, or hyena, or Inca mummy princesses. Still, action is action. I guess Xander reminds me a lot of me, and how I'd be in the situations he's thrown into--scared out of his mind, horny, but basically willing to do the right thing to help his friends. Not necessarily in that order.

Xander made it into the first series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer PALz: two-inch high highly articulated figures from Palisades Toys. They're relative newcomers to the block figure portion of the toy industry, following on the heels of Kubricks, LEGO minifigures, and Minimates. And Palisades does PALz right, loading them with articulation and a strong sense of style, and then overloading them with accessories that make their lines like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and X-Files come to life.

Xander's one of the better figures in the first series, based on the first season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The likeness is amazing, especially considering his face is a fraction of an inch tall...and has no nose! His floppy hair, bushy eyebrows, and distinctive mouth really set him apart from the other characters in the line, and make him look very...Xandery.

His clothing is simple, jeans and a green shirt over a white t-shirt; his "transforming feature" includes a different "scared" face on the back of his head and a black jacket. Not much different, but enough of a change that it's like having two different toys in the package.

Xander's got the same great articulation other PALz do--the head, shoulders, and hips all have ball joints, and then the elbows, wrists, waist, knees and ankles are all jointed as well. It's a great way to make a toy almost universally poseable, and works well with the PALz and their accessories.

The pile of accessories that comes with Xander makes him that much better--he's got his skateboard, books, and backpack, for Sunnydale High life; he's also got some Slayer-Helper equipment, like a wooden cross, stake, and flashlight. And, like each of the PALz in this first series, he comes with a tombstone, so you have an instant cemetery once you've picked up several of them. Which you'll want to do.

This is a great line of toys, and Xander is one of the better ones in this first "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series...and when a great character and great toy combine, well...that's when it gets five stars. You can find these at Media Play, Sam Goody, and Suncoast, and in many different online and specialty stores. Get on board now with Series 1--Series 2 will include other favorites like Spike, Oz, Cordelia, and Jenny Calendar. And you know you want those.

MORE “PALz”

X-FILES
Agent Mulder http://www.epinions.com/content_182360247940
Agent Scully http://www.epinions.com/content_182373224068
Frohike http://www.epinions.com/content_183027273348
Deep Throat http://www.epinions.com/content_183107423876
Flukeman http://www.epinions.com/content_183132262020
Conundrum http://www.epinions.com/content_183138881156
Donnie Pfaster http://www.epinions.com/content_183279390340
Gray Alien http://www.epinions.com/content_183391850116

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Buffy http://www.epinions.com/content_180773293700
Willow http://www.epinions.com/content_180776570500
Xander http://www.epinions.com/content_180782665348
Giles http://www.epinions.com/content_180819103364
The Master http://www.epinions.com/content_180851216004
Darla http://www.epinions.com/content_180860325508
Angel http://www.epinions.com/content_180931825284

MORE BUFFY REVIEWS:
Buffy Season One http://www.epinions.com/content_148969197188
Buffy Season Two http://www.epinions.com/content_158297394820
Buffy Season Three http://www.epinions.com/content_161138445956
Buffy Season Four http://www.epinions.com/content_173637602948
Buffy Season Five http://www.epinions.com/content_178931404420

Angel Season One http://www.epinions.com/content_173638848132
Angel Season Two http://www.epinions.com/content_179964251780



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 6.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure