Mess Toys – Superior Neighbor

Description

The Mess Toys Superior Neighbor action figure (also frequently labeled as Ultimate Neighbor or sometimes referred to as a third-party version of Superior Spider-Man) is a highly detailed, non-official 1/12 scale collectible figure.  It is based on the striking, aggressive red-and-black suit worn by Otto Octavius during the Superior Spider-Man comic storyline.

Mess Toys (often associated with CT Toys) is a brand known for producing figures with extensive accessories and highly articulated bodies, often drawing inspiration from the dynamic style of the Revoltech Amazing Yamaguchi line.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the figure’s features and accessories:

1. General Product Details

2. Design and Articulation

• Suit Sculpt: The figure features the deep red and jet-black suit of the Superior Spider-Man.⁴ The sculpt is highly detailed, catching the light like armor and emphasizing the angular, sharp design elements of the emblem and suit panels.

• Dynamic Articulation: The figure is designed for extreme poseability, often utilizing ratcheted or pin-style joints (similar to the Amazing Yamaguchi line) to achieve gravity-defying, hyper-dynamic poses characteristic of the wall-crawler. This focus allows for wide ranges of motion for acrobatic stunts.

3. Comprehensive Accessories

The figure is heavily accessorized, providing numerous options for display and recreating key comic moments

A. Head Sculpts

• Masked Head: The figure comes with a highly expressive masked head sculpt, radiating the cocky, superior attitude of Doctor Octopus inside Spider-Man’s body.

• Unmasked Head Sculpt: An unmasked Peter Parker/Otto Octavius head is often included, though the likeness is stylized.

B. Signature Mechanical Arms (Waldoes)

• Detachable Articulated Mechanical Arms (4): The figure’s signature feature is a set of four highly articulated mechanical arms (Waldoes).

  • These arms attach to the figure’s back via a backpack or mounting port.

  • They are highly poseable, allowing the figure to stand, fight, or crawl on them, accurately representing the character’s enhanced combat style.

C. Hands and Web Effects

• Interchangeable Hands (6 Pairs): A large assortment of hands for various actions:

  • Fists

  • Web-shooting hands

  • Wall-crawling hands (splayed fingers)

  • Gripping hands

  • Open/gesturing hands

• Web Effect Pieces: Multiple web accessories are included for dynamic action

  • Long Swing Web Effect Pieces (2): For creating web-slinging poses.

  • Short Blast Web Effect Pieces (2): For closer-range web-shooting or impact effects.

• Octa-explosion Effect (1): A translucent effect piece (possibly red or yellow) designed to represent a burst of energy or impact.

D. Display Features

• Dynamic Display Stand: Includes an articulated or versatile display stand, which is essential for utilizing the Waldoes and creating floating, mid-air acrobatic poses.

The origin of the Superior Spider-Man is one of the most controversial and pivotal story arcs in modern Marvel Comics history, taking place across the final issues of The Amazing Spider-Man and the entire run of The Superior Spider-Man (2013-2014).

It is fundamentally a story of a villain taking over the mind and body of a hero.

🧠 The Origin of the Superior Spider-Man

The figure known as the Superior Spider-Man is actually Doctor Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus) trapped in the body of Peter Parker.

1. The Setup: Dying and Desperate

• Doctor Octopus’s Deterioration: At the start of the arc, Doctor Octopus’s physical body is failing due to years of physical stress and abuse from radiation and super-villain activities. He is confined to a life-support system and facing imminent death.

• The Last Scheme: Desperate to survive and prove his superiority, Doc Ock develops a technology that allows him to swap minds with Peter Parker, who is in peak physical health.

2. The Mind Swap (The Great Switcheroo)

• The Swap: In The Amazing Spider-Man #698 (2012), Otto successfully swaps his mind into Peter Parker’s body, while Peter’s consciousness is transferred into Otto’s rapidly failing body.

• Peter’s Imprisonment: Peter Parker’s consciousness, trapped in Otto’s dying body, struggles to reverse the swap. Otto, now in Peter’s body, revels in his new freedom and power.

• The Final Battle: In The Amazing Spider-Man #700, Peter, with only moments left before Otto’s original body gives out, manages to use the residual mind link to force Otto to experience all of Peter’s memories, particularly the emotional ones—the death of Uncle Ben, the responsibility he carries, and the joy of being Spider-Man.

• Peter’s Sacrifice: Peter fails to reverse the physical swap, but he manages to instill his core lesson—that with great power comes great responsibility—into Otto’s mind. Peter Parker’s consciousness then dies, believing he has failed.

3. The Birth of the Superior Spider-Man

• The New Responsibility: Otto Octavius, deeply affected by Peter’s memories, inherits all of Peter’s memories, intellect, and guilt. He realizes that Peter was the genuinely superior man, and he decides to honor Peter’s sacrifice by becoming a better Spider-Man—a Superior Spider-Man.

• The Philosophy: Otto’s interpretation of “responsibility” is twisted by his own ruthless efficiency and massive ego. He vows to not just fight crime, but to eradicate it using superior intellect and brutal, unforgiving methods.

4. Key Differences of the Superior Spider-Man

The Superior Spider-Man was defined by his differences from Peter:

• Ruthless Violence: He was willing to use excessive force, permanently injure criminals, and even kill (notably, the villain Massacre), something Peter Parker would never do.

• Technological Focus: He redesigned the suit (leading to the red-and-black suit) and deployed a vast technological arsenal: new gadgets, automated Spider-Bots for city-wide surveillance, and armored webbing.

• Arrogance: He treated his friends, foes, and allies (including the Avengers) with immense arrogance, constantly reminding them of his intellectual superiority.

The entire arc was driven by the question: Can a villain truly become a hero, even while using a hero’s body?