In 1978, DC Comics released an oversized comic depicting Superman vs Muhammad Ali as part of their All-New Collectors’ Edition series. To stop an Alien invasion, Earth’s greatest champion must face each other to decide who will face the Aliens’ champion in a on-on-one match to decide Earth’s fate. Transported to the planet Bodace, Superman’s powers are nullified by the red son. In front of a star-studded audience, and broadcast throughout the galaxy, Superman takes a serious beating from the heavyweight champ proving that Ali truly is the greatest fighter on Earth.
To celebrate this now iconic on-shot, NECA has released a 2-pack featuring comic style versions of Superman and Muhammad Ali. This set is available now, and Toyark sponsor Dorkside Toys sent the figures over for us to check out. We have over 50 photos and a full review. See them after the jump.
Related Dorkside Toys Links: Superman vs Ali 2-Pack, NECA Dynamic Action Figure Stand, All NECA Toys
DC Comics Muhammad Ali vs Superman 2-Pack by NECA
Pros
- Great comic style paint deco
- Well done Neal Adams based Superman head sculpt
- Good articulation on both figures
- Solid joints
- Excellent Ali head sculpt
- Superman includes two additional sets of hands
- Excellent packaging
Cons
- Some paint issues on Superman
Overall
The Superman vs Ali set was such an odd and wonderful announcement last Summer. The 2-pack gives fans their first NECA 7″ comic style Superman, and currently the only comic Superman action figure they’ve done. It also gives fans an action figure based on one of the greatest boxers of our time; Muhammad Ali. The figures come packed in a collector friendly window box, styled after the iconic comic cover, complete with a galactic cardboard backdrop. The figures are held onto a plastic tray with a few twist ties. Also in the package are two additional sets of interchangeable hands for Superman.
The Superman figure is based on NECA’s previously released Christopher Reeve Superman 7″ Figure. It features the same body with a newly sculpted comic style portrait. The new head sculpt looks excellent. It’s a great representation of the comic cover, and works well with the body style. I’m not the biggest fan of the closed eyes, but it is accurate to the comic cover. Superman has a cloth cape, boxing gloves, interchangeable clenched fist and interchangeable open palm hands. The figure has a bright comic style paint deco, complete with ink lines. My Superman did have a few odd paint issues throughout. There was a thin, peeling, white coating around most of the joints. The back of Superman’s feet had some sort of melted paint on them and the bare palms had the skin tone peeling off at the joint. I was able to clean off the thin white layer of paint that was peeling off, and that had no lasting effects. Outside of that, the Superman figure is quite good. The less muscular Reeve body sculpt works perfectly fine here, as the ink detailing gives a nice visual bulk to the figure. Articulation is on par with most standard NECA releases, with about 25 points in total, allowing for some really fun boxing poses. Even with a few issues, I really dig the Superman as it reminds me not only of a comic illustration, but also the old Fleischer Superman cartoons.
From top to bottom, the Muhammad Ali figure is excellent. Utitlizing one of the Rocky bodies was a smart move by NECA. The new head sculpt fits perfectly. Looking past the comic style paint, the head sculpt itself is handled very well, with a good likeness to Ali. The articulation works well on Ali, with multiple joints in the torso allowing for more natural looking boxing poses. The hips feel like they’re locked in place, with the ability to rotate the thigh hidden behind the boxing trunks. The paint works well here, with Ali looking spot on to the comic cover. I had no QC issues with Ali, as all the joints were nice and tight and the paint was clean.
Overall, this is a fun and well done new set by NECA. If you’re a fan of their 7″ DC figures, then this is an especially worthwhile purchase. Check out some highlight photos below with the full gallery after that.
The Alley backdrop used is by Extreme Sets, check them out and grab your own!
CompaniesNECA
CharactersSupermanMuhammad Ali
Scale7 Inch