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Spider-Man 3 - New Goblin
Hot Toys
"The
following is a guest review. The review
and photos do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Michael Crawford
or Michael's Review of the Week, and are the opinion and work of the
guest author."
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Hot Toys New Goblin has been
out for awhile - I covered it here
last fall - but Jeff has provided his own unique look at this
underrated figure. Take it away, Jeff!
OK, OK… it will become immediately apparent that I started writing
this a while back, but with summer holidays, other more pressing new
figures, and the day job to contend with this got pushed back… what can
I say?
At the time of writing this review, the new ‘Amazing
Spiderman’ movie is due to open in just a few days here in the UK (It’s
probably due on DVD soon instead… see what I mean!), I have mixed
feelings about it. From the trailers and clips I have seen it looks
like Andrew Garfield has certainly captured something of the Peter
Parker we all know and love… but I still question whether Sony pictures
actually need to reboot with another ‘origins’ story. I mean, we all
know (or at least should) the genesis of how the mild mannered student
becomes the cocky web-slinger. I’m also still not 100% convinced with
the new costume design, and even though I’m a fan of Rhys Evans (and
I’m sure he’ll do a great job with the character of Dr Curt Connors) I
quite frankly dislike the design of The Lizard as well. But time will
tell, as I have yet to see the movie, and when all is in context I may
be swayed.
However, I’m not here to dissect the new movie…yet!
No,
I’m here to look at what has turned out to be one of Hot Toys strongest
and most detailed secondary characters from the weakest of the Raimi
Spiderman trilogy. Lets face it Spiderman 3 was a big fat mess. Just
about every element of its existence is mired in problems. I wont
bother to rehash all the reasons I was so mightily disappointed, other
than to say that the first two movies were so good, that it just seemed
to implode in upon itself before my very eyes.
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None of the
acting was too bad, but the convoluted story and messy
logic used in bringing the characters together was at best laughable.
However, the motivation for Harry Osborn (played by James Franco) to
become the New Goblin was at least given some pathos before it all
crumbled. So, if I wasn’t a fan of the movie, why am I so fond of this
figure? Well its down to Hot Toys incredible eye for detail, and the
real world treatment lavished on his stealth Ninja armour, which gives
the finished a product one hell of a lift when displayed next to
Spidey. As time progresses it looks less and less likely that we will
ever get Venom, and although I do now have the symbiote Spidey, it kind
of doesn’t make a lot of sense to have two Spidey’s posed together. So
as far as companion pieces go, this is the one for me, could he be the
one for you?
Packaging
- ****
I
loved the box design that came with Spidey, and the same production
standards have been brought to play on this one. Obviously it lacks the
iconic status of the Spider-suit, but the design used is still very
strong, and the tactile nature of the embossed and raised elements for
the front mask make this look and feel like a top quality product.
The
construction is again a straightforward lift off lid, but the top
section is made to mimic elements and textures of the Goblins suit, and
even has a raised Goblin mask motif placed at its centre.
Once
inside, there is a full colour card overlay then the figure is held
secure between layers of vac formed black and clear plastic. So even
though not as impressive as Spidey’s box it is still a striking design
and sits comfortably next to its companion piece.
Sculpting - ****
James
Franco is one of those annoying polymorphs who shifts seamlessly
between roles, and indeed art forms. His facial features are captured
amazingly here in one of the two head sculpts supplied. The expression
is serious and focussed, and the clarity of the portrait is up there
with some of the finest work that Hot Toys have ever put out. His
chiselled features are not unlike James Dean in his prime and the fine
detailing on the skin texture and hair are as good as we have now come
to expect. The second head is permanently masked with emerald green
faceplate and glossy goggles. The sculpting is again expertly executed
and looks very convincing in representing the screen seen armour.
However, unless you intend to display the Goblin posed with a
kit-bashed Harry Osborn standing next to him, I have a strong feeling
that the outstanding work on the unmasked head will take preference for
most.
Apart from the fists he comes wearing there are also two
extra gloved hands in poses designed to interact with his accessories.
The detail here is of course adeptly observed and I found they swapped
over with ease.
