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Spiderman
and Green Goblin
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Today we have a
great guest review from Steven 'Shoe' Schuler. A major super hero
fan, he has reviewed the Green Goblin and Spiderman from the new movie
assortment. Take it away, Steve!
What has to be one of the most anticipated superhero movies,
“Spider-Man” will be hitting the big spring this summer.
Of course, this means new toys.
Some people were treated to an early Christmas present when the first
two figures, “Spider-Man” and “Battle-Ravaged Spider-Man” were
release to a few select Targets.
Immediately, those who were lucky enough to find them
snatched them up in record time.Everyone
else started looking on Ebay only to be greeted with crazy prices (they were
$15.99 at Target after all).Well,
fear not for the “Spider” has returned and has brought a few friends
(and enemies).In the last
couple of weeks the first wave of movie figures have started to hit Wal-Mart
and at a more reasonable price!This
wave includes the previously mentioned versions of the “wall-crawler”
along with the Green Goblin, J.J. Jameson, and Norman Osborne.
For this review, I will be taking a close look at the two major
players, the Goblin and Spidey himself!
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Packaging - ***
The packaging for both figures is very similar to
last years “X-Men” figures as they are basic blister packs with a
folded side look.The
fortunate thing about this style is that it keeps the card in pretty good
shape.So you MIP people
shouldn’t have a hard time finding one in good shape.
The graphics on the other hand are “so-so”.
I was expecting a little more.
The card back has a very short synopsis of the “Spidey Origin”
along with the toy directions and pictures of the other figures in the
series.
Of course, this being a blister card, you must destroy it to
get the figures out.
Sculpting - Spider-Man
****Green Goblin ***
Toy Biz is again going to the “super articulated” body style like we
saw in the “Classics” line. Spider-Man
has great detail on the costume such as raised webbing, scale-like
textured (for lack of better description) blue areas of the costume, and
even web shooters. He is a
little “bulkier” than the classic versions and thus, a little more
true to life looking.
The Goblin is kind of a
let down. I can’t put my
finger on it, but something isn’t quite right. I will be the first to
admit that I am not too hip on the new Goblin design.
Maybe it will work into the overall story, so I am willing to
“wait and see”. The
figure looks very stiff and for some reason the torso is a little out of
scale. Basically, it looks
like a guy in a very uncomfortable rubber suit.
Paint - Spidey *** Goblin ***1/2
This is the area Toy Biz usually has a problem.
Although Spidey has a couple of shades of red that work well to
highlight certain points of the costume, the blue area is a victim of
sloppy highlight work. Also,
the webs are painted silver. I
had to look through a couple to find one that wasn’t so messy,
especially between the eyes. Speaking
of the eyes, they are also silver and actually look pretty good.
The Goblin is pretty basic.Just
a metallic green with silver highlights in certain areas.
The reason I gave GG an extra half star is because of the detail on
the mask and good old Norm’s mug underneath.
The skin tone and lips are painted perfectly.
Accessories - ****
Wow, really cool and practical accessories for a change.
The gargoyle that comes with Spider-Man is nicely done and has
quite a bit of detail. The
web climbing action really doesn’t work that well or maybe, it works too
well. Rather than climbing,
Spidey is yanked up so fast that his arms should pull out of the sockets.
The GG comes with his glider that can be placed on a clear base to
give it a “flying” effect.GG
also comes with a nice removable helmet as well.
The reason they lose a star is because the gargoyle has no pegs for
Spidey ’s feet and the GG’s glider is kind of flimsy.
Also, I really wish the helmet covered Norman’s whole head rather
than just his face.
Articulation
- ****
Toy Biz really outdid themselves this time around on these figures!
The package says “over 30 points of articulation.” I counted 34
(36 on the GG if you count the shoulder pads).
They have the same articulation as the previous “classics”,
>but have added cut joints to the biceps as well.
Toy Biz has also added an extra hidden joint in the ankles as well.
So not only do you get the back-and-forth ankle movement, but the
side-to-side action as well. This
is really cool for getting nice action poses.
It also helps when placing the GG on his glider.
The best thing about this design is the fact that Toy Biz pulled
this off on a 6” figure without sacrificing sculpting.
Spidey is easily the best articulated figure ever in this
scale.
Value - ***
For $15.99, you get hosed (although I have heard
that Target messed up the original prices), but for $7, they are a little
more affordable. I still
think that is a little high when you can get figures like the Simpsons for
$4.99 (hmmm…now I know why Michael likes them so much…).
Overall - ****
Everyone is really anticipating the wide release
of these figures and IT WILL HAPPEN. I guarantee that these will be everywhere in another month.
Be patient, you will get your’s soon enough. If you are a big fan of good ol’ webhead and really liked the
“classics” line, then you will be very happy with these.
I really like Spidey in particular and think it is one of the best
“movie” figures ever, but then again, I always like the good guy!
Where to Buy -
Currently, both Wal-mart and Target
are getting these. The whole first series is out now. On-line,
you're a little more limited right now. I searched 5 or 6 spots and
only found:
- Entertainment
Earth has cases for sale of 12 figures for $111 plus shipping.
That's about $9.25 each, more expensive than the $6.84 that Wal-mart is
selling them for. Plus, you'll have to find someone to take the
extras. (MROTW Affiliate).
About the Rater:
Shoe hails from Alexandria, VA and got his fist
action figure in 1972 (original removable cowl Batman). He has been collecting ever since and primarily collects superhero
figures. His “turn-ons”
include romantic walks down isle 3C and his “turn-offs” include
scalpers and brussle sprouts.
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Figure from the collection of Steven Schuler. |
