NECA Superman
7″ Christopher Reeve Review

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There is the little matter of the cloth cape. I am *shocking, I know* totally cool with it. It’s a heavier more cotton-like fabric than either Batmen and hangs much nicer as a result. It is tucked in between the torso and the suit, which also helps with the shoulder ruffles – one beef I did have is that the edge is tucked under on one side and over on the other, but it’s a minor visual quibble. It’s easy to spread out over the shoulders or fold up behind him. It’s one of the best cloth capes I’ve ever had. I don’t hate it.

The paint work was thankfully sharp throughout since I ordered this guy online. The head sculpt is great and most of the lines are straight with little slop. The s-shield paint doesn’t extend to the sculpted border. That I don’t like, but the edges are still painted cleanly. There are some scratches on the neck, so I’ll need to be careful there as well as on the wrist pegs. Most of the paint has already worn off leaving blue tabs on his hands. We did get a great and accurate tampo on the cape. I was happy to see that back there.

Articulation is pretty par for NECA at this point: ball-joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist hips, knees, and ankles. Most are limited in range to preserve the sculpt, but there is still plenty of movement to get some great poses out of the figure. The articulation is the one big problem I have hard with the figure. I’m guessing the knees are ball-joints, but I can’t say for certain because they are fused. They still function as a hinge (Which is more important), but I just can’t get those knee joints to rotate. There have been reports of a couple breaks – you never know how prevalent they are. The joints on my figure are solid, he doesn’t feel fragile, but those knees locked from rotating is still disconcerting and I’m still being careful with them on this guy.

Superman did include two accessories, alternate open-palm flying hands to swap out with his wrists. I was scared to swap them out due to the fused knees, but I haven’t had any problem popping them in and out for the review pics. They get easier to move on and off as the flesh-tone paint is worn off.

Overall, I love this figure. I’ve been waiting for a good Superman figure for a while. I still hold the Super Powers one up as one of the best though DC Collectibles has done some nice ones through the years, notable a nicely articulated one right around 2001. Mattel never got it, at least not in the basic, classic costume. But to see this? Nearly 40 years after the movie came out? It’s a little unbelievable. But it was worth it. NECA nailed the sculpt and paint. As long as the QC issues stay limited, this will always be one of my favorite things they’ve ever done.

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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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