NECA Superman
7″ Christopher Reeve Review

NoisyDvL5

“Now, you listen to me. When you first came to us, we thought people would come and take you away because, when they found out, you know, the things you could do… and that worried us a lot. But then a man gets older, and he starts thinking differently and things get very clear. And one thing I do know, son, and that is you are here for a *reason*. I don’t know whose reason, or whatever the reason is… Maybe it’s because… uh… I don’t know. But I do know one thing. It’s *not* to score touchdowns. Huh?” – Johnathan Kent, “Superman: The Movie” (1978).

So a couple weeks ago, NECA did their “Oh, Hai. Here is a figure you want. It’ll be out next week” thing and their 7” Movie Line grew by three: Heath Ledger Joker, Adam West Batman, & Christopher Reeve Superman. When they did this with Keaton Batman last year, I snagged him on eBay courtesy of the NECA/Hastings/WarnerBros store and lucked out – because I never saw Keaton Batman in stores.

When the new trio popped up on eBay just before Halloween, I got lucky again. I only had enough money for one and I chose Superman. I ran across Joker & Batman at TRU later that week, but Superman seems to be shipping a little bit behind the others and I haven’t run across him yet. That’s twice I’ve chosen wisely. I live in fear of the toy comeuppance.

Until then, I get to enjoy a Holy Grail come true. Superman is my favorite comic book superhero. I love a ton of comic book characters and all sorts of less popular guys. Dr. Fate, Firestorm, Plastic Man, etc. But in terms of being a DC fan, there’s always a “two kinds of people” debate. Batman or Superman? Batman is awesome; particularly in the 70s & 80s when the sci-fi closet started to wrap up and before the gritty emotional stiltedness set in.

But Superman? Superman is the best. Like Batman, he’s had his fair share of less than great eras and poor writers, but when the folks working on him get it? It’s some of the best stuff. I don’t know how to even explain it without sounding like a dippy fanboy, but it just speaks to me more than reading about any others superhero. While not all the Superman movies got everything completely right, Christopher Reeve simply nails it. And for a toy collector, a figure of him has been atop many want lists.

For me, the Christopher Reeve Superman was one of the figures that finally got me to cave and start collecting Hot Toys. I did pick up Mattel’s weak 4” attempt, but skipped NECA’s quarter scale figure (they’re awesome, but just too big). So NECA scaling down that monster into their standard 7” size? Well, that was worth buying a DVD I already had, I guess.

The packaging is NECA’s quarter scale packaging scaled down and is a nice, simple window box with a Fortress of Solitude motif. It’s probably cool for display, but I couldn’t wait to tear my figure out of it.

The sculpt is gorgeous. The suit is well detailed throughout to give a cloth-like appearance while the boots appear leathery. The body proportions are good too. The figure may be a bit more heroically startured than Reeve himself, but it looks like a great cross between realistic and super-heroic. The materials concern me just a bit as the torso and outside-undies are a softer plastic covering an internal torso. This works great for posing and the extra layers don’t cause any bulk, but I just worry about how that soft plastic will be looking in ten or twenty years – this is a Chris Reeve Superman, I need it to last a long time.

Sitting atop all that is a great head sculpt. There are one or two angles that maybe don’t nail down the likeness, but there are far more that do. This is a little Christopher Reeve hanging out on the shelf and it makes getting the figure all that much sweeter. NECA really outdid themselves on the sculpt. Continue to Page 2…

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16 thoughts on “NECA Superman
7″ Christopher Reeve Review”

  1. Nice. I didn’t know he comes with extra hands!

    I’ve ordered 2… not sure if they’ll show up or not. I wait with baited breath (being in Australia, I have to get it sent to a US address and then shipped here… they did NOT make this easy to get).

    I missed Keaton Batman 🙁 Was hoping he’d SOMEHOW be acquirable if I waited, but alas, as is always the case – if I snag straight away, this stuff is easily attainable down the track but if I wait, you can guarantee it’ll be nigh on impossible. 😛

    I’d love to get the West Bats and the Ledger Joker (and I JUST got the MAFEX version like 2 days before the news of these hit the internet… such is my toy collecting life). And no doubt a Bale Batman will show up.

    Just wish NECA could make these more widely available. As it is, I think I’m looking at $80-$90 per figure for the two Supes and I may have to live with both of them as nobody seems to want to pay that amount for one. 😛 I just hope they actually ship.

    1. Hey Ghost!

      I’m a fellow Australian who would be prepared to pay that price for a Supes off of you, as long as you can wait a while until I have the money saved because I am completely tapped out right now. Or maybe we could do a trade for something.

      I’m spewing that you needed a Keaton Batman because I totally had a spare but I sold him a few months back.

      Anyway, hit me up if you’re interested. You can find me if you search for Hoard World on FB, Instagram or Twitter.

      Cheers.

      1. Hey Hoardax

        I received the figures today. Man, the Australia Post service to get it here sucked. $60 for 2 figures? Just crazy.

        Another sucky thing – the second one has some black marks on his lips. Must be black paint from his hair but obviously got there in the painting process. Great QC, NECA.

        Anyway, I’ll have to do the math but I believe these cost around $90 each (eep). Let me know if you’re still keen (I’ll give it a day or so and then try and find you on FB).

        1. Hey Ghost,

          Thanks for getting back to me. I am just too damn broke though and will be for some time. Not to mention, all this talk of these figures breaking right out of the pack has got me spooked!

          Given how few of these figures will ever make it out to these shores, however, I guarantee you will find a buyer. You just might have to spruik him a few places is all.

          All the best!

  2. I wasn’t sold on the likeness (I know it’s not fair to anyone to compare to the Hot Toys piece, but that one is just so spot on it’s ruined me), but these pictures look a lot better than what I had previously seen, so now I may have to pick this one up at some point. Damn you.

    Though I’m really hoping for them to scale down the DeVito Penguin, now that we know Keaton wasn’t just a fluke. I will be ALL OVER that.

  4. Would love to see them do a Lynda Carter WW — But I saw NECA get asked on Twitter a few months ago and they said it wasn’t likely 🙁

  6. first 4-5 pics: looks great! LOVE IT! but NRFB! NRFB!!! LOL
    close-up pic: wait, what?

    great head sculpt, really captures the likeness of Reeve, but all that texturing on the uniform has me wary. esp the seeming deep grooves around the shield.

    If I see this guy, I’ll likely pick him up, but as I haven’t seen any of the others…?

    and yeah, put me down for Lynda WW and JWS Flash. I’d snap both of those up without a second thought. How about a Jackson Bostwick Captain Marvel while we’re at it? (alt head for the other guy?)
    (any chance they’ll do a basic GL body, then we can have someone custom a Dennis Quaid head…. http://s88.photobucket.com/user/jirvinone/media/halrose.jpg.html what? you want RR again??)

    1. SO I managed to find ONE today at TRU. on third time scanning the “collector’s section”.
      (along with the DS Gotham trio. “Gordon” looks NOTHING like Boot, more Channing Tatum? my TWD Abraham will be SO disappointed!)

      after seeing Michael Crawford’s post about a broken leg out of the package right before I found mine, I’m almost afraid to open it.

  8. FWIW, mine broke right out of the package, the pegs on both the right wrist and left elbow just snapped off. They didn’t even give an indication of breaking and I didn’t even get the impression of frozen joints. Just the normal pressure needed to bend the figure at the joint and they broke clean off. I’ve returned it for a refund and ordered a second one, but I am concerned.

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