Dan's ToyBox leaps into this latest Action Figure Review with the Hasbro Marvel Legends: Spider-Man Retro Wave: Shocker! There are so many great figures in this wave, three of which we've already looked at in the Ben Reilly Spider-Man, the Spider-Man Mk 1 Armor and, of course, our video review for the Symbiote Suit Spider-Man. At some point, we'll discuss Hammerhead, but for now. let's turn our attention to one Herman Schultz a.k.a. The Shocker.
All of his life, Herman Schultz has been nothing more than a petty criminal... and not a very good one at that. After several arrests, you'd think Schultz would have given up, but nope, he still kept pursuing his life of crime. After one failed robbery attempt, Schultz found himself, once again, a guest of law enforcement. This time, though, he was sent to the prison workshop, where he used the tools around him to create a pair of vibro-shock gauntlets. He discovered that these shock waves were particularly potent and could be used to open safes! Unfortunately, the vibrations were so powerful that Herman risked injury using them. So, he developed a heavily insulated suit to protect himself. During his first foray into crime as "Shocker" he fought (and actually defeated) Spider-Man... granted, the web head was dealing with a broken arm at the time. Over the course of his criminal career, he's faced Spider-Man several times with mixed results in their battles, but usually ending with Schultz taking a trip to prison.
The Hasbro Marvel Legends Retro Shocker figure is a pretty cool addition to my collection. I had not intended to pick up this one or Hobgoblin (which I still haven't because I'm just not crazy about it.) I am glad, though, that I did get this figure. I ended up ordering him online along with the black suit retro Symbiote Spidey. I'm fairly certain, because I tend to be a 'completist' that at some point, I'll end up grabbing Hobgoblin as well. Time will tell. Anyhow, let's see how Shocker fares on our grading scale. Dan's ToyBox bases our reviews on the following criteria: Accessories, Appearance, and Articulation, or as we lovingly call it..."The Triple A." This, coupled with the price point results in an overall rating on the one to five Toybox scale. One being the worst overall grade, five the best. Without further ado... let's dive in.
The Marvel Legends Retro Shocker comes with two pairs of hands: one fisted and one open/relaxed pair and two energy blast effects. We've seen the energy effects multiple times now and so have nothing really special to say about them. They are molded in a translucent yellow/orange and look really good on the figure, but honestly, I don't quite see them as "shockwaves." What I am impressed with are the open/relaxed hands. For some crazy reason, I'm really happy to see those on this figure. It's good to have options for posing, rather than just being stuck with fisted hands all the time. I know that one of my chief complaints has always been the relative lack of accessories with Marvel Legends and while this is no exception to that rule, I think I would have rather had no blast effects than what was included. What I would like to see for a figure like this, would be new effects. It may be time for Hasbro to start developing some new molds... just a thought. In spite of the re-used blast effects, I am going to give him an A for accessories because the relaxed hands are really nice and actually give the figure more character.
I must admit... this is a really good-looking figure. At first glance, I was thinking a wash over it would have really helped to bring out the padded/quilted look of the costume, but the more I posed it around, the happier I am with it. The paint details are really solid on my figure, and I didn't have any issues with line work or uneven application. Even the white eyes are applied very cleanly. The silver gauntlets, belt, and boot tops are a nice off-set for the brown and yellow costume and really do the character justice. We've seen this body sculpt numerous times before so there's nothing really new to say about it. It fits the character well, although I don't recall Shocker being that buff in the comic books... but perhaps he bulked up after getting beat up by Spidey enough times? There really isn't much to say about the figure other than the paint apps are clean and the costume is accurate to the source material. It probably COULD have used a wash to give more depth, but that's really my only complaint. I'll give it an A for appearance, simply because it really holds true to the character and looks solid, posed with my Spider-Man figures.
As mentioned above, we've seen this body sculpt numerous times and the articulation hasn't changed. Shocker's head can turn side to side and does have some upward and limited downward tilt. The shoulders rotate 360 and can hit very nice T poses but are NOT on a butterfly joint. Both arms have upper bicep swivel and doubled jointed elbows, which bend in fairly deep in spite of the gauntlet designs. Unlike other figures, the hands themselves do not hinge or pivot at the wrist, however due to the gauntlet design, you will get rotation midway up the forearm, just below the elbows. This is due to the ability to swap out the fisted and relaxed hands. While I think having different hands themselves would have been better, it would have caused a "break" in the gauntlets which would have actually ruined the look/design of the figure. So, with that in mind, I do like how Hasbro handled that particular issue. Shocker has an upper diaphragm hinge that bends forward and back, and he has a waist pivot. His legs will do a rough 45 degree split from one another and can kick forward quite well. Both upper thighs pivot and both knees are double jointed, allowing for deep knee bends. Shocker also has a hidden boot cut, just below the silver rings and the standard ankle hinge and pivot we have come to know and love. The articulation isn't anything new that we haven't seen before, but still merits an A because I had ZERO joint issues on this figure. Everything moved as it should and has just the right degree of friction to keep from being too loose.
The Hasbro Marvel Legend: Spider-Man Retro Wave: Shocker action figure is a solid, if unspectacular addition to the toy line. While he has earned the Triple A rating and is affordable at the price point of about $23, he's really nothing overly special. That being said, he does look great in my Spider-Man display alongside the webslinger's other villains and, I think, has earned a solid 4 out of 5 toyboxes. The Retro Shocker is available in your local department stores and online at such retailers as www.bigbadtoystore.com
As always, thank you for dropping by the ToyBox for our reviews and until next time... GEEK OUT!!!!
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