Today's review will cover the five regular figures - Raven Spawn from Hellspawn issue 11; Hellspawn from Hellspawn issue 5; Sam and Twitch from Sam and Twitch issue 22; Redeemer from Spawn issue 117; and Spawn from Spawn issue 95. I have a review of the deluxe figure, Creech from Creech: Out for Blood issue 1, available here.

The figures have just started hitting retailers, including Sam Goody, Media Play, Toys R Us and Electronics Boutique. You can expect to pay around $10 each for the regular figures, and around $20 for the deluxe Creech. I have some on-line retailer suggestions for you at the end of the review.

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!

"Spawn 25 - Classic Comic Covers 2"

On every action figure review, I include categories for sculpting, paint, accessories, value, articulation, and fun factor. That last one is a new one this year, since I heard from a lot of folks that like knowing just how much real "fun" their kids might have with some of this stuff. That doesn't mean however that the categories are all equal weight - that would be silly - and not all figures are trying to be all things to all people. A figure intended as a children's toy better do well in the fun factor, but may not do as well in sculpting and still get a decent overall score. And figures like these may do poorly in fun or articulation (since they are designed to be plastic statues), but better do damn well in paint and sculpt. On top of that, what you value more might very well be different from what I value, so your overall could be very different from mine. I've mentioned all this before, but figured it made sense to mention it again since these figures are so specifically designed for a particular market.

Packaging - ***1/2
The McToys clamshells come to the rescue again. I love clamshells for three major reasons - they protect the figure like nobody's business; they give a great view of the figure from all sides; they are easy for the MOCer to store; and they are less likely to get damaged for the MOCer in long term storage. Add to that a flair for the creative in designing the paper insert, and you have a perfect package. Unfortunately, McToys rarely does anything special with the insert, beyond throwing on a few photos of the figure. With this series, more explanation around the characters and the comics on which they were featured would have been great.

Sculpting - ****
As I mentioned, if you're making plastic statues, they better be damn good sculpts. Fortunately, that's not an issue for any of these. Some of the poses are extremely specific of course, since they are supposed to match exactly (or as exactly as a 3d version of 2d art can) the artwork from specific issues.

In that respect, this series is an absolute knock out. All five are impressive sculpts, with all the detailing and attention to quality that you've come to expect from Mcfarlane. But there is one thing that really bugs the hell out of me with this series - and the previous one. I like consistency across a wave. Even when McToys was doing Movie Maniacs series, and none of the figures had any real relationship to the others, there was consistency across the included "poster" backgrounds. But with this series, consistency is thrown out the window.

Perhaps the crowd favorite of the bunch will be Hellspawn. With an excellent sculpt, and an exact match to the comic cover, he's sure to leave the pegs early. His cape is the funkiest of any recent Spawn however, sticking out from his back several inches, and curling up in such a way at the bottom as to make standing Hellie a trick, even with the included stand. It's not an insurmountable problem, but one that's a tad annoying nonetheless. That being said, his sculpt and pose are perhaps the most impressive of the lot.

The other two Spawns - Raven and just plain old Spawn - are sure to be grabbed up quick as well. Again, every detail, every wrinkle, every wild fold of his amazing cape is there. The chains for both figures are metal, but the chains with regular Spawn are heavier and thicker. These poses match the intended art well, but that's a bit of a negative in the case of Raven Spawn. He looked great on the cover, but in person - and from the other side - it looks like he's checking his pits before a big date.

The Redeemer is amazing, and my favorite sculpt of the entire series. However, he appears to be hanging on the pegs a little longer around here than the Spawn versions. Redeemer is a foe, but not a bad guy. Okay, yes, he also appears to be sniffing his pits, but maybe that's an issue for guys in spandex suits. The detail work on his armor and musculature is amazing, but the wings are truly a work of art. These may be the best looking wings I've ever seen on an action figure. Not only are the great sculpts, but the work perfectly with the pose of the body. People who have no idea who Spawn is, and certainly no idea who the Redeemer is, will be impressed by the look of this figure.

And that leaves those two slightly odd cops, Sam and Twitch. If you've been wondering if McToys sculpting really has improved all that much over the last ten years, all you have to do is look at these two and compare them to the original versions. The sculpt is highly stylized, again because it's intended to match the cover art exactly. And that it does, even down to the tilt in Sam's chair, and the bend in his chain smoking cigarettes. I suspect this pair will be the peg warmer of the series, but it won't be because they aren't perfectly sculpted, but rather that the Spawn figures are simply more popular. Oh, and don't worry - I'll be expounding on my consistency comments a little later in the review.

Paint - ***1/2
I really wish I could give this set a full four stars, because in theory the work is amazing. And if you get the right figure, it will be. But there's been too many complaints, and I've seen too many other figures at other stores that have paint issues, to give them a blanket perfect score.

From a purely paint perspective, I believe that Sam and Twitch are the best of the bunch. This is because the coloration of the cover art work was a gray, black and white scheme with very little color, and somehow they managed to match this perfectly. Of the five, this pair is most like their cover counterparts, and this is due in large part to the excellent job they did in matching the color scheme. Unfortunately, there are some issues with the application of the colors. There were various rub marks and spots on Sam's face, and there was a little more slop in some areas on Twitch than I'd expect.

