Welcome back, Spidey fans! For this month’s Spider-Tracer article, I thought we’d take a look back one of the most obscure pieces of Spider-Man action figure offerings. I’m talking about the Maximum Clonage boxset from ToyBiz!
The nice thing about this boxset is that it’s almost like getting a full wave of Spider-Man figures all at once, and it was only $20 (in 1997 money, mind you)! The bad thing, is that this boxset was exclusive to a place called BJ’s Warehouse. As a kid, I never even heard of this place (to this day, I’ve never been to or seen one, have you?), much less knew of this boxset as a result until years later when I was looking through an old toy price guide. While all of the figures in this set were entirely made from reused figure parts, some of them were made from better reuse than others (wait til you get a good look at Sandman!).
Now, I’m a fan of the “Clone Saga”. I know it’s not perfect, but it has a lot that I enjoy. The fact that one of its most hated stories, “Maximum Clonage”, was used as the main theme for this boxset kind of puzzles me, but hey, it got so many characters their first (and only!) figures, so I won’t complain.
Spider-Man (Unmasked)
This being a Spider-Man boxset, of course ToyBiz had to include the main character! But, in order to shake things up, they gave Spidey an unmasked Peter Parker head. The Peter Parker head looks like one from the 90s animated series, and not the comics from which this story originates, but it’s still a nice figure, nonetheless.
Scarlet Spider
This wasn’t Scarlet Spider’s first action figure, but this was a nice way to offer that figure again for fans who missed out on him. They made sure to give Ben his belt, web-shooters, and ankle pouches; this was a nice figure, overall.
Spider-Man (Ben Reilly)
Ben becoming Spider-Man was a huge part of the Clone Saga, so his inclusion here was a great idea. Oddly, ToyBiz could have given this figure and Scarlet Spider the same web-shooters, but they each had different ones. Like Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man Unmasked, this figure was based on the standard Spider-Man body mold of the time.
Ben Reilly
It was pretty cool to get a Ben Reilly figure, even if the entire thing is reused from past figures (appropriately a Peter Parker body and an Archangel head). This look for Ben came later in the “Clone Saga” when Ben was working at the Daily Grind, which was after the actual “Maximum Clonage” storyline. While you can kitbash yourself a Ben Reilly figure today, it would be nice to get another official Ben Reilly figure someday.
Kaine
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While his costume details were painted on, it was nice to get a Kaine figure at all. To this day, this look has never received another figure from ToyBiz or Hasbro. Kaine’s only gotten two figures from Hasbro (and no more from ToyBiz), each one being in his Scarlet Spider costume from years later post-Spider-Island. I hope Hasbro gives this look the attention it deserves, complete with sculpted costume details next time (assuming there is one).
Spidercide
Another character that’s never had another figure since this boxset is Spidercide. He’s made from a Venom body and a Spider-Man head. He looks odd to me without a mouth; I can’t be the only one who thinks so, right? Here’s hoping Hasbro gives him a Deluxe or Build-a-Figure in the not too distant future (and a mouth!).
Jackal
Jackal gets his first figure in this boxset made from a Halloween Jack figure from the X-Men 2099 line. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best figure to repaint, as much of Halloween Jack’s sculpt shown through, which was inaccurate and just painted black to try and hide it all. This figure’s look is based on his 90s look, whereas the later Hasbro Marvel Legends figure was based on his original and 2010’s look. I, for one, would love to see this look get another shot at a figure sometime. You can never have too many Jackals, right? I mean… clones, after all. It’s also worth noting that it’s rare to find an out of the box Jackal that still has his cape thingie, as you can see in the pic I found.
Sandman
Sandman’s inclusion in this boxset is certainly the most puzzling. Granted, he hadn’t had a figure yet at ToyBiz, but his participation in the “Clone Saga” was minimal (I think he showed up in a story from when Ben first becomes Spider-Man, but that’s all, and it was in a different costume). This figure is made from a Hydro-Man figure, and without his trademarked crazy Norman Osborn-styled hair, this just looks like Hydro-Man cosplaying as Sandman. They even gave him the ability to shoot water. This can’t really be Sandman, can it? Fortunately, ToyBiz would later make a few more much better Sandman figures, as would Hasbro.
Did you guys have this boxset? What did you think of these figures, and who would you like to see Hasbro remake? Let me know in the comments section below!
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Yeah – he returns, says that the Jackal that died the last time we saw him was a clone and that *he’s* the real Jackal, he has an evil plan, he definitively dies.
Then years later he returns and repeats it all over again. So who cares when he dies?
Hornacek – Yeah, Jackal’s effectively become immortal since he returned for “Spider-Island”. I know comic book death isn’t all that permanent, but Jackal takes it to a whole nother level.
@Bill Slattery III
Wasn’t that the deal with the Jackal after the 90s Clone Saga? Everytime he reappeared he’d reveal that version of him from his previous story (where he died) was a clone, and then he’d die at the end of *that* story, and the cycle would just repeat.
@Hornacek- I’m so glad that didn’t work out!
@Evan Berry- You’re most welcome! You know, going back to the actual story, I feel like Jackal’s plot in “Maximum Clonage” only really works if he himself was a clone. Warren loved clones, but to replace EVERYONE with clones? It didn’t make sense, to me, unless he himself was a clone. But that’s just my take on it.
Thank you for this article, Bill! I’ve never seen any of these figures before (or heard of BJ’s Warehouse, for that matter). I did, however, have a copy of Maximum Clonage. I was in high school at the time, and I remember thinking the way the cover was done with the transparent overlay was really neat, but upon reading it, I really just wanted all the clones to go away and didn’t understand how that could even be a possibility at that point.
@Bill Slattery III
He should feel lucky. Tom DeFalco (?) originally wanted to call him “Freakface”.
@Hornacek
He’s a shapeshifter! Quit picking on him! He’s got it bad enough with a name like Spidercide. Haha! XD
But seriously, he definitely needed a new head, as did Sandman, too.
Spidercide’s head looks comically (no pun intended) small compared to his body.