Monday 16 November 2020

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Toei TV Series)

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Release Date: August 2020
RRP: 7150 yen

While comic-based versions of Spider-Man seem to be off limits (whether it’s by choice or license) to Bandai Tamashii Nations, between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and PlayStation game series they’re still hardly short of options. However there was one important version of Spider-Man missing from the S.H. Figuarts range, and given how deeply the line is rooted in tokusatsu it was certainly the most glaring omission of them all. But wait no further, as the “emissary of hell” aka the Spider-Man of Toei’s 1978 television series has finally arrived. Given his powers by a dying alien from the planet Spider, motorcyclist Takuya Yamashiro battles against the Iron Cross Army with his giant robot Leopardon. As a show that paved the way for one of the key tropes of the Super Sentai franchise, Spider-Man is a tentpole of tokusatsu history. 

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S.H. Figuarts Toei Spider-Man comes packed in a vibrant red box sporting web-shaped window, giving you a good look at the figure inside but not the numerous accessories that surround it. To the side of that window is a picture of the figure in Spider-Man’s iconic pose, one that instantly tells you this is the Japanese Spider-Man and not one of the dozens of others that now inhabit the Marvel multiverse. While the box does denote this as being specifically the Toei Spider-Man it does so in Japanese, though the official logo for the series can be seen in the corner on the other side. The back and spines of the box all feature a number of other stock images of the figure, the back doing a great job of showing off all of it’s various features and accessories. The lighting on these images really is on point, selling this Spider-Man as the emissary of Hell and not just your friendly Neighbourhood version. Inside the figure, along with all those glorious accessories that you couldn’t see before, are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray.

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Toei’s Spider-Man has largely the same costume as his comic counterpart however there are some fundamental differences, many of which simply come down to the kind of budget and materials production teams were working with back in 1978. Of course the most of obvious difference between the two is the Spider Bracelet - Takuya’s transformation device which holds his Spider Protector (aka the costume itself) as well as let’s him summon his vehicles. In addition that this Spider-Man’s are smaller and less expressive, and finally the spider emblems on his chest and back are a little more simplified. Bandai have done a great job at following the look of the suit, making only one slight change along the way to result in a better looking figure. Whereas the web detailing is faintly marked onto the fabric with the costume itself (to the point where it’s practically fading), here the detail has been sculpted into the figure itself. It’s not quite the same but gives off the same effect nonetheless, making the webs visible but not in the same pronounced way they are on the comic costume. At this point Bandai have settled into a nice groove of producing Spider-Man figures, but it’s great to see how different they can make them all look even when the costumes are relatively similar. The Toei Spider-Man even uses the same muted red colouring you see on some of the Showa era Ultraman figures, the blue also having that similar worn look that makes the figure look like it’s jumped out of a 40 year old show. The figure might have a lot of joint cuts, but the colours and detailing all line up really well to give the impression of a one-piece suit. Overall it may be a simple looking suit, but sometimes it’s simple that works best of all.

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The Spider Bracelet is incredibly well detailed for something so small - it isn’t just a case of getting the colours right here, Bandai even went the extra mile to have the “SPIDERMAN” lettering written across the top. More importantly though the top of the Bracelet can open up to reveal its control panel, because otherwise how else would Spider-Man be able to summon the Spider Machine GP-7 or Leopardon? All of the panel’s various buttons and lights have been properly moulded into the piece, as well as correctly painted to go along with that glossy blue screen section just above them. In an age where Bandai skimp on some of the finer details of Kamen Rider Figuarts, seeing such a fully realised Spider Bracelet at this scale really is a sight to behold.

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With each and every release Bandai have slowly been improving the quality and articulation of their Spider-Man figures, and though the bar was set pretty high to begin with this one has definitely turned out as the best so far. Altogether he includes;
- Ball jointed head neck, torso, waist, wrists and hips
- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles
- Butterfly joint shoulders/pecs
- Bicep and thigh swivels
- Double hinged elbows and knees
- Single hinge toe sections
This is roughly the same as what every Spider-Man figure has had in the past, but with some notable improvements. For example, as good as the Advanced Suit Spider-Man figure was the torso severely impacted on those butterfly joints. The same can’t be said here though, with Toei Spider-Man exercising some incredible articulation across the whole body. It’s a little ironic that one of the most articulated Spider-Man figures they’ve done is the one that perhaps needs it the least (since this version doesn’t engage in any complex web-slinging), but the results are the kind of thing you’d love to see on any S.H. Figuarts figure.

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Spider-Man comes with a massive selection of additional parts, and surprisingly they aren’t all just webs either. Altogether in the package there’s 13 swappable hands in total, ranging from the usual closed fists and web holding hands to a number of posed ones for those signature Toei Spider-Man poses. There’s also two alternate heads included, both of which feature slightly different eyes to the default one. Admittedly the differences between the three are extremely minimal, but since this Spider-Man doesn’t have expressive eyes like his comic counterparts this remains true to the onscreen suit. Subtle or not though, it’s always nice to have options. The head-swapping process is just like it’s been on previous Spider-Man Figuarts, where the head piece simply slides on and off an adapter piece attached to the neck joint. But undoubtedly the most surprising body parts included here are a pair of alternate feet - presumably based on the shoes the stunt team wore in the show itself. From a distance the feet look the same as the other pair, but on closer inspection you can see that the web detailing disappears and there’s a sandal-like outline in their place instead. This is some incredible attention to detailing on Bandai’s part, and the kind of inclusion that really sets this Spider-Man above a lot of other Figuarts. How many other releases truly give you the choice between fictional and behind the scenes accuracy? Feet-swapping isn’t especially common in the line but thankfully it’s no more difficult than changing the hands or heads, but if you do find yourself having trouble just apply a bit of heat and they’ll pop right out.

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Of course it wouldn’t be a Spider-Man release without some webs again, and once again it’s the attention to detail and screen-accuracy that make this figure extra special. Not so much in the way of detailing this time though, because as they are in the show itself Spider-Man’s webs (or “Spider String” as it’s called on the show) are just your standard ropes! No special detailing or anything organic looking, just simple fibre detailing. There are two Spider Strings that fix onto the arm over the wrist joint, a longer rope for holding, a even longer rope again that’s looped at the end and has a pair of hands fixed onto it, and finally a plastic Spider Net piece that can fix onto the those wrist mounted pieces. Unlike the other, the Spider Net does have an obvious spider web motif. Despite what it might look like none of these web parts are pliable, and attempting to bend them in any way can very easily result in breakage so take care. The Spider Net is a bit too heavy for the strings and causes them to droop, but shouldn’t cause them break (the instructions do advise it be used alongside a Tamashii stage however). Other than the net, these parts aren’t all that different to the ones Bandai have been packing with their other Spider-Man figures. But while they might not be very original, they’re certainly serviceable. Despite having these powers webbing isn’t quite as integral to Toei Spider-Man as it is the others, so a selection like this is more than enough to do the job.

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S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Toei TV Series) is a figure collectors have been crying out for for a long time, since before Tamashii Nations were even tackling Marvel figures. With renewed interest in this unique iteration of Spider-Man thanks to his appearances in the Spider-Verse comics (as well as his upcoming appearance in Into the Spider-Verse 2), this was the perfect time to finally answer those prayers and it definitely lives up to expectations. Between the incredible articulation and the attention to detail when it comes to onscreen accuracy, this is quite possibly the best Spider-Man figure that the S.H. Figuarts line has produced so far. This is really is a must have release for Spider-Man fans, even if they don’t have any experience with the series itself. And if that’s the case, then use this is as an excuse to finally check out the show - it really is something special.

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