.

Wave 24 packaging remains the same as wave 23, and continues as a style for the latest releases in 2009. The decision to package the figures without the masks on really hits this wave, putting the emphasis more on the control art as it is more familiar.The back of the box has the whole wave pictured, and the bio boxes are kept, which is nice to see.

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The first figure in this set is Classic Spider-Man. It seems as though there has been an intention at DST to redo their earlier Spider-Man offerings from the very early wave 2, as we also had a “Back In Black” update of Symbiote Spidey in this wave. The iconic red and blue outfit has been a Minimate staple for many years, including artist specific versions such as the “Torment” Spider-Man and the “Amazing Fantasy” Spider-Man but it’s pretty clear that this is the spiritual successor to one of my favorite ever Minimates, just known as Spider-Man.

The major difference this time is the inclusion of the full face mask. It does make the head look big, especially when you notice how small the eyes are on this version. I think it would look a lot less noticeable if the eyes were as big as the wave 2’s version. It’s not a great look. The mask itself is molded to fit extremely tightly over the head block. Seriously, when you put the mask on, don’t expect to take it off without a great deal of effort! Not as easy to remove as Back In Black Spidey’s, that’s for sure.

When you see the face, that might not be a bad thing. It’s terrible. It’s not just the ridiculous, doe-eyed look at fault. The mouth – contorted into the stupidest, cheesiest grin imaginable – is far too low on the head block and really throws everything off. I’m told the hairpiece is reused from the Star Trek line’s Captain Kirk, and that figure had the expression to pull it off. Sadly Peter here doesn’t. He just looks really silly. After the coolness of the Back In Black Spidey’s unmasked look, it’s about a million steps back, more in line with the goofy expression on the early Peter Parker.

Some previous Spider-Man Minimates looked a little too detailed and busy, with webbing lines on the costume as well as overdone muscle detail. Here, the balance is just right, updating the look of wave 3’s version with muscle shading that works with the webbing lines and doesn’t detract from them. Due to this, the spider symbol is understandably smaller, but it still works. This version also has the “red belt” on the pelvis piece that later Spidey’s had, making the torso look longer. The bad points with the detailing occur on the back of the figure. The mask’s weblines look a bit messy on the back, and the spider symbol is just this horribly indistinct blob, nowhere near as clean as the original figure. Mine even has lines where it looks like the paint hasn’t dried.

Classic Spider-Man has no accessories. A webline would have been nice.

In conclusion: With a masked look that has an odd, too-big head, and an unmasked look that really doesn’t do anything for the character, it’s hard to recommend this update over a Minimate that’s 5 years older, and that’s pretty damning. This is nowhere near an essential update. The original also came with Carnage and is one of the highest scoring 2-packs ever reviewed on this site.

MMC Score – 5 out of 10

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Shocker

The Shocker is pretty far down the list of Spidey’s villains, not having the same amount of backstory as some of his more popular nemesis but featuring quite an eye-catching design nonetheless.

Shocker’s mask is well done, it’s a full face mask, with the eyes painted on. It’s easy to remove, being quite a solid piece of plastic. Underneath is a very busy face. Herman Schultz has a wide grimace etched on his face, along with thick eyebrows. My favorite detail is the very subtle brown shading for his stubble. He gets a hairpiece, which looks like something Norman Osborn would use.

The detailing all over this figure is really good. Shocker wore a costume designed to absorb both the shock created by his vibro-gauntlets and blows from enemies. In the usual bizarre comic-book way, this naturally means his outfit is quilted! This quilted look is achieved nicely on this Minimate, with very clean lines on the mask, chest and arms. The chest piece also features muscle shading and the outlines of a leather vest. The look is accentuated by his silver vibro gauntlets (a reuse of Juggernaut‘s Crimson Bands of Cyttorak) and a silver belt. The lower body is brown, and he wears the buccaneer-style boots that first came with Captain America.

However, the main thing that strikes you on this figure is that the color matching between the mask, arms and chest is absolutely abysmal. The chest features a very watery, muted yellow whilst the arms get a far brighter shade. It’s completely different! The mask sits somewhere in between in terms of color. The packaging (prototype) pictures show each part the same color. It’s really off-putting and undoes the rest of the exemplary detail work on the Minimate. A poor show.

Shocker has no accessories, but to be honest we’re lucky we got the removable mask and hairpiece so it’s not an issue.

In conclusion: Nice detail, shame about the woeful color matching, which really drags the figure down. So disappointing.

MMC Score – 5 out of 10

Review and pictures by Danny Mills

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