The Toy Room - REDUX : Toy Reviews | Marvel Minimates

Ok, so we all like Marvel Characters, right? Alright, some like DC more than Marvel, but that's ok. Any fan of mini-figures should appreciate these 2 packs from Art Asylum's Marvel Series of Minimates. In this review I will take a look at three different sets that I purchased at Qwiksand Collectibles - Gwen Stacy/Masked Spider-Man set, New Wolverine/Phoenix set, and the harder to find Gamma Hulk/The Leader set. Are they worth your bucks for small figures? Read on to find out…

Gwen Stacy/Masked Spider-Man

This set comes with a penultimate character from the Spidey universe, Gwen Stacy. Killed in both the regular Marvel Universe and recently in the Ultimate Universe of Marvel, she just can't catch a break. Unfortunately, neither does her figure. While the face painted expression is that of a happy woman, how can she be happy with a blocky jacket that limits her movement making her look like she needs Slim-Fast? If only Art Asylum could design a better jacket system for characters. I know it's hard on this scale, but can we try something new…maybe cloth perhaps?

Spidey on the other hand has his full range of movement because the costume is painted on. While not as poseable as Toy Biz's brand of larger figures, for the size, this guy packs a punch. Added to that is his accessory of a hand spinning a grabber claw web, which looks cool when used. But the really cool part of this figure is the paint application and design of the head, where we see Spider-Man's exposed mouth. Perhaps he wants a smooch from the walking dead of Gwen Stacy? Lets hope he finds Mary Jane soon - I hear she is still among the living ;) Overall though, this is a great set, if just to have a Gwen Stacy in your Minimates collection.

New Wolverine/Phoenix

Let's all admit that Grant Morrison's run on the X-Men comic wasn't as popular or accepted as some would have hoped. However, the costumes were liked enough that they now appear in Minimate form. Looking at 'New' Wolverine, he has the all black costume with the yellow trim and X's all over. This paint app looks sharp on him and this body. He had the right kind of "Come and get some bub" look on his face, and his claws, much like other Wolverine Minimates, are nice and straight. The only complaint I have for him is his hair, which is very loose on mine. It tends to pop off a lot, so my Wolvie tends to be bald. Maybe he just wants to be like the Prof?

Then we have Phoenix, another walking dead girl. She dies and comes back so much she has a rolling credit account at the local funeral home for caskets. Anyways, she sports the same long jacket that Gwen Stacy had, but in black and with yellow trim. Again, this limits her poseability, along with overly big hair. The best you can do is to pose her arms and maybe her neck a little, but that's it. At least she has a pouty set of lips for Logan to look at. A decent set, but not a necessity to own I would say.

Gamma Hulk/The Leader

This set here is the best of these in this review. Let's start with the strangest looking one first, The Leader. He is a figure with nice orange and yellow jumpsuit, which on him I guess works. With no oversized coat or accessories weighing him down, he is fully poseable too. But the stand-out feature is the lack of a hair piece on this guy. The hair piece has been replaced by The Leader's tall noggin, and it's not a separate piece; it's sculpted right on the head! This is a nice and understandable departure from the usually Minimate head. Without a piece that can fall off and get lost, The Leader will always retain his huge hat size. Still, he should really look into that green skin condition he has…

Finally, there is the Hulk, Gamma Hulk that is. Easily the coolest figure of this review, simply because he uses the same Hulk mold used before, but made him a translucent green. With retaining his poseability and cute little Hulk face, this tiny walking 'Anger Management' commercial can look cool too with his see-through body. Just be careful not to confuse the figure for a Jolly Rancher - he doesn't taste that good ;) If you can still find this set online for a reasonable price, or in your local stores, a definite grab.

Bottom Line

Overall, the Bottom Line on these sets would make great additions to your Minimates collection, or comic book hero collection. Of the three, I would say if you can get the Gamma Hulk set, go for it! If you find the New X-Men set, it may be a set to pick up if you like New X-Men or the costumes. And Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy, that - for me - was a definite pick-up, if only for the story behind Gwen and her death, and how it helped define who Spider-Man is today. These sets may still be available in your local comic and specialty shops, and you can pick them up at many online stores. I highly recommend Qwiksand Collectibles, as that is where I got these sets. If you do order from Qwiksand, tell Sandy TheMatrix8475 sent ya!