Marvel Legends Vintage Retro Spider-Man figure review
Every few years Hasbro decides they can top the latest ultimate Spider-Man figure and as usual, we’re all too happy to check out the newest almost perfect version of our favorite wall-crawler. With the Retro Spider-Man line, Hasbro has a new potential contender. Let’s see if this one raises the (webbed) roof for Spider-Man figures.
Packaging: Like the Marvel and X-Men waves before it, the Spider-Man retro wave packaging is a callback to the old school Toy Biz figures. These were the figures based on the Fox Spider-Man and X-Men shows and eventual Fantastic Four and Iron Man series. I’d pretty much stopped collecting by that point until a 3 for $10 sale at KB Toys pulled me back in so I have a soft spot for this packaging.
It’s nice and colorful with the show logo against a purple backdrop and a showcase image of Spider-Man to the left. This is a very eye catching color scheme and grabs your attention from the other black package figures on most shelves. The back features the rest of the wave, the special feature and a basic bio. Nothing to write home about, but everyone knows Spidey’s origin by this point, no?
Likeness: Unlike the spindly and scrawny, Pizza Spider-Man body, this is more of a 70s era Ross Andru style with muscles and some definition like an average sized guy. Just based on the variety of Spider-Man artists, it’s easy to see earlier figures as a perfectly valid Spider-Man, but this recalls more of how I originally picture Spider-Man. This mold is also more in line with the more defined version in the Fox cartoon series as well.
I’m impressed with the flow of the sculpt as there’s no funky shoulders or awkward positioning in the hips to allow for better articulation. I like the default head sculpt as it’s relaxed without being very wide like we’ve seen from artists like McFarlane and Bagley. Again, this is more a preference at this point, but this Spider-Man embodies that 70s/80s style I remember.
My figure did have some flashing on both of the right jawlines. Hopefully that’s something I can smooth out.
Paint: This is probably a case by case basis, but my figure was extremely clean with the paint. There were no issues with the webbing — the usual candidate — and the whites in the eye mask were bold and unblemished.
The biggest annoyance of course remains the pins with the red sticking out against the blue inner portion of the outfit. For Spider-Man, I wonder if Hasbro ever experimented with two-tone pins to avoid this visual issue.
Scale: Even with the more defined physique, Hasbro didn’t make the mistake of sizing him up. He’s about the same height as the Pizza Spider-Man meaning he’ll still be looking up at the Avengers Big Three.
Articulation: OK, here’s where Hasbro is betting you’ll dish out the extra bucks to get yet another Spider-Man figure and they’re right.
This articulation scheme is the best setup for a Spider-Man figure from Hasbro yet. He can do whatever a spider can at this point.
Retro Spider-Man has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double-jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: Retro Spider-Man has an alternate head with squinty eyes, which I will imagine he does right before he cracks a joke at one of his Rogues. It swaps quickly and easily.
He also has a pair of fists. Web-crawling hands would have also been nice, but in a pinch, the web shooter hands can stand in.
Worth it? I got this guy for $20. That’s average price for an ML figure although he’s missing that important value-added Build-A-Figure piece. That dings his value a bit.
Rating: 9.7 out of 10
This figure is almost there as the definitive Spider-Man. The only thing holding it back or those unsightly red pins on the blue sections. Once he gets pinless joints that will eliminate that issue we’ll have an unconquerable Spider-Man. Until then, this one is the new champ.
Where to get it? You should be able to find this wave at retail at this point. Failing that, get him from Target.com or LMF affiliate partner Amazon.com.