I can't remember exactly when I found Ultra-Poseable Spider-Man, but I do recall that I saw it on clearance pretty quickly after it first hit - I got it cheap in what I assume was a managerial pricing glitch. (Numerous then-new Transformers Prime toys were also about half price.) I have a rule that I don't complain when a toy rings up cheap, or is priced cheap, so I grabbed it - I'm pretty sure the clearance stickers for the previous cartoony kid 3 3/4-inch line were slapped on the movie guys, but hey, I don't make policy. I just make Pawlus-y. I typically will buy one new Spider-Man figure for each movie - if not more - so this was the token purchase for that flick. It's a keeper, at about 4-inches tall he's one of Hasbro's best articulated action figures in the scale with rocking ankles and a preposterous amount of articulation.
I was bombarded with inquiries regarding if the figure was a variant or swapped-out back when he was new, because the hands on the figure's packaging differ greatly from those on the final product. Hasbro doesn't always have perfectly matching photography on their cardbacks (see: Rapid Run, Ultra Magnus, Treadbolt) so it's unsurprising that a few people were confused by Spidey's normal, non-web-slinging fingers. He has no accessories to hold, so what you see is pretty much what you get - some sort of body glove modified for super heroics.
I'm quite fond of Hasbro's many Spider-Man toys in the sense that I'm quite fond of that "Aristocrats" premise - each toy is unique and offers an altered perspective on fundamentally the same joke. We've seen so many takes on "ultimate" or "super-poseable" over the years that it's hard to genuinely look at a figure in some sense of hushed awe, but Hasbro did manage to squeeze in some pretty thin joints here with minimal accidental dismemberment. This is a big plus - the figure was one of few collectors would probably admire from that rebooted movie, as most were limited in articulation and had zany accessories. (Note: I like zany.) The figure's white eyes look better than the sometimes golden ones seen in photos or merchandise for the first movie, while the blue and red on his suit are quite colorful. The black webbing is generally painted nicely, and the figure's silver soles look pretty slick. The only thing I found lacking were foot holes - there are none - and this makes sense given the strange rotation joints in the ankles which were pretty uncommon in 2012. It opened up poseability possibilities, making this one of the best, if not the best, Spider-Man figures to come out of Hasbro at this size. I should know, I bought at least three of them. (Actually more, but who's counting?)
The good and bad thing about having this much articulation is that the truly fidgety collector will have a blast giving Spider-Man poses which convey any of a number of emotions through the magic that is dance! Or failing dance, whatever action pose you so give him. Getting him in a pose that allows him to both balance and look cool can be tricky, as finding the center of gravity can be elusive when fighting evil. Making him look like he's flying or swinging through the air is a breeze, though, so anyone with some fake webbing should totally get one of these to keep around their cube at work.
If you bought only one 3 3/4-inch Spider-Man from a movie, you could do worse than this one - it's colorful and fun to play with. I can't ask for much more than that, other than magnetic feet and hands, which Hasbro seems uninterested in providing to super-poseable figures these days. For some reason Hasbro has opted out of releasing a figure of this size and configuration for the sequel, but lucky for you the original is still quite cheap. Get that, or the larger Legends figure and you'll be pretty happy. Well, unless you're a miserable crank like me, in which case you know that happiness is unattainable in any meaningful way.
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