Tag Archives: Hasbro

#3561: Chopper (C1-10P)

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CHOPPER (C1-10P)

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0040:  There are two characters in Ahsoka whose original actors reprise the roles.  The first was David Tennant as Huyang, and the second was Dave Filloni as Chopper.  You gotta keep those Daves around!

Can you be into Star Wars toys and not just love a good Astromech Droid?  Of course not!  Every good story’s got at least one of those plucky little guys rattling around.  And no one rattles around more than C1-10P, aka Chopper, resident Astromech of the crew of The Ghost.  Chopper has been surprisingly light on toy coverage, but with new appearances in Ahsoka, we get another opportuntiy for cool toys of the feisty droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Chopper is figure 4 in the Ahsoka tie-in assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection figures.  Chopper’s had two prior 3 3/4 inch scale figures, both based more specifically on animation.  This one’s…well, he’s not exactly live action, I suppose.  The figure is about 2 inches tall and has 3 points of articulation.  Chopper is clearly taking a page from how Kenner handled R2 and R5 in the vintage line, which makes sense, given the style they’re going for and all.  He’s appropriately shorter and boxier than those two, but very much in keeping with their more simplistic and geometric shaping.  He’s using the classic “tube” body, which is hollow on the inside, much like the original R2, which adds to that authentic feel.  Chopper’s paint is simple and minor, largely relying on molded plastic for the bulk of it, and some small bits of detailing on the head.  The largest bit of detailing is in the form of a decal on the body of the droid, again really hammering home those vintage R2 comparisons.  Chopper’s one accessory is a removable third leg.  While the vintage Astromechs generally didn’t have this feature, the R2 that came with the Droid Factory playset *did* and it was handled in a similar fashion to this one, making it a perfect little extra to include.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Chopper was the figure I was probably the most looking forward to from this set, and he’s ultimately the one I most enjoyed as well.  There’s just something delightful about just how faithful he is to the vintage aesthetic, and it makes for a figure that’s simple but just so amazingly effective.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3560: Doc Ock

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

DOC OCK

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0039: Doctor Octopus was originally slated to be a secondary antagonist for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, but was re-purposed as sole antagonist of Spider-Man 2 when it was decided to give more time to both him and Green Goblin.

As a huge fan of the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man, I was, unsurprisingly, hyped about its first sequel.  And boy did I have good reason to be, because Spider-Man 2 is the unquestioned high point of the trilogy, and Alfred Molina’s turn as Otto Octavious is a key part of the film’s success.  I’d not been much of a Doc Ock fan prior to the movie, but I certainly was after.  Molina’s return to the role was one of the first confirmed elements of No Way Home‘s production, and I was hyped about that, too.  And what else could I possibly be hyped about?  Oh yeah, the toys!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Doc Ock is a deluxe price-point Marvel Legends release.  Like Goblin, he’s coinciding with the release of the retro-carded No Way Home assortment, though unlike Goblin, he’s not officially NWH-branded.  Instead, he’s using the Spider-Man 2 branding, and appears to be in a similar position to the Andrew Garfield figure, where it was some sort of weird licensing mix-up.  In the case of Ock, it’s a little strange, because he winds up as a bit of a mixed bag in terms of design, since he doesn’t seem to be clearly dialing into either film appearance exactly…but I’ll get to that.  The actual figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation, with the tentacles offering up an additional 10 points of movement (plus being able to bend) and also potentially giving him another 3 1/2 inches or so of height, depending on how you want to display him.  The core figure is pretty standard fare for the line in terms of movement.  He’s a little restricted by the overcoat, of course, but that’s expected.  It’s not like Molina was particularly mobile in the films, so it’s not terribly limiting.  The actual sculpting is actually pretty strong.  As I noted above, he’s a bit of an amalgam of the two film appearances, with the slightly shorter hair of 2, but the added turtleneck from NWH.  The hair’s such a negligible thing that I feel he may have been sculpted to just be a NWH figure, and there were minor adjustments made later.  The head, especially facially, has a strong likeness of Molina.  It’s a little harder to capture in photos, but in person, it’s very good.  The glasses are permanently attached, meaning this one is destined to loose them immediately the way the original SM2 ones were.  They look nice, and I appreciate the slight translucence.  The tentacles are permanently attached to the figure, which I suppose is fitting.  They have a wire running through them, with limited joints on the pincers.  The smaller ones are the more posable ones, though that unfortunately also leads to them falling apart a lot.  The larger ones have no movement past the swivel at the base of the arm, and rely on two different styles of swappable claws, so that you can either use them for standing or gripping.  Standing him on the lower two appendages can take a little bit of doing to hit the right sweet spot, but once you get him there, he’s surprisingly stable, which made me very happy.  In terms of color work, he’s pretty mild.  A lot of earthy tones, as you’d expect.  The face paint is quite nice, and there’s some smaller work on the jacket that adds some nice pop.  The tentacles are notably missing the extra gold detailing that they had in SM2, but it’s possible that’s linked to the material that was used for them, since it’s a softer plastic that might not hold paint as well.  Ock is admittedly light on extras, with just two sets of hands, one in fists, the other in open gesture, as well as the previously mentioned swappable lower claws.  Given the sheer sizing on the tentacles, however, this isn’t terribly surprising.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I kept waiting for this guy to get shown off *somewhere* with all the movie merch that was going around.  Certainly they had to do an update, right?  I mean, yeah, I’ve still got my original, and he holds up better than some of the others, but I can get an upgrade, right? Well, yes, as a matter of fact, that was right.  He’s the last of the whole batch I got my hands on, but he’s worth the wait.  I could rattle off a bunch of issues (and in fact I did up above), but none of that changes how much I genuinely love this figure, or the level of joy opening him up brought me.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3558: Green Goblin

