The first Marvel Legends release for the new Spider-Man: No Way Home movie skipped any preorder window and was made immediately available in early October 2021 for collectors. In the US it is a Walmart exclusive, while in the UK it was available at Hasbro Pulse.
The figure features Peter Parker in his Upgraded Suit, the one he creates towards the end of Far from Home on the Stark Jet with Happy. Like the first Avengers: Endgame figures, the packaging for this Spider-Man does not carry the subtitle of the film. This was most likely as it was developed before the title was confirmed. I am not sure why our figure box, direct from Hasbro Pulse, has the Marvel Studios logo partially erased?
As we saw with the Eternals figure, Hasbro has now started adding icons to the side art with the Spider-Man face ogo in situ at the base of the artwork. The rear of the box features a larger image of Spider-Man against a yelow backdrop with the briefest of background text that holds no spoilers (or clues) to the plot of No Way Home
"Spider-Man gears up in his Upgraded Suit to fight evil and protect his neighborhood"
The Upgraded Suit is essentially a black and red suit and the same design as seen in Far from Home. The body shape and proportions on this release are good and the body includes sculpted web lines across the red paneled areas. The body parts are cast in red plastic, with the back added as paint decor. There are no other paint details as such with no attempts to ash or paint the web patterning to enhance the look.
The Spider logo on both the front and the back are sculpted and not simply decals on a flat surface. Both are painted, with the chest logo in black with some white trim while the larger rear logo is bright white.
The figure includes the third Tom Holland head sculpt in the Marvel Legends line and it is the best yet. It is much better proportioned compared to the first Homecoming head. And the likeness is much improved over the Iron-Spider Infinity War 2-pack version although I think the hair from that release has been resused here. While I don't have the Iron-Spider figure to compare, I am sure the actual head is different as the nose has been slimmed down and the jaw squared off. The photo-real printing tech brings the sculpt to life.
For the full Spider-Man look you do get the masked head in the set also, this swaps in and out easily enough.
I assumed, like many, that the figure was a direct re-use of the same Upgraded Suit released in 2019 for Far from Home. This is not strictly true as there are differences when you compare the two figures. The new 2021 suit has different chest, torso, and hips pieces with slightly varying web patterns. The arms & legs do look pretty much the same as the 2019 version except the faint ribbing has been removed, this is possibly a retool on the original pieces. The head looks to be the same.
With both bodies being similar the heads are interchangeable, although the new Peter Parker head is a touch loose on the old body. The unmasked head is sadly not a good fit for the older Homecoming figures.
Like most Spider-Man figures, the set includes an alternative pair of web-slinging posed hands that can be swapped out with the two gripping hands that come fitted. The process is simple and the pegs on both sets of hands are robust.
Without trying to be greedy, a third pair of clenched fist hands would have enhanced the set further, as would a loose mask for Spidey to hold when posed unmasked.
The accessory we do get is a pretty cool one, a length of translucent web that ha a triangular grip at one end and a curling hook at the other. Rather than being something you pose as though being shot from the web shooter, this is a flexible piece to display Spider-Man as though swinging or hung from his own webs.
The gripping hands are done in such a way that the grip onto the triangular end is tricky, but once engaged it is fully secure. The other end doesn't initially look like much, but over a suitable hook or rail, it hold the figure securely. While I am not sure how long it will last, I can say with confidence that the webbing has held my Spider-Man in a swinging pose for a full 48hrs now without incident.
Spider-Man is never shot on articulation, and the No Way Home Spidey is no exception with a total of 21 points of articulation. These included double-jointed elbows and knees, butterfly shoulders, and torso pivot. These are all secure on arrival and work well to pose Spider-Man in a number of poses including those hanging from his web.
The only issue I found was the ability to crouch as we often see him do on screen Sadly the ankle rockers don't offer too much forward pivot for the feet and without a toe articulation, you cant plant the feet down enough for any decent kneeling or crouching positions.
Without any initial details for Spider-Man: No Way Home we would assume this is the suit he starts the film in and progresses from there. That makes this release a good one to release ahead of the movie without any key spoilers, and it will also work for anyone who doesn't yet have the Upgraded Suit from Far from Home. The selling point of the figure is the Tom Holland head - which I hope will work o the other No Way Home suits - and that web piece which adds a neat way of displaying the figure outside of the usual posing options for Spider-Man.
Sadly, the exclusivity may work against this set which has sold out within the first 24hrs of being available at the time we wrote this review. Although we would hope for restocks in due course from Hasbro Pulse.
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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...