Spider-Tracer: Top 10 Hobgoblin Action Figures

Welcome back, Spidey fans! For this month’s Spider-Tracer article, I thought we’d talk about two of my favorite Spider-Man-related subjects: villains and action figures. One of my favorite Spider-Man villains is, without a doubt, the Hobgoblin, particularly the Roderick Kingsley version as depicted by writer Roger Stern. Over the years, the character of the Hobgoblin has had many action figures, dating back to the first Marvel-dedicated wave of figures, “Secret Wars”, by Mattel in 1984. Today we’ll be taking a look at the ten best Hobgoblin action figures, some of which aren’t even of ol’ Roderick Kingsley…

 

10. “Marvel Universe” Hobgoblin

 

 

When Hasbro first took over the Marvel license, one of the first things they did was to begin work on a 3 ¾” scaled Marvel line of figures, which debuted as the “Marvel Universe” line. One of the earlier figures in the line, Hobgoblin received a figure which shared a lot of his tooling with the Green Goblin, of course (a recurring theme with the Hobgoblin’s figures over the years). Regardless, the figure had a nice sculpt; the face was great, though the surrounding head did look a tad big. Oddly, his pumpkin bomb was green, not orange…

 

9. Motorized Hobgoblin Pumpkin Bomber

 

 

This Hobgoblin figure was a lot of fun! Sure, he was very limited in the articulation department, but he was a blast to send zooming around the room after Spider-Man as a kid! His sculpt was cool. And, as I recall, (correct me if I’m wrong), the footpegs on the glider could work for other Hobgoblin figures, which was a very neat feature. Aside from motorized action, this Hobgoblin’s glider also featured pumpkin bomb missiles!

 

8. 90’s Animated Series Hobgoblin (ToyBiz)

 

 

This figure had more articulation than the previous figure, but had a terrible time staying on his glider. With that being said, his sculpt was great. He was supposed to be the Hobgoblin from the 1994 animated series, though his pointed boots, scales, and different coloring seemed to suggest he was based more upon that of the comic Hobgoblin. I wasn’t complaining, though; he was still a cool figure to have, though the glider issue was thankfully fixed by the time ToyBiz got around to making a Green Goblin figure a few waves later. Speaking of the glider, it shot off its head like a missile, while the Hobgoblin himself had an arm that, when lifted, would throw a pumpkin bomb that was inserted into his hand (though it was easily lost). It’s worth mentioning that you could separately purchase a Wing Bomber for Hobgoblin to affix his glider to, which was taken straight out of the 90’s animated series!

 

7. Heroic Hobgoblin Minimate

 

 

Sure, you might be saying to yourself “Why would I want a figure of a briefly heroic Hobgoblin?” And while it may be listed as such on the box, and even come with a couple storyline-specific accessories, this Hobgoblin is, otherwise, a classic version of the character, and he looks great! Hobgoblin comes with a glider that’s flying thanks to a plume of smoke billowing from under it, an alternate pumpkin bomb-throwing hand, a swappable t-shirt torso, a book, and even an alternate head. If you were to only get one Hobgoblin Minimate, this would be the one to go for. It’s worth noting that he also comes with a heroic Carnage from the same “Axis” storyline.

 

6. Hobgoblin (vs Spider-Man 2-Pack)

 

 

Around this time, ToyBiz was slowly moving away from the animated styled of Spider-Man figures and going more heavily with comic-inspired sculpts. They were also adding more and more articulation, which they would become known for in later toylines. While this Hobgoblin’s sculpt originally appeared in the Web Flyers line of figures, that Hobgoblin didn’t have a cape or glider, and was overshadowed by a wonky action feature accessory. Here, ToyBiz reused that great sculpt and gave him the missing cape and glider, which vastly improved the figure (he already had a superb sculpt). He was only missing a pumpkin bomb, but, honestly, he probably would have inevitably lost it. This Hobgoblin also comes with a Spider-Man figure based on Alex Ross’ concept for a movie Spider-Man costume, and a lenticular trading card of the two characters battling.

 

5. Hobgoblin Build-a-Figure

 

 

While this figure is of my least favorite Hobgoblin (yes, I even preferred Jason Macendale), Hasbro did a great job on Phil Urich. His sculpt is unique and extremely well-done. He came with a cool flaming sword and a pumpkin bomb (though he didn’t hold the latter so well). He also looks great with the attached wings. While I don’t really care for Humberto Ramos’ artwork, Hasbro nicely translated it into figure form. In order to get this figure, you had to buy the entire wave in order to put him together, but it was totally worth it, especially to see Hobgoblin’s name on top of each and every figure’s box, as well as a complete picture of the figure on the back of every box, too.

 

4. “Secret Wars” Hobgoblin

 

 

Hobgoblin got his first figure in Mattel’s Secret Wars line, as I mentioned above in the beginning of this article, and man, what a home run it was! He had the best sculpt in the entire line and looked like he flew right out of the first Marvel Universe Handbook! He may not have come with a pumpkin bomb, but at that scale, he no doubt would have lost it. However, they made sure to give him his glider; most figures didn’t get accessories in this line, so he definitely stood out in the best way amongst the other “Secret Wars” figures.

 

3. Spider-Man Classics Super-Poseable Hobgoblin (with Glider)

 

 

This Hobgoblin was one of the early villains in the Spider-Man Classics line from ToyBiz, and with his eerie sculpt, he really stood out amongst his fellow villains. He came advertised with a glider (alas, no pumpkin bomb), but he also had a removable hood and cape. With the hood and cape on, he looked like he came straight from Todd McFarlane’s Adjectiveless Spider-Man comic! This figure was later reused by ToyBiz for a Green Goblin, and later by Hasbro for a Demogoblin, but it all started with this fantastic figure right here.

 

 

 

2. Marvel Legends Hobgoblin (Space Venom Wave)

 

 

This Hobgoblin was a wonderful addition to the Marvel Legends line! You could say this is Roderick Kingsley from just before “The Amazing Spider-Man” #700, but for me, this will be my Jason Macendale Hobgoblin. Why? Well, aside from the shredded cape and boots (which Macendale was known for), he also came with the insanely awesome demonic alternate head sculpt! I had to have two so I could display both versions! Sadly, while this Hobgoblin did include a pumpkin bomb (reused from the Phil Urich Hobgoblin), his included glider was too small for him; his feet hung right off the back of it.

 

1. Spider-Man Classics Hobgoblin (With Free Wheeling Glider)

 

 

ToyBiz created this gem of a figure right before losing the license to Hasbro, and what a bang to go out on! This guy looks like he exploded right from the last page of “The Amazing Spider-Man” #238 (Hobby’s first appearance, for those of you that didn’t know)! His sculpt is phenomenal! He’s classic in every sense of the word. While a lot of figures from around this time were hampered by action features in some way, this Hobgoblin had a smoke base for his glider that simply allowed him to wheel about on the floor or your favorite shelf. But if that bothered you, the glider was removable! How great is that? My only minor complaint about this guy is that he’s a bit too tall (like many of the villains from around this time in the Spider-Man Classics line of figures). But, with him crouched on his glider, you honestly couldn’t tell! He also got a pumpkin bomb that was attached to his hand so he didn’t lose it, though you could probably work it loose if you really wanted to. Hasbro has yet to top the excellence of this figure, but I’d love to see them take another stab at the character sooner than later!

 

Did your favorite Hobgoblin figure make it onto the list? Whether it did or not, sound off and let me know which was your favorite in the comments section below!