SDCC ‘10 Movie Spider-Man
Recently, the awesome guys at Cybertron Philippines began something that is beyond amazing for Philippine collectors with no means to visit the often dreamed about San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC). They started special group buys where members of the forums could get the exclusive Hasbro Marvel figures that were being sold at the infamous convention. I bought both my SDCC ‘10 Ages of Thunder Thor and the SDCC ‘10 Captain America, and today I’ll be looking at the last of the 3 4″ figures that was available:
The SDCC ‘10 Movie Spider-Man.
I already talked about how nice the boxes on the 2 Marvel Universe (MU) figures were. This one blows both those packages out of the water.
The figure comes packaged in a unique blister pack that is covered in a paperboard slipcase. The slipcase showcases beautiful poster artwork from the Spider-Man films (I honestly don’t know which of the movies it’s from) and is highlighted by silver foil accents. The back of the slipcase has an amazing foil design that features many of the webhead’s biggest villains. All I could say was, “wow.”
The blister is different because it’s a circular bubble. The plastic tray inside that holds the figure in place is actually free floating. If you spin the card around, the tray and figure move around as well, giving the illusion that Spidey’s hanging upside down. The whole concept is unbelievably good and executed very well.
I was actually sad that I’d have to ruin this amazingly thought out piece to remove the figure.
The cardback is a disappointment however. After the excellent job Hasbro did in creating the box and blister, you’d think they’d have put more work into the product photography.
Seriously! With the kind of articulation that this thing has (more on that later), you’d think they could do something more convincing than this. He’s Spider-Man for pete’s sake. He’s bendy. He does somersaults and backflips in mid-air. What’s he doing hanging there like a limp rag?
Oh, well. It’s a little thing that fades once you look at the bottom line. What is that bottom line?
THIS IS A GREAT FIGURE.
Let’s break it down.
1) Well sculpted.
He’s got embossed weblines all over him. At this scale that fact alone is utterly unbelievable. He’s also got the chainmail pattern that the movie costume had on the blue portions. Again the fact that this thing is so tiny makes this an amazing feat.
2) Well designed articulation
Of all the MU figures I own, this is by far the best articulation I’ve seen. Here’s the list:
Ball-hinge neck, swivel-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double-hinge elbows, swivel-hinge wrists, ball-jointed torso, swivel-hinge hips and swivel thighs, double-hinge knees, swivel boot tops, and swivel-hinge ankles.
Squeezing ALL of that into a figure only 4″ big is about the most impressive thing Hasbro has ever done.
3) Well accessorized
I don’t always count the number of accessories when I look over a figure. I sometimes count the QUALITY of the accessories. In this case, Spidey’s only got one: a webline.
This thing is amazing. I know I’ve used that word a lot but, really it is. It’s several times longer than anything we’ve seen before, has an unobtrusive loop at the end of it that fits over either hand, is sculpted with ridges and loops all along it’s length, and ends in a suction cup so you can hang your figure from a window or wall. Considering that this is not Batman or Punisher, it makes perfect sense to give him one great accessory that fits his canon.
I’ve only got one other Spidey from the MU line and that’s the one that came with the Spider-Friends boxset. I never bothered to get the others since I really hated the sculpt of the one in the mainline. He looked pinheaded and the articulation was nowhere near where a figure of Spider-Man has to be.
This one is much, much closer. If you forced me, I’d say add a second torso hinge below the ball-joint, where the old waist swivels used to be, in order for him to really get his legs up to his chest. That would be a great way to get him in a fetal position when he’s swinging.
But that’s only if you forced me. I’m a pretty big guy, so you’d need to get pretty creative to do that. I’m ticklish, if that helps.
No? Oh, well.
This SDCC Spider-Man really has replaced the MU one as my favorite 4″ scale Spider-Man and it beat out SDCC Captain America for my top spot for my own personal toy of the year. Though Cap has as much articulation, it’s not as well integrated as the joints here. Plus the little unnoticed detail that was added here screams for attention.
In fact, I liked this figure so much I bought a whole bunch of villains for him:
Along with the Kaiyodo Spidey, this is my Peter Parker of choice.
Banzaitron!
Anyone who’s read some of my Transformers reviews knows how much I like re-paints.
If there’s a particular figure I really like, I’ll shell out a second time (third, fourth, and fifth time) to get it in different colors. It doesn’t even have to be a different character. I’ve got a regular Leader Class Prime, a Premium Leader Class Prime, a Leader Class Nightwatch Prime, and a Revenge of the Fallen Leader Class Prime. Check out my Energon Arcee review to see how much I enjoyed that mold. Or my Classics Optimus(es) and Nemesis Prime reviews. I paid Php 2,500 for Fracture, a repaint of Mirage, one of my favorite toys to this day (mostly because Wendee gave it to me). If I had an extra Php 4,500.00 right now, I’d head to Greenhills and get that Exclusive Japanese Clear version of it.
