A Man of Steel...in plastic - Mattel's Man of Steel Movie Masters

This years Summer Tentpole release from Warner Bros. is Zack Snyder's big budget reboot of the Superman franchise. Originally scheduled to be released in the overly subscribed release period of December 2012, the studio wisely decided to allow a 'make or break' movie for the entire DC Comics stable to breathe and to devote some serious marketing power to the worldwide release now scheduled for 14th June 2013.

With any good superhero movie you need to not only satisfy the needs of the audience in the theatre but also the needs of the playground and the increasingly larger adult collector market for toys and action figures. The studiod turned to longterm master licensee partner Mattel to accomplish the mass market releases for action figures.

Mattel, following on from the very disappointing show for the Dark Knight Rises line went back to the drawing board for this one and covered the three main areas that make up any toy geeks collection. 3.75 inches, 6 inches and the more cartoony stocky 2 inch figures.

BUT...the real question has to be does the line fare any better than the ill-fated Dark Knight Rises?

I'm pleased to say that the answer to this is a resounding YES but by just how much. Let's look...

This review will focus on, what for me, is my own personal favourite scale, the 6 inch scale. The 'Movie Masters' series.

For the uninitiated, the Movie Masters series are meant to be more 'realistic' sculpts with a touch more articulation than 'Kids' toys. The series began with the rather lukewarm 'Superman Returns' but really hit it's stride with the phenomenally successful 'The Dark Knight'.

So enough of the waffle, let's get down to it.

The series, features, as can be seen above, the titular Man of Steel, Superman himself, Jor-El and General Zod.

Let's look at those individually.

First up, as it should be, is Superman himself.

All three of the characters come packed in a blister card with a brief synopsis of the character and their role in the movie on the back.

Each character in this wave also comes with their family's own sigil that they wear upon their chests...and you thought it was just a convenient 'S' for Superman...

I was, it has to be said extremely disappointed when I unpacked this figure. I just couldn't see Henry Cavill in the sculpt. Henry Cavill is a ridiculously attractive fellow with definite chiseled features and on first impression the jaw line was far too wide.

As an action figure of Superman though everything was there, multiple points of articulation (I counted 22 points but I could be mistaken). The real problem with this figure is that the cape is simply too thick and certainly hinders any dynamic posing and also prvents any real decent look at what is no doubt top quality scuplting on the rear of the figure because that it where this figure excels, the sculpting.

The costume in the movie is highly textured (a source of some costernation of fans) and I'm glad to report that this has been translated very nicely onto the figure itself an area that could easily have been foregone as a cost saving measure has, instead, been faithfully rendered.

As has the other decorative features of the new Supersuit. Again, what would normally have been done with a paint job has been sculpted onto the figure. 

Even the boots have the texturing followed through. a very impressive feat (or feet even...)

But as I said above, I was having real difficulty seeing Henry in the figure when it was in flat light. That is until I hit it with other lighting which altered the scenario substantially. a light in right place brought the sculpt to life  in a huge way.

It ain't perfect by any chalk but it's definitely Superman as we'll see him in the movie.

Certainly, it's markedly better than the effort to capure Brandon Routh back in 2006. Here's a side by side shot.

So, some really good plus points and to be honest, every fan of Superman SHOULD have this figure in their collection because it's the best 6 inch scale representation of Superman from the movie that you're going to get and it is really is a decent figure.

Then again, that's maybe the problem. It's just a decent figure. Nothing more. There's certainly an argument that this is the figure that should blow you away. It doesn't. But it is a good figure.

There are however the drawbacks that I've mentioned above. The sculpting only really comes alive when it's lit, the hands ar sculpted closed and that bloody cape hampers any decent poses.

The stand that comes with the figure is a nicely opaque representation of the 'S' that we know and love with a single peg that slots into the left foot to allow the figure to be displayed on the stand.

At the end of the day, if you own any of the other Movie Masters figures of the the characters from any of the other DC movies you really need to get this figure if only to be able to take this photo and get excited at the possibilities...

moving now onto what was, hands down the most impressive of this trio of releases in wave one, the daddy himself, Jor-El...

