Review: 76226 Spider-Man Figure
Posted by CapnRex101,
76206 Iron Man Figure was released in January and features substantial detail, although shows the drawbacks commonly associated with these buildable characters as well. 76226 Spider-Man Figure has therefore drawn uncertain reactions after its unveiling.
I share that scepticism, despite enjoying 76206 Iron Man Figure. After all, the awkward head element remains in use, although new shoulder parts offer an opportunity for improvements. Hopefully the articulation develops accordingly.
Summary
76226 Spider-Man Figure, 258 pieces.
£24.99 / $24.99 / €29.99 | 9.7p/9.7c/11.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Among many qualities, comprehensive articulation is this model's greatest asset
- Accurate colours and proportions
- Excellent articulation, overall
- Printed elements
- Odd head shape
- Limited ankle motion
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The Completed Model
Modern buildable characters, whether constructed using standard parts or CCBS elements, have maintained fairly consistent sizes. This model therefore measures 24cm in height, only slightly shorter than 76206 Iron Man Figure, so they could certainly be displayed together. The figure also feels impressively durable, which is obviously important for play.
Articulation is integral to figures like this one, so I am delighted to report that Spider-Man is exceptionally poseable! The restrictive shoulder armour which affected the earlier Iron Man figure has been avoided using a new shoulder shell, allowing much-improved arm movement. Also, the hip and knee joints are very versatile, in conjunction with stabilising rocker-ankles.
A new mask component was developed for 76206 Iron Man Figure and returns here, displaying Spider-Man's distinctive eyes and webbed design. The sharp angles seem unsuitable because Peter Parker's mask is commonly made from cloth, although I can understand the need for flat sides, so this element is exactly four studs wide and remains easily compatible with others.
The head looks awkward when viewed from either side, with noticeable gaps around the neck. However, the ball joint is completely free from obstructions. Three printed parts cover the torso, continuing the webbed design from the head and including Spider-Man's classic symbol. Unlike the Iron Man figure, this set contains no stickers, which is paramount for a tactile action figure.
Unfortunately, the matching emblem which often decorates Spider-Man's back is missing, but the attractive red and blue colour scheme continues. Interruptions to these colours are scarce across the model, with the most apparent being the dark bluish grey hip joints. While complete consistency would have been ideal, these elements are well hidden from the front and sides.
The aforementioned shoulder shells can be lifted to accommodate the arms, allowing Spider-Man to stretch out in a manner which Iron Man could not. The arms are connected below the shoulders and appear odd from certain angles, but this benefits articulation and can be easily hidden beneath those shoulder elements. The elbows, wrists and fingers are also articulated, with various web accessories completing the hands.
The legs incorporate decorated pieces, complementing the clear colour groupings across this entire model. Moreover, the shaping of the legs is effective, making good use of curved slopes and the 2x2 double wedge slope introduced a couple of years ago. The feet look equally suited to Spider-Man because their sideways construction creates an accurate, narrow shape.
Bright colour continues onto the lower legs, albeit again interrupted by dark bluish grey joints. However, these conspicuous parts are again concealed from the front, where adjustable knee covers ensure a consistent shape between the thigh and shin. The ankles' sideways movement provides absolute stability, but I am disappointed by their limited forward motion, which is often helpful for crouching poses.
Overall
76226 Spider-Man Figure has far exceeded my expectations, primarily because of its fantastic articulation. The model appears remarkably dynamic and proper posing can actually disguise certain shortcomings of the design, including the shoulder position. Additionally, the shoulder armour elements present a great improvement over 76206 Iron Man Figure.
The exclusive use of printed pieces, rather than stickers, further elevates this model above its predecessor, while the simpler structure permits a modest price of £24.99, $24.99 or €29.99. I think that represents fair value and would recommend this set, although I also recognise that figures like this example are not to everybody's taste.
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31 comments on this article
Now we need someone to do the old "Spiderman pointing at a duplicate Spiderman" meme using two of this figure.
I feel he could be easily improved by building off of the Technic holes, adding some blue pieces to give him butt cheeks to cover up the gray.
Honestly, just do the old Bionicle/Star Wars CCBS standard of custom molded heads or masks, and these figures would be near perfection. I don't know if I will ever get used to the print on a generic plate piece like they are currently using but other than that these figures do impress.
As of now this is the closest we are getting to anything like Bionicle or Hero Factory. I guess this will satisfy all the people who complained and wanted the figures made of bricks- but I'm also sure that bumped up the price.
Really wish they could have been cheaper in the UK, I’d love to get a couple for parts packs. Gotta love mechs!
I suppose one could use this as the Spider-Man Balloon in a Lego Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (It was a staple balloon from 1987-1998, and Spider-Man even fought it in Amazing Spider-Man 313 in the late 80s.)
Good review. I really feel like this figure style has a lot of potential, especially if they do more characters with unique physiques like the upcoming Venom. But even for ones like this and the Miles Morales one (which have very similar physiques), the use of System parts for shaping and detailing allows for some decent variety in the build.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"Honestly, just do the old Bionicle/Star Wars CCBS standard of custom molded heads or masks, and these figures would be near perfection. I don't know if I will ever get used to the print on a generic plate piece like they are currently using but other than that these figures do impress. "
Toa Mata tomorrow?
@iwybs said:
" @xboxtravis7992 said:
"Honestly, just do the old Bionicle/Star Wars CCBS standard of custom molded heads or masks, and these figures would be near perfection. I don't know if I will ever get used to the print on a generic plate piece like they are currently using but other than that these figures do impress. "
Toa Mata tomorrow?
