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Spider-Man 3 was the end of a superhero film era. With the upcoming release of Iron Man and The Dark Knight the year after, 2007 was the final remnants of something I grew up loving dearly. Unfortunately, DST only got to making film ‘mates for Marvel movies once 2006 rolled around with X-Men: The Last Stand. Both of the Spider-Man 3 waves were fantastic with some updates to Venom, Sandman, Mary Jane and the new additions of Eddie Brock, “Evil” Peter Parker, and, of course, the New Goblin. Harry Osborn’s arc throughout the trilogy was the backbone of conflict for Peter, and him becoming the newest Goblin was so exciting for ten-year-old me. As for this set, I can’t say I was disappointed.

The Packaging

The packaging lined up with the other marketing photos for Spider-Man 3. There’s a blue tinted city along with the film title in its iconic font on top of the box. The back showcases the other figures in this first wave of SM3 figures but doesn’t even mention the second wave. Spidey’s eyes are obviously altered on the box art as they have a distinctly different shape than those on the figure. If you would like to check it out, here’s the link for the set on the database.

The Figures

Spider-Man

In terms of recreating the Raimi suit’s look, this figure does it fantastically. The colors of the reds and blues are perfect, the spider logos have to be duplicates and the eyes have the same shape, despite being slightly misaligned. What brings it all together for me is the webs. The gloss on the webs and the silver that was so accented on this suit just make this figure pop for me. There’s nothing too exciting about him due to having no accessories as most Spider-Men don’t, but I really can’t complain. He’s a great Spidey, and a great adaptation of the film suit. He looks great amongst the other movie characters that have more grounded looks despite how much this ‘mate glows. The paint apps are really just incredible.

Outside of the giant copyright on these figures’ backs, the backside also looks great. The spider emblem continues as well as the gridding on the blue sections of his suit. The webs even continue around the back of the legs. I couldn’t ask for more for a Raimi Spidey figure. If only he came with anything in terms of accessories such as a web rope or an alternate head.

MMC Score — 8 out of 10

New Goblin

Oddly the main attraction of most Spidey sets ends up being his villain, and it’s just that in this case. New Goblin, in which he is never once referred to as in the film series, is a powerhouse figure. He has a sleek design despite being incredibly hefty with all his separate parts. I realize that the Goblins have their ridiculous amount of tools in these films, but as Peter might have said, “This is something else.” This single ‘mate has got 11 other parts to him outside of the base figure, and somehow, all of these but one can be worked into a single pose. His cluster of gear reminds me of Wave 28 Deadpool in the way that he can carry all that and not look insane. He’s got two swords, one presumably being a knife, his helmet, a separate piece than the hair, and his glider which, despite it being relatively accurate, has its issues.

First, it’s not fully flat on the bottom, and with his weight, it tends to tip to one side while displaying unless precariously perched. I replaced it with a Mega Blocks Goblin glider (above photo) and it looks better for scale and stays up better for display, and even has a clippable part on the back for if you wanted to have him flying by. Also, the foot peg fits much tighter than the ‘mate peg, so he doesn’t fall off even if its balanced strangely. This serves for some cool displays and more proper scaling.

As for his other gear, he can hold the knife while the sword goes in this very odd, separate piece holster on his back. There’s really no reason for this to be removable, and yet, it is. It’s a simple little piece held in by a few pegs, so it comes off if you put the sword in too rough. The helmet has its own hair on it, so that’s a nice touch. The bomb, as most Goblin figures had, is part of his left hand, meaning he always is holding it. I never understood this design decision, but worst-case scenario, swap his hands for any dark grey or black spares and you’re good to go.

Overall, I really want to love this figure, and for so many reasons I truly do, but there’s so many things needed to be done to make him just functional after taking him out of the box. It looks great, even with the goofy big boots and bomb hand, but still, all the accessories are overkill in this case, and they detract from the base figure as a whole. Love the idea, but the execution could use some work.

MMC Score —  6 out of 10

Conclusion

Nostalgia definitely makes these figures better in my eyes, but even someone blinded by that Raimi-style goodness can see some flaws. DST hadn’t yet perfected their film ‘mates as of yet, so to that, I can’t fault them too much. The whole wave is somewhat bonkers in the same way the film is, so I suppose that these being just as ridiculous makes perfect sense.

Agree? Disagree? Why not vote for yourself below, or comment further over at the Minimate Multiverse MMC Review Forum.

Review and pictures by Dash Hauenstein.

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