Man of Steel Movie Masters Figure Review

The Man of Steel : Superman

It’s been quite a while since I posted the countdown for the upcoming Superman Film by Producer Christopher Nolan under the direction of Zack Snyder starring Henry Cavil as the new Man of Steel.  As a Superman fan, one can only assume the excitement as we wait for the said movie and along with the movie are the official merchandise and action figures.

We have been riveted with the teaser and initial trailer that were released, teased by the production pictures and wait for the actual products as teaser pictures of statues, figures and other merchandise.  It is my honor and privilege to review one of the official action figure; the Man of Steel’s Movie Masters 6” Figure.  This is one of the most anticipated figures for adult collectors that have patronized the Movie Masters Line from Batman: The Dark Knight to the Green Lantern.

Looking at the promotional pictures of the figure that surface the net, this figure indeed capture the likeness of Henry Cavil as Superman taking on the image of DC’s New 52. This time we get to see Superman in the big screen along with the Action Figures without the iconic briefs outside the costume.  Here are side by side pictures of the classic Superman from the New 52 both on comics and for the upcoming movie.

The Box:

The Figure is presented in this large “S” Shield box which is different from the previous Movie Master Box.  The new logo is very much showcased and well presented.  The Box has a little biography of the character as well as preview for the other characters of Wave 1 – Jor-El and Zod.  I was hoping for a build a figure or collect and connect like the Parallax from the Green Lantern Movie or The Bat Signal from The Dark Knight Rises; sadly the advance figure has non of that gimmick.  Hopefully this will change for the official release, I even bet the box design and art will change to a more space friendly and similar to previous Movie Masters Box. Superman is majestically presented in the box bearing his iconic pose and comes with a small “S” shield base.  The box although I think, it will greatly change on its final and official release; for now it's given a 3/5.

The Figure:

There are two (2) things that will astound you in this figure. First – The Head Sculpt. The minute I saw the promotional picture of this figure I was amazed but actually seeing it in person in the box, I said to myself “Bummer, the pictures were better than the actual figure” but after opening it and taking it out of the box; man, it’s head-on likeness to Henry Cavil was uncanny.  Second – The Suit. As I mentioned earlier it’s based on the New 52 series of DC Comics but crafted for the big screen and I love it a lot.  The lining on the suit makes it alien enough and although it’s not visible from a far, it compliments and adds depth to the plain blue suit and the figure captured that. Even the slight difference of color tone and metallic touch to the lining is great.  This time Superman is presented not with a yellow background for the “S” Shield but gold, a darker tone of blue (darker than Dean Cain’s) and darker red (Maroon) almost like Brandon Routh’s Red, again no “S” Shield on the cape.  The cape this time is significantly longer than previous incarnations.  The figure is based on the digital copy of Cavil which was used for some of the special effects for the movie, its likeness and execution was well done giving it a 4.5/5.

Articulation:

Movie Masters Superman features the standard DCUC articulation without the abs-crunch.  Ball-jointed Head that can turn 360 degrees and can slightly look up and down.  Shoulders rotate and move side to side, upper bicep rotation, elbows, rotating fist.  Waist rotate, legs move forward, can slightly be adjusted to move back for flight pose, it can move side to side for the split, upper leg rotation, knees and ankles for flying pose that moves up and down; making the figure move with 21 points of articulation. The elimination of the abs-crunch is a big minus factor for the over-all rating of this figure.  It hinders a more accurate flight pose but over-all still a great figure making it a 4.5/5 for me.

Paint:

Paint features the “darker” tone of Superman which is executed nicely considering it’s a mass produced figure but since is for the mature collectors and the price tag, I give it a 4/5 considering there are some paint shadowing that I feel unnecessary or this is a variant of another figure that will come out later on.

Size Comparison:

Side by side comparison from the DCUC shows the standard DCUC slightly taller than the MM, while there is perfect harmony and balance to the DK making Superman slightly taller than Batman which should be the case.

Conclusion:
After considering all the aspects, my final rating is 4.5/5.  That absence of Abs-crunch as well as some issues on the box was the reason for the .5 margin otherwise it's a must have especially if your a big Superman fan.

After the Christopher Reeves Superman Movie of 1978, this is the 1st Cinematic Reboot for the Man of Steel and with all the hype and anticipation having 2 brilliant film makers on board (Nolan & Snyder) and awesome team of creative writers (Goyer is one of them) we can only hope for the best. The Counter for the Man of Steel : Superman has been up since last year, this makes the wait even thrilling as days past by. The Teaser Trailer and 1st Official Trailer is up on Youtube and the 2nd and hopefully not the last trailer before the actual showing will be released on April 15, 2013.

As a Superman Fan, I expect a lot and hopefully a winning streak like what Nolan did to The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Special Thanks to BIG BOYS TOY STORE https://www.facebook.com/bigboystoystore for this figure. You can PRE-ORDER them at any Big Boys Toy Store Branches. There are also the 3.75 lines and for the Movie Masters Jor-El and Zod (Not-Armored).

This Figure will be the centerpiece of our group's Display Cab (DC-MOTU Collectors Philippines check our group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/dc.motu.ph) for the 7th TAGCOM on April 5-7, 2013 at the Robinson's Place - Ermita Manila.

If you want more, check out the Movie Master's Jor-El Figure here ---> http://bboytoysadvocate.blogspot.com/2013/04/movie-masters-jor-el-review.html#.UXOQ7KK8AXU

Ready to take flight!

The World's Finest

Copyright Njvelasquez 2013

Superman: Man of Steel and all related characters are trademarks of DC Comics & Warner Bros. Inc.

No copyright infringement intended in the making of this article.