Superman Celebration 2014

Ah Summertime...
3 months of Sunburns, Speeding Tickets, and Family

Per usual it was time for my annual trek 179 miles north to Metropolis, Il. Ever since Father's Day of 2009 it has been a tradition for my daughter and I to head North to the little river town known as "The Home of Superman" in Southern Illinois. Every year we prepare our Griswaldian family t-shirts and wait patiently for the second full weekend of June to come around. In the present economic climate, full weeks of vacation can be harder to come by and the short roadtrip always offers a solid weekend of quality Daddy/Daughter time. This was a special year for sure. My son was just born on May 1st, and of course was too little to attend with any benefit to himself this year, but we stayed strong to keep the trip alive for traditions sake. Someday, LittleBigMan... someday...

We headed up HWY 51 to Paducah, Ky where we stay every year at Drury Inns & Suites, as we always do. The staff has remained consistent for years as well as courteous and helpful and damned good at their job... Being called by your name as you pass through for breakfast adds a touch of royalty on our modest roadtrip. Its right on the edge of Paducah and only leaves a 10 minute drive in for every visit. It keeps us in the middle of some retail/entertainment action for downtime between visits into Metropoils since there is no real dense commercial center to town besides the town center itself, but that does not slow us down from dropping some major cash love on the little town of Metropolis. Truth be told, My daughter loves staying at the Drury for their indoor pool and breakfast every morning... gotta love a kid who loves tradition and her Daddy. *

 

*If you look closely, there are tiny tear stains in my waffle

This was the 36th Annual Superman Celebration, and as off years go, it was a lower turnout than last year which saw the Man of Steel's 75th Anniversary as well as the release of Man of Steel in theaters the next weekend, but always a great time. Vendor areas seemed to be thriving, the food was great, and everybody who made it seemed to be having a good time. The event is largely supported by the locals and people from the surrounding areas

A special treat was seeing the Americana Hollywood Museum was back in operation from an extended closure due to flood damage in 2012. I was told that it is not open EVERY weekend, but is now back in some capacity, especially during the Celebration weekend and throughout the summer. (forgive me, pretty lady if I misunderstood any part of that).

The first thing you will notice as you arrive on the grounds is the cinephile's playground that is the courtyard full of planes, trains... and a Bat-Boat. I make a special point of taking my daughter's picture with the Superman standup near the entrance as a growth chart of sorts. As she became tall enough to put her head in the cut out, she has since started to stoop into position, so this will now stand as a growth chart of her head only...

 

I love going into this place. It's a special mix of exactly what you'd expect. Jim Brickman, owner of the SuperMuseum in the town square, also operates the Americana Hollywood and it is stuffed with unique finds he has collected and amassed over the years representing decades and decades of Elvis, Marilyn, and James Dean, the Rat Pack, years of Sci-Fi, Horror, Tomb Raider for diverse measure and of course the AWESOME backroom which is essentially an extension of the SuperMuseum as it is nearly completely DC Character related collectibles representing nearly every generation of licensed action figures and toys from the 70's to current releases. Not without its more peculiar displays, there were the only 2 (3) items I chose to document as I soaked in the rest... I suppose there's not much sexier than a pair of abnormally large brains... Such impressive organs...

There was also quite the surprise in the gift shop at the Americana Hollywood. It was unavoidable that the gift shop had been shifted from its previously Superman heavy presence to a very VERY Star Wars heavy offering. I was overcome by the contrast between my cash on hand and the bevy of stuff I was looking at. From larger ships to modern 3.75" figures @ $4 a pop bagged with accessories for the most part, I had to cut out a special part of our last few hours in town to dig through the multi tiered trough of loose figures to be thorough... I left plenty behind and I encourage any enthusiasts to drop by the museum some convenient weekend. You can always contact the SuperMuseum to see when they'd be open for you to dig through. It's a troop builder's dream; as a compulsive troop builder I can attest.

Child not for sale and present for scale reference only.

Another nice surprise was the addition of Daily Star Comics to the circuit of things to see in Metropolis. I had tried to locate this place in 2013 but it proved difficult since it was a relatively new listing so we didn't check it out. It's a little tucked away off the main drag but still just a couple hearts beats away from all the action. I will say it was mostly empty excluding what seemed like a few rented vendor spots within their extended retail space but still a cool place to run into. Of course while it takes its name from Clark Kent's original employer from his comic debut, the store is actually a Doctor Who-centric retail spot, complete with a Tennant/Smith era TARDIS in the parking lot which obviously makes for a good photo op.

No trip is complete without a visit to the SuperMuseum itself. Right in the heart of the action Right next to the 15 ft statue is Jim Hambrick's archival opus, the SuperMuseum, home to what has to be damn near every licensed & unlicensed Superman product known to man. The place is wall to wall Superman from action figures, movie props, costumes, production prototypes, handmade statues and action figures... (ahem)...

 

The Museum doesn't change much over the years but it is such a rich collection of Superman memorabilia and artifacts that it is always a treat to drop in and pay $5 to wander the short but dense  maze to examine all the pieces contained within. Jim Hambrick has been a lifelong collector and even manager and friend to Kirk Alyn (the silver screen's original Superman) and has been a central figure himself in Metropolis bringing crowds to this town with a recorded population of 6500, which leaps in a single bound to nearly quadruple it size for the celebration weekends on a good year.

 

As always it was a good year. We came we saw, we goofed off, we spent our money, and we left broke, and we can't wait to come back. Next year we'll be +1.  

The trip itself was over, and we didn't stick around for the Costume Contest or the closing festivities, but trips like these don't just stop when you leave Metropolis for the long road home, there's always something waiting around the corner. Literally around the corner from the Market Street square we came across the closed Massac Theater, Metropolis' only theater to speak of outside of the Baymont Auditorium. The theater had been owned by Larry Ward in the recent past (could possibly still be) who was manager to Noel Neil, TV's Lois Lane from the George Reeves era Adventures of Superman. Efforts have been underway to rehab the facility for public use once again, but it had seemed that things had come to halt since last year when we saw a new roof had been put in place. We took a look through the windows into the generously sized theater space. It will definitley take a lot of work to bring the building back to its full glory, but I'm sure that one day it will become a welcome addition to the festivites as a potential space for screenings of the Fan Film Festivals and general purpose stage use. Every year there is a series of breakfasts in the early morning hours to support the "Save the Maassac" campaign, but as I saw on the fundraising marker out front, it looks like maybe support has waned in recent years. Hopefully they have seen an uptick that wasn't represented here.

 

 I've been inspired in the past to extend my modest services to an effort to bring more attention to the effort, but I find it easy to get in over my head on passion projects. But this space definitely seems to have some life left in it, barring some much needed work as far as the insides which had fallen to ruin in the past years of having a collapsed roof which wreaked havoc on the interior. I would still care to rebuild it in a digital setting that could show the potential for the space as it pertains to the celebration specifically, but I know if this space were to be back up and running according to the necessary updated standards it could be a great facility for general purposes in the town. There may be more on this before the summer is out... but don't quote me on that, artists are funny people, easily distracted...

 

Oh... and I found Jesus, unfortunately it was at 10:31 and he was no longer serving breakfast, so I bought a Coke and a bag of Cheetos anyway, since it would have been weird to just turn around and leave. It's ok... maybe next time Sir.

I also found Elvis, but this was much closer to Memphis. We had stopped at a Love's Truck Stop Hardee's outside of Jackson, Tn on our way back down and all of the sudden a presence made itself known. Out of the corner of my eye was the mis-shapen hairdo of the savior of popular music himself. I turned and there he was, checking the air pressure on his moderately priced compact SUV. I warned my daughter that it was not polite to stare as I fumbled with my iPhone for no less than a full minute one handed trying to get it to focus... Much like Sasquatch, Elvis too had bested me as he managed to elude my skills of depth of field and composition.

That's the trip folks, thanks for reading, I had a great time.

DC Collectibles: Batman the Animated Series figures, SDCC More on the way?

DC Collectibles has announced the expansion of their 6" Animated Batman figures. This looks to be a nice set of figures, especially with DCU dropping out of retail, this is a nice continuation to what could have easily been done by Mattel.

Just today we were introduced to the Joker, Robin, & Poison Ivy. Two Face and Mr Freeze's debut was a few months ago if only in sketches. This brings the total to 7 figures in an already unreleased line-up. Simply amazing. We're sure to see more at SDCC this summer as well.

Who's next?

Superman the Animated Series anyone?

Seeing how these are being handled definitely makes the mind wander. Seeing such a push into a territory with the idea that there will be more lends to the thought that this could be a new era approaching for DCC. Mattel finally bowed out of the 6" game for DC characters leaving Marvel Legends to run the toy isles. Meanwhile DCC is putting out some of the best looking figures right now that we may have never come to expect from DCC, Formerly DC Direct. It even looks like we are hijacking Mattel's T Crotch/Hip assemblies anyway.

Points of articulation have been a point of articulation for years in action figure collecting. Do we need it? Does it diminish the look of the figure? What's more valuable, posability or awesome sculpts? Has anyone seen Figma? These people have been doing AWESOME beautiful Japanese characters, and when they get to do familiar pop culture characters, they blow it away!!!

Anyway, I think its been pretty clear that DCC is looking to pick up the slack left behind by Mattel. Could we be stepping into the world where the figures we wanted to see from Mattel will come from DCC in our current scale? Imagine the result of DCC getting behind supplementing our appetites for Mattel product we'll never got? 

Superman Movie Masters anyone?

I've been kicking around this Kit Bash Christopher Reeve Superman Movie Masters for years just hoping that I would see it bested by Mattel. But they led us astray… 2" off course. We finally get a Christopher Reeve retail figure and he's 4" tall? or less? No thanks, why is it that Mattel has decided to get out of the 6" game? or have they? Will Movie Masters ALWAYS be on the horizon while the 3.75" figures are our ballet boxes for what properties get the 6" treatment? Will Mattel catch on to Hasbro's strategic success? Will they be there for us when the next superhero movies come out? How can they ignore a 6" hero figure market or force us to re-buy in an inferior scale and quality? I guess they'll find out. Or maybe they've still got something big up their sleeves?

or maybe not...

There are a few stinkers in Hasbro's isles too but for the most part they are sought after characters to varying degrees. Star Wars alone in its 3.75" line can detect the demand for more characters in its own line, they've been doing it for years. Regardless, if we're not going to get them from Mattel, why   not accept one from a company that can do every bit the diligent justice to a property like this?  

I'd love to see DCC take over Mattel's former command of awesome DC Characters in 6" but actually do them AWESOME!!! I loved the 4 Horsemen line, there are still few true gaps that will never be filled from my DCU collection… I'm looking at you Gold Superman and Mxyzptlk… WTF? And the C&C couldn't have been a proper version of SP Kalibak? Can we atleast Mail Away for our Blue Suited Clark Kent figure? Please update the DCSH Sculpt though… he looks pretty weak, eeven for Clark... 

But I don't think it was the Horsemen who killed the line… the line killed the line… the bottom line… jerks…

Thanks for reading, come for the news, stay for the rants...

SDCC 2014 | Star Wars Black Series Wave 4 and Beyond

Another year has gone by and this summer is quick approaching. With exciting news of deluxe sets in the Star Wars Black Series revealed at ToyFair what else can we expect to see revealed this year?

So far we have seen pictures of Biker Scout, Jabba the Hutt, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Jedi Luke & Ep III Anakin Skywalker...

For the most part fans have been pleased with the character selection. Though the toy isles have cast their vote as well showing that Prequel characters will be the hardest sell, I think that once we have a more balanced and intuitive scheme in the works those prequel figures will be in higher demand. Episode II Anakin in itself could raise demand for Episode III Kenobi... but where are my Ep I Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gonn?

Similar sentiments can be felt towards the "no brainer" figures. With most releases to date being Episode IV  heavy and now ROTJ starting to take the lead, where are our main characters hanging out while they wait to be incarnated (inpolymered) for our enjoyment?

 What does the future hold? We'll just have to see. In the meantime I choose to use my imagination. It seems like the most likely news we should see from SDCC this year would be the release of the galaxy's favorite farmboy; Ep IV Luke Skywalker in his Tatooine garb. Complete with his Lightsaber, Droid Caller molded to 1 of 2 Optional Belts, and Stormtrooper blaster.

And what about figure bases? Should figures of this caliber not have a good leg to stand on? While these figures are built with incomparable sculpt quality, amazingly detailed accessories, rotating ankles for stabilty amongst other superior articulation, all inside of a sleek dynamite packaging scheme... no bases? at a $20 price point are we not worth this simplest of accessories?

I think that once things get rolling as we have seen with Hasbro's Marvel Legends line trends like this may come and go while the line itself stays onward with their figure quality. But like I say in the meantime, lets use our imagination.

This figure was built using all BS6 parts from the first 3 waves. It took 3 figures to lend the parts to this piece and in the end it looks great. With a little slicing and sculpting and texture copying I have come about this result bringing my total Luke Skywalker figure count to 5.

I also have created a Jedi Luke from the first act of ROTJ using a Darth Maul and Han Solo body as well as a Stormtrooper Luke and Han from obvious figure choices. This line has as much to offer as the 3.75" forerunner has in the past and I look forward to seeing where things go. The roadmap is pretty predictable as this is not a new part of town, we're just getting a different perspective on the place.

