{"id":14759,"date":"2011-10-12T00:34:03","date_gmt":"2011-10-12T05:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=14759"},"modified":"2011-10-12T00:35:21","modified_gmt":"2011-10-12T05:35:21","slug":"marvel-universe-spider-man-captain-britain-2pk-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=14759","title":{"rendered":"Marvel Universe: Spider-Man
& Captain Britain 2pk Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Did you get Captain Britain anything for his birthday? No? Well, that\u2019s alright. The good Captain from across the pond turns thirty-five this month and, even if you didn\u2019t get him anything, Hasbro\u2019s got us covered; they\u2019ve just released the first figure of his classic threads in their Marvel Universe line. <\/p>\n

Captain Britain was initially a character that appeared strictly in the Marvel UK books, Captain Britain Weekly<\/em> & Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain<\/em>, but one of the strips from the latter title was also published as a Marvel Team-Up<\/em> here in the States. That firmly entrenched Captain Britain in the Marvel Universe (and led to some of my favorite Marvel stories). That team-up story is reprinted with this two-pack and features the usual superhero meet-up: a misunderstanding leading to a fight. Despite that silliness (and the convenience of Peter Parker & Brian Braddock ending up as roommates, each with no idea of the other’s dual identity), it’s a fun read. Captain Britain gets a great introduction, confronting Spider-Man because he’s concerned the webcrawler may have done something to the MIA Peter Parker. The two heroes faceoff for most of the issue, but readers are treated to a quick recap of the good Captain’s origin and a great cliffhanger for their 35 cents. In this reprint, we also get some extra “Who’s Who” pages on Captain Britain and the villain Arcade. It was cool to read it again, but now I need to track down my copy of the second-half of this crossover… <\/p>\n

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Ok, so apparently there’s a little known rule at Hasbro that Spider-Man must appear in one of the comic 2pks every year. I got my first Spider-Man (below, left) when I picked up Thunderball to complete my Wrecking Crew<\/a> and narrowly avoided a second when I decided against picking up the Sentry 2pk (which still mocks me pegwarmingly every trip to the store). It turns out, Hasbro still had me in their sights and again packaged Spidey with Captain Britain this year. This figure appears roughly identical to that Spidey from the Sentry 2pk, but the chest symbol is different and the eyes are painted a bit smaller. The latter of which is definitely an improvement.<\/p>\n

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I don’t know what to think about this Spider-Man figure. I’ve read it both ways. Some collectors are happy to finally pick up this version with painted lines and slightly different articulation while other collectors are put off by the distended body and odd hips. I’ve read that this will finally be the go-to Spidey in the MU line while others are sticking with the original. Truthfully, I don’t know if I need a basic red\/blue Spidey on my MU shelf, but if I were, I’d still be waiting. <\/p>\n

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Sculptwise, I’ve still go gotta go with the Spidey from the Thunderball 2pk simply due to the body proportions, particularly around the midsection. I hate the molded “web-shooting” hand, but the new Spidey doesn’t do much for me either; neither the curved-in fist or the open hand are really exciting. Paintwise, I love the etched lines, but I can’t argue with the painted lines looking better. Even with my new Spidey having some slop between the edges of the red paint underneath the lines, it’s just a lot more visually appealing. Finally, the articulation – I think that’s the one that keeps me from truly enjoying either Spidey. The original had the waist joint while the new one has thigh swivels. Can I get one with both? And when is Hasbro going to listen to collectors and stop using these awful hip joints? They don’t pose well (they hardly stand-up straight well) and they pop-off like nobody’s business. Personally, I want to see Joe Hips + Thigh Swivels, but I’d even settle for those ugly-ass ball-jointed hips to make a comeback.<\/p>\n

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Spider-Man also includes a web attachment. I kinda hate it. Let’s go talk about Captain Britain instead…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Oh look! It’s Captain Britain! Y’know I was half-tempted to just talk about Captain Britain for the whole review, but I figured I’d better spend some time on Spidey. And now here we are, the entire reason I bought the 2-pk relegated to page two. Sad day, right…<\/p>\n

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Like Spider-Man, Captain Britain is almost entirely a buck figure, this time the larger buck that originated last year for the bulkier characters. It’s perfect for Cap since it’s the one that was also used for the figure that featured his more recognizable (and much cooler) costume. The two make a great pair (though I can’t say the same for the comic-based movie figures; what was Hasbro thinking making those guys smaller?). <\/p>\n