"
I would kill to see this style of Brickbuilt figure used for the Toa Mata, and for Lego to dust off the original mask molds (or retool them if they have to) for like a 25th Anniversary Bionicle set or something.
day 58 of no loop roller coaster review
Personally, I hate these.
Oh my god this is so bad. Buy an action figure if you want something like that. This is atrocious honestly
Reminds me of those old Stikfas toys that were super poseable. I don’t normally like Lego brick-built action figures but these look pretty fun.
I just don't really see the appeal of these. It doesn't exactly look good enough for display, and as others have mentioned, if you want an action figure, buy an action figure! Just googled a bit, you can get one that's a bigger and certainly looks a lot better for half the price of this set. Or for the same price as that one Lego figure you could get your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man a (maybe not so friendly) friend. I wonder what most kids would prefer.....
And apparently because of sets like this we get stickers in €500+ sets...
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"Honestly, just do the old Bionicle/Star Wars CCBS standard of custom molded heads or masks, and these figures would be near perfection. I don't know if I will ever get used to the print on a generic plate piece like they are currently using but other than that these figures do impress. "
Everyone hated the Star Wars CCBS heads to be fair.
@WizardOfOss said:
"I just don't really see the appeal of these. It doesn't exactly look good enough for display, and as others have mentioned, if you want an action figure, buy an action figure! Just googled a bit, you can get one that's a bigger and certainly looks a lot better for half the price of this set. Or for the same price as that one Lego figure you could get your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man a (maybe not so friendly) friend. I wonder what most kids would prefer.....
And apparently because of sets like this we get stickers in €500+ sets..."
The appeal of this, as with all things Lego, is that it's buildable. You can build it to the instructions, customize it, or use the parts for something else entirely. A non-buildable action figure is typically only good for being an action figure.
Also, it's silly to blame stickers in more expensive sets on sets like this. The number of prints in a set like this (five for this particular set) is comparable to the number of prints on a couple of minifigures—hardly an unreasonable or out of the ordinary number of printed parts for a set this size. Whereas usually the kinds of expensive sets you describe have a large number of printed minifigures in addition to a sticker sheet with a large number of stickers that'd amount to far, far more unique elements if they were all going to be printed.
Sure it's buildable, but is that really an advantage when the result is a lesser product than the non-buildable alternative? I feel the buildable-aspect works much better for play sets when they stick to minifig sized stuff. I mean, for just €20 you get a Spidey versus either Doc Ock or Goblin mech battle, that for less money offer a lot more play value. And spend a bit more and you get even more. In that respect I think these action figures are just not a very effective use of parts. And sure, in many sets display value makes up for a lack of play value, but I think we can easily agree these aren't great display sets either.
And obviously my sticker remark was meant as a bit of a joke. But it still is weird to me to spend so much money on a product where you can even see the cut corners clearly on the promotional pictures. And sure, not all stickers can be prints in such big sets, but a few more essential (or difficult to apply) ones would go a long way. Considering double curved pieces have to be prints, three of the prints here could easily have been stickers. Which, as I have been told repeatedly, could have meant three more prints on, say, the Hogwarts Express. Why is it so weird to expect higher quality standards from a €500 product than from a €30 product?
I really want to like this set, but it's the head shape that kills it for me. It's just so...odd looking. Look at all the buildable figures in the Star Wars line and none of those head sculpts are out of proportion to the rest of the body, but this Spider-Man head is just so bad.
The head is terrible.
@Norikins said: "I feel he could be easily improved by building off of the Technic holes, adding some blue pieces to give him butt cheeks to cover up the gray. "
Yes, as a comic book fan, I demand Peter Parker's butt cheeks.
Awkward head, but the figure is super impressive for Lego's latest attempt at constructible action figures. This is absolutely wishful thinking in my end, but does anyone else think these might lead towards a possible revival of either Bionicle or constraction?
These figures really needed unique heads, rather than the squarish generic piece.
Iron Man’s looked just as bad, in my opinion.
Hello, @CapnRex101
Could you possibly add a picture of this set next to the iron man one?
Thanks.
I still love that he can make the "thwip" gesture. And am I the only one who thinks the printed piece on his pelvis would be fun to use as the hood of some kind of Spider-vehicle?
The head is really not doing it for me. It needs to be significantly rounder. Otherwise this buildable figure would have been pretty perfect.
That head is just no.... And then turned to the side, having that stick figure neck so glaringly obvious is a real eyesore.
And now can we get Ghost Spider? I like it...lots of play potential for sure for my youngest son.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
" @iwybs said:
" @xboxtravis7992 said:
"Honestly, just do the old Bionicle/Star Wars CCBS standard of custom molded heads or masks, and these figures would be near perfection. I don't know if I will ever get used to the print on a generic plate piece like they are currently using but other than that these figures do impress. "
Toa Mata tomorrow?
"
I would kill to see this style of Brickbuilt figure used for the Toa Mata, and for Lego to dust off the original mask molds (or retool them if they have to) for like a 25th Anniversary Bionicle set or something. "
2022 tahu: careful what you wish for muhahahahahaha
@LegoBoi69 said:
"To me only Venom looks legit here. "
Venom is my favorite of the three builds tbh so I'm happy I got him.
"Accurate colours and proportions"
Uhhh...., I dont know if you guys have ever seen a human arm before, but typically the forearm is not half the length of the upper arm.
@CCC: Granted, in and of itself, there's only so much you can do with the pieces. But you can always use other Lego pieces to modify him as you see fit, or give him accessories. Or use his pieces in something else, like my suggestion about his pelvis tile.