Shartimus Prime takes a look at the new 1/6 Scale Stan Lee figure from Hot Toys.
By now, most of us know that Stan Lee was the co-creator of some of the most popular Marvel super heroes we know today; Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, and many others. The interesting thing is that Stan's fun-loving attitude and jovial self-praise managed to transition him into the pages of the comics, cartoons, trading cards, and frequently has cameo appearances in the latest Marvel films. Why not have a Stan Lee figure to include in your Hot Toys collection? So get your adjectives ready as we take a look at the Hot Toys Stan Lee Movie Masterpiece MMS 327 1:6 Scale Collectible Figure!
PARTICOLORED PACKAGING: The packaging for this figure is brilliant, and resembles the iconic Marvel Comics cover layout from Marvel's Silver Age. I love that we even get the smaller image of Stan in the top left corner. The colors are mostly bright blue with yellow text. After removing the sleeve we can see the figure inside, along with an image on the back of Smilen' Stan in a super hero stance.
ABOUNDING ACCESSORIES: The accessories are very appropriate and suiting for this figure. I love his collapsible chair with his signature on it. The joints are stiff and I do fear breaking it, but it's awesome to have. He comes with his reading glasses and his sun glasses (which I prefer), and then he has his pen, watch, and 7 interchangeable hands. Extra wrist pegs and buttons are also included. His right hands carry a ring on his pinky, and all of the left hands have his wedding band. I like that he comes with "thwipping" hands, mimicking the gesture of his most famous creation, Spider-Man. It would have been nice if he had fists, just so I can have him going toe-to-toe against the Hulk. My favorite gesture is the pointing hand. It characterizes his charismatic splendidly.
LAVISHING LOOKS: Once in a while Hot Toys makes a figure that is so realistic and accurate, it's creepy to look at. This is one of those figures. I've met Stan "The Man" Lee on multiple occasions, and this figure really does look like him! One thing I will say though, is it looks like his overbite is a little heavier than it should be, but only by a little bit. The sculpted wrinkles must have been a challenge, along with getting all the tiny sun-spots and blemishes. As far as his attire, it is pretty simple as it should be for a man still working in his 90's. He has his Members Only jacket, which is removable. He also has his collared cream shirt, brown slacks, and his white New Balance sneakers. Everything is tailored very well and incredibly accurate. I like that the jacket is easy to take on and off, and the clothes don't hinder the articulation. Speaking of which . . .
ABUNDANT ARTICULATION: Aside from the head not being able to look up as much as I'd like, I think we get a lot of articulation with this figure. Stan's head can look down, side-to-side, and pivot. He has butterfly joints for the shoulders, the shoulder joints allow his arms to move out and forward. Bicep swivel is included along with double jointed elbows, swiveling wrists, and wrist hinge. He has a good diaphragm joint that allows him to turn, crunch and pivot. His waist joint doesn't allow as much side-to-side movement as I'd hope, but it does crunch and pivot well. He has hips that move out and forward, thigh swivel, double jointed knees, and full ankle movement, including ankle pivot! It's worth noting that when you point his feet down, it does look weird due to an annoying gap between the shoes and the white tube socks around his ankles.
SALUBRIOUS STATURE: This is a 1:6 scale figure, and it appropriately stands at 12 inches tall. Seeing it compared to the Hot Toys Iron Man 3 Tony Stark, and Amazing Spider-Man 2 Spidey figures, you can see he stands right in between the two figures in height. Lucky for Stan, he hasn't gotten any shorter in his old age.
CANDID CONCLUSION: While I think Hot Toys did a great job with this piece, I do think it is a little weird having an old man action figure amongst all my robust super hero action figures. At the same time, it does make my Marvel shelf look a little more complete with Stan Lee present. I'm not only a fan of Stan's creations, but I'm also a fan of his writing style, and his attitude is truly something worth aspiring to. As a true Marvelite and Stan Lee fan, you will enjoy having this piece in your collection.
Excelsior!