Man of Steel
| Class of Bootleg |
Class 1 - Exact Duplicate
|
| Class Notes: |
Candian-style packaging, slight color variations - Possibly a very low-level Class Two
|
| Bootleg Source: |
Kenner Superman Man of Steel Line
|
| Bootleg Rating: |
 (Four out of five stars)
|
| Sightings: | Mexico, New York, California
|
| Vintage: | Spring 1997
|
As seen from the title block at right, these Superman bootlegs were copied from a Candian Packaging scheme...as indicated by the French and English wording. The backboard sports the familiar US S-Symbol logo, but instead of individual packaging, the area behind the figure has all 5 of the trading cards printed on it. The backboard has some very grainy photos of the other figures (lifted from a French/US version as indicated by the bi-lingual text). Instead of the US J-Hook style card hanger, this bootleg has an odd semi-circle flap in the middle of the card. (See photo below.)
There are five figures available in this line:
- Superman
- Black-Suited Superman
- Superboy
- Steel
- Conduit
Black-Suited Bootleg
The figure seen here is very similar to the US version of the Black-Suited Superman. Compared to the real figure (below) the most obvious changes are the packaging, the absence of a seperate trading card, the color of the accessories, and the size of the figure's head.
The figure's head is where things get the most fun. First, let's look at the real head from the US version.
Note that the head fits correctly on the neck of the figure, that the eyes stare straight ahead, and that, in general, it looks a lot like Superman. Not a very exciting expression, but that's true of the entire Man of Steel line.
Now let's look at the Bootleg's head. If you're familiar at all with the actor Jack Elam (Imortalized in the movie "The Girl In Lover's Lane" for me) you'll see that Clark Kent has been replaced. Jack stares at us from mis-matched eyes, his small, pinhead siting uneasily on the oversized shoulders.
If you watch Mystery Science Theater, and have seen their treatment of the Girl in Lover's Lane, you'll want to read the following line aloud in your best Crow impersonation:
"To live like the E-lam...."
Sorry...off on a tangent there. But it's still a hilarious looking figure! (By the way...thanks to Jason Geyer for pointing out that it's Jack Elam and not Greg, as I had first typed!)
The other figure I have to look at is the Steel Rip-Off.
When compared with a real Steel from the US (below), the obvious changes are to the color of the figure's plastic (from gun-metal blue/grey to a light and fluffy blue), the packaging, the color of the figure's hammer, and the absence of a seperate trading card.
Otherwise, this is a fairly decent bootleg. All the parts are the correct size, at least. :)
The last three figures in the line, Power Flight-Superman, Superboy, and Conduit are almost identical to their Kenner counterparts.
Power-Flight Superman
Superman's chains have been re-cast in red plastic instead of the orignal grey. Other than that, he's the same.
Conduit
Conduit's armor has been repainted in a nasty shade of mustard yellow, as opposed to the cannary-yellow of the Kenner version. His gauntlet-tendrils are now red, instead of yellow. Other than that, he looks very close to the legal version. The painting detail on the head, in particular, is outstanding for this line of bootlegs.
Superboy
There are no real difrences in this figure. The black claw is cast in a shiny plastic instead of matte, but that's it. A high-quality bootleg.
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All Content ©1986-2008-through the End of Time by Christopher Doyle |
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