Marvel Legends Spider-Man 2099 figure review
As an island character and part of a wave I wasn’t interested in the Build-A-Figure, Spider-Man 2099 hasn’t been a priority to open/review. The cornerstone of the 2099 Marvel Comics Universe, Spider-Man 2099 had a great look going for him and a neat concept. Yes, I bought in and had every foil cover #1 from that launch. But they were fun and I don’t regret it at all.
I’m way behind on my Spider-Man reading, but I’m glad to see he’s still being used despite the end of the 2099 line. And after opening the figure, I really regret waiting so long as he’s one of the better Spider-Man variants.
Packaging: The Build-a-Figure Hobgoblin wave was the last to primarily feature generic packaging. That means poor Spidey 2099 doesn’t get the nifty side panel drawing. Instead, it’s just a basic Spider-Man portrait. He does have a dedicated bio write-up, but man would I love a little more info in these bios.
Likeness: While all but the most die-hard Spidey fans would struggle naming the definitive Spider-Man 2099 story, you can’t beat that visual. This is one of those rare future designs that decades removed from its creation, still looks like a futuristic outfit.
This is mostly a blank body with the exception of two spikes on both forearms and clawed hands. That’s enough to give future Spidey a really unique look. The mask design is sculpted on, which was a smart move. Sure, it could be painted, but it looks so much better with dedicated sculpted doing the hard work.
He’s packed in a way that gives him a bow-legged stance. With the metallic paint, I’m not going to try the hot water trick. Besides, he stands better than some characters with straight legs so I might just leave it alone.
Scale: I can’t place the body Hasbro used, but it’s appropriately slender. Size wise, he’s about the same height as the Pizza Spider-Man body making him average height.
Paint: Here’s where the figure truly shines — pun intended. Hasbro gave Spidey a metallic paint job, which really makes him pop. The dark blues and bright reds truly help to distinguish him from other Spider-Man variants.
I had just a few paint chips on the chest, but otherwise, the spider-symbol paint was applied well. That’s very impressive considering the arm/shoulder articulation.
Articulation: A good Spider-Man figure has to be able to get some strong crouching poses. Spidey 2099 is a ton of fun to pose. The double-jointed knees and elbows allow for really creative pose options that make sense with a web-slinger. The only hindrance is the side to side range. It limits a deeper split and side kick poses.
Spider-Man 2099 has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- bicep
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double-jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: On the accessory front, Spidey 2099 doesn’t have a lot of options so I won’t ding him too much here. The one accessory he gets is his web cape. The cape has a nice degree of transparency and is nicely executed from its comic book look. It plugs in to the hole in his back easily enough. It tends to spin around a bit more than I’d like so I’ll probably superglue it in place.
Additionally, he comes with the left arm and blazing sword for the BAF Hobgoblin. While I’m not building Hobgoblin, the sword could come in handy for a number of characters.
Worth it? Getting Spider-Man 2099 now is going to be costly. He ranges in the $72 to $84 range. You can find him for about $30 cheaper on eBay, but either way, he won’t be cheap. Maybe with the new costume version out this one will go down in price?
Rating: 9.7 out of 10
With just a little better hip articulation and some useful accessories this would be an easy 10. It’s still so solid it’s nearly worth the high price it fetches on the secondary market.
Where to get it? Online is the only way to go. Stalk eBay first, but Amazon sellers could have a good deal eventually.