Review of Hobgoblin, Spider-Man, Spider-Girl
Marvel Legends Action Figures

Introduction

Every year at this time, I start building the Poppies Judges panel, and begin the process of nominations in each category.  Several years ago, a number of the judges put forth the idea that we should drop the category of Best Build-A-Figure.  Their reasoning was sound - there weren't many of them any more. We considered it, and tabled it for one more year...

Good thing we did.  The category has been picking up steam the last couple years and has really been booming in 2016. We already have six Marvel Legends BAF's hit retail this year, along with at least two for DC Multiverse.  And don't forget the terrific Ghostbusters diorama that's coming with the DST figures!  It won't make the ballot this year - the entire set needs to be complete first - but it will be an obvious front runner in 2017. That's just off the top of my head, and it seems like I'm forgetting a few as well. If I am, please feel free to let me know, since they need to make it to the ballot.

The latest, Space Venom, comes with a wave of six Spider-Man themed figures.  I'm looking at Spider-Man (teen Peter Parker), Spider-Girl (Ashley Barton), and Hobgoblin tonight, with another review of Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Electro, and Silk coming soon.  I'm going to do an all BAF review with Juggernaut, Space Venom, and Dormammu, but I have to find Dormammu's head first...

You can pick these up at retailers like Target for around $20 each, and they are currently shipping.

Packaging - ****
Yep, it's probably too easy for morons, jerks, and low lifes to steal the BAF parts or swap in older figures with these packages. That's because they are 'collector friendly', requiring little damage to open the package. You can easily replace the figure and accessories in the tray, slip it back into the package, and either store or sell the figure at a later date.  Or you can be a scum sucking pig and return something else. You know who you are.

I'm also happy to report that there are no twisty ties or rubber bands this time around, another plus for me.  All this is too good to be true though, and I'm sure the buttheads will ruin it for the rest of us.

Sculpting - Spider-Girl, Spider-Man ***1/2; Hobgoblin ****
Let's start with Spider-Girl, aka Ashley Barton. This is the granddaughter of Spider-Man (yep, alternate Earth stuff), and they've done a terrific job capturing her short hair and facial structure. The base body works well, and is a huge improvement over the female bodies from a few years back. The proportions are much better, and she'll make a terrific addition to your Spider-Man family display. She's about average height, right near 6 1/4" tall.

Next up is the Ultimate Spider-Man, who is a teen version of Peter Parker. The teenage body comes in at just 5 3/4", making him pretty short but about on par with the proper scale of the rest of the universe.  There are actually two head sculpts: a masked version, and the bare Peter version, which sounds dirtier than it is. Both look great, although I suspect many fans will stick with the Peter portrait for some variety on the shelf.

Finally, there's Hobgoblin, another figure that comes with two distinct portraits. This is a Roderick Kingsley Hobgoblin, the first character in the comics to wear the outfit. Like Spider-Girl, this guy gets not one but TWO head sculpts and both are terrific. The second is a 'demon' look, and swapping between the two is easy and painless. The sharp definition on both is excellent, and the detail work on his costume really sets him apart. At 6 1/2" tall, he fits in nicely with the overall line.

Paint - Spider-Girl, Spider-Man ***; Hobgoblin ***1/2
One of the areas where we have seen real improvement over the last couple years is in the paint. That's not to say there still aren't a few goofs, but overall the quality is much better.

Of the three, my Hobgoblin turned out the best.  There's a lot more detail work with this character as well, increasing the risk of problems.  I particularly like the gruesome realistic work on both portraits, where the snarly teeth and glaring eyes lend an evil personality to the character.

On the flip side, both Spider-Girl and Spider-Man have a few more issues. Most of the work on the suits looks good, but there is a gloppy area on one shoulder of SG, and SM could use a slight improvement on the eyes of the Peter head sculpt.

Of course, paint quality on mass market toys can vary quite a bit from figure to figure, so you'll want to inspect the ones you plan on buying very carefully. With a little patience and luck you should be able to find three with very little to complain about.

Articulation - Spider-Girl, Hobgoblin ***1/2; Spider-Man ****
One of the hallmarks of all Marvel Legends figures has been their highly articulated bodies.  However, this is another area where things have really improved.  While they always had plenty of joints, they weren't always the most useful, and often were soft or weak.  The plastic being used is harder and stronger now, and the basic articulation has been augmented with things like the rocker ankle joint.

All three of these figures can take great poses, and the joints are tight enough to hold them long term.  There's no trouble swapping heads or hands, and the combinations add lots of potential for play and display alike.

I did dock Hobgoblin and Spider-Girl slightly for some restrictions (Obviously his cape and hood gets in the way of the neck, and I had more trouble with the rocker ankles and rotating hinge wrists on her than on Spider-Man), but any complaints here are extremely minor.

