Reptile Blast Lizard (Movie Series)

May 28, 2012 | By More


 

Well, I was one of those people that were not too thrilled by the Internet images of the villain from the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man movie. Still, when the 10” toys started appearing on shelves, the designs looked interesting, even though that is a scale I normally don’t collect.

So, when I found the 4-inch figures at a local Wal-Mart I was more than willing to accept this new Reptile Blast Lizard figure. Right out of the gate, the level of detail is insane for such a small action figure. Seriously, the whole body is covered with a scaly texture that reminded me immediately of iguana skin and underneath that, it is also possible to make out separate muscle groups.

The biggest point of contention I had about the new Lizard was the head, which differs greatly from the comic version but after some consideration, I think this new sculpture woks much better because it seems able to convey some malice and intelligence, even though I don’t think there is any kind of resemblance to whoever plays the role in the movie.

Articulation is decent, even though Hasbro seems intent of cutting costs wherever they can with their movie tie-in lines these days. Still, monster characters tend to get away with less than extensive articulation and the Lizard gets more than enough with:

• Ball jointed neck.

• Pegged hinge shoulders.

• Pegged hinge elbows.

• Swivel hips.

• Swivel tail.

• Pegged hinge knees.

 

So, no wrist, torso or ankle articulations for the Lizard. Since the lower leg configuration would not really benefit from an ankle joint and the wrist swivels aren’t really a necessity when the hands are not sculpted to hold anything, possibly the only joint I might need would be something for the waist or torso.

 

The sparse articulation doesn’t mean that the Lizard is stuck in only one pose either. The joints are tight and the feet are sculpted in such a way that finding stable poses is easy, aided by the tail, which can serve as support or to balance the Lizard’s center of gravity.

The paintjob on the Lizard is extremely simple. The figure is molded in dark olive green plastic, and the natural sheen of the plastic works wonderfully for the reptilian skin look. The chest and belly were airbrushed with a very thin layer of cream-colored paint that highlights the muscles while the recessed areas appear to have subtle shading. On the face, the eyes are painted in stark black and white, while the inside of the mouth displays painted teeth and tongue.

The accessory that justifies the Reptile Blast moniker on the package is, surprise, a spring-loaded launcher, roughly shaped like a reptile head whose jaw opens when the bright green missile is fired by depressing the red button on top. Not much of an added value, in my opinion, but I’ve certainly seen worse.

Overall, I ended up liking this figure more than I had expected, although a great part of it has to do with the versatility of the basic design, which makes it a snap to fit in with a lot of other action figures, not only movie-based Marvel lines.

 

Errex Score: 90/100

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Category: Featured, Marvel, Toy Reviews

About the Author ()

I've been collecting action figures since the original Kenner Star Wars days. Nowadays, I still collect pretty much anything that catches my eye.

Comments (6)

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  1. Engineernerd says:

    Except for the head this figure reminds me of the alien figures from the McFarlane X-Files line. Okay they didn’t have a tail, either. But legs, color and texture all remind me of that.

    The head, well, I will just say I’m not a huge fan of this design.

    That last picture with the hood still reminds me of something I haven’t quite figured out yet.

  2. Tom says:

    For me the head screams Voldemort, it’s probably the lack of a nose. I first 2 Spidey films and even a few aspects of the third but the one thing that has consistently bugged me is the character designs of the villains and it looks like this newest film is no different. I can understand the necessity of the changes but something about them just doesn’t sit right.

  3. tim says:

    Where did the hood/robe thing come from? It really makes this figure look better(referring to the picture where he’s macking on Oola).

  4. Errex says:

    I was going for the whole “I’ve candy in my van” vibe on that last picture. 😉

    The plastic hood comes from the Sandstorm Lando Calrissian by Hasbro.

  5. zedhatch says:

    What is up with four fingers on one hand and five on the other, I am not understanding this at all.

    I only like the fig on a goofy level, otherwise he is cheap-o junk.

  6. Errex says:

    I’d say that since that is the one arm that gets regenerated, it grows more reptile-like. The guys at Hasbro apparently were not too sure either, as that middle finger on the right hand is sculpted as if it were two fingers fused together on the inside of the hand, while on the back thel looy like just one appendage.