So now that you know how much I like re-paints (or re-colors), you’ll understand why this review may seem overly biased. If you’ve read my Bludgeon review, then you can probably just skip all the text today and look at the pictures.
Like Seaspray, Banzaitron comes in the new Hunt for the Decepticons (HftD - Remember when acronyms used to SPELL something?) packaging, which means that unlike the older model, he’s displayed in all his robot glory.
It’s nice that the box seems to be smaller this time, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that it’s just because he fills more space as a robot. I don’t have the old Revenge of the Fallen (RotF - there’s another one) box in order to compare. I will say it’s a lot easier to open this one though. Simply slice a single piece of tape on the left side where it’s flat and pull out the plastic tray. Then just nipperize the paper strings tying him down and viola! Instant Robot Skeleton Samurai!
Just like Bludgeon, Banzaitron comes with two swords, a long, two-handed dai-katana and a very short wakizashi. It’s a weird choice to include the wakizashi since that’s meant for hari-kiri (as in insert-here-to-release-intestines). I doubt that he’s got any guts to spill since he’s an A) Robot, and B) Skeleton. Still, the fact that he’s a C) Samurai means it’s only proper for him to carry the daisho (pair of swords worn by samurai warriors and later the nobility).
Ain’t history cool?
Anyway, if you haven’t figured it out by now, Banzaitron and Bludgeon are identical. You can find both of these in local toystores for Php 1,700.00 each. Pretty pricey, but did I mention he’s a Robot Skeleton Samurai? I did? huh, funny…
They turn into tanks, a pair of Japanese Type 90 Kyu-maru to be specific. It’s bad ass. That’s all you really need to know. It still has those awesome rubber treads that become chainmail on the robot, which is only one of the very innovative things that this figure can brag about. Sure the first LC Movie Optimus had rubber tires, but this is the first Transfromer that could say it’s got rubber treads.
The better to crush skulls with.
The transformation is pretty simple when you get used to it, having relatively few steps to it compared to other movie age bots. It’s pretty nice since all the armor he has in Samurai mode becomes pieces of the tank’s plating. The shoulder pieces become the front of the tank, the “skirt” becomes the armor on the side and back. The rest of him pretty much folds up underneath.
Honestly though, this guy doesn’t spend that much time in tank mode. The robot mode is just so much more fun.
As I said, the treads breakaway from the legs to become hanging pieces that are indicative of cloth or chainmail and which hang down freely off his hips and shoulders. His dai-katana is sheathed in the barrel of the turret, while the wakizashi is stored in a smaller scabbard that is revealed when you crack the turret open. It’s a very welcome feature since you know you’d lose that thing if it wasn’t stored securely.
Articulation and paint is the same as with Bludgeon, which is to say it’s acceptable. He’s got an insane range of motion in his arms due to having several different hinge and swivels in each. The legs are a little less articulated, but with thigh swivels and some excellent double hinge action on his ankles, he’s very stable. About the only sad part here is the lack of a waist swivel.
“Peerless under heaven” my hairy butt.
One thing that one of the guys on Cybertron PH pointed out is that he can actually hold standard pegged Transformers Classic/Universe weapons. if you want a GUN-TOTING Robot Skeleton Samurai like in Sucker Punch…
Here you go:
So, to buy or not to buy? Like with Dropshot and Overload, it’s probably best you just pick one. Most don’t need more than one Robot Skeleton Samurai in their collections. While Banzaitron looks more muted and evil looking, you can’t dismiss the loud obnoxiousness of the orange/green combo on Bludgeon. Banzaitron also has painted swords while Bludgeon’s are just the plain off-white of the limp plastic.
Still… Robot Skeleton Samurai!
SDCC 2010 Captain America
Last year at the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC ‘09), Hasbro was selling an exclusive version of their Marvel Universe (MU) Captain America. It was basically the same as the one available in the mainline as a single. It was also the same as the one that was available in the Secret Wars (SW) 2-pack with Klaw. It was identical to the one available in the “Invaders” 4-pack with Namor, Torch, and the Red Skull. The only difference between those Captain Americas and the exclusive one was that the one from the SDCC was in black and white.
As exclusives go, this was pretty much scrapping the bottom of the barrel. I mean it’s BLACK AND WHITE. You have to wonder how that decision came about. It’s about as boring a figure as you can get. I mean at least Batman is a noir type of character, so a high contrast, black and white figure kind of makes sense. It’s no wonder that this figure can still be found at it’s original price on toy store shelves here.
Thankfully, for SDCC 2010, Hasbro decided to raise the bar a bit.
