Review 1: Round 2 Captain Action 1/6th scale Deluxe Spider-Man Costume Set - Great FUN!

If you grew up reading comics like I did, then you will appreciate these Captain Action Marvel Superheroes costume sets :) Not wanting to compete with Hot Toys for the movie-accurate Spider-Man and Captain America 12-inch action figures or any of the Marvel superheroes that have been realized on the big screen (a very wise decision I might add), Round 2 has gone the nostalgic route and released a set of 1/6th scale costume sets of the Marvel superheroes as they were seen in the comics. And for comic book fans like me, this is a most refreshing direction from all the ultra realistic figures we have been seeing of late. I like both the comic book and movie versions so it's nice to be able to get them both in 1/6th scale as well.

This is the third time around for these 12-inch Captain Action action figures. The first line was produced by Ideal way back in 1966 and Captain Action was Ideal Toy Company's answer to Hasbros' GI Joe. Captain Action came with separate costumes that allowed him to change into Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, The Phantom, The Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Sgt. Fury, Steve Canyon and the Green Hornet. Unfortunately, Captain Action only lasted two and a half years but the costume sets were in much demand thereafter.

The line was revived in 1998 by retro toy company Playing Mantis (see my earlier post - Captain Action, Going Retro). This also lasted only two years but new and never-before done characters like Kato (pictures HERE) and Kabai Singh (pictures HERE) were produced and released.

This latest incarnation is by Captain Action Enterprises and Round 2 (first previewed HERE back in November 2010), and one can see that a great deal of passion has been put into these new sets. The first two costume sets released are the Captain Action Marvel Comics Spider-Man and Captain America costume sets. The packaging (pictured below) is rather attractive in itself and I almost didn't want to take the costume out of its package... almost.

The premise of this line / Captain Action is that he is a master of disguise and he takes on different superhero roles whenever necessary by putting on that particular superhero's costume / outfit. This concept was way before CosPlay took off haha. In this instance, with a quick change into the web-patterned red and blue uniform / costume, Captain Action becomes the Amazing Spider-man!

The Captain Action Spider-man costume set includes: cloth / fabric Spider-man costume with emblem, Spider-man mask, Peter Parker face mask, boots, interchangeable gloved hands (for web shooting pose, fist and open palm), web shooters, Spider-Man's utility belt which comes with removable camera, Daily Bugle newspaper and three photographs of Spider-man in action.

I did not get the Captain Action Deluxe Action Figure to put these costumes on since any 12-inch figure would do. I didn't see the need to get another figure to put the costume on so I just dug into my 1/6th scale kitbash stash to find what I needed to make this figure work :) In this instance, I used a Hot Toys TrueType 12-inch body and it looks to work just fine. The 1/6th scale Captain Action Spider-man mask is a tad small and finding the right-sized head (a much smaller sized head is most ideal) was a challenge.

Peter Parker gains employment as a freelance (and sometimes staff) photographer through most of his teen and young adult years. He sells pictures of himself in action as Spider-Man, takes any assignments offered, or, sometimes, uses his powers to help him photograph special events where normal press access is limited or denied, for the New York newspaper The Daily Bugle.

Close-up of Peter Parker mask and Daily Bugle newspaper

Spider-Man keeps his regular field equipment in a utility belt that can carry extra web fluid cartridges and his camera (removable in this 1/6th scale version). Other equipment carried on his Spider-man utility belt includes a light beacon which can either be used as a flashlight or project a "Spider-Signal" design. The specially modified camera can take pictures automatically.

Spidey's utility belt with removable camera and three photographs

With his talents, Peter Parker sews his own costume to conceal his identity, and constructs many devices that complement his powers, most notably mechanical web-shooters. This mechanism ejects an advanced adhesive, releasing web-fluid in a variety of configurations, including a single rope-like strand to swing from, a net to bind enemies, a single strand for yanking opponents into objects, strands for whipping foreign objects at enemies, and a simple glob to foul machinery or blind an opponent. He can also weave the web material into simple forms like a shield, a spherical protection or hemispherical barrier, a club, or a hang-glider wing.

