The Good: Good casting of the character, Decent coloring detail. Good balance, Price.
The Bad: No special features, Very obvious seam in the crotch!
The Basics: Web-Slinging Wonder celebrates Spider-Man for the DVD release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Spider-Man is the subject of a surprising number of Hallmark ornaments over the years. Hallmark has done a decent job of oscillating between cinematic renditions of Spider-Man and the comic book version of the hero. This year, the Spider-Man ornament is Web-Slinging Wonder and it is the Spider-Man from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that is the subject of the ornament. There are only a few differences between the cinematic Spider-Man from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and the comic book version of the character. The major difference for this ornament is the size and shape of the spider logo on the character’s chest.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, this summer there a sequel to the reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (reviewed here!). In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker and New York City are besieged by Electro and Norman Osborne’s alter-ego. The film has Spider-Man evolving into more of the traditional super-hero that one expected him to be instead of the amateur from the first film, though that is not really reflected in the ornament.
It is Spider-Man, mid-leap, that is the subject of the 2014 Hallmark Web-Slinging Wonder ornament!
Basics
The Web-Slinging Wonder ornament recreates the young hero in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2014, is a pretty incredible recreation of the popular character as he appears in the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2. That said, because the ornament features no fleshtones, it is colored vibrantly and well and does not suffer for lacking realistic depth and shading to it.
Spider-Man is the masked hero of New York City and for this ornament, he appears to be leaping with his arms raised and his legs in a crouching leap! The ornament, like the character, is dominated by red and blue with black spider webs spread all along the red portions of the outfit. The detailing is as good as one might expect with the vibrant colors broken up well by the finer detailing of the webbing on the costume. Inscrutable and ready-for-action, the Web-Slinging Wonder looks incredible! On the sculpting front, the Web-Slinging Wonder is very basic, as is appropriate for this incarnation of Spider-Man.
The Hallmark Web-Slinging Wonder ornament is made of a durable plastic, but has some unfortunate seams. The crotch has very noticeable seams that stand out ridiculously, compared to the smoothness of the rest of the ornament. The Web-Slinging Wonder ornament measures out at 3 3/4" tall, 4" wide and 2 1/4” deep. His coloring is expertly executed, though to be fair, he is cast in monotone colors, as is appropriate.
In fact, the only serious detraction to the ornament is the very deep seam on the Web-Slinging Wonder’s crotch that makes him look entirely manufactured.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the Web-Slinging Wonder could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the more expensive ornaments. The Web-Slinging Wonder ornament simply hangs.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake The Amazing Spider-Man ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. For those creating the ultimate Marvel Universe Christmas Tree, a Spider-Man ornament is essential and this one is as good as any number of other ones that Hallmark has produced. The ornament has a steel hook loop embedded in the back, between the shoulders of the ornament. From that hook, the Web-Slinging Wonder ornament hangs without any awkward bias or balance issues. It still moves when one’s tree is knocked, but generally, this hangs quite nicely and looks very well-balanced, like Spider-Man is mid-leap.
Collectibility
Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for my review of that!). Since then, Hallmark has gotten into every major franchise from Disney to Twilight to the Marvel Comics universe. The Web-Slinging Wonder ornament was not at all limited, but given how none of the Spider-Man ornaments have actually exploded in value, it is hard to recommend the ornament as an investment piece. One suspects that the Web-Slinging Wonder will at least maintain its value at $14.95, even if it does not appreciate significantly in value.
Overview
The Web-Slinging Wonder ornament recreates Andrew Garfield’s costumed crusader in a good, albeit indistinct way with only one serious manufacturing issue.
For other Marvel Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2014 War Machine ornament
2013 Iron Patriot Iron Man 3 ornament
2012 Captain America The Avengers ornament
2012 Iron Man The Avengers ornament
2012 Thor The Avengers ornament
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man ornament
2011 Spider-Man ornament
2011 Thor ornament
2010 Defender Of Justice Iron Man 2 ornament
8/10
For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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