So this is the new 2010 version of the Marvel Universe Captain America. As you can see, it’s nothing like the first Captain America which was a representation of of the hero’s modern day costume. This sculpt is one of his World War II uniform, the one he wore while leading the US of A to victory against Nazis, HYDRA, and what ever big bads there were at the time.
It’s a welcome change from that other one. You’d have thought that Hasbro’s penchant for re-paints, they’d just take the H.A.M.M.E.R. Files 1st Appearance Cap and repaint that one, but nope, they did a 360 and came up with a totally original figure this time.
Take a look at his accessories.
One of the thing that WOWed me was that they gave him a removable helmet. Most companies wouldn’t have bothered, and had this come in the main line, I imagine neither would Hasbro. It’s a nice touch and a welcome option should you wish to disply him at ease.
He comes with his iconic shield, which IS a re-purposed shield from the 1st Appearance figure with the same scalloped shape. Not so bad really since you don’t need to keep updating something as recognizable as this. I’m sure the upcoming slew of Captain America toys will ALL have the same round plate that the first versions had. There’s no reason to re-invent the wheel.
And like the other MU Cap figures, the shield can be strapped to his back. It’s too bad it doesn’t clip to his hand as well as it attaches to his back, though.
I do take issue with the gun though. What the hell is this? I’m pretty sure that they gave him a Glock, a semi-automatic pistol with a profile that is instantly recognizable. It didn’t come into popular use until around 1983. When was did World War II end, boys and girls?
That’s right, 1945.
More evidence that our collective education systems are completely broken.
His webgear is also cast as a seperate piece, but I’m not sure that it can be removed (and I sure as hell am not going to try). The Glock (facepalm) slides securely into the holster at his side. If this were a readily available figure (and didn’t have a Php 700.00 price tag), I’d get another so I can use the parts for some other figure. I bet that harness would look great on Punisher or Snake Eyes.
In the past, 3 accessories might have seemed pretty meager, but MU has trained my mind to think that anything beyond a trading card is super. Plus, keep in mind that he’s a superhero, not a grunt. He doesn’t really need tons of ordanance. In fact, I’d THANK Hasbro to quit annoying people and stop including those asinine M-16s with all of there figures. What does Wolverine need with an M-16? Really?
Read my review of SDCC Ages of Thunder Thor,and you’ll see what the box is like. It’s just like the regular MU box, but with Joe Quesada art, and a different sub-line logo (Fury Files had the SHIELD logo, H.A.M.M.E.R. Files had a hammer). In this case, Cap gets a shield (duh). The back of the card has some blurb about how he went head to head against the Red Skull.
There’s also a mini manila envelope with a letter from one ranking WWII officer to another talking about how Captain America and Bucky could “get things done”. I’d have preferred a stand.
The figure is full of details that you don’t find on the normal figures, which for me totally justifies it’s price. For example, look at his boots:
Just look at how they’ve sculpted his pants bloused in to his boot tops, and the texture of the leather. Look at those brass buttons up the side.
It’s unbelievable how good this figure looks, especially for something in this scale. I’d expect this from an 8″ figure from NECA, not from a 4″ one from a company that’s been plagued with quality control issues from the start.
One thing that may turn collectors off though is the scale of the figure. It’s way to big to fit in with the other figures from the main line. Just look at him next to the Gigantic Battles Bucky Cap or the X-Men Origins Wolverine in Jacket.
Since Wolverine is supposed to be short, it’s a good fit, but he makes Bucky look like a munchkin. In a group shot you might not notice it, but side to side it’s very apparent. It’s a sad comparison.
Still, there are other things to consider aside from scale. Articulation for instance. This guy has more than any other MU figure to date. Check this out:
Balljoint-hinge neck, double swivel-hinge shoulders, hinge elbows, swivel-hinge wrists, torso ball joint, double swivel-hinge hips, double hinge knees, swivel boot tops, hinge ankles, and swivel feet.
That’s amazing for something this small. The only thing that approaches it is my Microman Batman!
All those joints do come with a price though. He comes apart rather easily, especially his head and bicep. Those parts on mine in particular pop off constantly when I play with the figure.
Seriously, this is a VERY impressive figure, and would have been my favorite if I hadn’t picked up SDCC Movie Spider-Man as well (more on that next time). He’s got articulation, sculpt, and accessories which is my trinity of qualities that indicate awsomeness in a toy. Frankly, this is one of my votes for Toy of the Year.
If you have a chance to get him, do it.
Star Wars Toy Launch
August 7, 2010
ToyKingdom Megamall Activity Area
10:00am to 6:00pm
Advanced & Artic Armor Iron Man
The concunrence of buyers’ demand and toy stores’ supply is rarely equal in toy collecting. Status quo is usually insanely high demand, itty-bitty supply, or absolutely no demand and shelf upon shelf of supply. It’s not really the most predictable market.
