Spider-Man verses the Sinister Six Action Figure Box Set (3.75 inch)
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
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I grabbed up this Spider-Man and the Sinister Six 3.75" seven piece action figure box set from Amazon during their Black Friday sale for a significant markdown. The regular price for the set is $79.99 (currently on Amazon at the time I am writing this article it is still discounted for $55.04 but almost out of stock). For Black Friday the set was discounted down to the amazing low price of $15. I only owned one of the seven action figures in the set and, as it turns out, I didn't actually own that one either. It's a really mixed bag of a set so let's take a look at it.
The pack came in an open top box which opened up into this weird accordion looking run of blister packs. I have seen complaints on Amazon about the cards being damaged. That wasn't my experience, my cards were fine but there is no way to hang these still carded without cutting them apart. Of course, I'm 100% an open them up kind of guy so it's not a problem for me.
So now that we've seen these on the card let's rip into them and see what they look like. I can already see some problems but let's get these in hand and see how they stand up.
I already have a Spider-Man 3.75 inch Marvel Universe action figure and I originally thought it was this same one. However, after opening the package I can tell this is definitely different and not in a good way. This one lacks significant articulation in the arms. They are unable to turn at the bicep or wrist. Also, there is no upper torso articulation and Spider-Man seems abnormally big. Let's put this one side by side with the original Marvel Universe Spider-Man and see how it stands up.
Yep, the Sinister Six pack Spider-Man (on the right) is significantly bigger and bulkier than the Marvel Universe Spider-Man (on the left). The Sinister Six Spider-Man looks to scale like Hulk Hogan is playing Spider-Man. While neither has torso articulation at least the Marvel Universe Spider-Man has better arm and wrist articulation. The head and mask on the Marvel Universe Spider-Man also looks significantly better. The Spider-Man in this set is a thumbs down.
The Doctor Octopus figure comes separate from his mechanical arms. The arms look bendable and perhaps poseable but it turns out they aren't. Also, I wonder if they will stay connected to the body securely.
It turns out that the mechanical arms attach pretty firmly. However, this causes the figure to be back heavy making it almost impossible to stand up. You will either need an action figure stand or place Doctor Octopus against a wall in order to display him. There is no torso articulation but the arms and legs feature good articulation points. Still, I'd give the figure a thumbs up.
Electro is a nice brightly colored figure. It is one of the best figures of the set. The only negative is that it uses that old Silver Surfer Marvel Universe body and in almost every upright pose it creates a gap between the upper and lower torso. The lightning bolts coming from his mask are a soft plastic which is pliable. Electro is a thumbs up.
Kraven the Hunter is hands down my favorite action figure of the set. He has some bulk to him. He is well articulated and the lion vest looks great. I recently wrote about Kraven in the 100 Greatest Comics of All Time List. The only negative I can say about this figure is that, for some unknown reason, the legs are a different color than the waist. Still, this is a solid thumbs up figure and my favorite from the set.
This is far and away the worst figure of the set. First, I think the Vulture is a dud of a character. His design is horrendous. But this figure even fails to pull that off. He comes with attachable wing accessories and I know about these same or similar wings from Darkhawk and The Falcon that they are next to impossible to put on and absolutely impossible to keep on. The only way a kid could play with this figure is to super glue the wings into place but I'm not even sure if that would work with The Vulture as the little tabs that insert into the arms are just too short. I still haven't gotten this thing to stand up even on a figure stand and I haven't been able to keep the wings on even with super glue. Also his arms are poorly articulated and he has no torso articulation either. This figure is a big thumbs down.
I love Mysterio. I don't remember much about him from the Spider-Man comic books but he was one of my favorite episodes of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends cartoon series back in the 1980s. He just has a cool looking character design. This figure has some problems, however. I did not know this before opening him up but his cape and helmet are molded together and are very heavy.
The few times I can remember seeing Mysterio in the comic books without the dome helmet on I don't recall him ever wearing some generic green mask underneath. Maybe he did, I just don't recall seeing it. That aside, the cloak and dome are so heavy that there is no way to stand this guy up without an action figure stand and even then he tips over at the slightest provocation. Still, I like the way he looks so this figure is a thumbs up.
Finally, the last figure in the Spider-Man verses The Sinister Six set is The Sandman. Looking at him in the blister pack I didn't think I would like him. I'm not a fan of the molded limbs, especially with both of them being molded into shapes, but once I got him out of the package I took a liking to the figure. He has some bulk to him, looks like a faithful representation of the comic book villain The Sandman, and has good articulation. Also, surprisingly, he stands up fine without a stand. This figure is a thumbs up.
So, as you can see the set is a mixed bag. A couple really good figures (Kraven and Electro) and a couple real duds (Spider-Man and Vulture) and the rest pretty much middle of the pack action figures. There is no way this set is worth nearly $80. I would hesitate for even recommend it for $55 unless you just had to have that Kraven, Mysterio, and Sandman. For $15 it was a no-brainer (and that is with free Amazon Prime shipping too!)
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