There's little fear that the second film in the Spidey franchise will fail to entertain though. And of course, where there's a summer blockbuster, there's toys. We've had dozens of SPIDER-MAN 2 toys on the pegs for weeks and weeks now, but only one has held the title of "super-articulated." There was the 18" version I reviewed a ways back, but this version is only 6" tall, but has 46 points of articulation!

You can find him mixed in with the billion other Spidey variations at your local Target, Wal-mart or Toys R Us. Retail is around $7 at most stores, and while he was tough to find for awhile, it seems as though he's gotten easier with recent case packings.

If you're looking for some info on his foe, Doctor Octopus, I reviewed the 12" rotocast version a week or so ago at MROTW. I also have a review up tonight of the 6" counterpart.

"Super-Articulated Spider-man"

Toybiz has been pushing the articulation on their 6" figures with every release, but they'll be hard pressed to top this Spider-man. The term "super-articulated" has taken on a whole new meaning!

Packaging - **1/2
Meh. It does the job, and has the standard S-M 2 graphics. It shows the other figures in the wave on the back of the card, always a plus, but it's not particularly sturdy, and may be tough to store for MOC'ers. Still, it works.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Even with all the funky articulation, this is a great-looking sculpt. Sure, some of the joints take away from it slightly - those wonky shoulders sure do look unusual - but overall the head and body sculpt are extremely well done.

The web is sculpted in relief on the suit, giving him texture and style. Proportions are good, and the overall sculpt works quite well with the hyper articulated nature of the figure, not getting in the way or blocking any joints.

Articulation - ****
Clearly the overall selling point of this particular variation, Spidey has more joints than a Tommy Chong fan. There are 46 in total, but it really depends on how you count. As you expect, there's the ball jointed neck, but there are two joints, one at the top and one at the bottom of the neck.

Then there's the bizarre shoulders, which really defy description. With a multitude of moving parts both inside the chest and out, this joint has a tremendous range of motion. Add to that the double-jointed elbows and knees, chest, waist, stomach, ball-jointed hips, cut forearms and calves, ankles, wrists, and half foot joints, and you'd think you'd have them all. But like a bad late night TV commercial, But Wait! There's More! All four of his fingers on each hand are articulated, each with independent movement. The design for this is a very ingenious use of a pin joint through them all, and it works terrific.

The downside to all these joints is that they can be a bit difficult to work with at times, and they do detract from the overall sculpt. Still, if you're an articulation junky, you might just o.d. on this figure.

Paint - ***
The paint ops are solid, if not outstanding. There's not much slop, but the webbing does exhibit some messy lines here or there. It's nothing too serious, but considering that it makes up the majority of the detail work, fairly important.

One of the cricital areas of this paint job is on the shoulders, where there are multiple parts making up the complicated articulation. These all have to match up well with the paint scheme to reduce the obviousness of the joints, and they managed to pull it off quite well.

Accessories - ***
There's only one, but it's fairly large. It's a ledge and billboard, advertising the Daily Bugle. Of course, the issue in question has a Spider-man headline. This is designed to hang on the wall, and there's an attached string and hook to allow Spider-man to hang on or swing.

It's a realistic looking sculpt with a great sticker, but it's a tad small. I've never seen a billboard ad quite this tiny in comparison to the human form, but of course, doing a properly scaled one would have been tough at such a low price point. Spidey can sit, stand or crouch on the ledge easily.

Fun Factor - ****
Spider-man is a fun character for kids of all ages. Feeling different, out of place and misunderstood is the story of our lives, and Spider-man touches on all those fears and more. Here's a great figure for kids to play with and act out their bravery and heroics. With a ton of articulation, and a great looking sculpt, this is a figure most kids will love.

Value - ***1/2
In a world where every toy seems to cost ten bucks, Toybiz continues to buck the trend. Here's a great looking figure, with tons of articulation and a decent accessory, all for seven bucks. And it's an expensive license! Okay, so maybe not that expensive for Toybiz, but you have to consider the popularity of the license. With the drop in price of the Lord of the Rings figures this year, Toybiz is dominating the value arena.

Overall - ***1/2
If you're a big Spider-man fan, I highly recommend picking up this version. Sure, the articulation takes away from the sculpt a bit, so you may find a overall better looking version, but you won't find one that's more fun. Kids will love this version, and he looks great with other similarly scaled superheroes.

If you take this figure to work, expect to find him in some rather unflattering poses. I don't know what it is about highly articulated action figures and adult co-workers, but it brings out the weirdness in them.

Where to buy
Check your local retailers like Target, Toys R Us and Wal-mart. They are hitting in greater numbers these days, so your odds of coming across one have gotten much better.