As you can see from the above photo, the sculptors at mattel have been working overtime on this one and it really, really shows.

An incredibly detailed figure, from the textured bodysuit to the subtle striations on the armour.

Certainly with this figure it's initially better to let the pictures do the talking...

Unfortunately, with all of the time taken over the body Mattel really let themselves down by not sculpting the beard onto the facial sculpt relying solely on paint to accomplish the look. This renders the figure as looking less like Russell Crowe than it would have done if the beard had been sculpted and again, until you hit it with some decent light whilst the man who is Javert is there it's a case of 'B+ could do better...'.

But when you do hit it...blimey!

There, you have Russell Crowe as Jor-El.

Really, a very cool figure and like Pokemon, you gotta catch 'em all so this is certainly one to pick up if you see him on your toy shelves.

Jor-El, like Superman, comes with a stand featuring the 'El' family crest.

Again the figure has the same 22 POA as the Superman figure but the armour may well restrict some upper arm movement.  

A nice Father and Son shot

Definitely two very nice figures and for the $15 pricepoint certainly favourably comparable with everything else on the market at that price.

I just wish the same could be said of General Zod...

Michael Shannon has the 'benefit' of being a man with very *ahem* striking features. Imagine therefore my puzzlement when I unpacked Zod.

Frankly, the figure looked nothing like him.

Even worse, in every single shot we've seen of Zod he has a beard. Missing. Not even painted on.

NB. - Update. It's been pointed out to me that this is in fact the Zod when he's being sentenced on Krypton and that he doesn't have a beard in this scene.

Sure, the texturing of the costume is as nice as the other two figures, same POA and same great sculpting on the other features of the suit.

Presumably, this is sort of what is hidden by the cape on the Superman figure.

A lesson learned however with the other two figures made me hit it with a different light thinking it would make a difference. Thankfully it did but not as drastic as the other two.

It certainly became more Shannon like but still missing Zod. Until I changed my angle of shooting.

There was Zod. A clean-shaven Zod to be sure but Zod to be sure.

Call me silly, but I don't think you should have to go to all the trouble of lighting and choosing which angle you look at your figures from to get a decent representation of characters. I use this as an example a lot but Designworks Windsor's work on the 5 inch Scale Doctor Who line was, to me, the benchmark of what should be acheived with a mass market figure line.

This has certainly affected my scoring of the line as a whole and I hope it's something that's taken into account on Wave Two of the line.

Zod again comes with his crest as a stand.

Which, again only in my opinion, looks a bit Soviet Russia 'Hammer and Sickle' - perhaps shades of the influence of Mark Millar's seminal 'Red Son' Graphic Novel.

Also, because I couldn't resist the temptation to do it I pulled out the other franchises villans for a quick photo...

On the whole therefore, Wave One is definitely worth picking up. As a die-hard Superman fan I absolutely had to have these figures which, unfortunately, due to the usual crazy marketing decisions taken by Mattel UK I have had to secure from the USA as they won't be stocked over here at any mainstream toy outlets and will only be available in small quantities at inflated prices from specialist stores.

A shout out then to my man, Brandon, for stepping into the breach and getting these babies in my hand for review before many US stores have them in stock for sale.

For all fans of the character I think you should pick these up as soon as you or indeed any US friend can pick them up. Certainly judging by the groundswell of support that I'm hearing for this film these will certainly be getting harder to find as the film is released.

So, from me a thumbs up but with my Superman Bias turned off I certainly think twice about getting the General Zod figure.

Separate scores :-

Superman - 7/10

Jor-El - 8.5/10

General Zod - 6/10

See you in the aisles...

F.M. - Indiscreet Live 25

For 25 years the British Melodic Rock Scene has been a bit of a strange place. Numerous bands, prolific in their output but lacking in that essential 'it' factor. One band that has that 'it' factor in spades are the mighty FM who rolled into town as part of their 'Indiscreet 25' Tour.

In 1986 as Top Gun ruled the UK cinemas and Thatcher and Reagan were carving up the world between them the London based FM released their debut album 'Indiscreet' into a marketplace already ripe to take an album this full of hooks and big chorus' to their hearts.

