Saturday, July 08, 2006

Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Superman Returns Review  

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Does this figure live up to Hot Toys's Movie Masterpiece tag?




EDIT: Added on 2 Jan 08, if you're looking for pix of the Hot Toys Superman Returns / Clark Kent 2-In-1 version, look here.



Packaging

A shiny outer jacket with detailed pictures of what you're getting.









Upon removing the outer jacket, more images tease. What's that you say? Show us the toy already? Wait for it.







Accessories

Accessories include an extra pair of hands and a figure stand. If you believe the marketing guys, then the belt and boots make up the accessory count.



Which is a pretty lame cop out.

The figure falls very short in this category. At this price point, I personally feel that Hot Toys should have included an additional Clark Kent outfit at least.



Cos I paid the same price and got that with DC Direct's Superman Figure.

They could try to redeem themselves by releasing a Clark Kent figure, which would be an excellent (and way cheaper alternative) to Medicom's Mail Away Clark Kent.

The open hands don't seem to be of much use, unless you're keen to recreate the movie poster.



I found the stand quite well done, though the figure balances perfectly well on its own.



Sculpt

The deluge of Superman Returns product brought us face sculpts running the whole gamut of passable to laughable. Actually more laughable than passable, but hey, who's counting?

To satiate your desire for a toy with uncanny likeness, look to this figure.

At first glance, it seems that Hot Toys went wild on the foundation and blusher.



However, closer inspection shows that this is unmistakably Brandon Routh.















Body sculpt wise, the proportions are alright with the exception of the lower abs which don't seem that toned.



Costume

The material for his costume seems strong enough to withstand extreme poses, but the stitching could have been improved. I encountered a few bits of excess thread on my figure.



The cape is beautifully designed, with a darker maroon outer layer and lighter red inner layer. It bunches up nicely at the back of the neck and flays out quite well.



Paint

It's not often you encounter figures without any paint problems. Thank goodness this figure turned out to be one of those. No slop or bleed whatsoever on the face. I do hope it applies across the board.





The boots were treated to a wash which bring out the details.



Paint on the insignia is just perfect.



Articulation

The figure has ball-jointed neck, swivel & ball-jointed shoulders, double-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed torso, rotating waist, ball-jointed hips, double-jointed knees and ball-jointed ankles.

That's a heck load of articulation, which is no less than what this figure deserves.

You'll have quite a bit of fun pulling off different poses with this figure.

















Better Together

Here's how he looks with Takara's Batman...





... with Barbie Supergirl and Wonder Woman...



... with Barbie Lois...







... and with DC Direct's 13" Superman Returns and Mattel Ken as Superman.



Last Word

If you're a fan of the movie and Supes, this figure deserves a place on your shelf. The accuracy of the sculpt makes me wish Hot Toys could secure rights to do a figure with Chris Reeve's likeness.

However, it is pricey figure and I'm not very convinced that the sculpt and playability justify the cost.





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