Click on the picture to get a bigger & better view of Spidey's web shooters

Spider-Man's web-shooters were perhaps his most distinguishing trait, after his costume. Peter had reasoned that a spider (even a human one) needed a web. Since the radioactive spider-bite did not initially grant him the power to spin webs, he had instead found a way to produce them artificially. The wrist-mounted devices fire an adhesive "webbing" through a threaded adjustable nozzle. The trigger rests high in the palm and requires a double tap from the middle two fingers to activate, eliminating the chance of accidental discharge when forming a fist. To accomplish this his hands are often in a distinctive hand position when he fires them (resembling the sign for "I love you" in American Sign Language). In order to fire the webbing, Spider-Man's fingers must hit the sensor precisely.

Here's a closer look at the Captain Action Spider-man 1/6th scale web-shooters

The wrist-mounted device is supposed to fire an adhesive "webbing" through the threaded adjustable nozzle via the trigger which rests high in the palm and requires a double tap from the middle two fingers to activate.

I don't see how the web-shooters will fit under the costume / gloves but it's still nice to see Spidey's web-shooters realized in 1/6th scale :) Same goes for the utility belt which is supposed to be carrying Spidey's extra web fluid cartridges, spider-tracers and his camera (which in this instance is removable - a nice touch). The belt's buckle is also supposed to contain a small but powerful light, which is filtered through a lens decorated with a stylized likeness of Spider-Man's mask. This spider-signal is mostly limited to intimidating weak-nerved criminals and acting as a wide-beam flashlight.

Here's Captain Action 1/6th scale Spider-Man 12-inch figure wearing his web-shooters and utility belt. The web-shooters and belt are nice touches but does not belong when Spidey is in full costume.

Here's the reason why Spidey needs a figure display stand (NOT included) to help him stand. The form-fitting spandex bodysuit ends at the ankles and does not allow for his feet to be added. The legs (sans feet) are just dropped into the boots to complete the look. The boots are made of soft rubber and thus cannot support the entire weight of the figure.

A bite from a radioactive spider on a school field trip causes a variety of changes in the body of Peter Parker and gives him superpowers. In the original Lee-Ditko stories, Spider-Man has the ability to cling to walls, superhuman strength, a sixth sense ("spider-sense") that alerts him to danger, perfect balance and equilibrium, as well as superhuman speed and agility.

Although the details change somewhat over the years, Spider-Man's costume, with a few notable exceptions, remains fairly consistent. The standard is a form-fitting spandex bodysuit, which from the waist down is blue, except for mid-calf boots with a black web pattern on a red background. From the waist up, the fabric is a red-and-black web pattern, except for his back, sides, and insides of his upper arms, which are blue. This particular Spider-Man costume is the version that has the "underarm webbing" connecting his arms to his torso which was in the original comic book depictions of Spidey.

The mask has white one-way mirror type lenses rimmed with black. In addition to covering his entire head, thereby leaving no distinguishing features, the mask also muffles his voice, making it unrecognizable.

There is a large red spider outline on his back, and a smaller black spider emblem on his chest. The back spider has changed over the years, featuring a spider with slightly smaller feet in the past.

The gloved hands included are for web shooting poses (both left and right), right fist and left open palm

In the comics, the boots are composed of a thin material that allows Spider-Man's adhering ability to work through the soles of his feet. The boots, mask, and gloves can be folded up and stored inside a pocket while the remainder of his costume can be worn under his civilian clothes. Not so for this Captain Action 1/6th scale version Spider-Man superhero costume set since the boots, mask and gloves are molded rubber pieces that are not meant to be folded.

Here's Captain Action Spider-Man striking an all too familiar pose as he is about to shoot webbing out of his palms. Spider-Man's web shooters require tremendous pressure to fire them (in most cases, Spider-Man's enhanced strength), and the average human cannot activate the trigger without the use of a hammer or similar object.

Last but not least, Captain Action Enterprises and Round 2 have come up with the tried and tested "build-a-figure" concept by introducing their "Build-a-costume" gimmick of including Hawkeye's bow and quiver of arrows with their Captain Action 1/6th scale Deluxe Spider-Man Costume Set. This is to make collectors buy every costume set in order to get a complete Hawkeye costume set - a bonus for purchasing all the upcoming Captain Action costume sets.

If Captain Action Enterprises and Round 2 continue producing and releasing these quality superhero costume sets at such affordable prices (USD30), you can be sure I'll be buying them all and have a Hawkeye figure in the process too :) I'm certainly enjoying these and having FUN in the process too.

NEXT: CapTain AcTion Marvel Comics 1/6th scale Spider-Man 12-inch action figure in some action poses ;p Check it out!