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

GREEN GOBLIN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0037: Green Goblin’s first 6-inch-scale figure was courtesy of the original Spider-Man movie tie-in line, which, as established in a prior Fun FiQ Fact, was delayed, leading to the creation of Spider-Man Classics and it’s successor Marvel Legends.

Casting in the Raimi Spider-Man films is easily one of the strongest suits of the films, and this was showcased exquisitely with the films’ antagonists.  Much like Tobey Maguire is *my* Spider-Man, his antagonists are also my definitive versions of those characters as well.  Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborne, aka the Green Goblin, questionable costume choices notwithstanding, wound up being such a defining turn in the role that he returned for cameo roles in all of the Raimi sequels, and was even tapped to reprise the role in the MCU proper when No Way Home came around.  And yay, new toy coverage!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Goblin is a deluxe price-point Marvel Legends release, designed to coincide with the retro-card No Way Home tie-in assortment.  The deluxe pricing seems to largely be there to cover the glider, with the main figure being more or less standard.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and has 30 points of articulation.  Articulation on the figure is a little restricted, especially on the legs, but it’s generally workable.  Goblin is sporting an all-new sculpt.  While other characters may re-use their looks from prior films, and Green Goblin actually does start out in his gear from the first Raimi film, by the time of No Way Home‘s big climactic battle, Norman’s received several updates to his initial design.  This figure is designed to cover his “final” look, which ditches the mask, and adds the tattered remains of the purple hoody he was sporting earlier in the film, amongst other things.  It manages to sort of thread the needle between keeping elements of his original film appearance and also injecting more of the spirit of his comics counterpart (which the first film look was really lacking).  The sculpt translates the new look pretty nicely.  Of note, the likeness on the head is a pretty strong take on Dafoe, especially his more crazed look as the Goblin.  There are separate overlays for his hood/shirt, as well as the straps and belt, which add a little more depth.  The hood can be removed by popping off the head, if you so choose.  You can also get the remnants of the shirt off with a little work, but the belt and strap are definitely not coming off.  The detailing on the underlying armor is a little on the softer side, but still works pretty well.  The color work on this guy is alright.  Nothing super fancy for the most part.  The face gets the printing, which looks pretty good.  Beyond that, there’s a lot of molded plastic coloring, which has mixed results.  The metallic green isn’t a bad shade, but it hides a lot of the sculpted details, and accenting is ultimately pretty minimal.  The actual paint work on the body is a little on the sloppier side, with several spots of notable bleed over.  Goblin is packed with his glider, which has a few moving parts, as well as its own display stand.  It’s a pretty decent piece in its own right.  He also gets a single pumpkin bomb, a pair of removable goggles, and an alternate helmeted head.  The alt head is a nice piece, but with the body being so clearly the updated look from later in the film (after Norman has smashed the mask), it’s uses are somewhat limited.  I would imagine this one has a degree of future planning involved.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been making do with the original movie Goblin since it first came out, but his design’s always been kind of weak, and sadly hindering to Dafoe’s performance.  I loved seeing his return and I really, really liked the new look.  The deluxe price point is a lot for this guy, but he’s got enough going on to feel worth it.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3556: General Hera Syndulla

