Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Integrated Suit) -Final Battle Edition-

Release Date: May 2023

RRP: 9350 yen

Even though S.H. Figuarts is a collector-orientated line first and foremost, Bandai Tamashii Nations certainly aren't opposed to getting things out in the name of timeliness either. This is particularly true for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in recent years, with figures often being released to coincide with the films rather than some months later. The unfortunate result of working off of concept art (rather than the finished product) however is that sometimes these figures will get details wrong, which means Bandai end up releasing a better version those few months later anyway. This is true of the lengthily titled S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Integrated Suit) -Final Battle Edition-, the second of Spider-Man: No Way Home's three Spideys to be released as a Tamashii web exclusive. Following some technical issues with the Amazing Spider-Man, Peter 1 was pushed back from his original March release date to May – which is a pretty appropriate month to release a Spider-Man figure when you think about it.

As was the case with the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Integrated Suit) -Final Battle Edition- comes in packaging with colours and artwork based on the textures and colour placement of the suit itself. Despite being a Tamashii web exclusive it comes in a standard window box, with an image of a web-slinging Spidey placed just below the window. Note that this is the promotional art version of the suit rather than the onscreen one, as it features a couple of inaccuracies that we'll get into further down in the review. The sides and back of the box feature further images of the figure, with the background on the back changing to a light blue featuring the MCU Spider-Man back emblem. Inside the figure (along with its numerous accessories) are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray.

I'll preface this review by saying that I'm not really a fan of the Integrated Suit, or many of the MCU Spider-Man suits in general. While I do appreciate the way it tries to blend both his more traditional and Iron Spider costumes, the giant gold spider and boot trims just feel a bit too gaudy on top of the suits flat colours. But nevertheless this is how the suit looks in the film, as well as the one he wears alongside Peter 2 and 3 so of course its going to find its way into many people's collections/displays. This is Bandai's second go at the Integrated suit, and now that they're able to reference the film itself rather than promotional materials it's had a huge glow-up in terms of accuracy. The dark blue tones of the previous figure have been replaced with a more accurate black, while the web-shooter gauntlets are removed from the design entirely. While I can't help feel that the suit does feel a little bare without the gauntlets, film accuracy is far more important and it's crazy that Bandai feel the need to release such inaccurate figures in a collector-orientated line like S.H. Figuarts in the first place. The textures on this figure are particularly impressive, with the red areas having a much smoother feel to them (save for the indented web pattern) whilst the black sections are covered in very fine detailing that gives it a lot more of a technological feel. The paint on the figure is also really sharp, from that shiny gold spider emblem on the torso to the black and red lines running down the arms and legs. The spider emblem on the chest emblem even has various dents running through it to give it more of a worn feel. There isn't much in the way of battle damage to call it a "Final Battle Edition" as such, but if that subtitle is simply to refer to accuracy then it's a job well done.

Articulation is pretty much identical to all the other Spider-Men released as part of the S.H. Figuarts range, as Bandai have pretty much developed a fool-proof body for the character by now. Altogether he features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and wrists

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders 

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivels

The darker colouring on the Integrated Suit does a much better job of masking the whole "diaper" look these figures have going on, arguably blending the crotch section together much better than the other two Spideys that appear in the film. Either way you can't argue with the results this assembly provide, and much like other Spider-Man Figuarts releases this figure poses like a dream. The wide selection of flexible (and more significantly unhindered) joints allow for all kind of acrobatic and web-slinging poses, as well as balance that allows Spidey to be just impressive on his feet as he is when suspended in the air by a display stand.

Being the starring Spider-Man of No Way Home, naturally this is also the one that comes with the most accessories (though to be honest, the suit DOES a lot more too so this was always going to be the case). Altogether Peter 1 comes with six pairs of alternate hands, one pair of alternate eye lenses (as well as a special tool to help remove them), two alternate unmasked heads (one standard and one battle damaged) with one alternate neck piece, four web shot effect parts (two long and two short), one web rope, the Macchina di Kadavus and a Tamashii Stage adapter which plugs in to the back of the figure. This adapter piece has been seen on a number of Spider-Man figures in the past and makes aerobic/web-slinging poses far more dynamic, so it's surprising that Bandai opted not to do it on the Friendly Neighborhood figure. Many of these accessories are identical to what we've seen with previous Spidey figures (Bandai REALLY need to start shaking up their web effects) but there are a couple of cool bits in there. The alternate heads have a great likeness to Tom Holland, and the Macchina di Kadavus is a nice film-specific accessory even if its only use is to be carried around by the figure. I'm sure many people (myself included) would have liked the Iron Spider legs to be included as well to make it a more 'complete' package, but since the Integrated Suit didn't use them in the film itself (again, it's only in the promo shots of the suit) it's no surprise they haven't been included here.

My personal gripes about the suit aside, there's no denying that S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Integrated Suit) -Final Battle Edition- is a pretty solid figure. It's got a great sculpt, articulation on par with the rest of the Spider-Man range and a bolstered set of accessories. That said, Bandai's whole schtick of releasing "Final Battle Editions" for their Marvel range is already wearing a bit thin, especially when Bandai could have easily just held out a little while longer and released an accurate version of the suit in the first place. MAFEX's offerings often don't come YEARS after the film and they still sell well, so I don't know what Bandai are so worried about. If it's a good product fans will happily buy it even after the film hype has faded, so just get it right first time. It's a great release for sure, but given the amount of MCU Spideys we've had over the last few years it just doesn't quite carry the same joy as the Friendly Neighborhood and Amazing variants.