I’m pretty “with it” as far as getting my pre-orders in early goes, but occasionally something will slip through the cracks. Such was the case with the Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man 2 Fireman Edition figure. This first release Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Select figure pre-sold out like lightning, so I told myself I didn’t need him in my collection. But today I quickly found myself waiting outside my local comic book store as they opened, as today was the official release date for the Fireman Edition Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man 2 figure…

Diamond Select Toys is really sticking it to Marvel Select completists with their Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Select figure offerings. While Jamie Foxx wouldn’t sign off on his likeness and we’re never getting a Marvel Select Electro figure from the movie, DST is still producing three Amazing Spider-Man 2 figures–all of Spidey himself.

The first one of these figures to be announced and shown publicly was what would go on to be called the Marvel Select “Fireman Edition” Amazing Spider-Man 2 action figure. This release exclusively includes a fire hose nozzle and fireman’s hat for Spider-Man to wear–accessories that won’t come with any of the other two Amazing Spider-Man Marvel Select figures being released.

Diamond Select must have drastically underestimated the demand for this version of the character, because it sold out at warp speed, resulting in a second version (with a new base but without fireman gear) coming later in the summer. In addition, there’s a very cool Andrew Garfield Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man 2 figure that was just released last week.

Knowing that today was the release day for this quasi-hot and hard-to-find Fireman Edition Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Select action figure, I decided to stake out my local comic book store this morning in hopes of snagging one without a pre-order.

I wandered Newbury Comics for a couple passes thinking that they somehow sold out of the Spidey figure or didn’t order any before I finally looked up and saw him staring down at me from on top of a shelf. Cha-ching!

The back of the packaging is hugely uninspired, as it’s just a bio for Spider-Man and some artwork that I swear I’ve seen on other Amazing Spider-Man 2 merchandise (perhaps the Amazing Spider-Man 2 swag equivalent of Clip Art).

The Diamond Select Toys Amazing Spider-Man 2 figure itself is terrific, though–the paint, sculpt and proportions are vastly superior to those of the Hasbro Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends action figure, and this figure comes loaded with accessories. In addition to the fireman accessories, he includes five total pairs of alternate hands and multiple weblines and web sprays.

Amazon has posted a pre-order for the Fireman Edition Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Select figure scheduled to arrive in July 2014 if you still want one and don’t have a local comic book store, as every other online retailer I’ve checked is wiped out of the figure. I’ll post a proper full review of the Amazing Spider-Man Marvel Select action figure later, but at a glance I daresay that this figure was worth my getting up early and going to the comic book store for (which is not something I’ve done in a long, long time).

Anyone out there besides me swinging by their local comic book stores this week to pick up the Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man 2 Fireman Edition figure? If not, are you planning on picking up one of the other two versions of the figure?