Review of Super Pose-able Spider-Man, Reptile Blast Lizard action figures
Amazing Spider-Man 2

Introduction

My daughter, sadly, is not a huge fan of superheroes. But one she does like is Spider-Man, and she enjoyed all three films. When she heard they were rebooting the license this year, she was much more excited than I.

My skepticism is well warranted. Think Superman Returns. But the initial previews were looking pretty good. Since then, it seems like Spidey is without his mask much too often for my tastes, but I'm still willing to give it a chance on the big screen.

The film isn't due til July 3rd, and will be the big movie for the 4th holiday (sorry, Katy Perry), but the action figures started hitting this week along with DKR and G.I. Joe.

Like the Captain America line, Hasbro is releasing not just movie figures in the 4" line, but a concept series and a comic series as well. That means there's a ton of figures on the pegs, but very few so far that have anything to do with the movie. I've found two - the Ultraposable Spider-Man, and the Reptile Blast Lizard.

You'll find these for around $8 at most mass market retailers, although finding these first two movie versions might take some time.

Packaging - ***
The card backs are attractive, and fairly small and compact. I like the new logo and graphics, but without specific character personalization on the front of the actual card back (there's only the insert) they do end up being very much more of the same.

Sculpting - Spider-Man ***1/2; Lizard **1/2
I don't have any issue with the new Spider-Man design - in this category. He has all the usual parts, and the emblem looks good. I also like the detail work they did on the lens, and the texture on the suit is very well done considering the scale. Remember, these are only about 4" tall.

Spidey is lanky of course, but the legs do seem a bit long for the body, even considering the geek physiology they're going for.

The Lizard is a slightly different story. The body looks great, and I'm glad they went with a tail. I'm one of those comic fans that likes my Lizards and Killer Crocs with tails. The body is well muscled, and he has a very lizard-like skin texture.

But there's something weird about the human-like head sculpt. I'm confused as to why they went with such a lizard influenced body, right down to the extreme with the tail and foot design, and then gave him an almost totally human head. From the neck down, he looks like a cool bipedal lizard beast. From the neck up, he looks like a dude with green psoriasis. A little Lubriderm will clear that right up!

To add insult to injury, he's pretty pin headed as well. It's not really fair to blame the figure for the movie character design, but let's be honest - you can't love a figure if the source material is weak.

Both figures stand fine on their own, although Lizard usually needs to use his tail for support.

They are also right about 4" tall, which means Spidey is a bit too big...or more likely, Lizard is too small.

Paint - ***
While the paint work on both is solid mass market work for this scale, it's not exceptional.

I was really impressed with Spidey...except for the soles of his feet. I'm betting the goofy looking silver soles will be alright on screen, since you won't see them much anyway. But they look pretty ridiculous on the figure, and are really the only area where there's slop as well.

The skin tone on Lizard has a nice blend of greens, and his eyes and teeth are fairly clean. There's a little clumping on the white, and a stray paint mark here and there, but overall he's a solid B as well.

Articulation - Spider-Man ****; Lizard **1/2
Spidey gets the 'ultra' title, and the package claims over 20 points of articulation. Of course, whether all that articulation is usable or not is the key.

He's got a great ball jointed neck with plenty of movement, ball jointed shoulders and hips with rotating biceps and thighs, double pin elbows and knees, pin/disc wrists (the turn AND tilt) and pin ankles. Oh, and don't forget the ab joint that turns and tilts as well.

All his joints work well, and you should have no trouble finding interesting poses. While some of the joints are quite spindly, I never thought they'd break or tear.

Poor Lizard didn't get the 'ultra' title, and doesn't get the articulation it implies. There's a ball jointed neck again, which doesn't work quite as well as Spidey's but is still a decent version. He also has the pin/disc ball shoulders, but with no rotation on the bicep. The elbows are also pin/disc style, so they rotate and bend, but there's no wrists joints. There's no waist or ab joint either, and the hips are a simple V crotch. The knees are just like the elbows, and there's a cut joint at the top of the tail, but most of the leg articulation is pretty useless.

He really needs some sort of ankle articulation, and wrists would have been a nice add as well. Better hips are key too. You won't get as many good poses, but at least he can stand in a menacing manner.

Accessories - Spider-Man Bupkis, Lizard ***
Looks like all that articulation ate up the budget for Spidey, since he comes with absolutely nothing.

Lizard does better, but I have a hunch that his 'reptile blaster' won't be making an appearance in the movie.

It's a cool little weapon though that can snap on either arm. The missile fits inside, and when you press the top back, the mouth opens and the trigger fires, shooting the missile much farther and stronger than the usual. You can easily knock down another figure with this weapon without actually throwing the weapon at them.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
These are designed for kids, and unlike the Batman 4" figures, they'll actually appeal. The articulation is decent, and most kids aren't going to be quite as picky about the Lizard design. Getting the main protagonist and antagonist right out of the gate is palsy a smart idea, allowing for conflict play.

Value - **1/2
Eight bucks is the going rate these days for 4" scale figures. Spidey really needs his own extra, but otherwise these fall in line with the average.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - Spider-Man ***1/2; Lizard **1/2
This is a nice Spidey, especially if you're an articulation junkie. Hasbro knows how to do figures in this scale - God knows, they've had enough practice.

I'm not really feeling Lizard, but most of my issues lie in the overall character design. There's just too much of a dichotomy between the style of the head and the body, making it seem odd and out of place. Hopefully it will look better on screen. Even with the goofy design, he would have gotten another half star here had the articulation been just a bit better.

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

Where to Buy 
Hit up your local mass market retailers like Toys R Us and Target, where you'll find these mixed amongst the comic series and concept series for about $8 each.

Related Links -
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