Spider-Man and Buggy

       
 
 
Jada Toys Buggy
Jada Toys Buggy Packaging Jada Toys Buggy figure Jada Toys Buggy interior Jada Toys Buggy wheel Jada Toys Buggy engine Jada Toys Buggy rear

 
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Background

Befitting a proper hero car, the Earth-616 Spider Buggy is equipped with Spider Signal spotlights, ejection seats, web fluid airbags, gas bombs, and web shooters.

 

Packaging

The box is identical to the Miles Morales Ford GT other than the character art, vehicle identification text, and product photo on the back panel.

 

Casting/Paint

Unlike the previous Spider-Man vehicles, which were repurposed models, this is an all-new tooling. The quality is excellent, with a two-piece diecast metal body making up the bulk of it. Surfaces are smooth and clean, edges are sharp, and everything fits together beautifully. Bright chrome plastic is used for the headlight buckets, winshield frame, and roll bar. Transparent yellow plastic is used for the headlight, and clear plastic is used for the windshield. The casting on these is as good as it is on the main body, with parting seams and attachment points minimized and a great finish. I'm particularly impressed by the lattice work just inside the rear wheels on the back of the buggy, which from some angles look like they are actually open.

The interior is a simple black tray with beige seats and a black dashboard. The pedals are cast in place, but the seats are separate and the dash has a nice layered look and separate steering wheel. The instrument cluster is part of a slightly raised housing, which wraps around the edge of the metal cowl. It means that the cowl had to have a matching asymmetrical design and the assembly is flawless - a nice little attention to detail. The engine is a solid chrome flat six, made from multiple parts and assembled to look even more complex than it is. The chassis is more complex than it really needs to be, with reinforcing ribs, front and rear axles, and open slots beneath the engine. As usual, the tires are soft vinyl wrapped around chrome wheels. Even these are unique to this casting, with raised ribs around the edge and a flat center for the Spider-Man symbol.

After a few missteps, Jada is back in form with this paint job. The red is bright and glossy, while the blue has a more satin finish. Both are as smooth and clean as you could want, with excellent coverage even in difficult areas like under the rear deck and around the edges. The webbing pattern is applied almost flawlessly, with only a hint of misalignment if you stare closely at where the side patterns meet the top. The wheel hubs are just as clean and perfectly centered on each wheel. It's impressive work across the board.

 

Features/Accessories

The windshield can be folded down - not quite so far that it rests on the hood, but enough to get it out of the way. The hinges are so nicely integrated into the design that it can be easy to miss them. There's also a 1/24 scale Spider-Man figure included, in the classic "superhero landing" pose with one fist on the ground and the other behind him. The qulaity on the figure is as good as it is on the car, with fine webbing patterns and excellent paintwork. While he still has a glossy finish, it doesn't have the metallic "Iron Spider" look of the previous Peter Parker.

 

Accuracy

This looks like it rolled right off the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man. The unique shape of the body - an almost-but-not-quite Meyers Manx - is captured perfectly, down to the close mounted headlights and flat windshield with its West Coast mirrors. The colors all look spot-on as well, from the main splashes of red and blue to the yellow headlight lenses and beige seats. Scale is a bit hard to pin down, since the comics often had the car be as big or small as it needed to be for a particular scene. It measures about 5¼" (14cm) long not including the engine and 3½" (9cm) wide at the rear fenders, making it substantially larger than a 1/24 Manx but not so big that it seems impossible. It is, after all, a superhero car loaded with all manner of gadgets that could never fit in an actual Manx.

 

Overall

After having two different Spider-Mobiles based on the Ford GT, it's great to see one based on its old school comic design. Jada knocked this one out of the park.

 

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