“There has to be a Spider-Man out there. I’m just not sure which of us it should be! “ – Ben Reilly.
Christmas is over. It’s time again for me to raise my head out of my retail hole and survey the landscape, maybe write a review or two. And, yes, I do know that it’s February. Retail plus being a Dad was an extra layer of exhaustion this year. And I’m gonna be in my late thirties this year. I just don’t bounce back like I used to. But we’re gonna make a go here with a couple theme weeks.
We’re going to run through the Absorbing Man Wave of Marvel Legends this week. Not every figure will get reviewed (you’ll see why), but we’ll get through the wave and on to ol’ Carl by week’s end. Next week, pre Toy-Fair, we’ll be doing a Star Wars Black Week that includes a pretty awesome giveaway courtesy of our friends at Entertainment Earth!
We’ll kick off with some nineties love: Ben Reilly, the Sensational Spider-Man. Before we dig in, I’m sure many a comic fan can subject me to the long-winded opinions of why The Clone Saga slapped them in the face and ruined everything forever, but I don’t care about any of that. Not even a little.
Ben Reilly was awesome. He was Electric Superman awesome, ok? He was refreshing. Interesting. Exciting. Some of the stories could’ve been better, but the idea has always been compelling. And the costume? The costume is gorgeous. It’s so slick in fact that despite the loud vocals against The Clone Saga, it’s never really gone away.* Spider-Girl wore it for one. And it’s crept into various merchandise over the years, including figures like the one here.
* – * Much like Electric Supes, who just got his, I believe, sixth figure from Mattel in the form of a crappy 12” titan hero deal. The figure is crummy, but awesome all the same.
This is actually the second Legend for the Sensational costume, but I don’t like to talk about the first one. It rolled out during Hasbro’s shakedown period and it’s just a wonky thing. In fact, as I mentioned in the Hobgoblin Series Spider-Man Review, I’m done with all Spidey figures that preceded it. Hasbro nailed that Spider-Man and I was immediately ready for costume variants. Hasbro didn’t disappoint: Spider-Man 2099 & Scarlet Spider have already been released, Symbiote Spidey is on the way thanks to a stupid poll, & Ben Reilly is already here as well.
As such, there really isn’t anything to talk about on the sculpt. There’s basically nothing new here from when I last reviewed it. It’s still awesome. The proportions are spot-on and the articulation blends together with it particularly well. The only additions here are the web-cartridges from the Scarlet Spidey figure. It’s one of those times where I can’t really gush over the buck-repeat, but this is exactly what I wanted, so I’m thrilled.
The articulation is also, unsurprisingly, the same. Well-ranged ball-joints at the neck, shoulders, wrists, hips (well, most are well-ranged), & inverted ankles; swivels at the biceps, waist, & thighs, double-hinged elbows & knees, the ab crunch, and the extra lateral hinges in the shoulders. It all comes together pretty seamlessly and it makes the figure a blast to play with, particularly because he can achieve so many classic Spidey poses. Continue to Page 2…
Glad you’re back Noisy! So do Carnage’s tendrils fit in Ben Reilly’s back? That might help sell the Spider-Carnage look a bit more, haha
Seconded, welcome back! 🙂
Great comic strips – I am really shocked, how well all the Spidey figures pull off the different poses for the strip. Couple that with the exchangeable hands and the sky’s the limit … Since I almost exclusively collect MotUC, I get mostly 2 natural poses out of my figures – “ARGH! HULK SMASH!” and “80s robot” (even with all the artuculation points).
Agree with you on all points man. I plan on getting every figure on the wave, especially Speed Demon, and even though the new Venom is basically the ML version of that perfect Marvel Select Venom figure I bought recently, I’m still getting him, and this one’s a fun buy with the added accessories and double re-sue value since Hasbro was shockingly so kind as to give us an added incentive on that already solid Ben figures.
Spider-carnage is a true bonus man.
The hardest part of course is waiting for these figures to shop in stores near me…that and having enough money to buy this wave and the CapWolf one that’s also coming out so close together with this one. Damn you Hasbro!
Do the Spider Carnage parts fit on Spider Girl?
