Written By Dan Hickman • Toy Editor
Hasbro released a really nice Sandman Build A Figure a few years ago and followed it up with this new Retro release.
I don’t have the whole BAF, but I do have the alternate heads and arm pieces.
I thought it’d be neat to try to put them on the retro version, but sadly, they are too big and so… that idea went right out the window.
I’m ok with not having completed the previous BAF though because this is a sharp figure.
Though it’s not without faults, I am very happy to have a key component to the Sinister Six in my collection.
Review: Marvel Legends Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman 6 Inch Action Figure
Image: Marvel Comics Group
William Baker, a.k.a Flint Marko was a small-time thug, who after exposure to radiation soon found his body mutating and taking on the consistency of the sand underneath his feet.
Baker soon found that he possessed the ability to turn his body to sand and could manipulate each grain, allowing him to form any shape he desired.
Taking on the name “Sandman,” Baker soon began an impressive crime spree which brought him face to face with the Amazing Spider-Man.
Over the years, Baker battled the webslinger many times and suffered a series of embarrassing defeats, the worst of which was likely in their initial encounter when Spidey simply sucked Baker into a vacuum cleaner and left him trapped for authorities.
As Baker’s career wore on, he eventually joined other members of Spidey’s rogues gallery and formed the Sinister Six.
After many criminal exploits, Baker expressed a desire to go straight and clean up his life.
Through this time, he fought alongside Spider-Man, worked for Silver Sable, and even the Avengers.
Sandman had become something of an antihero, but eventually did return to his criminal ways.
You can learn more about William Baker/Flint Marko in the pages of Spider-Man or on the Marvel Fandom website!
Review: Marvel Legends Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman 6 Inch Action Figure
Yes, the Sinister Six is now complete, in Marvel Legends form in my collection.
This Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman is a really nice piece to add to any collection.
Sandman, right out of the package looks like he’s going to get the vaunted “Triple A” so let’s dive in more closely and check him out.
Sandman comes with two fisted hands, two forearm sand effects, a giant sand fist and a sand spiked ball, as well as a normal head sculpt and a neat sand effect/partial head sculpt.
The only real problem I had with the sand effects was porting them into the wrist holes.
The sand pieces that slide over the forearms kind of hinder the pegs on the sand fist and spiked ball to fully pop in, which has led to them falling out when the arms are down. I have finally managed to get them somewhat secure, but have to keep the arms in raised poses.
I’m very pleased with the accessories he comes with.
This is definitely one of the Hasbro mysteries I cannot figure out… sometimes they pack very little, other times they give several accessories.
Let’s just get consistent, huh? Still, that being said, I really like the sand accessories, the extra fists, and both of these awesome head sculpts.
Sandy definitely gets his Accessory “A.”
Review: Marvel Legends Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman 6 Inch Action Figure
So, how does he look? I can safely say that this is one of the sharpest looking figures I own.
Looking at him, anybody even remotely familiar with the character would immediately recognize him.
His signature wavy hair, green striped shirt and brown trousers are comic page worthy.
The one thing I’ve always found funny is how Baker and Norman Osborne share similar hairstyles.
Criminal barber shops offering two for one specials?
However, in spite of the accuracy this figure displays, there are some paint problems and they are very disappointing.
I’m quite happy with both head sculpts. Both the sculpted detail in his hair and features are very impressive.
The “damaged’ head sculpt with the sand flare and hole for Spidey’s fist is really cool.
The paint application for the sand detail has just the right amount of shading to give it an authentic look.
The grainy sculpting also impresses, considering how difficult creating a three dimensional representation of a 2D artist’s imagination really is.
I’m blown away by the paint detail on both sculpts, particularly on the gritted teeth on his “normal” head sculpt.
Review: Marvel Legends Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman 6 Inch Action Figure
The teeth are evenly painted white and the gums are also painted, which gives the mouth depth and realism.
I would have liked to see some shading or wash in the hair, rather than the basic brown, but the sculpting does allow for some natural light shading to occur.
I am very pleased with the head sculpts. Sandman’s torso features his typical long-sleeved green striped shirt.
The stripes are evenly applied, but there is one spot on the upper left of Sandman’s chest where there is a dark speck on the light green stripe, and right above it is a light green speck on the dark stripe.
Consistency, I guess?
Sandman’s arms are molded in green and here is where the main problem arises.
His sleeves are rolled up and the flesh tone forearms aren’t painted with enough flesh tone.
There is green bleed-through which makes his arms look sickly and definitely do NOT match his hands, neck, or face.
Review: Marvel Legends Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman 6 Inch Action Figure
When you apply the forearm accessories they do cover his arms, which is nice, but if you don’t intend to display him with both arm accessories, you’ll have to deal with the uneven discoloration of his forearms. Sadly, with the regular fists in, the difference is very noticeable.
The sand accessories for his arms, like the sand head sculpt are done very nicely, with some great texturing.
These are much lighter than those with the Build A Figure and, in my opinion, look much nicer.
His legs and feet are re-issues that we’ve seen several times before and are painted nicely without any wash or depth to them. The sculpting is really nice though and the detail applied to the shoes and laces is impressive.
The gloss brown of the shoes sets off nicely from the khaki look of his pants.
I do think that some wash would have gone a long way but, that being said, this figure is undeniably Sandman.
He does his comic book counterpart credit and so, I’ll give him an A for Appearance.
Review: Marvel Legends Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman 6 Inch Action Figure
Two down, one to go. Can Sandman move it smooth as glass or will he crumble?
Let’s have a go, shall we? Sandman’s heads both rotate and look up and down very nicely.
His shoulders do not have a butterfly joint, but they rotate a full 360 and raise out to his sides very high.
He has an upper bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, which will bend in deep, with the fisted hands.
They’ll still bend nicely, but the accessory additions make a deep bend more difficult.
Sandman’s wrists swivel and hinge on the fisted hands and they will swivel with the accessories.
Sandman has a forward/backward diaphragm crunch with no tilt, nor any waist crunch.
He will rotate at the waist though and can do fairly decent splits.
My left leg is a little loose at the hip though, which was an easily remedied problem.
His legs will kick forward nicely, not back very much and have an upper thigh cut.
His knees are double jointed and bend in very nicely and his ankles hinge and pivot, with excellent ankle rocking motion.
All in all, he moves just as you would expect this body sculpt to.
I would have liked to see some diaphragm tilt to maybe give us a more fluid motion like we’d expect from this type of shapeshifting character.
I won’t complain though because once I took care of that loose hip issue and posed him up with Spidey and some other characters, I immediately appreciated having him.
Sandman gets his “A” for articulation.
Review: Marvel Legends Retro Spider-Man Wave Sandman 6 Inch Action Figure
There are some retro style figures that I’m still looking forward to owning and there are others I’m not concerned with picking up.
Sandman is one that I’m very happy to have on the display and am certainly pleased with.
At the price point of around $23 Sandman is affordable and worth the purchase.
He has earned himself a solid 4 out of 5 toyboxes. You can find him and many other Marvel Legends figures at Big Bad Toy Store.
Thanks for checking out the toybox and, until next time… Geek Out!
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