The S.H. Figuarts Showcase returns with the friendly neighbourhood cross-genre hero! Can he swing… from a web? Yes he can… because two are included in the pack… LOOK OUT! It’s S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man!
Hey all, Sean here again! I know it’s been a while, but I’m back and I bring you my second ever figure showcase, I’ve got a special one here today, so, without further delay, let’s talk about the S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man!
Now, I know what you’re all thinking, “Sean, this is The Toku Source, why are you writing an article about a Spider-Man figure?” Well, my dear reader, I’m glad you asked, so allow me to give you an abridged history lesson. It all goes back to the 1970’s, when Marvel Comics brokered a deal with Toei which allowed Marvel the use of Toei characters and Toei the use of Marvel characters. While three Super Sentai shows, those being Battle Fever J, Denziman and Sun Vulcan, were produced as part of this partnership, the most iconic show to spawn from it was the 1978 Japanese adaptation of the face of Marvel himself, Spider-Man!
The show followed motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro, who, after his father was murdered by the Iron Cross Army and was nearly killed himself, until he was saved by Garia, the sole survivor of Planet Spider, who gave the young man the “Spider-Bracelet”, which injected him with an extract, granting him the powers of Planet Spider’s people, and allowing him control of the spaceship Marveller, and it’s robotic battle mode, Leopardon.
The show was a hit in Japan, with Spider-Man’s late co-creator, Stan Lee, even having a soft spot for this iteration of the character he created in 1962
In the year 2020, Toei Spider-Man (or, as he’s better known by his fan given nickname, “Supaidaman”) joined the S.H. Figuarts line, and while there is a Marvel Legends of this version of the character (as pictured above) that was released two years later in 2022 as part of a Spider-Man 60th Anniversary line, I’ll only be showing the S.H. Figuarts in the article, and given that the new Spider-Man cartoon’s first season just finished, I figured now was the best time to talk about this figure. Without any further ado, let’s get started!
Starting off with the box, the front features the Toei Spider-Man logo in the bottom left corner, a window which allows you to see the figure and some of its accessories, as well as a picture of the figure in a pose on the right side, while the left and right feature more images of the figure.
The back of the box features more pictures of the figure in various poses, as well as showing off a few of the accessories and a feature of the figure I’ll talk about a little bit later.
Now that we have the figure out of the box, we can see some of the accessories better on the inner plastic tray, which include:
- 1 pointing hand
- 2 web-line holding hands
- 2 chopping/relaxed hands
- 2 grappling hands
- 2 wall-crawling hands
- 2 3-fingered claw hands
- 2 alternate feet
- 2 alternate heads
- 1 web-line
- 1 web (shooting)
- 1 web-net
- 1 web-line with presculpted hands
With these accessories, you can get Spider-Man into a variety of dynamic poses, which leads us into our next point, the articulation, and for a character like Spider-Man, who, regardless of iteration is extremely acrobatic, you need good articulation, and I must say, this figure has it in spades.
Articulation:
- Ball jointed head, neck, chest, waist, arms and wrists.
- Shoulder hinge
- Shoulder swivel
- Knee bend
- Ankle pivot
- Toe bend
- Elbow swivel
- Elbow bend
- Bend at the ankle
- Wrist hinge
- Hip rotation
- Thigh swivel
In addition to this, the Spider-Bracelet attached to the figures wrist can open up to reveal a screen, just as it can in the show.
With the articulation listed, and the accessories too, you can get this figure into a variety of dynamic poses, both based on the show and on the comics, as seen here:
In conclusion, S.H. Figuarts Toei Spider-Man is one of the most fun figures in my collection. Be you a fan of tokusatsu, Spider-Man or both (like myself), this figure would make a great addition to anyone’s collection, but that’s just what I think.
What do you think? Will you consider picking up the S.H. Figuarts Toei Spider-Man to add to your collection after reading the review? Let us know your thoughts. This is Sean, writer, reviewer and wall-crawler for The Toku Source, signing off for now.
