With the licence for Christopher Reeve’s likeness finally available to toy companies and in great anticipation of Hot Toys reveal of the long-awaited tribute to the classic Superman Movies, shown above is the best action figure representation to date. 100% handmade using cast parts from various 1/6 figure bodies topped with an all-original headsculpt, US artist Kristopher Meadows first submitted his prototype (pictured top) for a custom figure competition in the pages of Tomart’s Action Figure Digest in the mid-nineties. Based on euphoric fan reaction Kris then produced a VERY limited run for a few lucky collectors. From the screen-accurate costume fabric to the real leather boots, this custom has a quality unsurpassed by many of today’s offerings having been produced by a passionate fan with considerable care and attention. Christopher Reeve himself would endorse the artist in the years before his passing by having one of Meadows portraits hanging from the wall of his office…
The first exclusive images of the third figure from the Superman: The Movie Movie Masters Collection reveal Gene Hackman’s incarnation of Lex Luthor appeared in Toyfare magazine this week –
While I fully support the line I think this looks the weakest offering so far but then I thought the same of the Superman before it was revised so changes may still occur. As I mentioned in my review of the General Zod figure, these would be outstanding figures for the time if it was 1980.
Adorned in his iconic bad-taste suit, the headsculpt is a passable Hackman and the hairpieces are reasonable sculpts also. The Kryptonite chain is a great touch, however, and will be a fine addition to the Superman figure when that is offered by mattycollector.com on Dec 15th…
One of the many choice exhibits in a waxwork museum which, to the best of my recollection, I discovered in Kissimmee’s Old Town, Orlando, Fl in the late nineties.
While its usually always a pleasure to see Christopher Reeve’s Superman represented in any form – this particular piece is more notable for its comedy value but given the resources its a pretty valiant attempt…
A truly incredible and unique display – this intricate life-size creation was on loan from Stephen Lane’s (Propstore of London) personal collection to the Movieum Of London (now rebranded The London Film Museum) last year.
Not only is the reworked portrait of Christopher Reeve generated from one of Stuart Freeborn’s few surviving lifecasts but the costume is 100% original and one of the finest examples still in existence today. Worn by Reeve and screen-matched to the Luthor’s lair confrontation scenes in Superman: The Movie and the alleyway change scene in Superman II, the costume is ideally preserved on a custom mannequin and standing proudly in the magnificent rooms of County Hall, a breathtaking and eerie experience to behold.
The detail evident in the images above were so revealing I was able to compile arguably the most definitive article to date about the Superman costume hosted exclusively here…
When Mattel announced last year they would be producing a series of 1/6 figures based on the Superman Movie franchise it was a shock to fans both why it had taken so long for somebody to acquire the license, and how that company came to be Mattel.
With the unveiling of the revised Superman figure at this year’s Comic-Con there is renewed enthusiasm for the line, especially as a Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor has now also been confirmed.
This first release of Terence Stamp as General Zod is one of the first pieces of genuine Superman Movie memorabilia in decades and was worth the wait. While some fans bemoaned the maroon flash on Zod’s costume, it is nonetheless screen-accurate (as conclusively evidenced in the Donner Cut) while the figure’s packaging is beautiful and easily on-par with the figure itself. The accessories are also first class (Including alternate hands and weapons) and accommodate numerous methods of display and scene re-enactment.
With their simple sculpts and basic paint, these figures may not compete with the likes of Hot Toys products, (and for $60 they are clearly not intended to) so they are instead best enjoyed as the Mego figure line we should have gotten back in the day…