Paint
- ****
Once again we
get a striking and unfussy paint app delivered by the mediums grand
master JC Hong. It compliments the sculpting perfectly by exhibiting
fresh even skin tones and spookily accurate glossy eyes. All is just as
it should it be! The second head with the mask permanently attached
also has some nicely delivered finishes in making the mask and lenses
have a super shiny lacquered and glass like appearance.
The
gloved hands are also given some delicately observed detailing on the
intricate fine points (like the shiny emerald green knuckle pads) to
help bring the overall effect together. Another demonstration in
perfection delivered to order.
Articulation
- ****
Because Harry is fully
dressed with not much flesh on show it
means the classic True-Type could be utilised to full effect. You can
get the low-down on the bodies functionality and what lies beneath his
outfit over the course of these breakdowns here, here, and indeed here.
Little
remains to be said other than he poses well, with the only restrictions
being imposed by the clothing, and those restrictions are far from bad.
Accessories
- ***1/2
Goblin Jnr comes with a nice selection of goodies to create maximum
carnage. We get-
- One Sky-Stick (hover-board)
- One extra head with mask
- One short knife
- One long knife
- One sword
- One closed pumpkin grenade
- One open pumpkin grenade with blades extended
- One acrylic short stand for the hover board
- One display base with long pole for flight poses
- Two extra hands
His
stand out piece is of course the turbo hover-board, it clips to the
soles of his boots with small dumbbell type pegs, and the uber
detailing is just beautiful. The lower section with the propulsion unit
and blades is on a rotating joint that can spin a full 360 degrees.
Once turned it exposes a tiny black switch, by flicking this on you
illuminate tiny LED’s that give the integral rotor blades a nice
ethereal green glow.
The three bladed weapons are a simple
creation for the artists at Hot Toys but still show plenty of finely
observed detailing, as do the pumpkin grenades both closed and open.
His right gauntlet has three panels to which you can attach the
articulated bladed weapons, these feature small hinges allowing them to
be angled flush to the arm or turned up for attack mode.
The
knives and are held in his thigh worn knife holster and the mid length
sword is housed in the techno-scabbard he sports on the back (I seem to
remember the midi one extended in the movie to become the long
one),this is held there by tiny ‘mock’ metal clips.
Lastly he
has his display base which is the same size and shape as the one that
came with Sweeney Todd, but this one features a long transparent pole
that slots into a hole at the rear of the stand and has a spring-loaded
waist gripper at the other end to hold the figure up when displayed in
flight poses. Actually, I say lastly, but there is also a short clear
acrylic stand that the Sky Stick can slot into, allowing for a ‘more
compact’ display if you plan on putting him in a Detolf or an already
crowded shelf.
So, a good selection made all the sweeter by that cool Sky-Stick.
Outfit
- ****
I’ve already raved about the portrait and the paint, but this is the
category where this character delivers its full quota of awesome. The
original (Willem Defoe) Goblin was far more ‘fantasy’ in the design of
his over the top green armour. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the design,
and would dearly love a 1/6th version in my collection. But I also have
a feeling that we might get an even more iconic version (for that read
comic book) from the reboot if they intend to reintroduce the character
in the planned sequels before the licence runs out with Sony. But I
must admit I dearly hope Marvel don’t renew their licence, as we need
some Spidey movies made under the Marvel umbrella so he can fully
interact with the rest of the characters in their Avengers universe… as
long as they have the guts not to reboot for a third time and just
respect we all know who Spider-Man is and kick off at the deep end.
I
mean, did we need an origins story for the re-imagined Sherlock Holmes,
no; characters like him and so many others are so embedded in a
collected consciousness of pop culture that they don’t need constant
reintroductions… in my view anyway! Likewise I hope Zack Snyder’s
Superman doesn’t feel the need to wade through all that set up… we know
who Superman is, he’s a freakin institution, just tell us a new story
worthy of the character!
But enough of my ranting, back to his threads!
The
relatively real world feel means his outfit actually looks more hi-tech
stealth combat rather than spandex clad homoerotic super-villain. It
consists of black boots, black trousers, a pleather and sculpted
plastic knife holster, black zip-up skin-tight shirt under a snug
fitting black gilet. Over this is his harness for the back mounted
sword, and lastly he has a set elbow pads and three arm braces with
interchangeable hinged blades for his right arm.
