Review of Superman 1978 Edition
One:12 Collective Action Figure

Introduction

I'm not a huge fan of Superman. Never liked the 'gee, shucks' attitude, and the wholesome goodness of the entire franchise turned me off. There are aspects of the character that are very interesting, including the inherent potential for facism explored by other similar characters in Watchmen or the Boys. But the Superman movies and television shows did little with the material beyond basic "Murder She Wrote" simplicity.

The one exception is the 1978 Superman movie. Oh, it's not that I felt the story was any better. But Christopher Reeve brought something to the role that cemented him in my brain, possibly forever, as the best actor to ever don the red cape. It's no wonder then that most of my Superman collectibles revolve around his portrayal.

Mezco announced their One:12 version, and of course, I was on it like hair on a bear. It's one of their more expensive single figure pre-orders however, starting at $125.  It does include a large base and light up feature, potentially off setting some of the price. Let's see!

Packaging - ****
Back in the day, I collected antique advertising, including tin containers. I've always loved them, and when Mezco uses one for their packaging, I'm in heaven. This one is round, with an embossed lid and beautiful graphics. Inside is a very well designed plastic 'tray' that holds the figure and accessories securely, yet in a completely collector friendly manner. Assuming of course that you aren't one of the insane collectors that worry about taking off an exterior bag or cutting a piece of tape.

Sculpting - ***1/2
There are three portraits included with this figure. The first, which he comes wearing, is a simple expression, calm and in control. It's not a mannequin, with enough life in the eyes and underlying muscle to look real, but without any extreme emotion. It is the closest to Reeve too, with a perfect nose and proper proportions. I suspect it will be the one I go with on the shelf.

The second portrait has a very slight smirk. It's not anything extreme, but adds a little fun to any pose. It fits with his portrayal of Supes too, which was more light hearted and easy going. It looks a little less like Reeve to me than the first sculpt however.

The third has a goofy smile. I suspect this is what they were going for, but sadly missed the mark. Reeve did have thin lips, and he could have a bit of a weird smile. They didn't miss the mark by a lot, but this is a great example where even a little can end up looking pretty weird. Your mileage may vary, but this head won't be one I use, and is the reason this score went from four stars to three and a half overall.

He stands about 6 1/2" tall, fitting in nicely with the rest of the line.

Paint - ***1/2
Mezco continues to excel at their production paint work in this tiny scale. All three portraits have excellent eyes, clean lips and eyebrows, and a very realistic skin. The dark black hair looks great, and the hairline is clean and neat.

My only complaint, and what pulls it down slightly, is this time there's a bit too much freckling on the smiling portrait. This one is the same head that pulled down the score in the previous section, and he does his damage here too. The teeth are a smidge off as well, and while both of these are minor nits, they are enough to affect the score.

Articulation - ***1/2
I have no doubts we'll hear complaints about the elbows not having enough articulation, but I found this figure easy to work with overall. The neck has a ton of tilt and lean, and the shoulders, elbows, and wrists did a fine job taking Superman poses.  The ab-crunch and waist work great, and the hips, thighs, knees, and ankles had no issue with short to medium stances. I do wish I could get a little more rocker out of the ankle to better manage deep stances, but it's a minor nit.

The cape also has a wire through the outer front edge, making it easy to add some dynamic movement to the cloth in flying or leaping poses.

Accessories - ****
As I mentioned earlier, there are three portraits, and that always goes a long way to boosting this score. The heads swapped without any concern.

There are also seven extra hands to go with the fists he comes wearing - 4 right and 3 left. These are in some traditional poses, as well as grips to work with other accessories. They swapped easily as well.

For a guy that needs to stay away from Kryptonite, he has plenty. There's a big hunk of the green stuff, as well as a necklace with a metal chain. Both of these are straight from the film.

There's also three crystals - two clear 'ice' shards, and the third green Kryptonite piece. In my photo you'll only see the green sliver, and I almost lost the other two. Thankfully, I found them, but be careful, as the clear plastic is easy to drop and hard to find.

These crystals work with the light up base. More on the functionality in the next section, but this huge base is sculpted with nice detail, pulled right from the Fortress of Solitude.

There's also the usual display base, with the Superman logo. You can use a simple foot peg or the large clear plastic support system for flying and leaping poses.

Light Feature - ****
As I mentioned, the large diorama base lights up. There are three AAA batteries included, and it's a simple process to insert them in the bottom of the base. This is also where the on/off switch is located.

That might seem annoying. Do you have to take the figure off the base and turn it over just to light it up? You probably wouldn't do that very often. And Mezco doesn't require it.

They used the film concept to its logical end - there are three positions to the switch. Off, On, and a middle spot. When the switch is in this middle position, you can insert a crystal shard into the center column on the base, and it lights up! In the photo below, you can see the green shard in place and the brightness of the light.

Outfit - ***
The outfit consists of the suit, cape, belt, outside undies, and boots.

The two piece boots look great, and while I wish they had a little more ankle mobility, they are still quite good. The simple belt is accurate, and the cape is excellent. The wire allows for posing, the big S on the back looks good, and the length is fairly accurate.

I do wish the undies came down on his thighs a little further. It's not really inaccurate, but because there's a cut line on the thigh that can be seen through the blue material in certain poses, it creates a different break point that doesn't line up. That's a minor nit though, and the undies fit well.

The suit itself isn't quite as well tailored. It's tight, but the seams along the lats and legs are pretty big for the scale, and the sleeves need to be a smidge longer. I tried pulling them down to cover the wrists, but they simply wouldn't stay.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Pair this guy with the previous, more modern Supermen, or perhaps the funky Darkseid they produced. I'd love to see a Gene Hackman Lex Luthor - I think we really only got the one Mattel 12" version that was even close to reasonable - but I can live if we don't. There's enough other figures to display him with, such that he'll never be lonely on the shelf.

Value - **
At $125, he's quite a bit more expensive than the usual $80 or so. Figures with light up features are usually closer to $100, so he's even outpacing them. Still, I only docked them a half star considering how well designed that light up feature is, and the quantity and quality of the rest of the accessories.

Things to Watch Out For -
I already mentioned how easy it is to lose those clear crystal shards. Other than that, you should be good to go.

Overall - ***1/2
While this is sort of a one off - I don't expect we'll see any other figures based on the Reeve movies - it's still a critical addition thanks to its iconic nature. As I said, I don't think there's ever been a better Superman, and being able to add another Reeve to the shelf is always a pleasure.

The fact that they did an excellent job with most aspects is a big plus as well. While I have my nits with the costume - and that smiling face is not one I'll be using - overall I'm very pleased with the outcome.

As to that smiling face...I'm thinking a pair of glasses, a hat, and a suit, and you might have a reasonable Clark Kent.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ****
Light Feature - ****
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
You can still join the wait list at Mezco's online store at $125. Online options are getting thin, but you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent One:12 figures include Two-Face, Dr. Zauis, and KGBeast.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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