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TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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Transformers Toy Review Archive (older series, 1984 to date)
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Blackjack's review: Spiderman

Name: Spider-Man
Allegiance: Avengers
Function: Wisecracking webslinger
Altmode: Motorbike

"Hey Megs, you may have stolen my radioactive blood, but can you swing from a thread?"

Spider-Man had been there from the start of Marvel G1 comics, namely issue 3, where he (in the black getup and all) battled Megatron alongside the Minibot Gears. However, the idea of Transformers in Marvel universe was dropped soon after. Spidey popped up later in the more recent crap comic of New Avengers/Transformers. He was captured by Megatron who used Spidey's radioactive blood to use as a power up. How low can Megs stoop? I am not saying that you shouldn't read it, it's that you will regret it.

Hasbro has released a crossovers with Marvel. Spidey, Marvel's main man, obviously got the treatment. Supposedly Iron Man and Mr Fantastic built transformable battle suits for the heroes to use.

Spidey I got after Venom (which I like) and Iron Man (which I don't like too much). My brother, being a fan of Spidey, bought this... Well, Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a cycle can...

Alright, origin time... Nerdy Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider (fact: the spider was Tarantulas' ugly unemployed brother) and was given super strength and can do whatever a spider can. At first he wanted to use the powers to get fame, until his uncle got killed, and 'with great power comes great responsibility' and stuff. That is better, when you consider Animated Blackarachnia, who was bitten by spiders... And became a freak. Yet she is a better toy than Spidey. How odd.

ALTERNATE MODE
Spidey transforms into a motorbike. Yeah. While the others, (Venom, Iron Man and Hulkimus Primal) hid their robotic kibble excellently, alas poor Spidey... You'd think that the main protagonist would get a better mould than Venom. The chest, the bloody bloody chest is smack right on top of the bike. The legs aren't hidden also. A few years ago I would not have complained, but seeing the excellent toys in the Movie, Animated, Classics, Alternators... Heck, even Energon Arcee's legs blend in better than Spidey.

To add insult, Spidey's transformation scheme exactly duplicates that of Movie deluxe Arcee, that which duplicates her Energon counterpart. Honestly, can't anyone think of a different transformation sequence for a bike? I mean, Cybertron Lugnutz and Ransack, both two or three years ago, are quite good. And they are Scout class material. Animated Prowl, for a guy that cost half as much as this goon does, is twice as good as he is.

Two web bullets can be stored in the sides or placed on the back of the seat (wrist) to shoot. There are two 'kickstands' that don't really work. The choice of coloring -- red and blue -- seem to be applied haphazardly, unlike the robot mode.

Honestly, someone please tell me what's the connection between a cycle and Spider-Man. I never remembered a time when Spidey rode a bike. (Parker did, though...) What we need is a Green Goblin that turns into his glider.

That's all about cycle mode, but you'd think that having a bad alt mode will give us a good robot mode. Wishful thinking...

TRANSFORMATION
Exactly the same with Energon Arcee. Or Movie Arcee. Or the other Movie Arcee. Or Movie Elita One. Or the numerous repaints of the Scouts class mold.

The back wheel splits and become shoulder armor. The back part of the cycle becomes hands, the legs form the legs... Just read my review for Elita-One. One redeeming feature: the front wheel no longer hangs on the butt, but can rotate up, reducing the kibble.

ROBOT MODE
After seeing this mold, even Movie Overcast or Swindle seem interesting. The head is kinda over sized and has a different shade of black for the mask, the hands are permanently molded in the 'web spraying' motion, over sized lower hands... Shall I go on?

To be fair, compared to Irons, this guy is more poseable. The kibble ain't too visible either. But this guy is plain ugly. An insult to Spider-Man. Oh, and it replicates the Arcee mold so throughly, including the high heels. Spider-Man. With high heels.

Actually, this guy is kinda similar to G1 Override -- a red and blue motorbike. Only Override has a kind of a nice cycle mode, and is very cheap in his days. Ah well, at least Spidey can be used as Blackarachnia's motorcycle. Maybe they're related, who knows?

Itsy-bitsy spider is a nice character, no doubt, but his toy sucks. Avoid this at all costs. If you have to buy it, spray-paint it black. It's much cooler.

DURABILITY
8/10 Does not suffer from weak parts due to transformation like Iron Man or Venom. A plus.
TRANSFORMATION 2/10 Copying from a mold four years ago. Boo. You get a E for effort.
FUN 2/10 Best used as Autobot fodder.
PRICE 0/10 At almost the price of a Voyager, Spidey is not worth it. My Scout class Elita-One achieves the exact same transformation. Buy Animated Prowl, for crying out loud.
OVERALL 1/10 Not creative? Check. Bloody expensive? Check. Kibble not hidden? Check. Both modes ugly? Check. Reused transformation sequence? Check. Bad representation of a character? Check. So, in conclusion, your friendly neighborhood Blackjack hates him.
 
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