Action Figure Reviews

Spawn

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Spawn Series 1
In 1994, an enterprising comic artist named Todd McFarlane decided that if no major toy company wanted to make action figures based on his best-selling comic book, he would do it himself.  The first series of Spawn figures hit shelves that year and were an instant smash with their dynamic new poses and clamshell style blister packaging.  The innovation which followed revolutionized the toy industry forcing major manufacturers to recognize the demand for superior sculpts and paint-ops. Enjoy the reviews!

Spawn

This was the first Spawn figure ever released, and definitely one of the best ever produced. The figure is articulated at the: Arms, Legs, Knees, and head for a total of seven points. Spawn has some very interesting accessories, a board with a nail through it, his cape, chains that fit into holes on his waist, a red piece that fits behind the cape so that it appears to be "blowing in the wind" or something that actually gives a very nice look when posed on the top of my shelf. Also included is a small skull with chains on either side that slide into holes on the cape to prevent it from falling off. Packaged with the figure is a comic (this is the same idea as the Marvel Legends figures) that tells the origin of Spawn; how he came to be Spawn in the first place. I know that some of you make think that this is rating is a bit for this figure, but I really love it and the accessories rock.

 

A

Tremor

This figure is really nothing special; his only accessory is a comic book that is exclusive to Tremor. But once again, nothing special as each figure has its own exclusive comic book. Oh, and if you press in Tremor's right arm and then press a button on his right shoulder; the arm comes shooting out in a punching motion. As with all spawn series one figures, Tremor is very durable since it is a child's toy. The figure is articulated at the legs, arms, and head for a total of five points. Although no where as near as many points as Spawn, its good enough for me.

 

C+

Violator

This figure is great because you can pose it however you like; it is made of wire covered by a rubber substance of some sort. If you push the horn on top of Violator's head back his jaw moves up and down as if to bite some thing (theoretically Spawn). I think that this toy would be great for kids; its play value on a scale of one to ten is probably an eight or nine. There is not much else to say about this figure. It is usually very common on on-line bidding sites and I would suggest picking one up if it is cheap because it is a great addition to anyone's Spawn collection. It is because of figures like this why I love the original Spawn line so much.

 

C-

Overtkill

Overtkill has a grand total of four points of articulation at the legs and arms. This seems low even for Spawn Series one. His head can shoot out when the button on Overtkill's back is pressed. The only accessory included with this figure is a parking meter that is bent near the centre. The parking meter has either 5 cents or 10/5 cents on it. Mine is the more common 10/5 cents version, but it doesn't really matter as it is hard to tell the difference unless you examine the figure closely.

 

C

Spawn Series 2
Next up is series two of the spawn line. I think that this is the last series I will review, but later I may possibly do series three. It all depends on if I have time and if I feel like it. Now I stopped collecting Spawn around this series and so I didn't get all of the figures like I did for series one. Any way, without further ado, I give you Spawn-series two.

Commando Spawn

First up for series two is commando Spawn. He includes a knife, two guns, a missile that one of the guns can fire, a sheath, and a headset. The sheath can pop into a slot on Spawn's left leg. The missile is fired by a small button located on the top of the larger gun. The large gun has a slot that can slide into a plastic piece in Spawn's left shoulder. I really prefer the original Spawn to this one, but it is still very nice. But maybe it's just me. I do not like the headset thing; I took it off when I posed Spawn on my shelf. The microphone looks too big to me. I prefer the original packaging to this one because of the clamshell. Series two did not come with the comic book like the original line did. The guns are really awesome on this figure, Spawn looks cool posed pumping Violator full of lead. I like the smaller double barreled gun better; it does not look so unrealistic like the big one. Overall, a very nice Spawn figure but nowhere as nice as series one Spawn.

                                                                                                                                                  

B-

series2commandospawn1245.jpg

Malebolgia

Malebolgia is a very cool figure. He comes with a skull. The figure is roughly twelve inches when stood up straight. Malebolgia is articulated at the arms, elbows, wrists, legs, knees, ankles, head and jaw for a total of fourteen points. A small patch of grey hair is on his head. I think that this is a very nice touch to a nice figure. The jaw can move up and down in a biting motion similar to series one's violator's jaw.  Although this time McToys decided to take out the "hook" on top of the head. Back in the day this was a fairly common toy, but now you would be very lucky to find one even in a comic store. This figure came on a super, jumbo sized card and was in a sitting position in the package. Sorry, not too much to say about this guy as he is essentially just a mega violator.

 

C

Pilot Spawn

This is a pretty cool Spawn toy; it comes with a jet pack, a handgun, a knife, and another gun that has a hose connected to it. The jet pack can launch a missile from the top, which works quite well. The knife can slide into a sheath on Spawn's boot, and the gun fits into a holster on his chest. There is a mask that flips out to the right. The paint is very nice, clean lines and not much bleeding. Spawn has seven points of articulation, which has not changed since series 1. To tell you the truth, I don't like the recent Spawn toys McFarlane has made. This is largely due to the fact that I don't like statues. I bought a newer Spawn toy to a few months ago, and you can really only pose it in one position. Anyway, if you like cool accessories and don't already have series 1 Spawn or commando spawn from series 2 I highly recommend Pilot Spawn.

 

B-

Spawn Series 1 and 2 logos, characters and likenesses are ™ and © Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc.