Mezco’s first classically styled Superman had a lot to live up to. First and foremost, it’s Superman. Superman is an icon, but has never had a figure that really and truly delivers the showstopping Superman that immediately makes you think “I’m done, I don’t need another Superman.” Very few figures actually achieve such a thing, so to hope for it time and time again seems almost pointless … unless the line is an expensive, upper-scale line that merges the twin aesthetics of functional fabric along with playable articulation.
In other words, I really wanted Mezco to finally deliver the perfect Superman, so much so that I devoted an entire article to detailing what I wanted out of a Superman. That is the definition of “setting myself up for disappointment,” especially when pictures showed that he was kind of moving sideways in his development. He wasn’t devolving, but neither was he really improving. It was clear that Mezco was aiming towards an end goal, but it didn’t look like their end and my end were the same.
Unlike a lot of people, I was dedicated to seeing it through. I kept my pre-order through every prototype alteration, and even when the figure was hitting collector hands and pictures started showing up, I kept my pre-order. Because as we all know, you can’t really judge a toy unless you’re holding it in your hand.
So does in-hand Superman disappoint? Yes and no. Is he perfect? No. Am I still in the market for a perfect Superman? Yes. But despite it all, it’s not a failure. It does a lot of things right, while never really correcting course on the things it was doing wrong.
Let’s get the negative out of the way first and then we can focus on the positive. The most apparent negative is that this figure has been in the works for two years, and feels like a figure that hasn’t benefited from two years worth of improvements. The most detrimental aspect is the trunks. I can see what they were trying to do, and in-hand they actually look much better than they looked on the prototype, but I still think they didn’t land on the best way to present his trunks, which is baffling since the DKR Batman did trunks quite well, mainly because they didn’t overthink it.
These trunks are a stiffer, vinyl-esque material that somewhat hampers the range of motion in Superman’s hips. He can still raise his leg, but it’s not as fluid as those on figure not encased in a vinyl coffin. I know the technical answer to this is “no trunks,” but that’s unacceptable in this situation. Fabric would have allowed much more flexibility. When I move a fabric-covered leg, I’m not worried about the material splitting or ripping like I am this particular material.
The next costume-related negative is his S-shield. I’m in the camp that really dislikes the thick, glued-on aesthetic of the S here. I know it’s to facilitate the bullet ricochet effect, but I would have absolutely forsaken that in favor of a flat S that didn’t jut weirdly from his chest. In maneuvering Superman, I keep hitting the bottom tip of it and feel like if I’m not careful I’ll rip it off. It “looks” okay, but it could have been much better. Basically, if they had done the same thing they did on the back of his cape to the front, we wouldn’t even be talking about this.
The third negative is his size. I’m torn on this, as it doesn’t bother me too much, but he is a little dwarfed by someone like Captain Marvel. He could stand to be a little taller. His thickness doesn’t bother me too much because I’m not opposed to Superman being leaner, but I can see how that might bother some. However, these aren’t glaring errors.
The boots are not quite form-fitting, but in-hand they’re not as bad as pictures made them seem. With a picture you have time to focus on the negatives, but in hand those negatives disappear once you’re able to move them around. His ankles have that same old Mezco issue (that’s getting better in recent figures) of little to no side-to-side.
So, really, for negatives, that’s it. None of them are figure-shattering, but if a new Superman were released that corrected all of those issues, I’d be in for that one as well, because I think that would really be my “perfect Superman.”
Now on to what I like about the figure. First off, despite my issues with the shield and the trunks, it really does look great overall. I love the blue. It’s a nice, light blue that feels very silver/bronze age. I thought from pictures that it would be almost aquamarine, but it’s not.
The fit of the bodysuit is much, much better than the early “Bill Cosby’s sweater” look it had. It conforms to the shape of his body while still allowing a nice range of motion. He has all the double-jointed goodness you’ve come to expect. The fabric lays nicely regardless of positioning. The cape’s size depends on what era you like, so if you’re a Silver Age devotee, then the cape might be too big, but it’s a great material that lays excellently and has a nice sheen and flow to it.
I’m just as particular about Superman’s head as I am about … well, everything else it seems. I really like this Superman head. It has an air of quiet dignity (yes, I said that with a straight face) while evoking determination without anger. There’s even some kindness in there, but he’s not going to be pushed around. This Superman looks like he’d rescue a kid’s cat from a tree, but he also looks like he’s completely determined to shove Luthor’s warsuit up his bum. That’s a fine line to straddle, and I feel like this head nails it.
His angry heat-vision head is a bit odd in that he has apparently burned off his eyebrows with his own heat-vision. I’m not sure why he has no eyebrows. I like the head — at least, as much as I like super-pissed Superman, anyway — but the eyebrow thing is weird. Both heads swap out fine though.
Superman has three sets of hands: fists, grabby hands, and flight hands. It’s a decent assortment that allows a nice array of poses. The hands swap easily but stay on nice and tight.
The accessories are all fitting, but I was pretty surprised which one was my favorite. First up he gets a chunk of Kryptonite, because you can’t have a Superman without a chunk of Kryptonite to take him down with. It’s translucent, and I’d imagine would glow nicely if I had a laser pen I could shoot at it. Which I don’t, because I keep forgetting to get one until I actually need it, and then it’s too late.
He also get the bottle city of Kandor, which is second only to Kryptonite itself as “Supermanesque.” It’s a very cool addition and has a nice if basic look to it.
There are three of the little bullet effects. While they are magnetized, the magnetic effect isn’t terribly strong, but it’s just strong enough to hold them to the shield as long as you don’t shake him around wildly. Visually, it is a pretty cool effect that gives him a comic-panel look, but again, I would have been fine without it if it meant his shield was not so thick, or if the magnets had been embedded in his chest in some way.
The coolest addition, oddly enough, is two length of bendable chain that you can wrap around him. I don’t know why I like them so much, but I do. Their bendable nature means you’re not left with hard plastic that only looks good one way, so I guess it’s the extra options. I can use these with other figures. It’s the extra that keeps on giving.
Superman also comes with a stand that doubles as a flight stand, and those little bendable doohickeys that allow you to pose his cape in various ways, much like the Batfigures have come with.
Superman came with a lot of controversy, a lot of doubt and a lot of disappointment, but in-hand there is a lot to like. I think if he had come out in 2015 he might even be considered a “great” figure, but after so many hits, he can only be considered a “good” figure, because of expectations. I’m glad I kept the pre-order and I’m glad to have him. He doesn’t rank at the top of my Mezco collection, but he’s also not a waste of $75. Having said all that, he is without a doubt the best 6-inch scale Superman I own. Obviously at that price he damn well better be, but I will say that if you’re on the fence and want to track one down, it’s worth it to take a chance on him.