Many people did and FM were seen as the leading lights on the UK Melodic Rock Scene for a good while.

Fast forward to 25 years later, a recently re-energised FM have taken to the road on the 25th Anniversary of the release of 'Indiscreet' to play the album from Top to Bottom for the first time ever.

As if that wasn't enough there was also the added bonus of two support bands to add to the nights entertainment.

The first act on stage was The Deborah Bonham Band. Featuring the sister of late drumming great John Bonham on vocals the band played a short but tight set of mostly Led Zep influenced numbers. Clearly suffering from a heavy cold Deborah struggled through valiantly but for me the band (and Deborah) truly came to life on their penultimate number of the the set, a lovely, heartfelt throaty ballad that left many people in the audience impressed.

Her backing band were tight (but loose) and Deborah herself is no doubt a very accomplished vocalist when not under the strain of heavy sinuses.

The next band up were, for me, a 'golden ticket' moment. I had been a fan of Romeo's Daughter at the dawn of the nineties and honestly had not listened to them since. When they were announced as the main support I was curious, but not curious enough to dig out my old CD's. I was aware that many had praised them as the 'band of the weekend' at their Firefest reunion gig in 2009 but just wasn't sure.

I'm happy to admit that I was completely mistaken. They were Phenomenal. Simply Phenomenal.

From the moment that they took the stage I was beaming, a rock solid group of songs combined with one of the best female vocalists in the genre in Leigh Matty.

Opening with a track from the new album 'Rapture' the band were confident, assured and quite honestly could easily have been a headline act. The new songs blended perfectly with the old bringing lots of nodding heads from the assembled crowd. Carving the 8 song set up equally between new tracks and old favourites was a gamble and certainly one that I'm sure paid off for the band.

Leigh's voice still soared above the guitar genius of Craig Joiner's shimmering lead lines with the rhythm section of Andy Wells and Ed Poole underpinning the tracks.

Tony Mitman (looking these days more 'Banker Dad' than 'Wild Child') was still the master of keys providing not only some deft keyboard runs but also some beautiful pad work to the proceedings layering up the sound to be as wonderful as a warm duvet on a cold winter's night.

Without a doubt as the band struck up 'Cry Myself to Sleep at Night' there was a transcendent moment as everyone in the room was transported back to the days when Rock was truly king and yet firmly rooted in the now. A timeless classic of a track that I am ashamed to say had been missing from my musical choices for far too long. A mistake I won't be making again in hurry.

Romeo's Daughter delivered. Pure, unadulterated Adult Oriented Rock. It was a glorious moment for the crowd and seemingly for the band. If (more likely 'when' after the reaction) the band return as a headline act I would strongly suggest you check them out. I can guarantee you that you won't be disappointed.

Romeo's Daughter have returned. May they never leave us again.

Ultimately though as good as they were the night truly belonged to F.M.

The show originally scheduled for the smaller Academy 3 but was moved up to the much larger Academy 2 after strong tickets sales which the band in turn sold out with the ticket touts outside the venue doing brisk business with the walk-up crowd.

The band had a palpable sense of excitement for the tour and for this show particularly and that was more than apparent from the moment they took the stage to the 'Pink Panther' theme intro tape.

From the moment they launched into 'That Girl' the crowd were in their hands. Bobbing and smiling, singing along to every word sung by the golden throated Steve Overland and interacting with the band all the way through the performance.

From 'That Girl' to the final encore of the night 'Hot Legs' a song that the band made their own on their first tour, the interplay between the band and crowd is more akin friends and family than act and paying audience.

There is a lot of love for the band from their fans and this is clearly reciprocated from on stage.

There were several moments throughout the night when telling looks of emotion were exchanged between the band members on stage a particularly fine example being after guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick (replete with 80's-tastic turned up cuffs on his suit jacket) finished one of the many fine solos played by him over the course of the evening and Steve Overland looked over and gave him a look of simple pride. Beautiful.

Kirkpatrick, whilst being a relatively new member of the band is treated as family by the FM masses. Adding a new flavour to familiar guitar lines and a boatload of emotion to his solos.

