Hot from the Hard Drive of SuperFan Chris King, these stunning latest shots of the 1/3 scale Superman costume show the incredible level of detail achieved in this first completed piece.
Uncompromising as ever, Chris has insisted on every nuance of the suit to be replicated exactly which meant having a perfect 1/3 scale belt buckle sculpted from scratch (2nd pic down) and added to the patent yellow belt. Also note the cape patch has been embroidered rather than printed for a more authentic look.
The boots are absent at present because they form part of the finished figure by Bobby C. (pics upcoming) and used as the means to seal the costume onto the figure. More to follow on this exciting project as it develops…
Following up on this month’s Trading Card theme, SUPERMANIA presents the very first collectables that resonated at such a young age and became the basis of the collection –
The amazing colourful images adorning each pack of cards (In the UK they came without stickers!) instantly captured the imagination. The favourites were the solo publicity shots of Christopher Reeve with the New York backdrop, of which there were many (see the complete sets here) where you could really believe the Man of Steel was real and among us.
Besides the nostalgia there is much to enjoy with the Topps series 1&2 including a glimpse of what we now know as deleted scenes and even cards dedicated to the creative team including Director Richard Donner. For genuine fanatics its notable the Canadian set ran for 132 cards and included French subtitles while the US set ran for 77 and the shortchanged UK for 66!
The trend would continue for the sequels (with the exception of Superman IV, see post below) but nothing came close to capturing the magic of the original white-border set and the anticipation of completing the picture puzzle on the card backs..!
From the top – Original countertop boxes for US Series 1&2 with unopened UK packs, scans of Series 1&2 wrappers advertising the option of purchasing a ‘Press Sheet’ of uncut cards and the Topps Special Offer poster…
If you think the images above are genuine Topps style picture card samples from an abandoned Superman IV Series then thank you very much! This project is a success –
As collectors, completists and SuperFans the world over already know, Superman IV was the only Superman film to NEVER have a Trading Card set devoted to it, a fact I always found odd considering its such a merchandising staple so one day sought to fill the gap somehow.
Now, In collaboration with and using the considerable talents and creativity of SuperFan Alexei Lambley-Steel we have endeavoured to adapt my considerable archive of quality stills from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace into a complete set of unofficial vintage style cards in a ‘what if?’ project to make up for a thirty-year oversight. The four samples above are a result of a great many exchanged emails, research and submissions before we both were in complete agreement the designs were ‘simple’ enough to emulate the real thing. To that end, all the characteristics of the typical sets of the era will also be present, from the printing flaws to the text on the rear.
Stay tuned for updates but for now, enjoy the unashamed nostalgia from the age of the freeze-dried pink bubblegum stick…
Was there ever a more striking iconic image to help define pop-culture of the 1970’s?
The only images that spring to mind are Farah Fawcett’s smiling poster and the cover of the ‘Grease’ album. There had been long speculation in the press at the time that ‘newcomer’ Christopher Reeve was ‘too skinny’ for the role so the Producers response was to send Reeve on special photo shoots in New York to pose on the banks of the East River and overlooking Central Park to prove the Man Of Steel was indeed real. The first hint that the production was a serious take on the legend is the fact Superman is presented here without a hint of irony in a contemporary setting in broad daylight looking as if he’s just walked off of the front page of his own comic book. Reeve’s steely gaze in the spectacular new Superman costume is the kind of cover editors dream of and so was used repeatedly all over the world to announce his arrival on the big screen…
This latest release on physical media is surely the most definitive presentation of the Superman movies to date.
As a recent convert to the Blu-Ray format (after a great deal of persuasion to convince me of its superiority!) I will state categorically that the series has never looked or sounded better and is therefore infinitely superior to DVD. That being said, the updated format lacks all the fun of DVD’s (no animated menus) and having been spoiled rotten by the sheer glory of the Ultimate Edition DVD steel tin and interior packaging, The flimsy cardboard case with pedestrian layout & generic artwork leaves much to be desired.
With a far more-manageable 8-disc collection rather than 13, content-wise everything is retained and there are some nice new additions, most notably the ‘Return To Krypton’ deleted scene from Superman Returns. As fantastic and in-depth reviews of the features can be found online all I will add is that this set was remarkably affordable and absolutely worth making the leap in a single bound from DVD…
From the top; various views of the Superman Motion Picture Anthology Blu-Ray Boxset and HMV UK ad…
