Of course, I'm just pretending. The guys over at Lo-Fi magazine figured that out, and selected me as their "Number One Toy Geek" in the October 2005 issue. Lo-Fi is a print magazine that covers independent comics, anime, manga, music, and other pop culture areas. They started a new column called "I Am Geek" with the October issue, and I was the inaugural geek they spotlighted.

I must say it was a very nice article, with a great photo. And if you're going to be a geek, well damn it, you might as well let that geek flag fly. If you happen to see the mag on your local newstand, check it out. And now on to the regularly scheduled programming.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Ultimate Carnage"

You've read the Spidey books for years, including Maximum Carnage and Venom vs Carnage, so you think you know Carnage, right? Well, if you haven't read the Ultimate books, then you don't know this Carnage. He's nothing like the original.

This version of Carnage is not a symbiote hosted by a human, but a rejuvinating organism able to shape shift. Unlike the Kasady/Carnage, he isn't a homicidal maniac, but kills to sustain himself. Sort of like the Salt Vampire in Star Trek, he sucks the vitality out of his victims, leaving them looking like an extra out of a bad Brendan Fraser action movie. Marvel Select has brought us this Ultimate version, as part of their ongoing series of larger scale figures.

Packaging - **1/2
I've never been a big fan of the oversized Marvel Select packaging. It's tough to store for the MOCers, and wastes a tremendous amount of peg space. They do appear like books on your shelf if you face them with the proper end out, and they have remained consistent throughout the entire run, which is a big selling point to me. But the intial design left me cold, so while I generally applaud consistency, here it doesn't help much.

Sculpting - ***
This is the Ultimate version remember, and his shape shifting is clearly evident in the oddly shaped, but comic accurate, head sculpt.

The sculpt is a little softer than I expected, with less detail than a character like Carnage probably needs or deserves. The lower half of the jaw is actually attached to the front of the chest, again to represent his morphing, oozing image. This makes the neck articulation somewhat useless, but they did go with a softer rubber for the lower jaw to allow some range of movement.

Marvel Select scale tends to be around 7" rather than 6", and this Carnage is too big to fit in with the regular release Spidey lines or the ML Spideys. However, we've gotten Spider-man in the Marvel Select series already, and Carnage and he fit together well.

Paint - **1/2
Generally Marvel Select figures have higher quality paint operations than the usual mass market toys, since they are designed specifically for collectors and the specialty market. Here however, there are a few issues.

The biggest problem is with the teeth, which turned out a bit sloppy and poorly masked. This is particularly true with the lower teeth, and is due in part to that softer rubber mentioned earlier. This type of material doesn't hold paint quite the same way as stiffer plastics, and bleed and rough edges are more common. That's the case with the lower white fangs, which look more like blobs.

The red and black colors are consistent and fairly clean, but there aren't a lot of small paint details. The paint work isn't horrendous, but it's more in line with something you'd see on the shelves at Wal-mart for a lot less money.

Articulation - ***
Normally the articulation on the MS line is fairly basic, but here Carnage takes a step forward. He is a nice compromise between the less articulated earlier MS figures, and the uber-articulated ML figures.

Carnage does have a jointed neck, but the lower jaw tends to cut out a lot of its usefulness. He has ball jointed hips and shoulders, pin joints at the elbows, knees, wrists and ankles, and a cut waist joint. The wrists also turn where the pegs enter the forearms, giving him much more articulation than the usual Marvel Select release.

Accessories - ***
This category was going to initially take a serious hit, because Carnage only comes with one accessory - a victiom - and no base. Generally, we've gotten either two articulated action figures, or one figure with a good base/diorama included.

However, this is the dried up, mummified remains of Gwen Stacey. Just how cool is that? Carnage sucked her dry in the Ultimate comic book, leaving this husk. Man, this poor girl just can't cut a break in any universe.

The paint application is much nicer on Gwen than on Carnage, with lots of detail and good color separation. Her sculpt is excellent as well, although the static pose is a bit difficult to work with in a display situation.

Fun Factor - ***
The articulation makes this a fun toy, and not just a collectible for the shelf. He's sturdy enough - as is Gwen - to handle regular play, and kids who are Spidey fans, looking for another villain, may enjoy him. The only buzz kill is that he's not in scale with the standard Spider-man lines.

Value - *1/2
Ah, but this is where the crows come home to roost. Or is that pigeons? Cows? Hell if I can remember. But the lack of a base, along with the more mass market style paint application, end up hitting the figure hard when compared to the $16 or so price tag. At $10 he's not a bad deal, but at $16 or even more, you're going to feel like you did not get your money's worth.

Overall - **1/2
Price is the big problem this time around, much more so than other issues. The quality of the paint was a little too mass market for the specialty market pricing, and the lack of a diorama hurts the value as well. The actual figures are well sculpted, with a real improvement in articulation on Carnage though, and these positives can't be completely overlooked. This is a set you should pick up if you're a big ulitmates fan - just wait til you find it on clearance.

Where to Buy -
There are a number of online stores that carry the MS line:.

Amazing Toyz has him for just $16, but it looks like stock is low.

Alter Ego Comics has this set for 16.14.

CornerStoreComics has this one in stock at $17.

YouBuyNow has him in stock for $19.

Circle Red doesn't have this one listed, but does have a number of the earlier sets at great prices.

Related Links -
Other Marvel Select reviews include:

- I've reviewed a number of past Marvel Select characters, such as the Spidey/Doc Ock/Spidey set, Venom, Iron Man, Black Cat (mrroeww!), Wolverine, and Spider-Man.

- a guest reviewer also covered the Punisher awhile back.