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| Spider-Man (Black Costume) Review Capsule |
| Without hyperbole, the greatest super hero action figure of all time. Fantastic sculpt, ridiculous articulation, good paint, and tons of fun. Highest reccomendation to fans as well as non-fans. Retails from $5.99 and up. |
Introduction
Toys as art was always something the toy pundits were expecting, but typically articulation was sacrificed in favor of sculpt. Spider-Man Classics destroys the myth with Spider-Man in his black costume. Along with the blue and red version, this figure sets a benchmark for every toy to come and makes us sad that we have other toys to look at when this one is just so incredible.
Sculpt
Toy Biz has always gotten out great sculpts between its own staff and frequent collaborator Art Asylum. While we're not sure who made Spider-Man (Black Costume), we're quite impressed.
32 points of articulation and a smooth sculpt make this a great addition to any collection. Since it's a somewhat unusual suit (yet cool as all-get-out), it may not be as attractive as the other version, but it's just as astounding to look at.
Spider-Man is everything an action figure should be in terms of sculpt, hiding the obtrusive joints and looking nothing short of great.
Paint
Molded in black with only a few white highlights here and there, it's hard to screw up paint on a figure like this. Our sample had a little knick on the eye, but other than that, it was A-OK.
White paint on the eyes, hands, and spider logo tends to be obvious, subtle, more washed-out applications were added throughout the figure to give it added definition that isn't necessary but it helps bring out the detail on an otherwise plain black plastic toy. No oddly placed materials make sure there's next to no chance for paint wear. And the fact it's all molded in one color of plastic doesn't hurt either.
Stand
16bit Labs found that the stand works pretty well. While most stands are designed to stand on a flat surface, these were designed with walls in mind, making it look like the figure is about to hop off the wall. Cool stuff.
The somewhat small stand features pipes, the alien suit, and a cracked brick wall. It's pretty nifty, and sports two foot pegs and a waist clip.
Testing
16bit Labs scientific tests of this figure left no stone unturned in discovering that this was, in fact, a great figure. He can sit in pretty much any position, stand on his base in a variety of positions, and well, just look cool.
Comic
Issue #252 of The Amazing Spider-Man was reprinted and bundled with this figure.
Fin
The toy is superb for its size and price point. If you buy one figure from this range, buy the blue and red Spidey. If you buy two, or can't find the blue and red Spidey, snag this one. It's more or less the same as far as playability is concerned, but still looks incredibly cool.
Reviewed by Adam Pawlus
Reviewed on March 14, 2001
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