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

GENERAL HERA SYNDULLA

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0035: Hera’s live-action actor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is married to Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor.

Hera Syndulla’s jump to live action was one of my two favorite things about Ahsoka (the other being Captain Rex’s jump to live action, however brief it may have been), and I’ve been all about the toy coverage for her.  I of course got her Black Series offering, but what’s a Star Wars character without some 3 3/4-inch action?  Since I’m not much of a Vintage Collection guy, it’s Retro Collection for me, I suppose.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

General Hera Syndulla is the third figure in the Ahsoka-tie-in assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  This is Hera’s third time getting a smaller-scale 5PoA figure, though this one is specifically based on her live-action appearance, awesome bomber jacket and all.  The figure stands a little shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  Like most of the rest of the set, her sculpt is all-new.  It’s not quite as strong as Marrok, I feel, but that certainly doesn’t make it a bad one.  She’s definitely living up to the vintage Kenner stylings that the line is aiming for, while still maintaining the important design elements from the show.  Obviously, in keeping with proper Kenner style, she doesn’t get a proper Winstead likeness, but at the same time, she doesn’t look unlike her either, which hits that sweet spot.  And, much like Karga and Boba from earlier assortments, her holster is designed with a loop that can actually hold her gun, which is a very fun touch.  Hera’s color work is pretty basic, but pretty on the mark for what it needs to be.  The colors are pitched up a bit to be a bit brighter than on screen, which is right for the style, and the basic paint work is decent, with no notable slop or bleed over.  Hera is packed with a small blaster pistol.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Hera was one of my top two figures from this set, and I was certainly looking forward to her, even if she was pretty basic.  The final figure is one of those ones that hits pretty much exactly where I expect it to.  She doesn’t blow me away or anything, but I didn’t expect that.  She’s a good, solid, middle of the road figure.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3555: Sandman

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SANDMAN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0034: Sandman was not allowed to appear in Spider-Man: The Animated Series due to his planned inclusion in James Cameron’s unmade Spider-Man film, which would have seen him and Electro as the antagonists. The two would finally share the big screen in No Way Home.

I’ve been a solid supporter of Spider-Man 3 since it first came out, and I’ve continued to stick by it the whole time. The film’s best performance comes from Thomas Haden Church as Sandman, who injects some genuine pathos into Flint Marko. His return in No Way Home was certainly a pleasant surprise, as was the inevitable action figure coverage.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sandman is the final standard figure in the retro-card-packaged No Way Home tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends. He’s the only of the film’s “antagonists” in this assortment. The figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation. His articulation is a little rigid, especially with no waist or calf movement. Of course, it’s Sandman, so he’s not crazy flexible when he’s in humanoid form. Sandman is sporting a brand new sculpt, based on specifically his NWH look. Due to pandemic-related issues, Thomas Hayden Church was unable to be physically on set for filming. As such, Flint remains sandy, even when person shaped. This figure works with that, so he’s got a sandy texture over the whole thing. He’s still got a strong likeness of Haden Church, even under all the texture, and the body’s build matches well too. His color work is minor; he’s a lot of tan. There’s accenting to better make out the face, as well as a little bit of darker detailing throughout the body. Sandman is packed with two sets of normal sized hands (in fists and open), as well a set of enlarged hands, with matching pieces to bulk up the forearms.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Despite loving Spider-Man 3, I never got much into its tie-in toys, so I had no movie Sandman. That bugged me, so I was glad to have another shot. This guy is basic, but honestly pretty fun. He’s kind of this assortment’s underdog.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3553: Matt Murdock

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

MATT MURDOCK

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

FiQ Fun Fact #0032: There have been plenty of Daredevil figures over the years, but the only prior civilian Matt Murdock was a Minimate, and he was just alternate parts to a vigilante Daredevil.

