There’s a war raging. A feud of figures. A plastic battle. Which company will reign supreme when it comes to a 1/12 scale super-articulated Spidey from Spider-Man: Homecoming? Marvel Legends fired the first salvo. Bandai brought the big guns with their S.H. Figuarts. And now, my friends, Medicom unsheathes their MAFEX version. Oh, it’s on.
All have their merits, their positives, their ups. They all also have their downs. Negatives. Faults. And then there is personal preference. I see things different than some others, you might like something that a lot of others don’t. So read the words, listen to the ramble, and decide for yourself. There is no wrong answer here.
But MAFEX wins. In my own opinion, of course.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Marvel Legends version. But it’s made for Marvel Legends. A bit big, a tad bulky, a smidge off. And I love the SHF Webhead, but it looks a little like a marionette. Skeletal. And the proportions are wonky, I think a by-product of trying to squeeze as much articulation out of the figure as possible without reducing it to plastic sticks and joints.
No, to my eye, the MAFEX is the most visually pleasing while providing the best poseability. The head looks to be the best sized and colors are realistic yet comic. The texture exists but isn’t overdone like the Figuarts (which I was okay with until I laid grubby mitts upon this.) The surprise rubber crotch is especially helpful when hitting those Spidey-like poses.
Coincidentally, Surprise Rubber Crotch is my prog-rock side project band. My main project band doesn’t exist at all, so you can guess how many jams get kicked out week to week from a group that’s secondary to a figment of imagination.
Now I’m not saying it’s perfect. Many have pointed out that the forearms should swivel to allow the webshooters to line up. I agree with that. The torso should probably crunch a little more. Mine had a problem with the logo on the chest, seemingly pitted with some kind of lighter plastic that stuck out like a sore thumb. A little Gundamn marker work and that disappeared. And then the red on the chest seems a shade lighter than the rest of the red.
But you wanna know what it doesn’t have? Loose joints. Or breakage. Or weird proportions. Every joint is useful in some way or another. The bent dumbbell joint in the neck is brilliant. And if you’re watching the video and hear me say I’m having trouble getting it into a four-point stance, know that I nailed it right after it was posted. Impressive.
Don’t let “Medicom” or “MAFEX” steer you away from this one. I know it’s spelled trouble for some in the past, but this isn’t one of those times. Okay, the unmasked head isn’t great, but think of that as an extra at the bottom of a fairly long list of accessories.
Why are you still reading this? Go. Buy it. Be happy.
Package:
Figure:
Heads:
Hands:
Alternate magnet hands and feet:
Stand:
Web options:
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Action:
