1:6 Scale Mattel Movie Masters Christopher Reeve Superman (2010)

I had, then eventually sold off this 1:6 scale Mattel Movie Masters Christopher Reeve Superman, and General Zod, regretting it some years later. I finally caught up with one at a semi-reasonable price, but more than the sixty bucks I paid in 2010, and vowed to open and enjoy this one. Check out the video:

There was a lot of backlash regarding the Christopher Reeve portrait on this figure, and while it's fair that the sheen of the plastic is off-putting from some angles, the sculpt isn't that terrible for a $60.00 figure- for all the accessories, the soft goods outfit, deluxe packaging, it's a decent value. He looks a lot more like a toy than a deluxe 1:6 scale figure like the Hot Toys 1978 Superman, but he was a fraction of the cost. I feel like the portrait is on the same level as the outfit, and while there is a deluxe aspect to the figure, he still feels like a toy- and I like that.

My brother gifted me the Superman The Movie magazine format collector's album some years ago knowing what a big fan of Christopher Reeve. The 1978 movie captured my 6-year-old imagination, permanently melding the actor to the character in my mind.

The gripping hands don't properly hold the Kryptonian crystals, but the input station is a nice little accessory that I think adds value to the set, and you can kinda fudge it for poses...

Below, the Mattel Chris Reeve Superman with my newer 8" Mego Superman and 14" Mego Superman, and my 13" DC Direct Superman that I've had for over a decade - all classic representations of the character. See the video above for more comparisons with other Superman figures in my collection!

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Titan Hero Series Spider-Man 2099

 

There are some characters I am drawn to that I will often pick up various toy incarnations of, such as Moon Knight, Vision, Martian Manhunter, or as in this case, Spider-Man 2099. Based on the delayed sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, this Across the Spiderverse Titan Hero Series figure is a little different than the original character design, but close enough to hit all the notes I like visually. Hasbro did make a cheaper, simpler Spider-Man 2099 in this series two or three years ago, but it didn't have the incised sculpt on the chest insignia and mask like this new Spiderverse version. This figure surprised me arriving on shelves ten months before we expect to see the summer 2023 film- I'm curious what other product we'll see ramping up to its theatrical release.

The DC Comics figures produced first by Mattel, now Spin Master in this scale, have better articulation than these Hasbro figures, but the ones I have owned had good sculpts. I call this class of figure the "Big Dumb Toy"- meant for the kids to play with, but some adult character fans may latch onto as well.

Below, Titan Hero Series Spider-Man 2099 with my 10" ToyBiz Spider-Man 2099 from the '90s, a favorite toy in my collection. These larger ToyBiz figures from that era served the same purpose as Hasbro's Titan Hero Series, and I've owned many over the years.

My first exposure to the Spider-Man 2099 was 11 years ago reading the Spider-Man 2099, Vol. 1 trade paperback as an adult, having missed its debut in the '90s. And though I may not have the nostalgic attachment that kids 5 - 10 years younger than I, it does evoke that excitement I felt rediscovering comics & action figures as an adult.

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Mego 14in. Lex Luthor, General Zod, New 52 Superman

 I circled back last month to pick up these 14" Mego figures on the secondary market, Zod and Lex from the 2018 introductory wave of 14" DC figures, and the New 52 Superman from a later wave in 2019. I'd had my eye on this Superman in the past, but the Zod & Lex were at such a discounted price, I kind of picked them up on a whim. They kind of get overwhelmed by Superman's bright colors, but are both nice comic book representations of two of Superman's greatest foes.

General Zod and Lex Luthor are so much like the 12" Mego versions from the '70s, in their costumes and face scuplts. There was a Jor El included among the original 12" figures as well, which we unfortunately didn't see in this 2018 return to large scale DC figures. I hope we will see a Jor El now that Mego recently dropped 14" Star Trek, Universal Monsters, and DC characters, all with upgraded bodies, outfits, and accessories.  

Below, 14" Mego New 52 Superman with several other New 52 Superman figures of varying make and scale in my collection: 12" Medicom Real Action Heroes Superman, 11.5" Mattel Superman, 7" DC Collectibles Superman, 5" Justice League Superman, and 6" Total Heroes Superman...

