|
Doctor Octopus 9" cloth-costumed figure from the Hasbro "Spider-Man Origins" series. Something like this hadn't been seen since Toy Biz's Famous Covers line. Doc Ock has always been one of Spider-Man's most prominent enemies, but for whatever reason, Toy Biz never got around to him. So when the Marvel Comics toy license transfered from Toy Biz over to Hasbro they made the first 9" cloth-costumed figure of Doctor Octopus. Hasbro had also done their own, more short-lived line of 9" cloth-costumed figures around the same time period, but based on the DC Super-Heroes.
Hasbro faced several challenges when it came to making a Doctor Octopus figure. For starters, the main body molds used by Hasbro for these figures were, "typical super-hero muscular". That may work for most of the characters, but not Doc Ock. Depending on the artist depicting the character, Octavius has been portrayed as anything from having a stocky frame but fairly decent muscle definition to being really flabby. Bottom line, though, no one's ever going to perceive Octopus as a body-builder. Then there's those four mechanical arms. His harness is attached to four mentally controlled, prehensile metallic appendages. These arms are capable of lifting several tons, provided that at least one arm is used to support his body. The reaction time and agility of his mechanical appendages is enhanced far beyond the range attainable for normal human musculature. The arms allow Octavius to move rapidly over any terrain and to scale vertical surfaces and ceilings. He has developed his concentration and control to the point that he can engage a single opponent, like Spider-Man, or multiple opponents with the arms while performing a completely separate, more delicate task.
Hasbro ultimately solved both the harness and the physical size problem at once. They constructed a wrap-around harness that would fit underneath Octopus shirt, seemingly giving him the added weight that was needed for his typical appearance. The base of the arms no doubt protruded through the shirt, and were capped off in such a way as to conceal the "holes" in the shirt. Into each cap a mechanical arm, about 6" long, was inserted. These "mechanical" arms are "bendies". Each one is made of flexible plastic and has a wire core, allowing the four arms to be bent and posed in a near-limitless range. The end result is a figure that looks appropriately chubby, and the four mechanical arms look excellent.
Dr. Octopus' head sculpt is absolutely perfect. The sculptor should definitely be commended for attention to detail. They did their homework on what Ock is supposed to look like and the end result is a truly superb likeness of the character. The sculptor should definitely be commended for attention to the character as he is best known.
The outfit for the figure is very well crafted. Octopus is wearing green trousers, and has yellow-orange boots, belt, and gloves, as well as a fabric collar to his costume that is a superb color match for the plastic parts. Articulation is excellent, as it is on all of these 9" Spider-Man Origins figures, but in Doc Ock's case it's hindered somewhat by the tentacles. He can't really bring his "actual" arms down, which sort of leaves him a little restricted to the "arms raised in fury" pose.
On the whole, this is truly an excellent figure of one of Spider-Man's most legendary villains. And seeing as how he was introduced in Spider-Man #3, all the way back in 1963, he easily predates the likes of Venom, and even the Green Goblin. Octopus is arguably Spider-Man's first truly great villain.
|
