SPAWN i039
Christened as Spawn i039 as it is based on the cover of issue #39, he has been better known since as Santa Spawn. The image above is the head sculpt of a 2UP prototype taken from sculptorscorner.
And this is where it all started, the fabulous issue #39 titled 'Noel' and released in December 1995. Spawn became an unwitting "santa claus" to a boy named Greggy.
The cover art was translated into figurehood in 2003 under the very popular all spawn lineup of Series 24: The Classic Comic Cover. There are two versions:
October 2003 Series 24 Original: Spawn i039
The more common unmasked version as based on the art.
I said this umpteenth time but I always enjoy the rendition of the cape in McFarlane Toys' figure.
October 2003 Series 24 Variant: Spawn i039
And the less common variant - the masked version.
Not as interesting as the unmasked version but definitely more approachable for the "mass market" shoppers.
Images of the 2UP prototype from sculptorscorner.com.
Another angle of the 2-Up prototype.
In Christmas of the same year when Series 24 was released, employees received a Christmas Staff Exclusive of this figure. McFarlane Toys has a labour force of around a hundred, so it can be safe to say this is quite a limited edition.
The image above shows him together with the original 4.5" and 2" Santa Spawns. Height-wise, he is close to that of the 2" figure, give or take an extra 0.3" but size-wise, he is much larger.
And just in case you are wondering, no it's not plastic, it's paperweight heavy.
The Miniatures
Released in April 2006 as Trading Series 1. These miniatures come in original, repaint and exclusive versions. They were also retitled as 'Santa Spawn' instead of Spawn i039.
April 2006 Trading Series 1 Original: Santa Spawn
The original retains the unmasked sculpt, albeit darker in skin tone.
April 2006 Trading Series 1 Repaint: Santa Spawn
The repaint is predominantly grey, a very popular repaint colour in the short-lived trading series.
April 2006 Trading Series 1 Exclusive: Santa Spawn
The final version,the exclusive is gold-washed.
November 2007 MTCC Exclusive: Best of Spawn
This is an exact duplicate of Series 24 Spawn i039 but is sold through MTCC as an Exclusive under their 'Best of Spawn' lineup. Incidentally this is the only figure to be released in this new line. Image from spawn.com. Appropriate only for the card collector.
