Friday, May 11, 2012

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

Here are some pictures of the Captain Action Enterprises and Round 2 Captain Action 1/6th scale Deluxe Spider-Man Costume Set on a Hot Toys True Type 12-inch figure in some action poses :)

After reviewing the package and contents in the previous post, it's time to have some FUN with this action figure. And because this set isn't expensive nor cost an arm and a leg like a Hot Toys, EnterBay or Medicom 12-inch figure, caution can be thrown into the wind as we get down to some posing. I decided to put the web slinger in one of his trademark web shooting and swinging pose which required the assistance of a figure display stand (NOT included). Anyway, as mentioned before, this 12-inch figure cannot stand on its own without the figure stand.


This is obviously not the latest movie version of Spider-Man's costume but a vintage / retro / comic version with the underarm webbing. See my post HERE of the various film versions of the Spider-Man costume, with the 1977 "The Amazing Spider-Man" TV series coming closest to this look. Having grown up reading comics, this Spider-Man costume is something I can identify with and I'm just glad a 1/6th scale version is available ;p



The Hot Toys True Type 12-inch figure body works rather well with this Round 2 Captain Action 1/6th scale Deluxe Spider-Man Costume Set. The superhero costume fits well and the Hot Toys 12-inch figure body allows for the action poses.


Scroll down for turnaround views of the Captain Action Enterprises and Round 2 1/6th scale Captain Action Deluxe Spider-Man Costume Set. It's not Hot Toys but at USD30 one cannot really complain. The costume is quite well stitched together and there is no fear of disintegrating costumes / outfits because of the fabric materials used in making this figure.


The soft rubber mask, gloved hands and boots are unlike the unstable and untested rubber bodies that have been used recently for muscular type figures which have been known to crack over time. See my post HERE and HERE regarding cracking rubber bodies.


The mask does cover the head fully but the Spider-Man costume does not go all the way up the neck. Thus some skin can be seen but hey, I'm okay with that :) minor issue. If you understand the concept of Captain Action who is a superhero that can take on another superhero's identity and powers by donning that particular superhero's costume, then you can understand the reason for the mask. There's even a Peter Parker face mask that comes with this set -  see my first review HERE


After all, almost all superheroes hide behind their masks which hides their true identity from villains so that their loved ones and family can be protected from harm if any villain so choose to take the cruel route and hurt the hero through their loved ones. The hero can protect himself but he cannot protect all his loved ones all of the time.


When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, a teenage high school student and person behind Spider-Man's secret identity to whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" young readers could relate. [source: wiki]


Unlike previous teen heroes such as Bucky and Robin, Spider-Man did not benefit from being the protégé of any adult superhero mentors like Captain America and Batman, and thus had to learn for himself that "with great power there must also come great responsibility"— a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man story, but later retroactively attributed to his guardian, the late Uncle Ben.


The Captain Action Spider-man costume set comes with: 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. You can see all of the above contents in my post HERE.


Marvel has featured Spider-Man in several comic book series, the first and longest-lasting of which is titled The Amazing Spider-Man. Over the years, the Peter Parker character has developed from shy, nerdy high school student to troubled but outgoing college student, to married high school teacher to, in the late 2000s, a single freelance photographer, his most typical adult role.


In the comics, Spider-Man is often referred to as "Spidey", "web-slinger", "wall-crawler", or "web-head". Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes. As Marvel's flagship character and company mascot, he has appeared in many forms of media, including several animated and live-action television shows, syndicated newspaper comic strips, and a series of films.


Tobey Maguire was the "friendly neighborhood" hero in the first three movies. Andrew Garfield will take over the role of Spider-Man in a planned reboot of the films. Reeve Carney played Spider-Man in the 2010 Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.


Spider-Man's creators (Stan Lee and Steve Ditko) gave him super strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using devices of his own invention which he called "web-shooters", and react to danger quickly with his "spider-sense", enabling him to combat his foes.


Too bad this 12-inch Captain Action Spider-Man cannot stand on his own two feet without the aid of a figure display stand ;p The stand does help Spidey achieve some of his trademark poses.


Here are some close-up pictures of the CapTain AcTion Spider-Man mask and costume. 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. There is a large red spider outline on his back, and a smaller black spider emblem on his chest.


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.


This standard costume varies in the details depending on the artist: he is sometimes depicted with "underarm webbing" connecting his arms to his torso; the eyes of his mask vary from barely larger than human eyes to extremely large; the blue portions of his costume vary from light blue to black (the usual standard is dark blue); and the density of the web design varies.


The back spider has changed over the years, featuring a spider with slightly smaller feet in the past. Well, this is as retro as you can get :)


What I would like to see is the Black costume. One of the most significant alterations to Spider-Man's costume takes place during the Secret Wars crossover event, in which Spider-Man begins to wear a black costume. This costume has a large white spider emblem on the chest and back and white organic web-shooters on the backs of the hands. Unbeknownst to Spider-man, the costume is actually an alien symbiote that was able to copy his abilities. In the Spider-Man 3 film, the black costume is just the same red and blue costume painted black - boring!

Medicom Toys did release a Marvel Comics version of Spider-Man as well but that one could set you back as much as USD150 and there are horror stories too (see a reviewer's post HERE and MORE pictures of broken Medicom bodies HERE).

On the other hand, this Round 2 1/6th scale Captain Action Deluxe Spider-Man costume only costs USD30 and is loads of fun as well :)

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