Thankfully, however, in the case of the new Arctic and Advanced Armors from Hasbro’s Iron Man 2 4″ line, it looks like the the supply is perfectly adequate for the demand here in the Philippines. It’s relatively easy to score either of these figures for suggested retail price at any Toy Kingdom branch, but there isn’t an over abundance warming the pegs. More room for all those light up Mark VIs!
The figures come with 3 Armor Cards each. These are cards with parts of their respective armors printed on transparent overlays. Ostensibly, you can mix and match the cards and “create” your own Iron Man designs. It doesn’t work all that well since most of the armors are vastly different from each other, but I like them. I’m one of those collectors that misses these sort of includes (like the Marvel Legends comic reprints) and enjoys looking at them. They also have a gray stand that can display both the figure and the cards. I hear they’ll be doing away with the cards in the next wave (awww…) but we’ll be getting more accessories (yay…).
Both the Artic Armor and the Advanced armor are made from a few of the same basic parts. There are several differences, but for the most part, the figures are made of parts that can be interchanged if not for the paint. I’ve been noticing this a lot in the new figures. Juggernaut’s Crimson Bands of Cyttorak for example, were made seperately so that the arms could be used later for another figure. Hulkbuster’s torso was made without a chestpiece so another could be substituted in it’s place. That’s how we get Thanos and Classic Ironmonger respectively. This planned re-use gives us much more attractive pieces than say, Proving Ground Hulkbuster.
In this case, the figures’ torsos, upper arms, and legs are the same (aside from one being purple and the other being red) and some extra fins on the Advanced Armor’s back, there’s no difference. For the other parts (head, lower arms, hands, shoulder pads), Hasbro’s gone and changed things up to give us the illusion that we’re buying another toy altogether.
Just like the Iron Man 2 Mark IV and Mark VI, the figures interchangeable parts become apparent when you pull off the hands. They’re a seperate piece that is made to pop off and re-attach, so you can have your Arctic or Advanced Armor do a Wacko Jacko if you’d like.
If Hasbro is serious about those extra accesories, one of the things that I’d really like to see are additional sets of hands. If we cold get more that look like that they were firing off repulsors, that would be very welcome.
Please, Hasbro. Enough with the insanely huge rocket launchers.
These two figures do come with an additional add-in; one repulsor blast each. The Advanced Armor comes with a flame blast colored orange and yellow, while the Arctic one gets a softer ice blast. Both are sculpted of soft, translucent plastic and fit over either of the hands, but the Artic’s snow dildo gets a light sprinkling of white paint to give it a more appropriate effect. It’s very nice.
Articulation is fair, but there are some important things missing. For instance, bicep swivels. These aren’t as important as thigh swivels, but damned if they don’t add to the poseability of a toy. These guys don’t have them.
There’s also the quality control issue. The paint that Hasbro’s been using lately has been fouling up figures left and right it seems. I just got a Classic Iron Monger whose joints were all paint-locked because of the black wash that was applied. These two aren’t spared from the dilemma. Both thigh swivels on BOTH figures were locked due to the paint.
Way to go Hasbro.
To be fair, though, there are some great innovations. If you’ve been buying these recent toys, you’ll notice that a lot of the new molds have swivel-hinge necks now, allowing Iron Man to look up when he’s flying around.
Way to go Hasbro (this time without the sarcasm).
There are some problem areas you’ll need to look out for. Aside from the paint-locked joints (which you can’t really do anything about anyway), there is the issue of the loose shoulder pads.
BE CAREFUL WITH THESE! I really wish they’d start making them like they did with the Extremis Armor so they don’t fall off. The ones on these figures come off if you breathe on them too hard.
Another is paint. While most of them aren’t too bad considering some of the nightmares we’ve seen since the start of the line, there are some figures (like mine) that have some screwed up applications. The left leg on my Advanced Armor looks like they missed a coat of the gold color, or didn’t let the red dry properly before adding the gold. The two colors are mixing rather clearly.
Bottom line though, is that BOTH of these toys are worth the purchase. They’re well sculpted, well articulated, (relatively) well painted, and come with a choice accesory (no stupid humongo guns here). At Php 450 a pop, and with their easy availability, it’s not even a question you should be asking yourself.
Go and get them for your own collection.
If you're looking for biased, one-sided views of toys and other assorted geekery, then you're in the right place. If you want objective, you'll need a blog written by someone who isn't an obsessive geek.
These are my views on various toys, movies, places, and things, along with assorted pictures and the the occasional link to stuff I find sufficiently geeky.
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Slangards
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