First, let me apologize for not posting for the whole of March. I appreciate the three of you who are still reading. That said, I'm baaaaack!
And not only am I back, but I bring you today some fun pics of one of my Holy Grails that I finally added to my collection:
Spider-Hulk!
Back in 2006, Toy Biz was reaching the end of their
Spider-Man Classics line. They may have also been close to the end of their license with Marvel, which ended up (and still is) with Hasbro. I'm no Marvel expert, so don't quote me on that. What I do know is that one of the last Spider-Man Classics figures Toy Biz released was Spider-Hulk. I'm pretty sure, as the story goes, Peter Parker somehow gained the powers of The incredible Hulk for a hot minute (and this is not Bruce Banner/Hulk in Spider-PJs). I've not read this specific story in the comics, but I love that Toy Biz made an action figure of this...well...incredible moment!
I saw this figure at retail back in '06 and somehow talked myself out of it. I've regretted that decision ever since, and as is always the case in such situations, Spider-Hulk became a very hard-to-get figure, and has since held a ridiculously high resale value. I've kept my eyes peeled for him for over ten years, hoping to find an economical example, but I've never seen him going for a sane and excusable price...until now!
For some reason beyond my mere human intellect to interpret, a couple months ago a Chinese ebay seller suddenly began selling loose Spider-Hulks. The auction end prices vary, but have been hovering around an average of $25 bucks for as long as I've been monitoring. Buying loose toys from China can be a risky venture, so I had to ask myself: was it worth tempting fate to get either a) a cheap bootleg, b) a Spider-Hulk with two left feet or c) nothing at all, in an attempt to get Spider-Hulk for a fraction of what he's gone for on the secondary market for the past ten years?
Well the answer was obviously 'yes.'
I'm glad to report that I bid, I won, and lo-and-behold, a couple weeks later a beautiful loose but perfect example of Spider-Hulk arrived at my doorstep! HUZZAH!!!
Of course there are a lot of questions this figure's existence raises. Did Toy Biz have a warehouse full of these gentlemen, just sitting in crates for a decade, waiting for someone to buy them up and liquidate them on eBay? Or did toy Biz themselves, or whatever manufacturer they contracted, find a crate ala the Lost Ark of the Covenant, and after they busted them open and their faces melted off, they decided to offer them up on eBay for us True Believers who never stopped looking and hoping and praying? Or is he coated in lead paint and was held back from retail sale for safety reasons and I'm going to die soon?
Who cares. I HAVE SPIDER-HULK!.
One last thing: You too could own a Spider-Hulk: As of press time, they are still popping up on eBay and auctions are ending between $20 and $30 with free shipping. I can't guarantee your experience will be the same as mine, but I can guarantee that this is a great price for an otherwise hard to find figure. Search for SpiderHulk and search under 'free shipping', and you should find the auctions easily enough. Good luck!
Congrats.I'm not familiar with the storyline,though.Does he retain his web weaving abilities?HULK SPIN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm n ot sure about modern Spidey, but I think in 2006 (or pre-06 when this story happened) his web shooters weren't organic. So they would have to at least expand to his enlarged wrists, and otherwise I assume he'd be able to spin those webs. An organic shooter powered Spider-Hulk raises some interesting questions, though!
DeleteAlso, he may be able to climb walls, but can the walls support his bulk?
I need to track down this story! Inquiring minds need to know!
Welcome back and congrats! If I remember correctly, he was out of control like Hulk sometimes is and his web shooters were not organic.
DeleteVery cool figure!
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about Spider-Hulk, except that you're now likely to inherit his abilities due to whatever paint they're currently using for secondary market figures like this from Asia. But, rejoice! You now have gamma irradiated powers.
ReplyDeleteYay me!
DeleteThis has always been one of my favorite variants. I never read the comics where this happened, but a giant gamma irradiated Spider-Man just tickles my fancy. Also, he's got a chin to put Bruce Campbell's to shame.
ReplyDeleteGlad you finally got one, and glad you're back! Although there's a 99.9% chance that it's a bootleg, it looks great in the pics. I may have to get one of these myself.
ReplyDeleteI was on a Hulk Classics/Legends buying spree last year and had to keep my eye out for those bootlegs because China has been busting out a bunch of them for the big green guy, and this was one of the ones I kept running across.
As an experienced toy collector, I am 100% certain this figure is not a bootleg. More likely it came from a heretofore undiscovered lot of figures that went unpackaged and unsold for one reason or another, or a lot that had suffered package damage and could not be sold at retail. Or maybe the paint didn't pass a lead fest. There's a logical reason, and we may never know it, but in large scale manufacturing I'm sure it happens far more often than people expect.
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