Note: This classic review page preserves the original review links. Once all classic reviews have been updated, we will update the links.

Click here to go back to the new Minimates Central

---

Here we have a pack containing the first Spider-Woman, and a freakish joining of Carnage and Spider-Man. This set was sent to me for review by the nice people at stuckakid, who are also kindly sponsoring the Design A Vehicle contest.

Packaging



As a Spider-Man-heavy wave, you'd expect the Spider-Man logo to be on these sets, but instead it's the generic Marvel Universe logo. A shame. The figures are packed in a bubble tray, and have no twist-ties holding them in. Instead, a second clear tray piece fits over the top and then locks in, meaning that these figures are held in well and can be seen from each side.

The back of the packaging is new and only shows waves 10 and 11.



Each set in wave 10 also has a two-sided poster, featuring all of the Marvel Minimates released so far, excluding wave 10 & 11 but including the SDCC Dark Phoenix/Cyclops exclusive.





The poster is a nice little addition and does show how far the Marvel line has progressed in 2 years.

---

The Figures

Spider-Woman 1

Jessica Drew was the first Spider-Woman, despite having no real "spider-like" powers. She has undergone a revival recently with her joining the New Avengers, so the timing is perfect for this release, whereas before it might have been a bit obscure.

Spider-Woman has a mask covering most of her face, with the very Spidey-esque big white eyes being a standout. The expression on the face is fine, with the lips parted slightly. No other emphasis has been added, leaving the whole head looking clear and uncluttered. Sometimes when the female faces get a little "busy", they don't look as good. No problems with that here.

The hairpiece is a reuse from the New X-Men Phoenix/Jean Grey, but this time in black. This won't be the last time you see the hair used in wave 10. However it IS a very good looking hairpiece and has been one of the customiser's hairpieces of choice. We can't really complain about the reuse as long as it suits the character, and it definitely suits Spider-Woman. Because of the reuse, the head has no hole and the hair has no peg on it to keep it attached.

The costume is simple but effective. The red is very bold and the yellow detailing has been well applied. There are also big black lines for separation. Normally these are used to simulate the comic book style but here they form part of her costume proper. Despite the new Minimate body being used in the recent Indymates set, here we have the older body with the smaller torso peg.

The set comes with a web-line identical to those in the wave 2 Spidey sets, however, I think this is supposed to be for Carnage. Still, there's nothing stopping Spider-Woman using it!

Overall, this is an above average Minimate, no real flaws but doesn't excel anywhere.

MMC Score - 7 out of 10

More pictures

---

Spider-Carnage

The second figure in the set is Spider-Carnage, a result of the Carnage symbiote bonding with Ben Reilly as Spider-Man.

Visually, I thought the idea was that Carnage resembled Venom, who in turn resembled Spider-Man, so really, making a Spider-Carnage doesn't change the look all that much. The face looks a lot more bland without the web detailing, and the toothy snarl is a pale imitation of the insane leer the original Carnage sported. Spider-Carnage has no hole in the head.

The costume detailing is a bit of a let down. I was most impressed with the original Carnage's paint detailing, and it still stands up as one of the best today. Sadly this one is a lot less dynamic, with a few scant tendrils along ther arms and running down the legs on the front only, unlike the all-over job on the original. The Spider logo (back and front) is identical to the Ben Reilly in this wave. He gets the two Carnage claws, and also has the bracelets that Ben Reilly wears. Like the others in this wave, he is made from the older Minimate body design.

For accessories, Spider-Carnage gets the webline (at least, I'm pretty sure it's his). Would have been nice to get the second hand (in the shape of an axe) that the original Carnage had.

Overall, I'm not too impressed with Spider-Carnage as I think he is a much weaker figure than the two Minimates he is based on. A cheap way to fill out the wave.

MMC Score - 4 out of 10

More pictures

---

Back to Marvel Reviews Index Click here to go back to the new Minimates Central