Written By Dan Hickman • Toy Editor
The Figures Toy Company Retro Superman Eight Inch figure is a definite “blast from the past” harkening back to the days of the old Mego Super Heroes Action Figures.
Figures Toy Company does an excellent job bringing the retro styling into modern day with their line of figures. Perhaps I’m a bit nostalgic for the old Mego toys’ durability, but even though these are amazing to look at, that’s pretty much all they are good for.
We all know the story of the infant survivor of the doomed planet of Krypton, so I’ll bypass the traditional “history” lesson and jump right into the review.
The Retro Superman figure does a great deal of justice to his old Mego counterpart with styling and attention to detail both on the figure and in the packaging to evoke that old-school feel.
Superman’s packaging is a direct descendant of the original look, with the window box giving us a clear view of the figure and the comic book art inspired “profile” pictures of the other available figures in the wave, as well as a beautiful picture of the Man of Steel himself on the packaging back.
Superman, himself, is detailed very well although the only paint apps are on the hair and eyes.
His costume is made of soft goods and all of my stitching was tight, with no loose strings.
The old Mego costumes had an annoying habit of fraying and the capes didn’t typically last very long.
Though I’ll be keeping these figures in their respective boxes, I do suspect that the soft goods will last considerably longer, even if they were displayed in the open.
The colors of the costume, cape, emblem and boots are rich and deeply hued, kind of in contrast to the original. This Superman’s costume is a deep blue, where the old Mego was more of a lighter blue, as I recall.
Review: DC Comics Retro Style Boxed 8 Inch Action Figures: Superman
The boots are made of an upgraded, harder plastic and have a distinct shine to them which looks fantastic. The only real complaint I have is with the stitched on yellow piece they used for the belt. It is translucent enough that you can see the darker blue and red of the costume underneath.
Also, unlike the old emblem which was glued on, this emblem seems to be much better affixed to the costume than before. I am confident it won’t be falling off any time soon.
Unfortunately, this Retro Superman does have some articulation issues. Granted, today’s figures are highly articulated, using the most modern techniques available.
To truly match the retro styling, Figures Toy Co. used similar joint mechanics as the originals. Superman’s head will only turn side to side and is rather loose on my figure. The arms will rotate 360 degrees, but the cloth costume really limits the movement, so you’re only going to lift them above his head and that’s it.
The arms will move outward in a limited “T” pose. The elbows will bend 90 degrees max and the wrists hinge. Superman does have some waist rotation, but the costume quickly swivels him back to forward facing. There is no ab crunch and the legs will only kick forward and back. The knees are single jointed and bend 90 degrees.
The feet hinge up and down but have no pivot. The biggest problem with the articulation is the limits imposed by the costume. Unless you meet the joint “ratchet” point, the costume itself will straighten your limbs or, swivel the waist back front facing. This is retro styled articulation at it’s best (and worst.)
Overall, the Retro Superman figure brings back very fond memories of my childhood and the fun I had playing with my old Mego figures. However, the modern price point of about $30 definitely exceeds its original counterpart and coupled with the limitation of articulation makes this more of an “in box” display collectible, than it does a playworthy/dynamic posing figure.
My retro figures arrived with the boxes not taped shut, which made getting the figures out easy for review pictures. That being said, my Retro Superman will remain in his box, on display on my shelves.
I had hoped that the figure would be a little sturdier in articulation, but alas, that earns him a 3 toybox out of 5 rating. Thanks for stopping in and reading through! See you all soon, until next time, Geek Out!
Related: Review: DC Comics Retro Style Boxed 8 Inch Action Figures: Batman