The footwear is
sculpted and looks like a hybrid of Prada dress shoes, crossed with
snowboarding and tactical assault boots, featuring some hi-tec bindings
and clips. Over these he wears his long black trousers with working
zippers at the ankle and working pockets and belt loops. The under
shirt is beautifully tailored with fine detailing on the intricate
seams and Nehru style collar with a clip fastener. The most impressive
pieces are his zip-up gilet with a lace up and webbing back section,
over which he wears the back mounted scabbard for his long sword. Both
items feature some great details on finely observed clips, straps and
webbing. The whole thing looks like a cool climbing harness designed by
Oakley. At the elbows he wears sculpted pads and on the right he has
three separate bands strapped to his forearm with small emerald green
rectangles that can be slid out and replaced with the hinged blades.
All
in all the detailing and fabrication is top notch, on an outfit that is
actually far more complex than originally meets the eye. It bodes well
for characters like Bane and indeed the new and improved TDKR Bat Man
DX when they are delivered, but we knew they were more than up to the
challenge already!
Action
Feature - ***1/2
When you were a kid I bet you loved it when a toy made noises or had a
light up feature… I know I did.
But
having grown up… well, at least a little (my wife and daughters might
disagree) these kind of features become less important, especially if
it gets in the way of accurate aesthetic or functionality. Luckily the
light up feature doesn’t harm here, and much like on the Iron Man
figures it helps enhance the finished product… not greatly, but an
enhancement is an enhancement.
As described above, by turning the
lower propulsion unit you expose a tiny black switch, when this is
switched on a couple of green lights are activated in the base, they
are not the brightest lights you will ever see, but the gentle green
glow is strangely rewarding!
Value
- RRP ***1/2 Sale price ****
There
is no denying that this is a spectacular looking figure, but his
biggest problem is the fact he’s a secondary character from a the worst
of the Spiderman movies. Even though Venom was rubbish in the film, at
least his character design was close enough to the comics that he
translated into a ‘real world’ version. Sadly the New Goblin looks more
like hardcore extreme ninja sk8terboy, with added pointy bits rather
than anything resembling what we know as the Goblin.
So with an
RRP of $170 it’s no surprise that six months after his release, he is
still readily available. However, in terms of actual bang for buck he
is far stronger than some recent more popular releases. However, the
RRP doesn’t necessarily need to be the price you pay! If you act
swiftly enough you could still stand a chance of buying this from one
of Michael’s sponsors listed below for a full $40 less, and at $120
this is a big fat bargain.
So to sum up, I would say that if
this is one of those figures you have admired and coveted for a while,
there is a reason for that desire, and that reason is that it is a
bloody great figure. So if you do decide to take the plunge I can
almost guarantee you wont be disappointed (especially at those sale
prices). However, if you are one of the nay sayers who has never
understood why Hot Toys even wasted their time on this character,
perhaps it’s best you leave now, in fact why did you even read this
far, there’s ten minutes of your life you’ll never get back!
Fun
Factor - ***1/2
As far
as actual ‘big kid’ play value goes this is a peach. It poses well, it
looks fantastic and it has a light up hover-board and a specially
designed stand so you can display him in mid-flight. Even better if you
have Spidey too you can put them in no end of groovy action poses
interacting with each other.
But as always, it shouldn’t need
to be pointed out that this is NOT intended for kids, his pointy blades
could have someone’s eye out, or even more distressingly, be broken by
tiny careless fingers. But if you are in the habit of giving your kids
$170 action figures to throw around the sand box, good luck to you!
Overall-
*** 3/4
You should
have gathered by now, that not unlike my views on the Babydoll figure
from Sucker Punch, what we have on our hands is a killer figure from a
below average movie. That is a fact, no two ways about it. The price is
of course going to keep many from plunging for this figure, which is
understandable. But for those who do take the plunge, you will be
handsomely rewarded with an amazingly detailed and striking piece of
1/6th design!
Where to Buy -
Sideshow still has The Goblin available
to order for $169.99 or you can try some of Mike’s sponsor
below where you could potentially save $40 on the RRP.
BBTS
in stock @ $120.00
Urban
Collector in stock @ $135.99
Fan
Boy in stock @ $154.99
Or hit ebay
where the BIN prices are between $150 to $175.
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This product was provided free for the review by the manufacturer.
Photos and text by Jeff Parker.
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