Spider-Tracer: Arachnophobia Figures!

Welcome back, Spidey fans! I was recently thinking back to a Christmas that really stood out to me as a child. I was five years old, and the year was 1996. Under my tree, there sat a set of toys that really captured my attention, figures I just had to have: The Spider-Man: Arachnophobia line! Snap on your web-shooters, gang, because things are about to get weird!

As with many 90’s action figures, this large trio of figures each had action figures. In fact, it was this gimmick that acted as a major selling point for the toys in this wave. Each figure consisted of two combined characters from Spider-Man lore. I can’t help but wonder if this line wasn’t inspired by the 1995 Fleer Ultra set of cards subtitled Arachonophias (that “s” makes all the difference, right?) that did a similar thing with Spider-Man villains, but as it is, that’s just speculation. It’s also worth noting that this line of figures had a sister X-Men toyline called “Mutant Monsters”. With all of this in mind, let’s take a look at the Spider-Man figures in question. First up, it’s..

Spider-Goblin

In a situation very reminiscent of the film, “The Fly”, Spider-Man becomes merged with the Hobgoblin after a battle over a matter transporter goes awry. The sculpt, which is a nice one (though the addition of earrings always puzzled me), always reminds me more of Demogoblin than Hobgoblin; but I’m guessing they wanted to tie in more with the 90’s animated series, going by the show’s logo being on the box and one other figure in this wave’s particular design and backstory. Wind up the peg on Spider-Goblin’s back, and his arms will… wave around at you. Maybe he’s trying to scare you? Or slap you, considering he has no fists. Some pumpkin bombs probably would have helped, as you could have placed them in his hands for throwing. Originally, it appeared that this figure was going to come with a mechanical spider to ride ala Hobgoblin’s glider, but I’m guessing this feature didn’t cost out in the end. The figure does, however, feature a removable cape and swirling tongue.

Man-Lizard

If any one figure was directly tied into the animated series, it’s this guy. While he never exactly appeared like this on the show, the Man-Spider portion of this guy is definitely taken from the cartoon. His background information is found on the back of the box, much like the other characters in this wave, and it mentions that Spider-Man, after being transformed into the Man-Spider, was brought to Dr. Conners’ lab. It was there that an accident with Conners’ DNA and the Neogenic Recombinator (which was a device used extensively in the 90’s show) occurred, which resulted in a mixture combining the Man-Spider with the villainous Lizard. This guy also has a very intricate, unique sculpt; it’s very nicely done. I especially like the tail with the Man-Spider head on the end of it. Wind up the peg on his back, and his mini arms will claw at you.

Vampider

This is the only figure in the line that isn’t a version of Spider-Man (which means those other two should definitely show up in the next animated “Spider-Verse” film, no?). Vampider is what you get after Morbius bites Venom. It’s clear that this figure wasn’t based in the realm of the 90’s cartoon, as that Morbius used his hands’ little suckers to absorb plasma from his visctims; no blood sucking was required! Oddly, the prototype for this figure showed him with a black paint scheme, reminiscent of Venom, which, I believe, made much more sense. Wind up the peg on Vampider for some wing-flapping action. I think of all the figures, this one may have been my favorite; his sculpt and design were both just the best, and his paint scheme, much like the others, was just phenomenal.

And there you have it, possibly one of the strangest Spider-Man figure waves of all time. Did you have any of these figures? Would you take remakes of them if Hasbro offered them? Let me know in the comments section below!

And just for fun, think of this as an after credit scene, if you will. Below you’ll find the early prototypes for these figures pictured.