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Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The French Taunter

Review by Daniel Lipkowitz
1.22.2003

ASM Quick Facts
Click to see Gallery	Manufacturer: Sideshow Toy, Inc. (www.sideshowtoy.com) Series: Monty Python and the Holy Grail MSRP: $40.00 Edition: 7,500 limited

It's...

The Rude Frenchman!

Okay, it's actually the French Taunter. Originally solicited under the former name, John Cleese's memorably obnoxious character has undergone a change of title since the figure was first announced, possibly to make it a bit more palatable to French people, or perhaps because the script page reproduced on the back of the box does in fact call him "FRENCH TAUNTER." At any rate, here he is, in all of his French, taunting glory!

Packaging:

The French Taunter comes packaged inside the familiar blue box of Sideshow"s Monty Python and the Holy Grail line. The theme this time around is feathers, presumably those of the chickens that the French Taunter and his fellows throw over the battlements of their castle at the confused and terrified Knights of Camelot. We also get the usual assortment of silly text scattered around the packaging; check out the photo gallery for the details!

On the inside, the French Taunter is attached to the plastic tray with several twistie ties, and the tray itself is attached by one tie to the feather-festooned cardboard backdrop. The figure is easy enough to remove from the tray, with a twistie around the neck but not threaded about the torso like some of the line. You may want to exercise caution when extracting the very thin halves of the bill hook weapon, although thankfully they're not nearly as difficult to pry loose as the Dead Collector's triangle. The figure stand is blister-sealed to the cardboard backing and must be cut or torn free.

Accessories:

The French Taunter includes a very long polearm called a billhook, which comes packaged in two pieces and must be pegged together. Although the weapon is thin and fairly inflexible to prevent it from sagging under its own weight, it doesn't seem overly fragile and should hold up to normal use. The halves attach solidly but can be separated without difficulty for storage or travel (or if you happen to want a half-length billhook).

The figure also comes with a chicken, perfect for hurling at pesky English knights who won't go away no matter how much you taunt them. With its wings and legs outstretched, the bird appears to be captured in frantic mid-flight as it plummets from the castle walls. It's a quite serviceable chicken, with good sculpting and paint detail. Having encountered some problems with the legs of the duck from the first wave of Holy Grail figures, I'd suggest being careful with how you handle the chicken's likewise skinny appendages.

The final accessory is the figure stand, which is labelled "John Cleese as the French Taunter" and doesn't need much additional description if you've been reading these reviews regularly or looking at the pretty pictures. It's a very nice stand, as stands go.

Sculpting and Paint:

Sideshow has chosen to go with a most appropriate expression for the French Taunter: his cheeks puffed and tongue sticking out in mid-raspberry. The minor downside to the very non-neutral expression is that serious collectors of 1/6 military figures may find it a bit tricky to sneak this guy into their medieval displays. Olaf W. Hartvigson has done a great job with the facial sculpt, which is recognizable as Cleese despite the exaggerated expression. The paint is excellent, cleanly and precisely applied with multiple skintones and just the right shades and shininess on the eyes and protruding tongue. The Taunter's bullet-shaped helmet is permanently affixed to his head and has a nicely antiqued and weathered finish. The gloves are reused from several earlier figures and feature separate armor plates (previously released with King Arthur) that attach at the wrist with elastic bands. Being recycled from sword-holding characters, the hands do have a slightly loose grasp on the thin handle of the billhook, but the figure can still manage a good variety of poses with the weapon. It really is a pity that we didn't get spare hands for reenacting specific taunts, though, especially those shown in the movie stills on the back of the box.

Articulation:

Standard super-articulated Sideshow body here, with everything from fore-aft shoulder joints to adjustable ankles. Good stuff!

Costume:

The French Taunter wears a multi-layered chain mail outfit, composed mostly of the line's customary black and silver fabric that does a good job of inexpensively mimicking metal. Like the Knights of the Round Table, the Taunter has footed leggings instead of boots, and since it runs under the glued-on helmet, his hood-like coif cannot be removed. Two pairs of side-straps with functional plastic buckles hold the outer layer of the mail shirt together, and brown leather-esque strips with metallic plastic studs line the torso and upper arms to complete the look of period leather-and-chain armor.

The costume looks good, but like the Dead Collector's, it's a little disappointing to compare it to the prototype images on the packaging. The photos there reveal that the figure was originally planned to have a movie-accurate four strips running down his chest instead of the three of the final product, while the chromed studs were intended to be smaller and positioned to more closely match the film costume, as were the details on his shoulders and upper arms. It's likely that the changes were made to trim costs and simplify the production process, but it's a pity that some movie-likeness had to be sacrificed along the way.

Overall:

Costume inaccuracy aside (and really, I wouldn't have even noticed the changes if I weren't comparing the figure to the box photos), the French Taunter is another solid addition to the excellent Holy Grail line. Now go away or he shall taunt you a second time!