The Clone Saga made me quit reading comics altogether for a decade. That said, I have always adored this costume. I’ve always wanted a figure of it, but the few they’ve ever made previously have all sucked, so I was very eager to grab this. I’ll admit, when I first took him out of the package I was…underwhelmed. The plastic feels extremely cheap and the paint is kind of terrible on mine, there’s slop all over and the back is a huge mess. But once I stsrted playing around with it and putting him I to different poses I began to see why you gush over this body so much. The range of motion is the best I’ve seen on a Spidey figure (even moreso than the Hot Toys ASM2 one I have because as wonderful as it looks the costume restricts it something fierce). I especially appreciate the lateral shoulder joints that I always wish pretty much every figurehad but only ever seem to be done on Spidey and only rarely. And the alternate hands are a godsend, because one gets SO TIRED of having nothing but Thwip hands.
And then I put on the Carnage parts, and it completely won me over. That head is by far the best-looking Carnage head I have ever seen at this scale, and second period after the perfect Marvel Select one. And the hands are great. It’s fantastic to finally have a Spider Carnage fig that’s not made of weird plastic that’s translucent for god knows what reason yet somehow simultaneously too dark to see any details. I honestly do want to pick up a second so I can have one be Carnage full time and paint the veining on the arms. I just need to find that Venom first…
Back when Toy Biz was making Legends, the lateral shoulders were pretty standard.
I only ever had a few from the first two or so waves. ML is a line I always wanted to get more into but was never able to. The Coulson 3 pack was the first I got since….probably Afleck Daredevil. This is my second. So yeah…
I saw this guy the other week when I grabbed Gwen, Speedy, and Beetle (Sheetle?), but I decided to hold off on the 2x Bens and rest for later. I like Ben more than Pete, but he’s not a MUST BUY on first sighting. the other case mix is 2x Venom, which if he had an Eddie Brock head, or other selling point accessory, I probably would have grabbed him then, too.
btw, HasbroToyShop has this wave up already and 10% off with the code plastered all over their site. no cases, tho. 🙁
(not sure if that violates any ad deals you have, but their new site is major suck, anyway.)
You should have put a trigger warning around the ’90s “Hope you didn’t eat without me” one-liner.
“Can Parker come out to play?”
“I heard you were dying to see me.”
“Hate to eat and run.”
First one I bought of this wave. (Later saw same package and inside sleeve just laying in the WWE figures and I thought Toy Aisle trolls were bad but this jumped that.)
On the Clone Saga, I stuck with it enjoyd some of the characters that came out of it like Stunner, Kaine, Fem Dock Ock, etc. so, bring any of theme on.
The mold is a keeper and hope to see many other spiders on it among other characters like the Spot, the Eel, Unicorn, a current Comic Electro (616), and even the Looter. For webheads like to see the Black & White/Armor look, formentioned Black Suit, the Bulletproof, a new Big Time, FF, and Kaine Scarlet, Bruce Banner Spidey, Noir (make jacket removable), the Slingers costumes, and dare I say the Agent of Hell Spiderman.
Been wondering would Speedball, Justice, and Nightthrasher work on this mold?
A great review again Noisy and love the snickers joke.
I’d LOVE a Slingers 4pk!
Speedball I can see using this body.
Vance makes me think the BuckyCap body is better suited.
Thrash…who made the Franco New Goblin, TB or Hasbro? because all that needs is a slightly modded head. and a skateboard that can act as a shield.
Love the Snickers bit. Very funny. Here’s hoping Toy Fair shows a Spidey themed BAF in wave two.
Thwipp!
This guy hits it on so many levels. Not only was this the last Spider-Man toy I had before my awkward teenage years of being too afraid to buy toys, but I LOVED that Spider-Carnage figure (and still have ’em). I can’t even believe they covered that! This hits me right in the 90’s in all the best way (and if they DO make Spidercide, I’ll know they really care).
I typed all that from the floor ’cause I couldn’t get up after the Snickers joke. Thanks man, I need a lung transplant.
Haha, I made almost the same snickers joke last Monday on my Instagram.