The trouble with clones…
Ben Riley is a genetic clone of Peter Parker created by the notorious Professor Miles Warren, aka the Jackal. Riley was the most genetically stable of all of the Jackal’s clones, and later came to be known as the Scarlet Spider, an on-again off-again ally of Peter Parker. Let’s take a look at the Alpha 3 Museum series #2 custom statue of the Scarlet Spider.
Sculpt & Design – 3.5 out of 5 stars
+ Mesh design in suit is well-sculpted
+ Musculature looks awesome
+ Really cool base design
– A fairly plain statue
– Some may find the pose to be a bit static
The Alpha 3 Museum Series #2 Scarlet Spider is a very nice-looking piece, though perhaps a bit plain for the taste of some. The design is simple, but molded very well for what it is. Starting from the base up, let’s dive into some of the pros and cons of this statue.
For starters, the base is really neat. The Scarlet Spider stands atop what appears to be a ledge of the rooftop of the Daily Bugle, Peter Parker’s place of employment. The concrete portion of the roof is rough and slightly cracked, which is a very nice detail. Underneath the concrete and separating it from the brick is what appears to be a pipe system, which does a great job of making the roof-top base feel authentic. Underneath the pipes are some well-molded bricks, which are also very realistic. The centerpiece of the base itself consists of the embedded words ‘Daily Bugle’ on a metal-looking name plate. Kudos on the attention to detail, as the plate also has the Daily Bugle’s classic trumpet insignia.
The Scarlet Spider stands on this base in his classic outfit with the blue cloth vest over the red suit. He stands in a static pose with his legs slightly spread apart, with one arm down and one clenched in a fist. It’s a simple look, but one that is well-done.
The suit looks very nice with a slight mesh-like texture in certain areas, including the legs and the forearms. It is an accurate portrayal of the spandex suit. The Scarlet Spider is also wearing the classic cloth vest over the suit, which also looks good due to the textured lines and seams. The fringed edges of the vest near the biceps also look great. The vest features a hood which hangs just above the Scarlet Spider emblem on the back, while the drawstring for the hood is just above the same symbol on the front.
Also featured is a great-looking metal belt that contains a large amount of spare web canisters for when Riley runs low on webbing. Similarly, he has two metal wrist bands with additional cartridges. Riley also has a couple pouches beautifully sculpted onto his ankles.
The rest of the suit looks just fine. The muscles are well-done with some veins slightly showing in the forearm area. The seam line on the suit looks good. There isn’t much to be said for the face sculpt. It looks comic accurate with the big white eyes on the mask.
Paint – 4.0 out of 5 Stars
+ Comic accurate color scheme
+ Nice shading around muscles
+ Belt and wrist bands have a nice steel look to them
– Color scheme is accurate, but it is a bit simple
The very simple color scheme is accurately applied but may leave something to be desired for those who want a more modernized look.
For starters, the base looks fantastic. The shading done with the darker and lighter shades of red on the brick building is very good, and the Daily Bugle insignia looks positively shiny. It adds a nice pop to the base. The concrete portion of the rooftop also looks realistic.
The classic red and blue paint scheme for the Scarlet Spider is applied expertly and makes this piece comic-accurate. The red portion of the suit is shaded well, especially around the muscles. The light blue vest looks great, and the paint used on the belt and wrist bands gives off a shiny steel appearance which compliments the otherwise two-toned paint scheme. The eyes are painted a very clean white.
Value – 3.0 out of 5 Stars
+ Classic looking piece
+ Base is really cool, and can be interchanged with the classic, retro, and symbiote Spider-Man
– Basic looking statue
This is a cool statue for sure. It is a bit expensive at $750 USD for the painted version, and $700 USD for the unpainted kit plus PayPal charges. There is a $200 deposit as well, which comes out of the final price. It’s a classic version of a popular character, but it is a very static-posed statue. The base has the added bonus of being interchangeable with the other variants including the retro, classic, and symbiote versions.