Review of Spider-Man, Vulture action figures
Marvel Legends Spider-Man Homecoming

Introduction

There's no shortage of huge blockbuster movies coming out this summer. Hell, in just the next thirty days we have Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Wonder Woman, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, King Arthur, and Alien: Covenant. The summer is filled with more of the same, making it a very expensive season for movie fans.

One that's high on my list of 'must see in IMAX the first weekend' movies is Spider-Man: Homecoming, hitting the big screen July 7th. While I'm fairly lukewarm on the previous Spider-Man films, I have to say that I really like Tom Holland and the current take on the character we saw in Captain America: Civil War. Thankfully we're well past any origin story foolishness, and this film could be the big Marvel movie of the year, even surpassing GotG2 and Thor: Ragnarok.

There's toys of course, but as we all know, movie based action figure lines suck.  It's just the nature of the beast. Thankfully, Marvel Legends are mixing in some movie themed figures with their comic themed figures, and I came across the 4" scale two pack of Spidey and Vulture earlier this week.

You can pick this pair up for around $20, and Target seems to be the first to put them out. Toys R Us, Meijer, and other mass market stores will have them very soon if not already.

Packaging - ***
While the Marvel Legends brand is clearly visible, they've also included the Spider-Man: Homecoming logo. There's some personalization on the back, but not a ton, since this is more of the multi-language packaging, and with all those translations, there's not a lot you can say. The package itself is collector friendly, requiring no real damage to remove the figures.

I knocked off a star though because of the interior plastic tray, or more accurately, the way Spider-Man is forced into said tray. In the photo below you'll notice that the left knee is bent at a bad angle, damaging the integrity of the joint. There were 5 or 6 of these on the peg at Target, and every one of them was the same. It's not really the tray's fault - when I opened it up, I realized you can put the leg in correctly with a little effort, and no warping would occur. But clearly that's not what's happening at the packaging plant.

Sculpting - Spider-Man ***; Vulture ***1/2
Before judging these figures, remember - they are only 1/18th scale.  That means Spider-Man is about 4", and Vulture comes in at 4 1/2". That's actually a smidge big for the scale, but with the funky claw boots I can understand it.

Spidey has the new costume design, with some very nicely sculpted lines and edges. Detailing is good, and the right hand fist/left hand web shooting combo works pretty well with most poses. There's nothing about the sculpt or design that restricts the articulation, although some of the joints themselves have issues. More on that in the Articulation section.

The only reason Spider-Man got a half star lower is plastic quality. The knees, elbows, and wrists all seem very soft, easily bent or ripped. I made sure everything was moving freely before I put too much pressure on any joint, and recommend you do the same.

The Vulture didn't have that issue, even with the wrists and elbows. The plastic seems thicker and more sturdy, perhaps a better mix. His detailing is also quite good, especially on the costume in areas like the belt and fur collar. The wings have a high tech mechanical look to them, while the flight suit is more realistic than the usual Vulture duds.

A second Keaton head sculpt would have put this guy at four stars, assuming it was well done. But unfortunately, you only get the helmet version.

Paint - ***
The paint work is a bit sparse on Spidey, but it's reasonably good considering the scale. The whites of the eyes have some quality issues, and not all the black lines and costume details are particularly clean, but overall he's pretty much on par for the scale and the price.

There's a lot more operations on Vulture, but there's a lot more slop too. There's some smudge marks on the dark areas of the costume, and cut lines are generally fuzzy or poor, especially around the silver details. Areas where he needed a few more ops include the belt and boots, which are a tad too plain, and whose sculpt details get lost without the benefit of paint.

Still, he's solid B work for this mass market price point and tiny size. You should be able to be picky when getting these on the peg - they come packed several to the case - so look for the best paint application you can find.

Articulation - ***1/2
Both of these figures, like pretty much every Marvel Legend figure no matter the scale, are highly articulated.

They start out with the hinge neck, but Spidey's has a better range of movement, with even a little tilt action going on, than Vulture's. The latter's is a bit restricted by the helmet, of course.

The rotating hinge shoulders work well enough, and the rotating hinge elbows and wrists are the usual fare. They're a bit weaker on Spidey than they are on Vulture thanks to the slightly smaller, thinner size, and the range of movement is restricted due to the general design of the joint, but considering the scale it's a fairly minor quibble.

Spider-Man has a rocker ab joint, but Vulture has no ab or waist joint of any kind. Both have ball hips, with double pin knees and hinge/rocker ankles. This rocker movement works great, allowing flat footed poses in even deep stances.

Accessories - Spider-Man Bupkis; Vulture **1/2
Spider-Man has nothing extra, sadly.  An additional set of hands, or at least an alternate left, would have been a nice add.

I'm counting the expanded wings on the Vulture as his extra.  As I mentioned earlier, the wings move slightly in the backpack, but I couldn't actually get them to come off the pack itself. That's a bummer simply because I'd like to put the pack on without the wings, making it (most likely) more film accurate, but it's a minor quibble. The pack and wings do look terrific, and the snap tightly into place.

Fun Factor - ****
These are really fun figures, and fit in great with other 1/18th scale figures in your collection - or your kid's toy box. With a ton of articulation, posing is a breeze, and the average 8 year old can have a blast battling it out in anticipation of the upcoming movie.

Value - **1/2
I'm still having a hard time paying ten bucks for a 4" figure, but I suppose after all this time I better accept it. These guys are therefore an average value, but some extras would have gone a long way to boosting this score.

Things to Watch Out For -
I'd be careful with those knees, elbows, and wrists on Spider-Man, but the Vulture is much sturdier overall.

Overall - ***
I'm just going to tell you what fans of the 4" Marvel Legends already know - these are great little figures, with a ton of articulation and even more play value. Those under the Marvel Legends banner, either in this scale or larger, will easily be the best of the movie figures, and outshine the actual movie line across the board. They will also fit in better with your pre-existing collections, always a plus for collectors and kids alike.

Of course, there's always a few nits. The paint work could be a lot cleaner here, and I'm not thrilled with the quality of the plastic in Spidey's joints. But overall these are much better than the slightly larger, far less articulated, and way more clunky looking movie line.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - Spider-Man ***; Vulture ***1/2
Paint - Vulture **1/2; Spider-Man ***
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - Spider-Man Bupkis; Vulture **1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Right now, Target or Toys R Us is your best bet. Expect to pay around $20 for the pair.

Related Links -
I just looked at the first half of another Marvel Legends Spider-Man series, but in the 6" scale and from the Sandman wave - Spider-Man 2099, Spider-UK, Jackal, and Ms. Marvel.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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