Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Snowboard Spider-Man by ToyBiz



I scored this Snowboard Spider-Man around the same time I got the Jet-Pack Spider-Man reviewed here a year ago. ToyBiz produced these nearly a decade ago, along with several other Marvel heroes like Wolverine, Captain America, Iceman, the Hulk, and Thing. My interest in these stemmed from the ongoing fascination I have with similarly chunky & cute toys, like the DC Super-Friends Mattel produced a few years after. Like those, these are simple toys meant for younger children. Their happy colors and bulky tactile appeal make them both comforting and inviting- "Play with me, I'm cute!" Like any good toy, these are made for play. Leaving work early due to inclement weather, I determined it would be a good afternoon to photograph Spidey!





Spidey is about 6" tall and comes with a snowboard and removable snowball shooter with pack. The basic figure alone has a modified outfit, but is an extension of the original blue & red Spidey, we know and love. These are slightly more limited in articulation than Mattel's DC Super-Friends, but he does have swivels at the tops of his gloves. His elbows have less range than the Super-Friends, and he has a simple swivel at the neck as opposed to a ball-jointed head. He is sturdy however, and super cute!


The snowball shooter is as chunky in design, but will fire the tethered snowball if you can get it to stay in the barrel long enough. He's a "cutsie" toy, but with admirable detail in the sculpt, great color, and clean paint apps. The hoodie looks particularly cool, a separate piece from the head & shoulders that can be freely positioned. Spidey's snowboard has pegs that fit securely into his slotted boot soles. Produced in 2003, these can sometimes be a challenge to find but they're out there, along with several other adventure themed Spider-Men released subsequently in this line of toys.  He makes a great partner to Jet-Pack Spider-Man!

More Later-Make It FUN!

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