Spider-Man: No Way Home got the usual treatment from Hasbro with a wave released ahead of the movie containing a mix of figures from the film itself as well as a comic book and Gamerverse releases. Waves like these are often based on concepts or early designs from the movie and also have to avoid significant spoilers.
This review will include spoilers if you have not yet seen the movie.
We get two Peter Parker Spider-Man figures in the wave, starting with the mysterious Black & Gold Suit. Three of the four MCU figures in the Spider-Man: No Way Home wave are packed against golden card backs with a red nameplate and a gold trim with the Spider-Man face logo down the two side panels. The artwork is an illustration and not from the movie and most as mentioned will be based on early designs. It is interesting that this artwork when you look at the bigger image on the back of the box has the forearms and hands in black and not the black and red included on the figure. The associated text gives nothing else away.
"Spider-Man relies on his Black and Gold suit and abilities to defend against threats."
Of course, the better name for this suit - as you will know if you've seen the movie - is the 'inside out suit' as this is technically his Upgrade Suit from Far From Home worn inside out after it was daubed with green paint.
It is unlikely Hasbro had this detail as they have executed the figure without any of the details we see in the film and as a generic Spider-man suit. While the Exclusive Tom Holland figure from No Way Home got some updates to the 2019 Upgrade Suit - this figure is a direct repaint of that original release. It is entirely cast in black with the web lines and spider logo's all hand-painted in gold - which itself is impressive as none of the prior MCU Spider-man suits have had the web lines painted.
As mentioned above, while the box art shows the black & gold extending to the arms and hands - the actual figure changes from gold trim to red trim for the arms. This makes the costume look a little odd and again I must assume this was what Hasbro was shown originally. Hasbro is of course not alone here as the Hot Toys and MAFEX figures are presented in exactly the same way.
Any of the Spider-Man figures from No Way Home had the potential for some cool accessories including the Spell Cube - which remains absent from any releases to date - and the gauntlets Doctor Strange gifts Peter to track down the Multiverse villains. That leaves this release with very little added value other than an alternative set of 'web-slinging' hands - also taken from the initial Upgrade Suit release.
Articulation is very good with 21 points of articulation across the figure with the torso T-joint and the butterfly shoulders that are key to getting Spidey into some of his swinging and wall climbing poses - although this will require an additional aftermarket stand. All the joints work to their fullest extent and Spider-Man can crouch, kneel, sit, as well as pose in more dynamic stances. Even the troublesome T-Joint in the torso feels tight - although the longevity of it may be something to keep an eye on.
Once again - and along the same lines as Infinity War Cap, Cull Obsidian, Red Guardian, and Kty from Shang Chi - Hasbro have fallen foul of putting out a figure that is some way off what eventually ended up on the screen. Whether this figure gets revisited (as three of the four mentioned above have been) is unknown, but for full accuracy, the suit would really need the forearms updating as a minimum and perhaps even add in the gaffer tape mobile phone to his chest. The figure should also have the Doctor Strange gauntlets.
There is also a question of value for money here with a direct repaint of a 2-year old figure. The set is crying out for the unmasked Tom Holland head - which does fit this buck perfectly as you can see below.
We do come to expect these hiccups now as the price we pay for having movie characters on pegs ahead of the actual movie release. And Spider-Man in this new suit is not the worst. I suspect much better things are to come from Hasbro for the No Way Home collection now they have access to better imagery and designs - and I can't wait.
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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...