It’s 1983 and something magic happens in Marvel Comics: a new villain is introduced! It’s Hobgoblin! He’s the new thorn in Spider-Man’s side!
He’s basically Marvel ripping themselves off. Truth is, he’s an attempt at an updated Norman Osborne, aka the Green Goblin. Hobgoblin has had many identities over the years, Roderick Kingsley being the main one — and the current one — in the original costume. Phil Urich is the new Hobgoblin with a new costume; he was allowed to be the new Hobgoblin by Kingsley in exchange for some profits. And just like the comic, Marvel Legends has seen its fair share of Hobgoblin figures. ToyBiz did two a long time ago, one of which was in Spider-Man Classics (read the review here!), and the other was recently a Build-a-Figure in Marvel Legends (read the review here!).
This new Hobgoblin is a bit of mix between the old ToyBiz Demogoblin (and yes in the video review I say Demigoblin) and the regular look. The regular look is cleaner; the costume is not torn or ripped or wrinkled, while the Demogoblin is in tatters. The figure is made this way as it comes with both heads, regular and Demo, and this allows the collector to choose which version they want. It’s not a terrible solution and one that works really well, especially if you prefer one head over the other.
Hobgoblin is almost an entirely new sculpt. The only re-used parts are the chest, abs, and waist. These were previously used on the Hulkbuster Series Doctor Strange. They are the same size as the “Bucky Cap” but have less detail as it is made to look more like cloth. It’s a great touch and gives some possibilities for different characters in the Marvel Legends world. The rest of the sculpt all new, from the head down to the feet. The new scale mail is simply awesome. It’s well done and opens the door for many armored characters, like Black Knight. I figure you can get Sir Percy, Nathan Garret, and Dane Whitman versions. This buck will be used for Dreadknight. In addition, this figure sets up the inevitable Green Goblin, as most of the figure can be re-used.
Hobgoblin comes with a satchel. It’s the one that holds his pumpkin bombs, wallet, phone, and other daily needs. It doesn’t open and it can’t really hold pumpkin bombs, but it looks great. And if you want, you could probably get away with using it for your Snake-Eyes customs.
There isn’t much to say about the articulation; it’s standard, though I’ve experienced some looseness in the knee joints. The regular goblin head is perfect, while the Demogoblin is very difficult to pop on, and once it’s on it does not move much.
The figure comes with three accessories: the Demogoblin head, the glider, and one pumpkin bomb. As mentioned, the head is a tight fit and will take some effort to pop on and off and has limited movement. The sculpt is brilliant, but it could use a serious swipe of Robokillah paint. The glider is small and rubbery, but it’s an okay accessory, though the figure might pop more using the old ToyBiz gliders, either for the normal version or for the Demogoblin version. And finally, the lone pumpkin bomb — it’s okay, but it need a peg for the hand. I’ve found wedging the flame between the fingers helps keep it in place.
All around, I think this is one of the better Marvel Legends in a while. It might just be that I’m starved for new toys, but this is one of the figure that I keep playing with out of the box. Do you need an updated Hobgoblin? Depends. Since I missed out on the ToyBiz regular version, I did need this figure and I am happy to have him.
You can pre-order this set at:
