When Richard Donner and Warner Bros. set out to make Superman in the late 70’s, they needed just the right person to play the iconic character. They found that person in the young, charismatic and talented Christopher Reeve. For someone who grew up in the early 80’s, Christopher Reeve was, and still is, Superman to me. He displayed a cool, confident demeanor and helped to define the look of the character going forward. His legendary portrayal of Clark Kent and Superman is still cherished by fans worldwide. At the time, there was no movie quite like Superman. It would take another 21 years before we received another character’s comic adaptation that rivaled the 1978 Superman film (Batman in 1989).
Fans have been lucky enough to receive some truly fantastic versions of this Superman in the past few years. Joining the excellent collectibles from the likes of Mattel, Sideshow and Hot Toys is NECA‘s new 1/4 scale version. NECA worked closely with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and Warner Bros. on this release. The result is a truly stunning 18″ scale figure. Today we have a full gallery and review. Toyark sponsor Entertainment Earth provided the figure.
Related Links
Entertainment Earth: NECA 1/4 Scale Superman, All NECA 1/4 Scale Figures, All Superman Figures
NECA: NECA Toy Galleries
Christopher Reeve Superman 1/4 Scale Figure
Pros
- Amazing likeness of Christopher Reeve
- Fantastic sculpting
- Plenty of articulation
- Cape is tucked into suit as it should be
- Extra hands included
Cons
- None
Overall
Of all the recent figures I was shooting, this was the one I was most excited for. I had been waiting for it since the moment it was teased, and the final figure is even better than I had expected. Superman comes packaged in a collector friendly window box. The box is modeled after the crystallized Fortress of Solitude from the film. The plastic insert has a few twist ties to hold the figure in place. Once removed, the figure is ready for display.
Superman features some soft plastic for the suit, which is over top of the upper body. It creates a great illusion of someone wearing a costume without using fabric. This features allows the cape to be tucked into the collar of the suit, as it is in the movie. The sculpting on the suit is very impressive. Detail lines for the fabric as well as natural looking folds are all present. The fabric cape flows well, and doesn’t feel too heavy. The “S” stitched on the back looks spot on. Where this figure really shines is in the sculpting of the Christopher Reeve likeness. From the look in his eyes, to the perfectly parted hair, to the strong jawline, this is Chris Reeve. The included hands also have no detail spared, as you can even see the veins popping out from the back of the hands. Like the prior 1/4 scale figures from NECA, Superman has a great amount of articulation. The overlaid suit allows NECA to hide a surprising amount of movement in the waist and chest. Sculptors Kyle Windrix and Adrienne Smith worked together to get nearly every detail perfect.
This is a figure that is a must buy, if you have the space for 1/4 scale figures that is. Everything about this release is top quality. I ran into no quality issues. The joints were all nice and tight, the paint was clean and the cape free of snares and snags. All of that would have been for nothing if the head sculpt wasn’t right. Thankfully, NECA delivered and fans will be more than pleased.
Check out a few select photos below, and the entire gallery after that.
CompaniesNECAEntertainment Earth
CharactersSuperman
Scale1/4