GROUNDHOG DAY SALE

7 DAYS OF SALES THROUGH  WED FEBRUARY 5th

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Mystery Prototype: Toy Biz's Lex Luthor

I was perusing the inter web the other day and out of the corner of my screen I spotted a familiar favorite  that just seemed a little different. For the supposed condition of it I could have  overlooked it but something called me in to take a closer look. 

Something was out of place from what I was accustomed and I couldn't put my finger on it immediately but I knew that something was very different. Lex was in a black suit first of all, which I new to not be correct but I wrote it off as some sort of custom job. Something else wasn't right about the packaging but still I couldn't readily identify it. I watched the item for a couple of days but no one seemed interested in it, partially due to its odd description:

"Package has the original front, the back has been replaced by a sheet of white card stock. The plastic bubble has been stapled to re-attach it. The figure is in good condition. Package shows some wear.  No 4408. Fully Poseable Figure. With Action Feature.  Button Activated Power Punch. Great to add to a Collection, Display, Use or Give as a Gift!"


So after a couple days, I went for it. At $5 plus shipping I really had nothing to lose so I dropped the hammer and had it sent out immediately. It arrived within 2 days which was simply nice but once I got the first look at it in person I knew something was VERY different about my new little friend, something VERY familiar:

So the first thing I noticed was this head. At first I told myself, "Wow, this is a craftily repainted model, but why black?" Then I started to really look at the face and the hands and something really stood out to me. This was not the production model head that we received in the final figure. I started looking on the web at some of the package shots and what I saw was VERY familiar indeed. And on top of that, my little friend here lacked any mechanical set up for his Villainous Head Smacking action… No Lever!!!

This head was definitely an identical sculpt to the one used on the photo model but not the production model. Very cool... so I started to examine the figure a little closer and noticed a few other things that should have stuck out immediately. This figure had no molding seams!! This figure was an original sculpt if not a VERY early copy showing no reproduction lines from factory casting. Upon closer inspection, this figure didnt even seem to be plastic!, possibly even carved out of wood? "WTF am I holding?"

 

There was an obvious refinement to the sculpt itself. Though there were still signs of workmanship, the way everything fit together was just so much tighter and cleaner. The hand of course was not originally sculpted to hold a breif case or gun, The left hand showed no sign of a sculpted ring BUT it did have a much more delicate sculpt that looks much nicer than the ham fist we got on the official release. A lot of the messier details we saw in the official release seem to have a lot to do with the quality/cost of their molds. The production run of Lex Luthor has a much more bulbous head with less "undercuts" which can wreak havoc in the casting process. I imagine the hands also fell to a similar fate once the final model was established.

 

Next I looked at the packaging. There were some clear differences right off the bat. First was the hand drawn DC Super Heroes logo which  had been drawn, hand colored, cut out and then photocopied in place ontop of the color halftone background. The Power Punch burst was slightly out of place. The corners were square cut, not the retail friendly radius corners. The product code was that of Bob the Goon from the Batman figure line (research). The hanging mechanism was a "J" hook and not the typical rack punch style. Everything was wrong and this was starting to look like a very legitimate early rough proof and I was starting to become really intrigued.

The bubble itself was an unsealed square cut bubble. Though the outer shell had the trademarks of the running toybiz line the base was not cut to a radius as they were in production. Also the inner tray, which was a perfect fit for the outer blister, was fitted for a Super Powers Aquaman... peculiar, no space for his trident... 

Well, there it is, my mysteriously sourced toy. I have reached out to a couple folks who I feel could possibly help me track down this figure's ultimate source besides simply being an early proof/prototype but have not heard anything yet...

Some things that I DO know from my own understanding being familiar with the line from my childhood definitely point my hopes towards some very interesting facts relating to this particular figure.

• ToyBiz bought the rights to get in on the Batman franchise creating a small 3 figure line of figures of characters from Batman the Movie starring Michael Keaton.
• The line itself was made to directly take off from the popularity of the Kenner made Super Powers line.
• Many of the figures from the line were near matches to their Kenner counterparts
• The photos used internally to sell the line to DC were largely of Kenner figures used as either direct models OR repainted to stand as new characters to be in the line.
• Lex Luthor was the most unique figure in the first pitch of 8 figures from the DC Super Heroes line
• The Riddler was a new addition to the line-up though his early product photos as well as the production release were essentially a repainted Flash.
• The line did later include versions of The Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Two-Face, all with original sculpts as well as all new sculpts featured in their product photography.

