January 1996 Retail Exclusive: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
This figure was released before the original Exo-Skeleton Spawns of Series 4. It was released as an exclusive to test the market with regards the change of name from Todd Toys to McFarlane Toys...that's the official statement from McFarlane Toys anyway. We know for a fact that it is sold in the US as a Target Store exclusive and in Japan under license by Reds and he is nicknamed by collectors as 'Christmas Spawn', probably due to its proximity to the festive period during release.
The Spawn inside the exo-skeleton is based on Spawn II but with different paint scheme. This is a series with substantial variants, both intentional and unintentional, thus making for a great collection. See Exo-Skeleton Spawn Collection for detailed explanation.
Intentional Variants
There are incidentally claims of two intentional variants.
January 1996 Series 4 Original: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
The Spawn inside the exo-skeleton is based on Spawn II but with different paint scheme. This is a series with substantial variants, both intentional and unintentional, thus making for a great collection. See Exo-Skeleton Spawn Collection for detailed explanation.
Intentional Variants
There are incidentally claims of two intentional variants.
January 1996 Series 4 Original: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Series 4 "original" - that's what the official site is saying. Their own publication in End Cap dated January 1997 however said otherwise! The Exo-Skeleton Spawn is the ultimate skeleton in the closet spawn, the spawn hiding underneath all those bones is an exact replica of Spawn II.
January 1996 Series 4 Variant: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
January 1996 Series 4 Variant: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
Other Intentional Variant
No photographic evidence yet but I was told by a very reliable educator that there is an intentional unmasked version.
January 1996 Series 4 Original: She-Spawn
The first appearance of a female-theme based Spawn.
January 1996 Diamond Exclusive: She-Spawn
January 1996 Diamond Exclusive: She-Spawn
The white on the mask and M of the original (1st) version is repainted blue for this exclusive offered through Diamond Distribution. Date of release for this exclusive is unknown.
The Grey Exo-Skeleton Spawns
The grey bones were regarded as unintentional variants (mere factory errors due to slipshod QC) and therefore would not be in the list. It is however in the collection blog under Exo-Skeleton Spawn Collection.
There are alternative views and worth checking out:
1) that they are the originals (see End Cap dated January 1997)
2) that they are variants or running change ( see Lee’s #92)
4) that they are exclusives made under license by Reds in April 1996.
And besides the masked and half-masked unintentional variant, there is yet again an unmasked version too.
February 1996 Total Chaos Series 1 Original: Al Simmons
The Grey Exo-Skeleton Spawns
The grey bones were regarded as unintentional variants (mere factory errors due to slipshod QC) and therefore would not be in the list. It is however in the collection blog under Exo-Skeleton Spawn Collection.
There are alternative views and worth checking out:
1) that they are the originals (see End Cap dated January 1997)
2) that they are variants or running change ( see Lee’s #92)
4) that they are exclusives made under license by Reds in April 1996.
And besides the masked and half-masked unintentional variant, there is yet again an unmasked version too.
February 1996 Total Chaos Series 1 Original: Al Simmons
The first Al Simmons edition, appearing in an unrelated Spawn series – Total Chaos Series 1. End Cap dated February 1997 declared date of release as October 1996! The original is all decked out in black and whitish-grey (aka White Armour). This line of collection has been discontinued with Series 2.
April 1996 Total Chaos Series 1 Repaint: Al Simmons
April 1996 Total Chaos Series 1 Repaint: Al Simmons
May 1996 Series 4 Repaint: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
There are three separate Exo-Skeleton Spawns in this repainted series, all of them featured white exo-skeletons but with different head sculpt. I am not sure which is meant to be the variant but in alphabetical order - the first is wearing a red mask.
May 1996 Series 4 Repaint: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
May 1996 Series 4 Repaint: Exo-Skeleton Spawn
May 1996 Series 4 Repaint: She-Spawn
June 1996 Diamond Exclusive: Spawn
The third repaint of the original Spawn; released by Diamonds and shipped for retailers who ordered at least 50 copies of Spawn #50 (June 1996) thus he is also known as 'Spawn 50'. He is later popularly dubbed “Wormhead” and later “Black Wormhead” because of all the maggots crawling out from his head; Chinese collectors called him “Black Grinning Face”.
July 1996 Series 5 Original: Nuclear Spawn
July 1996 Series 5 Original: Nuclear Spawn
A somewhat nondescript Spawn. Some nicknamed him the vacuum cleaner spawn...The original figure has black hose.
August 1996 Series 6 Original: Alien Spawn
July 1996 Series 5 Original: Viking Spawn
The first European-theme based Spawn: Viking Spawn. This Viking would go on to inspire a comic figure called Norse Hellspawn (see Spawn FAN Edition).
August 1996 Series 6 Original: Alien Spawn
Alien Spawn is an atypical Spawn. He is the first Spawn that is not an Earthling (a second Alien Spawn would appear in Series 21).
August 1996 Series 6 Original: Battleclad Spawn
August 1996 Series 6 Original: Battleclad Spawn
August 1996 Series 6 Boxset Original: Mutant Spawn
He was originally christened Chameleon Spawn.
October 1995 Series 5 Repaint: Nuclear Spawn
October 1995 Series 5 Repaint: Nuclear Spawn
October 1996 Series 5 Repaint Original: Viking Spawn
October 1996 Series 5 Repaint Variant: Viking Spawn
This is an intentional variant for the Viking Spawn with highlight in green instead of brown inserted into the official release.
November 1996 Series 6 Repaint: Alien Spawn
November 1996 Series 6 Repaint: Alien Spawn
November 1996 Series 6 Repaint: Battleclad Spawn
November 1996 Series 6 Boxset Repaint: Mutant Spawn
This repaint also receives blue stripes on his body and for card collectors, there are packings of him with 2 green wings, 4 green wings, 2 tentacles, 4 tentacles...etc.
December 1996 Supersize Series: Spawn
Lee's Action Figure News & Toy Review #92 (June 2000) said this figure is released before that of Series 4 which would make it December 1995! Wizard Spawn Tribute Edition stated that this figure is supposed to be in store by late June 1996. Official site meanwhile said December 1996 and this date is verified by an email from McFarlane Toys.