Daredevil was the second attempt at building a TV component to the MCU, and prior to the Disney+ contingent, it was certainly the most successful.  I myself was skeptical when the first trailers dropped (I was still a little scarred from the 2003 movie), but fell in love with the show with the very first episode.  In particular, I loved Charlie Cox’s take on the title character, and I was beyond thrilled when No Way Home brought him into the MCU proper, small scene or not.  And, for his first proper MCU Legends figure, we get not Daredevil, but Matt Murdock.  That’s a switch.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Matt Murdock is another figure from the retro-carded No Way Home tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  He’s based on his look in his one scene in the movie, which certainly makes sense; not like there’s really any other options there.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  Matt is built on what appears to be an upgraded version of the Coulson suit body.  It’s got pinless joints on the arms and legs, as well as additional swivels at the ankles.  It still has some wonky proportions in a few spots, but it’s generally a marked improvement.  It’s a suit and tie, so it’s pretty basic.  What’s really got to sell the figure is the head sculpt.  It’s…well, it’s not Hasbro’s best output.  The elements of a good Charlie Cox likeness are all there, but they don’t quite congeal into proper full product.  The glasses are definitely a bit odd looking, and the exact shaping of his face and hair aren’t quite there.  It’s not the worst likeness, but it’s also not as immediately obvious as Matt as it could be.  Matt’s paint work is a generally basic set-up, with a lot of molded coloring.  He’s got face printing, which seems a little on the dark side, but it’s not bad.  Matt is packed with a cane and the brick he catches in May and Peter’s apartment with “Mysterio was right” written it.  The cane’s not quite right in its exact shaping, but close enough.  The brick is super cool, and a fantastic scene-specific part.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been looking for good toy coverage for the live action Daredevil since the show started.  Unfortunately, he seems to be rather tricky to get down.  This one continues that trend.  The likeness is definitely on the weaker side, and he’s limited in his applications by being a purely civilian guise, but he’s better than nothing, and there have certainly been worse Legends.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3551: Marrok

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

MARROK

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0030: Marrok is our fourth Inquisitor in the Retro Collection line-up.  Sure, he may be lapsed, but it counts!

Can you be just a pretty face if no one’s actually seen your face?  Because I feel like that’s kind of what Marrok’s deal is.  Not that it’s a bad thing.  This is Star Wars, after all.  Looking cool is, like, thing number one!  I personally really like Marrok’s brand of cool, so, despite his more minor role in Ahsoka, I still am all about the Marrok figures.  I looked at his Black Series figure already, but here’s his representation on the smaller side!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Marrok is the second figure in the Ahsoka-tie-in assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  The character had a lot of presence in early marketing for the show, so his inclusion is a pretty sensible one.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s sporting an all-new sculpt, and it’s honestly one of my favorites that this sub-line has put out.  It does a really good job of translating Marrok’s on-screen design into the vintage Kenner style.  It keeps all of the important elements, while also simplifying enough to make him fit in with the rest of the line.  It makes for a very sleek, really fun look, and plays into the whole “black knight” angle so nicely.  Like the larger figure, he’s topped off with a cloth cape piece.  Like the rest of the figure, this piece fits the vintage aesthetic very nicely, and it goes on and off very easily.  Marrok’s color work has been dialed back a bit, going for a more drastically contrasting shade between the undersuit and the armor, which is more of a gunmetal grey finish here.    Marrok is packed with an Inquisitor-style saber, which appears to be the same piece used for Reva in the Kenobi set.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I dug Marrok’s design a lot, and he was definitely nearer the top of my list.  He’s a ton of fun, and I very definitely dig him.  He’s a good design that makes for a very good figure, and he’s just a great example of when Retro Collection just really works.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3550: MJ

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

MJ

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0029: This marks the first time since the the tie-in assortment for Spider-Man 3 that an MJ figure has been released on her own and not as part of some sort of multi-pack.

