3 3/4" Ultimate Spider-Man Figures

Hasbro's latest wave of toys tied in with the recent animated TV show, Ultimate Spider-Man, these 3 3/4" figures are on the low end price-wise. At $5.99 some articulation and paint have been sacrificed to hit a price point that's low enough to get you to take the bait.  The show's target demographic of younger boys won't miss the articulation on these colorful action figures that include two accessories made clearly visible in the splashy-looking blister packs. The colorful figures caught my eyes immediately, and were cheap enough to buy both.

I was mostly certain what I was getting as far as articulation, limited to "5-point gang", which is fine, but it was their vivid color that interested me. This is a testament to the success of Spidey's red & blue color scheme, which never gets old somehow.

Hasbro included one web accessory each, Night Mission Spider-Man a whipping webline, and Crime-Fightin' Spider-Man a web-pack that slings over his shoulder. These are accessories from previous Marvel Universe figures. A plastic spider was included with each as well, likely a pre-existing mold from some other toy line, thrown in to sweeten the deal. They were a cheap thrill, but fun to photograph. I've seen some Marvel Universe that are stripped down in articulation, and this may very well be the same mold from that "discount" line of action figures. I also spotted a new, cheaper line of Iron Man 3 figures like this, which makes me think a more articulated wave of 3 3/4" figures won't be released like with the first two movies. That's kind of a shame as those lines were pretty great, but I can almost guarantee that's the way things will shake out after seeing all the other merchandise Hasbro is releasing for Iron Man 3, including a 3 3/4" line with an interchangeable armor parts feature.

Night Mission Spider-Man got my attention first, with his body made of translucent blue plastic detailed in red piping throughout the limbs and torso. He has the same body mold as the more conventional Spider-Man, the paint apps merely painted over the sculpt to give him an alternative look. His webline is molded in a smoky translucent plastic. He's sort of a cheap adaptation of an existing mold, but the red piping was thoughtfully positioned outside the "webbed" portions of his sculpt. I like him...

Crime-Fightin' Spider-Man received the character's more classic costume treatment. Again, these are simple toys, but I can't help but think about the Mego Pocket Heroes line I loved from childhood, also very simple but colorful & fun. In reality, the sculpt on this Spider-Man is infinitely superior, more realistic in body proportion and truer to Spidey's classic design. While there's not much in the way of paint apps, but the sculpt is very nice, with incised webbing throughout the figure, and spider insignia neatly cut into his back.

Crime Fightin' Spider-Man with my Marvel Universe "House of M" Spider-Man, who came with the same web pack. The Ultimate Spider-Man's pack didn't get any paint apps, but you can still see his sneaker's, camera, and shirt sleeve hanging out of it...

Crime-Fightin' Spider-Man and Night Mission Spider-Man with Marvel Universe Scarlet Spider and Capture Trap Spider-Man from the Amazing Spider-Man line, both of which sported much more articulation and paint detail...

All my 3 3/4" Spider-Men together: Amazing Spider-Man Grappling Hook Spider-Man, Marvel Universe Scarlet Spider, Ultimate Spider-Man Crime-Fightin' Spider-Man and Night Mission Spider-Man, Marvel Universe "House of M" Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man Capture Trap Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man Ultra-Poseable Spider-Man, and Marvel Universe Spider-Man 2099...!

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1:6 Capt. Action & Dr. Evil

A lot of you have expressed surprise that I haven't jumped on the Captain Action dollies 1:6 action figures yet and there are a couple reasons. For one, I didn't have these as a child. I was born a little late to get into these- the similar 9" Mego World's Greatest Superheroes were my first action figures. I also felt they were slightly overpriced- not terrible, but I'd been getting my dolly fix with Mattel's 9" Retro-Action line for $15-$20 a pop, which were styled like Megos anyway. Unfortunately, Mattel cancelled that line, but seeing these  basic Captain Action figures on sale at half off for $14.99 at TRU this weekend reignited my dolly love. This isn't the first revival of the late 60's Captain Action toy franchise, the first released by a company called Playing Mantis back in 1998, which included accessories for The Lone Ranger & Tonto, Flash Gordon, the Green Hornet & Kato, and The Phantom. Several Marvel Comics character accessories have been released for this latest incarnation of the Captain, and I heard that Superman & Batman outfits are being released this year.

The packaging is splendid on these, packed in big, clear box with a colorful cardstock backer and tray full of accessories. It also comes with a comic book- a practice that I personally love, and makes great marketing sense. Captain Action's comic was the best, featuring two very retro spy stories full of action and great writing that reminded me an old Challengers of The Unknown book I read awhile back. The Dr. Evil comic had fun writing, but was more like a short story with illustrations. From what I understand, DC Comics published a few comics back in '68 that had little to do with the original toy line, but these newer stories published by Moonstone have a real Blackhawk-type of retro machismo that fits perfectly with toy.

Captain Action has great articulation- I'm unsure how his body compared to that of  one of the more boutique Sideshow or Hot Toys figures, but it's more than adequate. I wish the joints were tighter, but he poses pretty well. His ball-jointed head is very expressive, and bicep swivels, hinge-swivel wrists, double-jointed knees & elbows, and waist swivel/abdominal crunch combo make him very well articulated.

