“Kinda Defeats The Whole Anonymous Superhero Thing.”
The 2021 release of Spider-Man: No Way Home was shrouded in a lot of secrecy ahead of its release due to the number of returning characters that appeared in the movie as cameos, or as key characters. This meant that Hasbro was most likely a little restricted by the Marvel Legends figures it could get on shelves to coincide with the December release. That amounted to figures of Doctor Strange, J. Jonah Jameson, and a trio of Spider-Man figures, all pretty much as seen in the trailers. Following the movie, there was a huge clamoring for many more figures from the movie and it has taken a full 2 years to finally bring the next batch of Spider-Man: No Way Home figures to store shelves.
The Marvel Legends ‘No Way Home’ wave is dedicated to movie figures and goes down a similar track as the Across the Spiderverse releases by packing the figures onto blister cards and doing away with a build-a-figure option. While the rest of the wave had a card back aligned to No Way Home, there was some licensing issue with the likeness of Andrew Garfield that has led Hasbro to market this release of the Amazing Spider-Man under the Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie. To that end, this card back is different to all the others and while it includes the deep blue Spider-Suit inspired backing, the overlay is a a brighter blue with a single image of The Amazing Spider-Man to the top left and the Amazing Spider-Man 2 logo heading the card. The Marvel Legends logo as well as the character name sits bottom left, with this Spider-Man titled Amazing Spider-Man to differentiate him from the Maguire (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man) and Holland (Spider-Man) releases in the same wave. Round the back is another image of the Amazing Spiderman, headed by the movie logo as though it were a movie poster. The standard Marvel Legends principle of a short character overview is then listed to the left of the card back. The decision to card this wave does mean there is no way of opening the figures without damaging the packaging in some way.
The Andrew Garfield Spider-Man is pretty much interchangeable between either his Amazing Spider-Man 2 appearance in 2014, or his return to the role in No Way Home (2021) as the same suit was apparently worn for both movies. This is executed as a darker blue suit than the other Peter’s, with deep red inserted panels and black weblines. The body is cast in either blue or red plastic depending on the majority colour for that part, with the secondary colour painted over, as are the web lines and the spider logo on the front in black and the rear in red. The sculpt of the suit is inclusive of that spandex pattern, most visible at the biceps and down the legs. The proportions for Garfield are accurate, as a taller Peter Parker he does stand above the corresponding Maguire and Holland figures.
The head sculpt is impressive, and while based on the Amazing Spider-Man look it fits perfectly well into the No Way Home scenario considering the 7-year gap. The head utilises the facial print technology to great effect around the eyes, nose, and mouth. And Garfield’s hair is replicated flawlessly as an additional piece glued into the head allowing a crisp line between flesh and hair and no paint bleeding or unpainted elements.
*3-pack version far right
This unmasked head is the only difference between this release and the 3-pack released as a Hasbro Pulse exclusive earlier this year. The heads can be swapped over between the two, not that this adds any value. The 3-pack did get more hand options, with the single version only including two pairs of hands - a 'web-slinging' set, and a second pair made up of a clenched right fist and an extended fingers 'wall-crawling' left hand. The preference would have been to have included a pair of each of these for different posing options. There are no web effects included.
Articulation on paper is extensive at 21 points inclusive of a two-joint torso, butterfly shoulders, and double-jointed elbows and knees. However, like the 3-pack version, a lot of the joints feel springy and don't quite hold their position - this is most noticeable at the hips. With work, the figure can be posed in plenty of Spidey positions including crouching, webslinging, and fighting positions. Like the Maguire figure, the ankle rockers don’t quite pivot far enough forward for the crouching pose we associate with Spider-Man sadly.
The Amazing Spider-Man is another strong release in an overall impressive wave, marred only perhaps by the packaging choice and lack of BAF while being priced the same as the normal Marvel Legends releases. The unmasked head is impressive, as is the detail on the suit, and the majority of the articulation once you work round the springy joints. For those who stumped up the cash for the 3-pack, this is a superior release only in light of the head but you do lose some of the alternative hands and the web effects if those are to your liking.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...