REVIEW: Hasbro Super Pose-able Spiderman Figure

Released 2007 

The most articulated 6" Scale Spiderman figure that you can get!

  

  Being out of production now (since it's a figure from Sam Raimi's Spiderman Trilogy), I picked this figure up used from eBay, and I have to say... It's got me a bit stumped.  You see, at the time of the Raimi films TOY BIZ had the exclusive rights to produce figures in this scale based on Marvel Licenses, and I know that Toy Biz released  a "Super Poseable Spiderman" featuring a mind boggling 46 points of articulation (that looks IDENTICAL to the figure I hold in my hand) during the promotion of Spiderman 2.

Front View

  There are just two problems...  First, that figure was released in 2004.  Second, that figure was released by Toy Biz.  So imagine my surprise when I found under the figures foot "HASBRO 2007".  Here's my theory:

  By 2007, Toy Biz as it had existed was no more.  As a company though, they continued producing figures like LEGENDARY COMIC BOOK HEROES, TNA and (of all things) CURIOUS GEORGE.  Somewhat ironically their name was changed to Marvel Toys, though their involvement in producing figures based on the Marvel License was over.  And with it, went the popular MARVEL LEGENDS line of figures (though the series has since been relaunched using all new molds).  That torch (and apparently all of Toy Biz's molds and tooling) had been passed to HASBRO.  

  And there was the Rub.  Marvel still had Movies to promote (like say, Spiderman 3) and with them, toys to be sold.  But Hasbro had a while yet before they could develop new molds and tooling of their own.  So Hasbro fell back on Toy Biz's molds in the meantime.

  If this is true, my new figure is indeed a Toy Biz (Spiderman 2) Ultra Poseable Spiderman, re-released by Hasbro in time to cash in on Spiderman 3.  And that kicks ass for me.

SCALE and HEIGHT

Rear View

This is an approximately six inch figure that is in scale with most MARVEL LEGENDS figures.  It's a bit too small to fit into a MARVEL SELECT display.  

Paint Apps 

Paint Apps are for suckas

It's difficult to accurately review the paint apps since we're talking about a used figure with a bit of paint wear.  But without pulling any punches this figure definitely feels like a mass market job.  Paint bleeds beyond the borders here and there and you can find spots that seem to have been missed.  It looks just fine at a distance, but doesn't hold up very well under close scrutiny.  If there is shading going on here, I'm not seeing it.  But then, I didn't chase down an out of production figure from a bygone movie series for the paint. Spiderman is the kind of figure that needs to come off as insanely acrobatic and limber... and for that, you need amazing articulation.

Articulation   

Making gyration possible

And it's here that this figure really shines.  During the release window of Spiderman 2, Toy Biz released the ultimate Spiderman figure: 18 inches of  masterful engineering, it featured an unheard of 67 points of articulation!!!  (I still lament the loss of mine to the clutches of a psychotic ex)

  If you were to take that masterpiece and blast it with a shrinking ray, you'd have the figure being reviewed here.  The joint design is almost indistinguishable.  So what exactly can this baby do?  "Whatever a Spider can!"

Looking up

  The head is affixed to a ball hinge joint that is given even more mobility thanks to a completely independent NECK joint connecting the head and the chest.  While this allows him to look down about as far as you'd expect, Spidey can look nearly straight up, making jumping / flying poses look easy.

  
Another place where many figures fall short is in the torso articulation... hell, some figures in this scale don't even HAVE torso articulation.  But like his bigger brother, this spidey can mix things up in three different places on his torso: 

Rib rotation

He rotates at the rib cage as well as the waist (making that "looking over your shoulder pose" no problem) AND has a decent Ab crunch as well.  

Ab Crunch

There are other Spidey figures that can crunch further, but then they don't have the other two joints.  

"Pec" Joints

  When it comes to the chest, this figure has "pec" joints that allow the shoulders to pivot either toward the sternum or the spine.  This was ground breaking stuff at the time and inspired many of the modern MARVEL LEGENDS we're seeing from Hasbro recently.  

Shrugging that shoulder

Another Toy Biz holdover is a joint that shrugs the shoulders upwards and makes it look like his lats are flaring out a bit like Bruce Lee did in some of his films.

Traditional LEGENDS style shoulder joints

  His shoulders rotate and raise just like most MARVEL LEGENDS do, along with the familiar bicep swivel and double jointed elbows.

How Spiderman feels about the NDAA section 1021(b)(2)

  Taking it a step farther are forearm swivels, wrists that both swivel and pivot and (here's the really uncommon bit)... four INDIVIDUALLY ARTICULATED fingers!  Okay, his thumb doesn't move, but neither does any Marvel figure in this scale.  For that, you're gonna need a PERFECT GRADE Gundam.

Glutes of steel

  But how about the lower body?  Well it's pretty standard fare for the most part.  You've got your standard ball-hinge hip joints (these have a much wider range of motion than nearly any figure I've seen though), upper thigh swivel, double jointed knees, shin/calf swivel, ankle pivots for dorsiflexion / plantarflexion and a toe joint.  Whew!  That makes 46 points of total and damn if that isn't a LOT for a figure in this scale.  In fact, that's a lot for ANY figure.

  If the Articulation falls short anywhere, it's the lack of ankle rocker joints (to adjust the camber of the feet-- or if you prefer, inversion and eversion).  But those were rare in the Toy Biz days and only now are appearing with any frequency on the new Hasbro MARVEL LEGENDS figures.

Special Features

Insert Peg HERE

It may sound like a trivial thing, but having Foot hole pegs can be worth it's weight in gold on older figures that have gone a bit loose in the leg joints.  And surprisingly, this simple thing gets forgotten when the bean counters in toy town tally up the features of a lot of figures.  This can even vary from version to version of the same figure (for all I know, the Spiderman 2 release of this figure might be missing them).  Thankfully on this figure they're included.

Accessories 

With a "Thwip" like this,  who needs Accessories?

Since I got mine used, he didn't come with any accessories.  I know the Spiderman 2 version of this figure came with a Daily Bugle Billboard that attached via a string to a wrist clasp.  A nice bonus, but totally unnecessary.

Other versions

As touched on above, this is a re-release of the Toy Biz Spiderman 2 figure.  Since I don't have one of those to compare with, I can't tell you if there are any differences between them.  But as far as I can tell from photos I've seen, they are identical.  I'd be suprised if Hasbro made any changes since it's cheaper to just sell the same figure twice (Avengers THOR figure, anyone?).

  While it's not really a previous version, I consider the 18" Spiderman figure to be the spiritual progenitor to this figure.

Size Comparison

Separated at birth?

  This guy is a bit smaller than some of the Toy Biz LEGENDS of yore, but seems to fit in perfectly with newer Hasbro LEGENDS.  What better figure to compare him to than the Hasbro Black Symbiote Spiderman?

Opinion, Value and VERDICT 

THWIP!

  For what I paid, this guy was a steal.  You just have to find one that wasn't some lil' tikes chew toy.  But If you are looking for a carded new figure, you can quickly be out $60 or more on eBay.  That's a lot to pay for a six inch figure that isn't a revoltech.  Worse yet, this could go UP as the years roll on.  You can get 3 new Hasbro LEGENDS at retail (and have enough left over for that gristle burger) for $60.  Collectors will take the plunge. But the casual toy fan might find better ways to spend their hard earned cash. 

Closing thoughts

NOT what it looks like

  If you like your 6" inch figures pose-able, are into ACBA, or are just looking for a kick ass Spiderman figure, you really can't go wrong here.

Hanging out

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