I welcome any tips or information on the ultimate source of origin for this figure.

Leave any comments in the section below!!

The Flickable 11th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

So a day late and a Doctor short as per usual I have found myself tinkering with the 11th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. Its an awesome model with its multi sourced hilt and different textures coming together to make this wacky futurific Sci-Fi plaything. I've found myself hooked on the show over the last year and am current from Russell T. Davies all the way trough the current Steven Moffat run. So now at the end of Matt Smith's run as The Doctor I find myself totally absorbed with this model of Sonic Screwdriver. I'm sure we'll see a new version as the series returns with Peter Capaldi but in the meantime I've found myself seeking to correct all that is wrong with the current toy. And really for what it is its a great model. It just lacks a few steps in planning that could have made it awesome.

The main gripe everyone takes notice of is the placement of the hidden red button under the hatch which as a stock model is the only practical way to activate the light and sound in the extended position. You can squeeze your finger between the spokes of the brass column but you really have to have a fine pointed finger. This was amongst the first things I set out to correct right off the bat. In doing that I went ahead and removed the primary button as well and created one all service button that activates in both the retracted and extended position. It also blends into the "leather" sleeve very nicely and is pretty reliable unless it gets really cold. (It's a rubbery substance but can get very hard in extreme cold).

Secondarily is the action of extending the claws. In the show it seems much more often that the claws are extended by a flicking of the screwdriver as opposed to a switch-blade type of extension. This takes a little more courage and patience to correct. with the screwdriver dis-assembled into its 2 main parts, the spring loaded mechanism and its inner collar are completely removed so the claws to extend prematurely. It also can complicate the extended light & sound activator.

Lastly for fun I went ahead and mocked up packaging. I had gone for a tweed and pinstripe look at first but found it to be a little quaint and not quite my style. This streamlined version seems to do a nice trick.

GeekSummit's GOVEMBER Sale!!!

GeekSummit's scraping the barrel this month as we clear out our vintage collections as well as our regular runs of Movie Masters, DC Universe, Marvel Legends, Zombie Slugs, and of course AWESOME DEALS AND FREE SHIPPING.

150 items currently listed and Hoping to add more before the month is out. Definitley check us out and pick up some sweet collectibles for YOUR geekshelf.

Click the image below to be taken to our current listings!!

There's nothing wrong with toys in the work place!!!

Got nobody to play with?

PLAY WITH YOURSELF!!!

GeekSummit's Star Wars BLOWOUT!!!

Just in time to fill in your new Black Series Collection, GeekSummit is clearing out Star Wars VOTC and Movie Heroes Click the image below to go to the listings page!!!

Most Star Wars figures start @ $7.99 with Custom figures starting at $9.99. Get in early and bid high!!

Be sure and check out the large selection of DC Collectibles as well. Most figures starting at $14.99

AND don't forget the S.L.U.G. Zombies (Series 1 & 2) starting at $2.99

Current auctions run through Sept, 8 2013.

 

SDCC 2013 Reveals Wishlist: Superman the Movie

GeekSummit's SDCC 2013 Reveals Wishlist  

Dark Knight... Batman '66... Green Lantern... Man of Steel... GHOSTBUSTERS!!!

But what about the Reeve movies?...

 

What if???...

Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo!

An entire progressing line covering all 4 yes all 4 Christopher Reeve Superman Movies could be slated for release in the mix of the Man of Steel Mania taking hold this summer. 6" Movie Masters "Classics" would be designed for ALL headliner characters including:

• Marlon Brando as JorEl in black AND a white variant both with various crystal accessories.

• Lex Luthor with Kryptonite chain and a cigar (no word on removable wig status)

• Clark Kent with removable glasses and hat with overcoat over arm accessory.

• Superman authentic designed costume with newspaper dispenser.

  What, no Lois?

• There seems to be a teaser in the bottom left corner of an emerging 3-pack of the of the Kalamity from Krypton; Zod, Ursa, & Non.

Could more second tier characters be on the horizon? I would certainly think so being the first 2 movies use all the same characters… Hooray!!! a Two-Fer!!!

Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo!

With high hopes for an awesome Superman Legacy line from Mattel ala Batman Legacy (not bad) I could only hope with the most sincere delusion that this has crossed the minds of Mattel if not for the 75th anniversary of the man himself then the 35th anniversary of the first movie... Well, I can't make it happen myself but I can throw this blood in the water and hope someone wants this as bad as I do…