Accessories - Spider-Girl **1/2; Spider-Man, Hobgoblin ****
Spider-Girl is the only one of these three that's behind the curve. She does have her BAF part though, and it's the large Space Venom torso, making her quite necessary for building the unique symbiote.

Spider-Man has the second Peter Parker head sculpt, and you always get double brownie points from me when you include an additional portrait.  It helps that both look great of course. It doesn't stop there however, and Spidey has four extra hands, making 3 full sets in total. That means a set of fists, a set of web shooters, and a set of 'sticky fingers'. I had no trouble swapping them, and they all worked great.

Can you say 'extra head sculpt'? So can Hobgoblin, and not only does he have two, but they are both great looking, detailed, amazing sculpts. Add in a flaming pumpkin bomb and his goblin flyer, and you have an extremely well outfitted villain. You could also count his cape and man-purse as accessories, since both are removable.

Fun Factor - ****
With the improvements in quality with the plastic, and the overall improvements in paint and accessories, these are some of the very best action figures on the mass market today.  Lots of fun for kids, and they can easily hold up to their normal level of abuse.  Collectors will love all the potential in posing and displaying them, making them great toys all the way around.

Value - ***1/2
Twenty bucks?  That's a very, very good deal, especially when you consider the addition of the second portrait with the majority of the 6 figures in this series.  With cheaper oil prices you might have expected cheaper toy prices, but it looks like Hasbro is simply upping their game with quality and extras to make the price seem more attractive.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a lot. I did notice that the hands can be a bit tricky to pull off at first.  Be sure to hold on to the forearm when swapping to avoid damaging the elbow.

Overall - Spider-Girl, Spider-Man ***1/2; Hobgoblin ****
I've always loved Marvel Legends (maybe it's time for a Captain Toy Picks... list?), but over the last 5 or 6 waves, they've just gotten better and better. This set has excellent quality, a terrific number of accessories, and above average paint, sculpt and articulation.  I can't wait to check out the Doctor Strange wave!

With these three in particular, Hobgoblin was my clear favorite, and *spoiler alert* is going to remain my favorite even after I review the other three. He's a great figure with a classic look, and a must for every Hobgoblin fan.

Spider-Man was *this* close to four stars as well, but it was the slightly weaker paint that held him back just a hair. On the opposite side, Spider-Girl was *this* close to three stars, and almost dropped due to her lack of accessories. Still, the female figures have come a long way from their lanky, ridiculous proportions of old, and her coolness factor managed to pull her up that extra half star.

Next up is the first half of the Dormammu wave, the back half of this wave, the back half of Dormammu, and finally, a look at Juggernaut, Dormammu, and Space Venom in one shot. Hopefully all four reviews will be out before the Dr. Strange movie - fingers crossed!

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

Where to Buy 
These are starting to pop up at Target, Toys R Us, and Meijers for $18 - $20 each, depending on sales. Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
My most recent 6" scale Marvel Legends review was the Juggernaut wave with one review of Cable, Havoc, Kitty Pryde and Phoenix here, and the other half with Rogue, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Iceman here. Before that I ad the back half of the Giant Man wave (with Giant Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and Nuke), but in between I've looked at one of the 12" figures under the banner - Spider-Man - as well as the new full scale prop replica Captain America's Shield.

I covered the first half of the Giant Man wave as well, including Red Guardian, Black Panther, and Nick Fury. Just before that I covered Red Skull (BAF), Taskmaster, Sharon Carter, and Demolition Man. The other half of that wave included Captain America, Mockingbird, Whirlwind, and Cottonmouth.

I also have my look at the most recent ML Spider-Man wave, including Absorbing Man, Ben Reilly, Spider-Gwen, and Venom in one half, and Speed Demon, Beetle, Jack O'Lantern, and Morbius in the other. Prior reviews include the terrific Hulbuster  BAF, the Blizzard, Vision, Valkyrie, War Machine, Thundra, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man.

I let the BAF's build up for awhile last year, and covered a whole bunch at once in this review. Prior to that, I covered the Rhino wave, including Kraven, Chameleon, Misty Knight and Ghost Rider and Scarlet Spider, Superior Venom and White Tiger,  the Ant-Man wave in part 1 with Giant Man, Bull Dozer and Grim Reaper, and part 2 with Ant-man, Wasp, and Tiger Shark. and the Avengers (Thanos) wave, in part 1 with Hulk, Hellcat, and Iron Man MK43, and part 2 with Captain America, Batroc and Spider-Woman. Before that is the 'Hobgoblin' series which I've started with part 1 here, and the 'Allfather' wave, including Captain Marvel, Sentry and Thor and Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Machine Man and Iron Fist. I also checked out the Toys R Us exclusive three pack of Coulson, Fury and Maria Hill from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

There's a lot more Marvel Legends reviews than that, and you should also hit the Search Reviews page, to find them. Also, there's likely to be more applicable reviews done after this one was published.

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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