The Lizard is one of Spider-Man’s most classic villains. What makes Lizard a bit unique is his alter ego, Curt Conners who is a friend and helper to our hero Spider-Man. Because of this Spidey tries to avoid harming Lizard and the Lizard does not avoid such restraint.
So finally Hasbro has graced us with a 1:18th scale figure of this iconic character. However, rather than placing him in the regular Marvel Universe line he was put into the Spider-Man subline, which is somewhat an enigma in itself. The line is littered with multiple versions of Spider-Man and one or two Villains per wave. This wave the villains were at least reserved to 2 per case unlike the normal 1 per case as in previous waves. This has made Lizard a bit easier to find, but at the same time he is still a difficult figure to track down due to the lingering Spider-Man variations.
The figure itself is a bit of a surprise on his own. He is given a rather large mold that rivals some of the larger Marvel Universe line such as Hulk and Juggernaught. This is not exactly coherent with his comic appearances where he has appeared somewhat lanky and although taller than Spider-Man, not nearly this large. What makes this scale even more noticeable is the fact that a majority of the Spider-Man subline figures are actually shorter than their Marvel Universe counterparts. In other words, if brought to scale he would be much larger than Hulk. The only reason I can fathom for this scale difference is the rumor of Lizard being huge in the upcoming Spider-Man films. While I admit I haven’t read Spider-Man’s regular title in quite some time, I hadn’t heard or read anything that showed this drastic change in the Lizard. Does that make the figure bad, no, just causes one to scratch their head for a moment.
The Spider-Man subline is notorious for having a much lower level of articulation than most Hasbro lines. While the Lizard has a lower level than the average Marvel Universe figure, he actually has more articulation than many figures in the Spider-Man line. He has Neck, Shoulders, Elbows, Hips, and Knees. He can also twist his tail, but since the tail is stuck in one position the movement tends to look awkward at best. The only knock I would give to the articulation would have to be the fact that he cannot crawl as he commonly does in the comic.
The details on the figure are pretty good. He is painted in comic accurate colors down to the purple pants (which someone needs to explain how scientists who turn into monsters are always wearing purple pants in the Marvel Universe). The clothes are molded to indicate the tearing after the Lizards transformation. Also the lab coat has a slight wash making it look dirty. The camera doesn’t pick this wash up well but it is very visible in person. Don’t worry if you see one looking more dirty than the web pictures, that’s normal.
The verdict on the figure, I would have to say get him, he isn’t the best rendition of a Marvel Character I have ever seen, but he is pretty good despite some flaws.
Grade: 4 Stars