Now that most of the uproar regarding Zendaya’s casting in the role of MJ for Homecoming has pretty much disappeared, we can sit back and recognized that she actually did a pretty good job in the role.  Her MJ was certainly different from the comics one in terms of general characterization, but honestly, so was Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane in the Raimi films.  Changing up MJ is just something the movies like to do.  With her even further expanded role in No Way Home, MJ’s gotten her second Legends figure for the MCU, and I’m looking at that today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

MJ is part of the retro-card-sporting No Way Home tie-in assortment for Marvel Legends.  She’s specifically based on her appearance in the third film, narrowing in on the attire she wears for most of the movie, but most specifically, it’s the outfit she has in the big final battle.  It’s a little more in line with her character, I feel, than the jacketed look we got on the two-pack release.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Articulation is rather restricted here, especially on the torso, but given MJ’s generally more non-action set-up, it’s not as limiting for her.  She’s using the same legs as her last figure, but everything else is new.  The sculpt’s a pretty good one.  I definitely feel that they’ve gotten a better likeness for Zendaya this time around (not that the last two were *bad*) and I like that the sweater look manages to be the right amount of loose, without winding up looking too bulky.  The color work here is a nice set-up.  There’s printing for the face, which looks fairly realistic, and is an improvement on the last figure.  I also quite like the striping on the sweater, and its general color is just a bit more exciting than the more muted palette of the last figure.  MJ is packed with two sets of hands (in fists and relaxed), as well as the box containing Strange’s original spell.  In a rather amusing turn of events, after the two-pack figure had a gripping hand and nothing to hold, this one has something to hold and no actual gripping hand.  You can fudge it with one of the relaxed hands, but it’s not quite there.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

The last MJ figure served me fine for my collection, but she looked a little out of place once we got the updated Peter and Ned last year.  Now I feel like I have an MJ that fits in better, and she’s wearing a slightly more in-character outfit as well.  She’s a basic figure of a rather average look, but she does most of what she needs to well.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3549: General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

GENERAL CLAYTON “HAWK” ABERNATHY

G.I. JOE: CLASSIFIED SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0028: Since his introduction at the start of A Real American Hero, Clayton Abernathy has been called Hawk, General Hawk, General Tomahawk, General Clayton Abernathy, and G.I. Joe Hawk, all leading up to his seemingly finalized General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy.

I have a weird thing about main characters, and in ensemble settings, I have a thing about leaders.  I just tend to find myself not liking them as much.  I do, however, tend to really like alternative leader type characters.  Captain Pike, for instance, is my favorite Star Trek captain, Ultra Magnus is my preferred field leader for the Autobots, and my go-to guy in charge for the Joes?  Very definitely General Hawk.  I mean, he’s the one with a bomber jacket.  How can you not, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