I actually liked the new 52 Superman costume the first time I saw it and am glad I came back for this extra-large version by the same company that introduced me to action figures in the '70s. The lines in the outfit and boots are right in line with Mego's toyetic styling of whatever character they are producing. And the cape is fantastic- true to artist Jim Lee's redesign, pointed down the middle at it's end. Though a little different in design, this oversized Superman figure's bright colors fill me with nostalgia for the 12" Mego Superman of my childhood!

As illustrated below, the new 14" Mego figures are a little smaller than the older ones in both height and girth. While I love the new 14" Mego Classic Superman, I did like the bulkier look of the earlier waves.

Each of these three figures came with a Kyryptonite crystal, an often-criticized accessory when included with Kryptonian characters vulnerable to the element. I consider it a token with characters that aren't really known for a signature weapon or tool, and I like having one in a different gold color. There are many types of Kryptonite throughout the long history of Superman in the comics, but it was introduced to the character's mythos in 1943 through a radio broadcast of The Adventures of Superman. We are all aware of the more widely recognized green variety, but gold Kryptonite is also canon, appearing in 1962, capable of permanently removing any Kryptonian's powers by destroying their ability to process the Earth's yellow sunlight.

While the new 14" bodies do have some improvements, notably in articulation, I'm fond of the thicker buck on these earlier figures. Mine stood up unaided well enough, but you won't get dramatic poses with them .As Mego forges onward with news about future releases even this week, solicitations for 8" Previews Exclusive Deathstroke and Batman Beyond just announced. There are more 14" and 8" DC characters I'd like to see from Mego, and you will certainly see more posts on Mego figures I've been picking up. In the meantime, be sure to visit the online Mego Museum!

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Mattel 12in. Batman Missions 1st Appearance & Batwing

The last two of the 12" Batman/DC figures I snagged on the secondary market recently were these Mattel Batman Missions 80th Anniversary figures. Full disclosure, the figures Mattel made, then later Spin Master, are really 11.5". I label them as 1:6 scale here on the blog, but only to clump my larger action figures into one group for ease of perusal. I remember admiring these in 2019 but passing because you can't buy everything you like. I'm a longtime fan of "big dumb action figures" though and think these are top shelf examples.
 

Below, Mattel 12" 1st Appearance Batman with Hasbro's 9" Masterpiece Edition Batman. I'm pretty sure this Hasbro Batman was produced in 2000 and came with a book. Hasbro produced several DC figures in this scale with soft goods outfits in the years around this era, while ToyBiz gave Marvel characters a similar treatment with their Famous Covers line, of which I own several. The 12" Mattel Batman doesn't have a wire cape like the Hasbro Batman but was cleverly cut and stitched to drape over the shoulders. Mattel's inclusion of a batarang seems deluxe as their 12" figures more often included no accessories.

Below, 1st Appearance Batman with an earlier Mattel Batman Unlimited figure, which had not yet adopted the knee joints Mattel would include on the 12" Batman Missions figures. 

It's hard for me to tell if there are subtly different tones of black/gray or merely surface texture variation on this Batwing figure, but he reads all black from afar. While that's a little unfortunate, it doesn't negate the fantastic futuristic sculpt of this figure. Great value for a $10-$12 "boy's toy" category.

Like Mattel's 6" Batwing, the 12" has removeable wings, only split into two separately pegged sections. They look very similar! I've held onto this 6" DC Multiverse Batwing for the last four years for his uniqueness among my 6" Mattel Batman figure collection. I loved Mattel's DCUC line when I started collecting figures as an adult, and have held onto many of them I bought, even circling back to pick some up years later.

Below, Batwing with Mattel Justice League Stealth Batman, and 12" Spin Master Bat-Tech Batman and The Batman figures. While Spin Master is making nice 12" figures of this class, I think Mattel was making some cool Batman figures.

There is a real comic book quality to the aesthetic of these Mattel Batman figures, the 1st Appearance Batman most notably, for which the head sculpt takes a lot of cues from the Justice League Action animated series (2016-2018). I didn't really see any of that show, but Mattel did produce 12" action figures of the characters in that style. Spin Master now has the licensing for this class of DC action figure, but Mattel did produce a few of note.

