Review – Marvel Universe Hobgoblin

“Ambitious millionaire Roderick Kingsley reached the top of the fashion game through criminal tactics and underhanded deals. Even in his lofty position, though, he hungered for more. When he stumbled upon a secret lab belonging to the Green Goblin, his route to power was revealed, and he became the Hobgoblin. Determined to run organized crime in New York, he set his sights on Spider-Man and the Kingpin, aiming to destroy both men in his quest.”
— from the back of the card

Just like in the comics, the new 3.75-inch Marvel Universe Hobgoblin is directly based on the Green Goblin action figure (review here). With that in mind, this is obviously going to be a very short review. (Make sure to read the Green Goblin review for a close look at the basic body and accessories.)

Packaging

Basic card design, this time showing The Thing (reviewed here), Union Jack, and Moon Knight (who I also picked up when I grabbed Hobgoblin). Otherwise, the card back is exactly what we’ve grown to expect from this series.

That’s an Ugly Face

The Hobgoblin’s only completely new pieces are his cape and and head, and unfortunately the head sculpt isn’t one of the best pieces of work in this series. Is the Hobgoblin winking at me? I like the basic shape and design of the head, but the face sculpt isn’t anywhere near as nice as the job that was done on the Green Goblin’s face.

The cape is functional, but nothing particularly exciting. It’s a short-length cape that I think is unique to the Hobgoblin, but there’s a good chance that I’m overlooking an obvious figure and this is just a simple reuse.

My First Broken Marvel Universe Action Figure

Hobgoblin came out of the package with his left leg loose and just barely hanging on at the joint. The leg popped back on fairly nicely, but too much movement in the left leg constantly separates the leg from the body. I know this is just a simple factory defect with this particular version of the figure but it’s still annoying. The entire Marvel Universe series is just slightly over-priced so I expect a higher-quality piece than if the prices were about $1 or $2 lower than they are.

Paint Job

There’s nothing wrong with the Hobgoblin’s paint, at least, even if most of the figure’s color comes from the color of the cast plastic and not actual painted details. I like the wash that’s applied to the armored arms and legs, since the wash really brings out the details of the sculpt. And the face — as ugly as it is — is well-painted. I’m not sure if Hasbro is spending a little more on paint with this wave than they did the first, but something has caused a slight improvement in paint quality.

Closing Thoughts

I told you this was going to be a short review. Little more than a repainted Green Goblin (though it’s nice that the figure was given a new head and a cape), the Hobgoblin is a little disappointing; but only because I was really looking forward to this figure.

If the Hobgoblin’s face sculpt had been better, and if Hasbro had spent a little money to give the figure another completely different body part (new hands would have been perfect), then this would be a great figure. As it is, it’s an okay figure that is only a must buy if you’re collecting the complete set or you just have to assemble an army of goblin figures.

I hope Hasbro gives us a Jack O’ Lantern. Maybe he would be an improvement over the basic Goblin body design. And besides, he’s got a cool head.

Philip Reed should only blame himself for not being completely happy with the Hobgoblin. He knew going in that this was going to be a Green Goblin repaint, but his preference for the Hobgoblin over the Green Goblin made him think that — somehow — the Hobgoblin would be a better figure. Well, it’s not. Philip probably should have skipped the Hobgoblin and been happy with the Green Goblin that’s already in his collection.