New to the figure is the original head sculpt and the Amulet of Right around his neck. Despite his face being completely covered in this costume, you can tell this is one pissed off Captain Britain. It’s a great sculpt and I love having some personality beneath the full cowl. The amulet is a little clunky, but it still looks pretty good on the figure. It is removable and can hang from his outstretched hand, so you could count it as an accessory if you were so inclined. <\/p>\n

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The paintwork on Captain Britain is impressively and oddly annoying in different places. When the figure was announced, I had serious concerns about how well the wristbands and head would be painted; they’re intricate designs and this is a line where you have to tolerate some fuzziness. I’m happy to report that both the Cap’n Britain’s I saw had some surprisingly good paint on the fine details, including that giant gold lion on his chest. Conversely, the red areas of the figure feature an odd red wash that just looks… um, odd. It’s nice that Hasbro had some leftover money to spend on the extra deco, but I don’t really know why they thought it was needed. Articulation is standard for this body and everything works great except for those aforementioned hips which are doubly offensive since this buck still lacks thigh cuts. Boo!<\/p>\n

Finally, Captain Britain also included his Star Sceptre. The early Captain Britain featured a variety of quarterstaffs that could project force fields (or be used as intended), but by the time he came overseas to study at Empire State University, he was wielding the Star Sceptre. It’s gives him the added benefit of flight and makes for a better accessory to boot. It’s a cool piece (though it’s only detailed on one side) and it fits in the standard right hand well. <\/p>\n

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Overall, I was excited to find this two-pack even though I have to laugh at myself over the Spider-Man. I paid the $15 without a second thought even though I know Spidey is destined for the extras bin (the other red\/blue Spidey is already there) awaiting use in an IAT strip or an eventual sale\/trade to another collector. That makes half the 2pk not particularly worth it right there, but I’m so happy they made Captain Britain’s original costume that I don’t care. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Captain Britain turned out to be such a well done figure. Yes, the Hasbro hips are an annoyance, but the rest of the articulation does its job, the paintwork is excellent, and the newly sculpted pieces combine with the buck to make for a sharp looking toy. I still love the Alan Davis version of Cap’s costume best, but I’ll proudly display this one all the same.<\/p>\n

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For more Marvel Reviews, check out our Review Index<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you get Captain Britain anything for his birthday? No? Well, that\u2019s alright. The good Captain from across the pond turns thirty-five this month and, even if you didn\u2019t get him anything, Hasbro\u2019s got us covered; they\u2019ve just released the first figure of his classic threads in their Marvel Universe line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[169,26,34,10],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/britTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-3Q3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11278,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=11278","url_meta":{"origin":14759,"position":0},"title":"Updates to the Marvel Universe Checklist","date":"January 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"As promised, we've got a massive update to our Marvel Universe Visual Checklist. It's been revised, updated, expanded, overhauled... I'd go on, but I don't want to have to get out the thesaurus. Suffice to say, it was well past time for Hasbro's Marvel line to get the same treatment\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11555,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=11555","url_meta":{"origin":14759,"position":1},"title":"Marvel Universe Checklist Updates, Cap & Thor Pages Added","date":"February 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"New pages for the Captain America & Thor movie lines have been added to the Marvel Universe Resource. The Iron Man 2 and Spider-Man pages have been updated with the latest wave information. And a Two-Packs section has been added to the 2011 page. Images have been added for most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel Universe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13527,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=13527","url_meta":{"origin":14759,"position":2},"title":"Vault Review: Captain America Captain Britain (New Excalibur)","date":"July 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"So let\u2019s take a break from the Mattycollector hullabaloo with another Captain America: The First Avenger review!\u00a0 It\u2019s day three of our Flags & Spandex week and we\u2019re going to make a jump over to the comic book side line with a look at Captain Britain in his New Excalibur\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/capb6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12411,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=12411","url_meta":{"origin":14759,"position":3},"title":"Marvel Universe Checklist Updated","date":"April 25, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Our Marvel Universe Visual Checklist has been updated with the latest news, images, and links. We've added the newest images from Hasbro and a handful of review links to our 2011 page while the Captain America & Thor movie pages have been updated with the latest release information respectively. Continue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel Universe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9710,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9710","url_meta":{"origin":14759,"position":4},"title":"Sponsor Announcement: Past Generation Toys","date":"October 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to everyone that was able to stop by and say hello at the Big Apple Comic Con last weekend! For those that didn\u2019t make it hopefully you can stop by the New England Comic Con in Boston on Oct 15 \u2013 17th.We have listed a ton of PreOrders this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sponsors"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25568,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=25568","url_meta":{"origin":14759,"position":5},"title":"Marvel Universe Checklist Update","date":"November 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14759"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14759"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14794,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14759\/revisions\/14794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}