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Mego 14in. Shazam & Superman

 I was somewhat late to the party for Mego's resurrection when in May of 2019 I began picking up some of their magnificent new 14" figures, but I was hooked from that moment on. I was less than enamored with their first attempt at the Man of Steel, so when this new version with improved body and extra hands was solicited, I preordered him from BBTS. We were supposed to get a Shazam in this scale back in 2019, but sources at the online Mego Museum reported the factory producing these closed, leaving Mego to start from scratch. Check out the video:

I could not be happier with these two figures, which were quite a bit more expensive than Mego's first outing in this scale, but vastly improved in body construction and included an extra set of hands. I was surprised to discover they are not exactly the same buck- because I didn't want to strip them down, I'm not sure where the difference is but suspect it is in the legs.

Among several comparisons in the video above are Mego 14" Superman & Shazam with my new Mego 8" Justice League Superman and Mattel's 8" Retro-Action Shazam. Though the success of Figures Toy Company's 8" replica figures was nearer to Mego's 2018 resurrection, Mattel's Retro-Action line from over a decade ago essentially led to Mego's revival.

Within my collection of large action figures are several of DC Direct's 13" deluxe figures, including a beautiful, classic Superman which I treasure. I'd love to see Mego's take on Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow in this larger 14" format...

My Mego 14" Justice League lineup is coming along nicely! 

Shazam, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Batman...

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Mattel 12in. Batman Unlimited Figures

From memory, I believe the 12" Batman Unlimited figure line came out of the former Power Attack line around 2015-16, then morphed into the 12" Batman Missions line. This ongoing "evergreen" line of Batman toys spanned across different scales as well, from Mattel's 2" Mighty Minis to 6" basic figures offered at big box retail. I've picked up a few of these from time to time, circling back to pick these up more recently on the secondary market.

I prefer Mattel's use of cloth goods for the capes on their 12" figures as opposed to Spin Master's vinyl capes. I was surprised when Spin Master won the merchandising contract for the "boys' toys" category away from Mattel in 2020, though I do feel like they have made some fun toys and raised the bar in some ways I think.
 

The blue and silver Batman was included exclusively with an attack quad vehicle set, while the armored Batman came individually boxed, Mechs Vs. Mutants sub branding stamped on the corner. I didn't understand the mutant aspect, but Batman and Green Arrow mechs were part of that line.

Below, Unlimited Armored Batman with my 2016 Unlimited Bat-Mech- a favorite toy of mine that featured an opening chest cockpit to house Mattel's 2" Might Minis. Super fun! You can see similar design elements they share, making them a nice pair...

Below, the Blue and Silver Unlimited Batman with my Mattel New 52 Superman, both which share a lot of sculpt detail. Superman was the only one of these I picked up in 2015, so it's fun to have another figure from the line to pair with him...

I've amassed more than a few 12" Batman figures recently, both older Mattel and more recent Spin Master versions. See my recent posts on Spin Master Metal Tech and Bat Tech Batman, The Batman, and Mattel Justice League Stealth Batman. These two earlier Batman Unlimited figures lack the knee articulation later figures would enjoy, but there is something pleasing about their simple, bright deco. 

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Spin Master 12in. The Batman

I found one of these at a local Target, tucked behind some other action figures, just a day or so after a YouTuber posted a video about it. The long-awaited movie The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, is finally coming out, and Spin Master is dropping their offerings heralding its arrival in theatres this March. Retailing at ten bucks, this large, serviceably articulated figure is targeted at younger boys, but has a decent sculpt with lots of detail. I had just recently picked up a couple Spin Master Batman figures of this class that I like quite a bit- unfortunately this Batman has the same papery vinyl cape those had, but it's not a dealbreaker. I liked Mattel putting a soft goods cape on their 12" figures before Spin Master secured the licensing of this class of "boy's toys", though the vinyl capes may actually be more durable/resistant to water.

I will say the 12" DC figures of this class, produced both by Spin Master and Mattel before them, have better articulation than the Hasbro Marvel Titan figures. A swivel at the boot top and waist could have made a big difference, but these are made for young kids, price point being a major consideration.  Regardless, I was able to get a few poses out of mine...

Below, The Batman with my Spin Master Metal Tech and Bat Tech Batman, and Mattel's Justice League Stealth Batman. While The Batman fits in good with the others, the details in his sculpt, his body proportions, and blue eyes give him a little more realism. Even a single accessory- a grapple with a cord or batarang, could have made this more fun, but a lot of these larger DC figures don't include anything. It seems the other Spin Master Bat Tech figures had better paint around the cowl, but your experience may vary.

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