Review of Iron Spider-Man - Avengers Infinity War
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

When it comes to Hot Toys releases, I've gotten much, much more picky these days. Like Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America, they have cranked out a lot of friendly neighborhood Spider-Men. But the new Iron Spider design from Avengers: Infinity War was a real departure from the others, making him stand out amongst the crowd.

He just started shipping, and will run you around $250 - $260 depending on the retailer. Some places sold out on their pre-order pretty quick, but you can still find him at a number of places.

Packaging - ***
The package is the usual fifth panel design, and I like the die-cut corner that exposes the movie logo. The interior tray hold the figure safe and sound, and it's all collector friendly, requiring no damage to get the pieces and parts out. There's some basic instructions too, although there's nothing particularly complicated about the figure or the light feature.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The figure comes with three different heads, but only one really shines when it comes to 'sculpting'. Of course, that's the unmasked Peter Parker head. There's a downside though - this isn't the first time we've gotten it.  Most recently it came with the Spider-Man Homecoming release, and that wasn't even the first time they'd used it. Then again, when you have a portrait this good, there's not a lot of incentive to change it.

The skin texture is super realistic, and the expression fits the character. The fine stranding in the hair looks great, and the subtle texture in the lips and eyebrows adds even more realism to an already uber life-like portrait.

The other two heads are masked. He comes with a lightweight plastic version which allows for swapping the eyes.  The second plastic masked head features the light up eyes, and both sculpts are extremely similar. However, the non-light up eyes have more depth, particularly with the wider openings.

I docked all these heads a half star for the same reason - I'm not loving the magnet design used to attach them to the post. I had to re-glue one of the magnets right out of the box, which is always a negative, but worse is how high these heads sit on the neck. It's not quite as bad with the masked portraits, but all three of them are a bit more giraffe-like in hand than in photos. The magnet also means you can drop the heads quite easily when handling the figure.

Paint - ****
It's another terrific paint job, as we've come to expect. The Parker head has a fantastic skin tone, with a slight translucence that gives it depth and life. The eyes are even and clean, the hairline is subtle, and the lips and eyebrows are quite realistic.

Both of the masked heads look good, although the one with swappable eyes looks better in most situations. That's because the eyes have more depth thanks to a clear cover and a white backing that are slightly separated. The light up eyes are flatter, but look terrific when the switch is turned on.

The suit colors are vibrant and bright as well, and this is one of the more eye catching designs from the new films. I wouldn't want it to be the only suit on the shelf - I still prefer the more classic look - but in combination with the mechanical arms, this higher tech design looks great.

Articulation - ***1/2
I already complained about the magnetic necks, but it hurts the posability of the head as well. While it's an interesting concept, you can't get and keep quite as much tilt and lean as with a well designed ball joint.

The tight suit restricts the mobility a bit, but probably not as much as you assume.  The shoulders, elbows, and wrists can still take most normal poses, and the ab crunch and waist can move within the tight outfit. The hips, knees, and ankles can manage shallow to deep stances, but you will get some weird wrinkles, especially at the hips.  I also wish the ankles had a little more rocker movement, but the body is still fairly mobile overall.

A big new area of articulation is the four articulated spider arms. These plug into his back (four small covered plugs are first removed), and can turn 360 degrees. There are four joints on each, simple ratchet hinges at each 'knuckle'.  While this is a basic form of articulation, you can get a ton of great looking poses out of them.

Accessories - ****
As I mentioned earlier, there are three different heads - two masked, one unmasked. Swapping between them is very easy.

There are also a whopping six sets of hands. He comes wearing a set of fists, and you can swap in a set of web shooting poses, a set of tighter web grips, a set of mid-grips, a set of wall grips, and a set of wide grips. Swapping was easy, and there's a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

There are four sets of eye plates as well. He comes wearing a wide open set, and you can replace these with a slitted set, and two sets in between. They give you a little plastic tool to make it easier, but you can use your fingernail if you're careful.

There are five web strings, and one web funnel. These can be attached in various ways, and inserted into the web shooters on his wrists. They work pretty well, but I would be extremely careful if you use the 'climbing' web (it has the L shape) with one of the tight grips. I managed to break this web on a different Spider-Man release, and didn't even bother to try this time.

Because he has the bare Parker head, he also has the cloth mask. It's not intended for him to wear, but rather hold in one of the gripping hands.

I also already mentioned the four mechanical spider arms, but it's worth re-iterating them here. Let's be honest, this is why you bought this figure, and he looks fantastic wearing them. They are sturdy and well made, but light weight enough for him to maintain any stance.

Finally, there's the standard display stand, with the bendable support rod. You can use it to create various leaping and jumping poses.

Light Feature - ***1/2
The light feature is fairly simple. Inside the neck of one of the masked heads is the switch and the battery compartment. Insert the three batteries (included) and let there be light!  The eyes light up brightly, so much so you'll still be able to clearly see it in a normally lit room.

Thanks to the magnetic neck post, switching the eyes on and off is easy. It's not a complex design, but it gets the job done.

Outfit - ***1/2
I love the colors of the outfit, but the tight fitting material does some weird bunching and wrinkling around key joints, particularly the hips. Standing straight looks great, but as soon as you get some bend in the hips and torso, he starts looking a bit...awkward.

It's also possible that the suit design, particularly on the front, isn't the best combination with this body. It ends up creating the impression of an elongated torso and short legs, at least to my eye.

These are minor nits though, and the quality and construction are top notch. The colors blend in perfectly with the plastic arms, and the complete costume looks fantastic.

Fun Factor - ***
You should be able to get plenty of interesting poses with the arms in place, and of course that's going to be the way this guy is displayed on your shelf.

Value - **
There's a lot of re-use here - a lot. I'm not sure the new suit and articulated arms are worth the extra $30 over a standard release, but it certainly does create a unique look for your display.

Things to Watch Out For -
The figure comes with the small covered posts in his back, which you then replace with the arms. These posts were not forced all the way in at the factory, and while they can be pushed down deeper to create an almost flush appearance, I'd avoid it. Getting them back out, which you most certainly will want to do, will be difficult. They do provide a little plastic tool to help, but it can be dangerous if they plugs are too far in.

I also had a little trouble inserting the web strands into the wrist shooters at first. The holes are quite tiny, and mine had a little paint slop at the openings.  I used a small nail to open them up just slightly, and it worked much better.

Overall - ***1/2
While you have a number of display options with this figure - from unmasked to masked, from extra arms to not - you know there's really only one reason you're picking him up.  He has to have the spider arms in place, threatening his opponent.  Thankfully, that's the best look for this figure, and one that is simple to create. The arms are well made and sturdy, and working with them - including getting them in place - is quite easy.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ****
Light Feature - ***1/2
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has him for $260.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent Hot Toys Marvel figures include Black Panther's T'Chaka, Ragnarok Hela, and Avengers Thor.

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