Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are almost there — the end of the iconic Four Horsemen-styled DC comic figures are about to sunset at Mattel, and 2014 has a few last gasps to offer before we are done. On Monday (yes, this Monday), you will be able to procure your long-awaited hook-handed Aquaman figure, and in a couple of months, the colder side of the Fire and Ice duo will up for sale as well. Holding down the third spot in this quarterly group is the long lost t-shirt-and-jeans version of Superboy, and we have him up for closer examination today. He has been long-demanded and long on the shelf, but 2014 is all about finishing what can be completed, so your Teen Titans shelf will get a little heavier come late summer.
While Aquaman and Ice were always meant to be part of the failed 2014 Club Infinite Earths subscription, did you know that Superboy was originally slated to be released all the way back in DCUC series 13? Yep, he was going to be the variant to the “Reign of the Supermen” version of Superboy, but he was never released. As you can tell, he would have been a completely different figure and not just a repaint, so it stands to reason that he was probably cut due to budgetary restraints. But Matty Collector is making good on the missed opportunities of the past and I know there are a lot of you out there that are very glad to finally be getting this Superboy. I find myself oddly in the same boat.
While Ice is the only one of the four figures that really speaks to me in terms of character selection, I realize that Aquaman, Damien Robin, and this version of Kon-El are all very important incarnations of high-profile characters. Furthermore, I have never been a big fan of superheroes in “civilian” clothes as costumes, but in the case of this Superboy, he does not have the best track record for tasteful duds, so this might actually be the most tolerable getup out of all of his attempts. Character conception in the 1990s can do that to guy, so maybe he never stood a chance.
The figures does a pretty good job of representing the spirit of Kon-El and his jeans and t-shirt, a combo not featured for any other figures, were actually put together with 100 percent reuse in terms of parts. His Super Shirt (you can get one just like it here) is painted on, his arms and fists are stock, and his pants and shoes are carryovers from the Jack Knight Star Man figure. Everything comes together to create Superboy’s look convincingly, but I do not count one piece below the neck as being new because, well, I suppose it did not have to be.
Superboy does feature an appropriately brand-new head to match up with the era of his costume. If I am not mistaken, this is one of the last head sculpts supplied by former Horseman Chris Dahlberg, and if you are familiar with his style, you can tell it is one of his works right away. The likeness isn’t bad, but it really isn’t remarkable either. The costume is generic enough on its own, so I suppose the features and expression would match, but there is something about it that feels slightly dour or emotionless. He has a long jaw and a bit of a flat face; I *think* I would be able to tell that the sculpt was meant for Superboy even if I was examining the disembodied head, but a lot of that would come from the haircut, which is right on and very well done. I will say that I find the paint of the eyebrows to be a bit thick, and the hair paint does not come all the way down the sides of his head, so you can see the hair sculpt in the flesh-colored plastic.
I don’t know — is there an artist or era you would have liked to see tagged to draw from for the sculpting influence? I know that DCUC goes for a more “iconic” and non-specific look when it comes to artists, but it seems like there are some features that could have been played on to give the head sculpt more of a definite Superboy feel. What do you think?
Superboy is a very solid and well-constructed figure, so I don’t anticipate any quality issues when the final figure is released later this year. If you have picked up a Mattel DC figure any time in the past six years, you will be familiar with the articulation scheme as it pretty much matches the points for a standard figure. I do want to note that his neck articulation functions a bit better than what we have been getting as of late, and he can even look up just enough to make those flying poses convincing.
It is kind of a sad journey moving through 2014 as the sun sets on the Four Horsemen Mattel DC figures. While the character selection is not tailored perfectly for me (never got my Liberty Belle), I am very glad that Ice, Superboy, Aquaman, and Damien Robin are all very viable incarnations. I think a lot of people will be happy to get this version of Kon-El, and while the shirt and jeans doesn’t make for the most exciting getup, it is a valid and popular look that has more fashion sense than the leather jacket and round glasses he is also known for.
Superboy is the third quarterly figure in this year’s assortment, so I would expect him to hit sometime between July and September, but Mattel has not given the official release date yet.
*Thanks for reading and thanks to Mattel for sending along Superboy for this preview. Don’t worry, we will be getting to Ice as well — oh and a couple of other surprises very soon.
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