The Good: Good sculpt, Good balance, Price.
The Bad: No special features, Very basic coloring
The Basics: A New Kind Of Hero celebrates the new Marvel Cinematic universe version of Spider-Man from Spider-Man: Homecoming adequately.
With every new iteration of Spider-Man, Hallmark manages to merchandise the new suit/character. Now that Peter Parker and his alter-ego Spider-Man has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hallmark Keepsake is on top of making an ornament of the new version. The new version of Spider-Man - the latest since The Amazing Spider-Man films - is only marginally different from prior versions, but Hallmark Keepsake made the Spider-Man distinct for the new version by including the mechanical web-slingers and similar ribbing unique to the new iteration.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, this summer the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Spider-Man got his own standalone film with Spider-Man: Homecoming (reviewed here!). In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker works to balance his work and life when he starts to combat a local villain in Queens.
It is Spider-Man, mid-leap, that is the subject of the 2017 Hallmark A New Kind Of Hero ornament!
Basics
The A New Kind Of Hero ornament recreates the young hero in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2017, is a pretty decent recreation of the popular character as he appears in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming. That said, because the ornament features no fleshtones, it is colored very simply. Hallmark made the ornament very simply, without much 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. On the sculpting front, the A New Kind Of Hero is very basic, as is appropriate for this incarnation of Spider-Man.
The Hallmark A New Kind Of Hero ornament is made of a durable plastic, without any noticeable seams. The character has decent and realistic muscle tones under the costume. The A New Kind Of Hero ornament measures out at 4" tall, 5" 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 A New Kind Of Hero’s crotch that makes him look entirely manufactured.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the A New Kind Of Hero could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a relatively low-cost option for those who might not want to shell out for the more expensive ornaments. The A New Kind Of Hero ornament simply hangs.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake A New Kind Of Hero 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 good for those who love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The ornament has a steel hook loop embedded in the back, between the shoulders of the ornament. From that hook, the A New Kind Of Hero 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 A New Kind Of Hero 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 A New Kind Of Hero will at least maintain its value at $15.95, even if it does not appreciate significantly in value.
Overview
The A New Kind Of Hero ornament does a decent job of presenting the new version of Spider-Man in ornament form.
For other Spider-Man Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Swinging And Slinging ornament
2016 Venom ornament
2014 Web-Slinging Wonder The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ornament
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man ornament
2011 Spider-Man ornament
7/10
For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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