REVIEW: Mattel SDCC13 Exclusive Man of Steel - Superman vs General Zod

Film's Final Confrontation Captured In New Movie Masters Two-Pack...

With MAN OF STEEL in theaters and doing decently well this summer, it only made sense for Mattel to release something in support of their latest Movie Masters line. And for San Diego Comic-Con, what better fit than Superman?

In this Movie Masters two-pack, Superman is pitted against the villainous General Zod in their final confrontation. The set sold for $50 and will be available once again on MattyCollector.com August 5th. In usual Matty-fashion, this is a set that will ask you the burning question: To remove or not to remove from the package? Prior to the convention, the only thing that was revealed for a while was the glorious Man of Steel outer box featuring the Superman ‘S’ shield and his flowing red cape on the back. Each side represents the characters contained within, Superman on one side and General Zod on the other. It’s a shame that the General Zod illustration doesn’t properly reflect the figure inside, though, since we aren’t getting Zod wearing his armor.

Within the box, the Superman vs General Zod is locked into a very much destroyed Metropolis setting. Superman is flying in the air while General Zod is fighting on the ground floor. Unique to this Superman figure is a soft goods cape and heat vision. With a push of a button, Superman’s heat vision is activated, a sound and explosion can be heard, and a red light can be seen illuminated near General Zod. Even the box is designed to simulate a very precarious situation, given the uneven tilt design.

All that is described immediately above is what can be done if you simply leave the toys in the packaging as is. And surely, it’s display-worthy like that as well. There’s no bubble or plastic between you and the toys. It’s an open-air environment to do as you wish.

If you opt for removing the figures, there really isn’t an easy way around it. You’re going to destroy the packaging to get everything out and y ou will lose forever the sound effects associated with Superman’s heat vision. Out of the box, the set comes with Superman and General Zod, a steel beam accessory, and a base and flight stand. The steel beam has a spot for General Zod to grab hold of but it’s completely an unnecessary accessory.

While Superman is flying up on the base, there is one lonely peg for one of General Zod’s feet to plug into. It’s a bit awkward not being able to fully display both figures on the base but such is life I suppose.

Superman has pretty much the same body and articulation as the standard Movie Masters Superman release but sports a less film-accurate headsculpt. Here, Superman is gritting his teeth and bears less of a resemblance to actor Henry Cavill. The two selling points that really increase play value with Superman is his heat vision, which is activated by pushing a button on his back. A quick push will turn on the lights for a very quick second. Hold the button down for a longer effect.

The soft goods cape, however, is the real winner here. Poseable wires help simulate the act of flying and can make for some great poses. Upon first glance, the cape didn’t look too great and there was a huge tag that I had to cut out, but otherwise, it provides the most fun as Superman can only look so tough on his own, the cape is part of the personality and look of the character.

General Zod, at first glance appears to be the same figure as the standard retail release, but you’ll soon notice the goatee, making this a more movie accurate representation. For sticklers of film accuracy, this may be the version of Zod you’d want to get.

The included steel beam is an alright accessory but can only be held by General Zod’s left hand as his right hand and both of Superman’s are in clenched fists condition. This makes for some awkward methods of attacking his foe that aren’t very convincing.

Articulation-wise, both figures have the same exact count as your standard Movie Masters figure. The box itself suggests that these figures have “deluxe” articulation but given that they’re too limited to be able to look up, I’d say that these figures only have standard articulation, especially when Marvel Legends and now Star Wars Black Series have entered the fray. But still, as toys, these will offer just enough poseability for a neat display if you choose.

Superman vs General Zod was sold at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 and will resume online sales on MattyCollector.com on Monday (or Friday for those who have early access). This set is on the pricier side, but as mentioned before, this is the version of General Zod you’ll need from the end of the film and Superman's cloth cape is very fun to pose.

Review and Photos by David Yeh

Review Sample Courtesy of Mattel

---