There was a deluxe version of this figure released, but the basic Captain Action figure is generously accessorized, with lightning sword, ray gun with holster, and personal communicator which all fit on his utility belt, and cap that fits securely on his head. His communicator even flips open like a cell phone- really cool! This holster clasps shut very well, but I had problems with the sword sheath popping off the belt loop, His buckle was similarly problematic, two very shallow pegs that fit into tiny hole in the belt. The suggested age is fourteen years and up, obviously meant for a more careful collector with all the small parts.

The hands are made of a softer rubber than the hard plastic body, and securely hold Captain Action's accessories, the forefinger fitting snugly into the trigger guard of his ray gun. The spandex outfit closed up neatly via a velcro strip down the back and is fully removable, as are the hands pegged onto the forearms, so he can be transformed into Thor, Spider-Man, Captain America, or any of the other character accessory sets sold.

 I already said that his joints are a little loose for my liking, but with some patience, the figure can do quite a bit. I thought these looked a little goofy upon seeing them initially, but this is a very cool toy. The paint apps are great, especially on his accessories  his cap alone is expertly done, topped off with an expertly sculpted anchor badge, I assume a reference to his Navy background. I had a ball photographing him. He's a lot of fun!

I may of thought the Captain was goofy looking at first, but Dr. Evil is the most laugh-out-loud, ridiculous character I've seen in my life! I mean that in a good way. The blue skin, exposed brain, and gaudy medallion give him such a retro B-movie villain feel that he's hard not to like.

Dr. Evil gets fewer accessories, but they're nicely detailed. His medallion has a gold metal chain and translucent red jewel in the center, and he also comes with a great, Flash Gordon-type ray gun that totally rocks- very cool. My Dr. Evil has a seriously floppy right wrist, and perhaps even looser knees than my Captain Action, but I was still able to do a lot with him. 

He also gets a mask to disguise his grotesque head and evil machinations from Captain Action! It's a little work to pull the bearded mask over his chin, but it just fits. This really makes him look like a reject from the Village People in that silver evil scientist smock- hilarious! The head looks like Dr. Benton Quest from the Johnny Quest animated show.

These are some seriously fun toys I'd recommend to anyone into 1:6 scale, fully clothed action figures. I have to be honest in saying that I think thirty bucks seem high, but I've paid more for a 1:6, and with Marvel involved I guess they can ask that. I'm unsure if it's a nationwide, in-store sale on these, but the sale is on through March 9th. I may never have bought one at full retail price, but I'm sure glad I found them on sale.

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Recent Acquisitions: DC Direct

Just a quickie to show off some recent DC Direct acquisitions here at the Super-DuperToyBox! I was very excited to get hold of the Public Enemies Superman/Batman Series 1  and Public Enemies 2 Superman/Batman Series 3 Supermen pictured above. I'd been hunting on eBay for some time for these at a decent price, and while they usually run for around $35.00 including shipping, I got them for about twenty bucks each. Styled after the work of artist Ed McGuiness, they will compliment the JLA Classified Green Lanterns I scored a couple months ago!

I also found the highly coveted Blackest Night Series 2 Martian Manhunter and Series 4 Wonder Woman Black Lanterns at V-Stock for only ten bucks a pop. I'm a huge fan of this Green Lantern series by DC Direct, and these will go great with my Black Lantern Superman and Nekron!

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Amazing Spider-Man MiniMates

I picked these up last autumn, my recent MiniMates fascination at full tilt, and since my last ten posts have been Spider-Man related, now is as good a time as any to crack them open.  I enjoyed last summer's blockbuster movie by Columbia Pictures, and Diamond Select did a great job on this 2-pack of Peter Parker and his web-slinging alias. How they can emulate the look of an actor's face within the simplistic confines of the  MiniMates style is often impressive, and Diamond nailed it on the Peter Parker, which really has the look of actor Andrew Garfield.

Pete's hipster-chic wardrobe is accurately portrayed here, down to the finger-less gloves & sneakers. His nicely sculpted backpack is permanently attached at the shoulder of the figure's jacket overlay. The skateboard is a little small for the figure's chunky feet, but seems in scale- the peg helps keep him on it, but the headstand picture below took the steady hand of an experienced action figure poser!   :D

The Spider-Man MiniMate included all the right details associated with the recent movie costume, including metallic gold eyes and web-shooters under the wrists. I really liked the reinterpretation of Spidey's classic red & blue suit- it kept all the classic elements, but possessed a spindly twist that made him even more spider-like.

The Spider-Man came with an alternate Peter Parker head, sans glasses, sporting Garfield's mussed hair. Again, with few details, Diamond was able to portray the actor's visage...

Amazing Spider-Man MiniMate with my Ultimate/Miles Morales Spider-Man MiniMate...

Amazing Spider-Man MiniMate with my Hasbro 3 3/4" Amazing Spider-Man and Marvel Select 7" Amazing Spider-Man...

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