The other truly amazing paint work is on Redeemer. Here you have real color, with the white wings, gold armor and blue body suit. On my figure, there's excellent separation between these colors, and the use of wash, both on the body and on the wings, isn't overdone or sloppy. I have heard that this figure has had serious problems, especially with the wings, but mine was perfect.

The three Spawns all look great, although there's not a wide variety of color here. These are characters that are known for their drab, dark appearance, so it's no surprise that they aren't fashion plates. But by using excellent wash techniques, different finishes for different areas, and clean lines between the colors that are there, they manage to show off the fantastic sculpts with the paint application. There's a little slop here and there - the silver on Spawn's spikes is a little sloppy for example, but none of the problems are extreme.

Articulation - Spawn **; the rest *1/2
These figures aren't intended to be highly poseable - they're really just little plastic statues. The number of joints, and what they are, varies pretty widely.

Sam and Twitch are perhaps the least articulated. Sam has one whole point - one - and that's his right forearm. It barely moves even with the joint. Twitch has a grand total of seven POA - neck, shoulders, wrists and ankles. That might sound like a lot, but there really won't be much you can do with them due to the style of the sculpt.

But Hellspawn wins the award for most joints that you'll never use. He has neck, wrists, forearm, waist, and calf. All of these are cut joints of course, and once you have him holding the cannon, he'll stay in exactly the same pose for all time.

Spawn has neck, shoulders, a cut bicep on the left arm, a cut forearm on the right arm, wrists, waist, hips, and ankles. He's certainly the most articulated of the bunch, but once you have him on the base you'll only adjust the arms here and there.

Raven Spawn and Redeemer are pretty much stuck in their "Is that me?" pose. Fortunately, both poses match the artwork. Redeemer has neck, knees, biceps and a right shoulder. Raven Spawn has neck, shoulders, wrists, right elbow, and cut thighs.

Accessories - Sam and Twitch, Hellspawn ***; Redeemer, Raven Spawn **1/2; Spawn **
Okay, so here's where that inconsistent complaint rears it's ugly head. There's zero consistency across the entire series in this category, which seems extremely odd. Every figure comes with a cardboard version of the copied artwork, with a small plastic base to hold it up. Four of the five are exactly the same size - and then Redeemer's is at least twice as big! If you include Creech, you'll have a background so big it requires TWO of the plastic bases to hold it up. Why?

Then there's the bases. Twitch, Redeemer and Hellspawn all come with similar bases. They work fine too, although Twitch tends to lean too much no matter what. But then Spawn and Raven Spawn come with peg style bases that rotate, which we saw with some of the figures in Spawn Mutations. Why? And just to make sure that these two aren't even consistent, Raven Spawn comes with a cardboard background for his base.

If you can get past all this inconsistency, you'll find a good assortment of accessories. Redeemer Spawn has a great sword, that fits perfectly in his right hand. Twitch has two of his trademark pistols, and Hellspawn has his big honkin' cannon. This cannon is designed to fit in his hands nicely, and looks absolutely perfect. His cape is also two separate pieces that you'll have to snap on once you open him up. You might also consider Sam's stool an accessory, although he's not going to be doing much without it. The sculpt on this stool is very cool, bent in all the right ways due to his enormous bulk.

Also a note about Redeemer's wings: I don't consider them an accessory, but what better place to talk about snapping them on than here. They are tough to get on, and you should be very careful, because they can break. But once you do get them snapped in, they'll stay forever.

Fun Factor - *
Don't buy these for your kids. Unless of course your kids love little statues. Oh, sure, they can throw them at the cat I suppose, and that could be some fun, but for the most part these are intended for fans and collectors of all things Spawn. And no cats were injured in the writing of this review.

Value - ***1/2
At ten bucks a piece, these are excellent values. Mcfarlane seems to be bucking the trend right now toward higher prices, and while companies like NECA and Mezco are able to catch them in terms of sculpt, paint, accessories and articulation, they won't quite reach them until they can do all that for the same price as well. Mcfarlane knows that, and if they can keep their stuff a couple bucks each cheaper than the competition, it will still give them that edge.

Overall - regular Spawn ***; the rest ***1/2
I love the concept of the Comic Covers series. This set shows off some exceptional sculpting and great paint (as long as you're careful picking yours out), and better character selection than the first wave. The whole wave pulls three and a half stars because they do what they are supposed to - look great as statues. For those that are looking for more articulation, or slightly better accessories, these will be more disappointing. But if you're looking for art that's only ten bucks, look no further.

I hit regular Spawn a little harder than the rest though, simply because he's too much been there done that. Sure, he looks good - but we've gotten great Spawn sculpts with better articulation and accessories in the past. If there's one of the five I'd skip, it would be this one.

Where to Buy -
I've seen these at a number of bricks and mortar retailers, particularly Media Play, Electronics Boutiqe and Toys R Us. On-line options include:

- Killer Toys has an excellent price on a set of five for just $40! They also have the figures available individually for $9 each.

- Aisle Sniper has the set of five regular figures available for $50.