The Resident Evil action figures from Palisades Toys are based on the popular series of video games. Rather than being limited to just one game, the Resident Evil line includes characters as they are seen in different RE games. (This second assortment of figures represents characters from two different RE games - Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil CODE: Veronica.)

Please keep in mind, these figures are marketed towards "mature collectors" and are clearly labeled as such. You may want to think twice before getting these for younger children due to the nature of these toys. They are for ages 13 and up and are rather graphic.

The fronts of the cards are the same (a sticker on the bubble tells the character name, with a second sticker highlighting a picture of the character) but the back of the cards are specific to each character, telling a little about them. Palisades also credits the sculptor on the bubble sticker and the development team on the back of the card. The logo insert inside the top of the bubble is a sticker.

Series Two of Palisades' Resident Evil includes four figures:

• Mr. X (from Resident Evil 2)
• Zombie Cop with Licker (from Resident Evil 2)
• Claire Redfield (from Resident Evil CODE: Veronica)
• Alexia (from Resident Evil CODE: Veronica)

Series Three also has four figures: Chris Redfield, Wesker with Hunter, Tyrant, and William G4. Expect to see Series Three in stores in the Fall of 2002. Series One was released in the Fall of 2001 and included Leon S. Kennedy, a Soldier Zombie, Nosferatu, and Nemesis.

Palisades has created their Resident Evil action figures on a six-inch scale, meaning that the taller characters are larger action figures, rather than Claire being the same height as Tyrant or Mr. X. Claire Redfield is about 6.25 inches tall, Alexia in Stage 1 is about 6.75 inches tall, the Zombie Cop is just under 6.5 inches tall, the Licker is 3 inches tall in a crouched position, and Mr. X is 8.5 inches tall.

The Resident Evil action figures retail in the $9.99 to $11.99 USD price range and can be found at stores such as Electronics Boutique. The store on the Palisades site will also carry them.

Click on a picture to see more pictures of that action figure.

Mr. X is "genetically similar" to Nemesis, although X appears to have been first in line for the genes relating to appearance. Bald and gray, he's pretty attractive for being a hulking giant of a biological weapon. Mr. X comes with alternate hands and a base. Two of the hands are closed fists, while the other two are in spooky "I'm going to get you" poses. Like Nemesis, Mr. X is outfitted in a black trench coat which disguises his waist articulation. He also features twists above his boots, knees, mid-thigh twists, hips, shoulders (ball-jointed), elbows, wrist twists, and a head which has a ball in it so that it can twist as well as look up and down.

The Zombie Cop is packed with a Licker, a .38 Special, a base, and "police gear" consisting of pieces which attach to the pegs on his belt: walkie-talkie, holster for his .38, mace holster, and handcuffs holster. Neither the mace holster nor the handcuffs holster opens, although they are sculpted and detailed to appear that they might. Some of the Zombie Cops have blue shirts and others have white shirts, to give your Zombie Cop army some variety.

The Cop is probably more articulated than a "real" zombie would be: ankle ball joints, knees, hips, waist twist, shoulder ball joints, mid-bicep twists, elbows, right wrist, and a ball joint neck. The Licker has cut joints on his shoulders and hips and has a ball-jointed neck. His tongue is a soft flexible material, although we were a bit too creeped out to pose it much.

Claire Redfield is armed to the teeth. In addition to her base, her accessories are: combat knife, AK-47, M93R automatic, sniper rifle, two M100-P automatics, and a magnum. (The card does not say what caliber the magnum is, but having seen Dirty Harry a few times, we're betting that it's a magnum .44.) The ammunition clips on the AK-47 and M93R are removable, and you can see the top bullet in the clip due to the sculpt and paint detail. She also comes with a can of first aid spray, although we're not about to ask her where she carries it.

Claire is capable of using her accessories, as her hands can hold her guns and both hands have trigger fingers - plus she has enough articulation in her arms to pose her weapons in multiple ways. In all, she is articulated as follows: ankle ball joints, knees, hips, waist twist (just under her shirt), shoulders (ball-jointed), mid-bicep twists, elbows, wrist twists, and ball-joint for her neck. Her ponytail can be twisted, allowing you to put her in an action pose with her hair whipping around. Claire's vest features artwork on the back with "Let Me Live" written above it.

To see more pictures of Claire than we have here, go to the Palisades Toys web site and clicking on "Daily Bit" from the main page, then choosing "previous weeks" and "Tuesday - 3/19/02 - Play with It! - Claire Redfield". Several of the images there are of the variant/exclusive "battle damaged" Claire, with blood spatters and no vest.

Alexia mutates during Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, and Palisades has created a unique way to see her in "Stage 1" and "Stage 3" - her arms and legs snap off and can be replaced with wings and a tail. (Basically everything from Stage 1, except her torso, is replaced to create Stage 3.) Aside from her base, her "only" accessories are her wings, tail, and extra head. You can read more about how she was engineered by heading over to the Palisades Toys web site and clicking on "Daily Bit" from the main page, then choosing "previous weeks" and "Monday - 3/18/02 - It's Evolution. Baby! - Alexia".

The State 3 head features "hair" which is a bit more wild than the hair on the Stage 1 head. The mid-section of the tail is bendy to allow it to be posed, although the display base does not accommodate the tail. Her wings have three sections: a ball joint which plugs into her shoulder socket, then a big wing and a small wing which each are ball-jointed onto that piece. Alexia's Stage 1 body is nicely articulated: ball-joint neck, ball joint shoulders, elbows, wrist twists, hips, knees, and ankles. Her right wrist is a bit more difficult to turn due to the paint deco and sculpt, so you may want to be cautious in posing that hand. Alexia also has a ball joint in her waist which wiggles a bit, but is there more to swap out the tail and legs than to add a point of articulation.