General Clayton “Hawk” Abernathy is figure 103 in Hasbro’s G.I. Joe: Classified Series line.  At this point, assortments appear to be no more, but Hawk hit with a big batch of figures that hit just before the end of the year last year, though they were originally slated for the spring of this year.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 36 points of articulation.  He’s mostly using the basic articulation set-up from the rest of the line, with the only change-up being the mid-torso joint, which is a ball-joint, not a crunch.  It’s not quite as mobile, but for the most part he moves okay.  Hawk is sporting an all-new sculpt, courtesy of Paul Harding.  It’s based on Hawk’s v2 design, which is by far his most distinctive.  It’s a pretty strong sculpt; it manages to capture the core elements of the v2 Hawk, while also tweaking things a little bit to actually give him a little bit of an update.  In particular, I quite like the head sculpt, as it feels pretty appropriate for Hawk.  On the flip side, I’m not so much a fan of the shoulder holster set-up; it just doesn’t sit quite right, no matter what pose you put him in.  It’s better than what we saw on Tunnel Rat, but I do still prefer the figure without the holster.  Hawk’s paint work is all pretty nicely handled.  The head gets some nice detailing, and the grey streaks in his hair are a new element, but a nifty character element.  His jacket gets some cool smaller details as well, which is certainly fun.  Hawk is packed with his helmet, two sets of goggles (sized for his helmet and his head), three handguns, a shotgun, and a grenade launcher.  In a perfect world, he’d also have an alternate head with blonde hair, for his comics/early toy look, but Hasbro’s never done anything of the sort before, so I guess it’s not a shock they’re not doing it now.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Hawk is a character I’ve been waiting to see added to Classified since it launched.  His sculptor posted about him a ways before he was actually solicited, so I’ve been patiently waiting.  After a few figures in a row that didn’t really do much for me, Tunnel Rat wound up being the figure that kind of killed the line for me.  But, I love Hawk and I couldn’t not get him, so he got slotted as my last Classified figure.  It was my intent to get him from All Time, but a mix-up meant they didn’t get their cases of him, so it was off to Hasbro Pulse for me.  He’s an okay figure.  Not a great figure, and not enough to change my mind of going forward on the line, but he’s at least an okay send-off, and a fitting character to wrap things up.  And with that, my Classified collection is done.

#3548: Amazing Spider-Man

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0027: The Marvel Legends assortment that contained tie-in figures for Amazing Spider–Man 2 was one of two that launched Hasbro’s modern era of Legends 10 years ago.

I was pretty staunchly anti the Amazing Spider-Man series when it first hit theaters. Raimi’s films had defined my love of the character, and I was bitter about him being ousted, so I avoided them both in theaters. I did eventually see them both, and I could see some of the potential behind them, but never the full payoff. So, when I say that Andrew Garfield’s return as Peter Parker in No Way Home was one of my favorite parts, I want you to understand the weight behind that. And hey, it got me to review something Amazing Spider-Man related!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Amazing Spider-Man is part of the retro-card style No Way Home tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends. Or is he? Despite shipping in a case with five other figures all on No Way Home cards, Andrew is on an Amazing Spider-Man 2 card. Why? Well, the exact reason hasn’t been stated officially, but we know that the Figuarts NWH Andrew, which had an unmasked Garfield head when solicited, had to have said unmasked head removed at the last minute, with contract issues being cited. Hot Toys’ Andrew Spidey, despite being shown off with other NWH figures was ultimately marked Amazing Spider-Man 2 upon release as well, and Hasbro’s original three-pack release for him under the NWH banner was sold without an unmasked head, suggesting that there’s some sort of hang-up with specifically Andrew’s likeness from NWH. Thankfully, he’s not all that different looking between the two films, so it’s easy enough to just mark him as being the other version without any real change-ups. Much like the Tobey figure, Andrew’s core figure is identical to his three-pack release, with only accessory change-ups. The figure stands a little over 6 1/4 inches tall (making him, accurately, the tallest of the three Spideys) and he has 34 points of articulation. His articulation set-up is the same as Tobey and Tom’s, but I personally found Andrew had the best range of motion. It’s still a little restricted, but not terribly so. His sculpt is all-new, and wow is it an overhaul to the one from 2014. That one was a good basic Spidey, but this one is more specifically tailored to the actual movie costume design. Say what you will about the films, this suit design is one of the best Spidey looks out there and it translates well to this figure. While I felt rather let-down by the paint on Tobey, the paint on this guy is particularly good. I dig the darker tones and the slight metallic finish, which really capture his on-screen look well. The three pack have this guy three sets of hands (thwipping, open gesture, and fists) and a webline. The single drops one gesture and one fist, as well as the webline, and gives him an unmasked head. The extra head is a pretty solid likeness, and feels more on point than the Tobey sculpt, but maybe not as nice as the Tom sculpt.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As sort of the dark horse performance in the movie for me, I was definitely down for a new Andrew Spidey. While Tobey’s my favorite of the three for sentimental reasons, I think Andrew is the best Spidey figure in this particular set. It’s nice to see him get his due both in toy and movie form.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.