The band, just before the show began had told the crowd by their Facebook and Twitter page that they had a surprise for us and it was after the closing notes of the band's first hit 'Frozen Heart' (complete with in harmony vocal support from the crowd) that the band revealed what it was. Former keyboard player 'Didge Digital' returned to the stage with FM for a spirited run through Indiscreet's closing track 'Heart of the Matter' a song that is such a perfect example of AOR that it cemented itself as one of my all time favourite songs the moment that i heard way back when. Not content with one 'Keytar' on stage with Mr. Digital, full time keyboardist Gem Davies joined them with his 'Eddie Van Halen Paintjob Keytar' as the band drew the main set to a close.

Honestly, if the band had decided to stop right there then it would have been enough. With classics such as 'American Girls' and the simply sublime 'Face to Face' (a song that brought your humble review to tears with it's majesty) already in the bag they could have left the stage with the punters sated.

They didn't.

Not content with what had already been delivered the band returned to stage for some little played numbers and a smattering of tracks from 1989's 'Tough it Out' album. Drummer Pete Jupp and Bass Player Merv Goldsworthy showed exactly how over 25 years of playing together can form a foundation that simply cannot be moved as they powered through crowd sing-a-long favourite 'Bad Luck'.

As the Outro Tape of the Morecambe and Wise classic 'Bring Me Sunshine' played I turned to see the same expression on the faces of other crowd members as I was all too sure was emblazoned on my own. Pure Unadulterated Bliss.

I have had the privilege of seeing FM approximately 30-40 times over the years at venues big and small all over the country and can honestly say, hand on heart, that this was easily the best gig that I have ever seen them play.

In fact, the whole night was genuinely what musical memories are made of.

FM will be releasing a new DVD 'Live in Europe' on 12th March 2012 which you can purchase from their webstore HERE

Romeo's Daughter have a new album out 'Rapture' available at all good record stores or from the band's website itself HERE



FM's Setlist :-

That Girl
Other Side Of Midnight
Love Lies Dying
I Belong To The Night
American Girl
Hot Wired
Face To Face
Frozen Heart
Heart Of The Matter 

Dangerous
Let Love Be The Leader
Tough It Out
Don't Stop
Does It Feel Like Love
Bad Luck
Burning My Heart Down


Hot Legs

X-Men : First Class in more ways than one

After the critical and commercial success of Thor worldwide and the upcoming Captain America I was wondering how this prequel to the insanely successful X-Men trilogy would turn out. Sandwiched right between two of Marvel's tentpole characters and right before DC unleashes Green Lantern out into the wild.

I'm extremely pleased to say that this film more than lives up to both it's name and expectations. This really is a first class production. New to the franchise and following his wildly successful take on Mark Millar's 'Kick-Ass' Matthew Vaughn helms this cold war spy thriller with aplomb. One part Bond film, one part war drama and two parts superhero adventure this movie feels British in the greatest possible way harking back to the greatest Elstree output of the sixties and seventies.

Working from a script that has been through four different passes and writers and finally ending up with the ever wonderful Jane Goldman I was worried about how the film would feel tonally but within the first 10 minutes these doubts were swept away.

This really truly felt like a prequel to the other three movies, beginning with a replay of the concentration camp scene from X2 and moving through the sixties following Erik Lensherr's revenge mission against his former captors which in turn leads to the first meeting of minds between Lensherr and Charles Xavier played with a definite edge by Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy respectively

.

This is really where the film takes off as Charles helps Erik come to terms with his past and to control his powers aiding the American government in a bid to stop the escalation of nuclear war between the USA and Russia masterminded by the evil genius Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) aided by his right hand woman Emma Frost (January Jones).

Kevin Bacon is really fantastic is this movie chewing up the scenery in an astounding way as a world dominating egomaniac in the grand tradition of the early Bond villans seeming to relish the all round 'evilness' of his character.

The film's sixties tone is ably assisted from some excellent production design and sets and only really fails with some of the acting from the younger cast members making up the titular inaugural bunch of students at Xavier's School for the Gifted.

The ties to the previous three movies are all here showing the creation and use of Cerebro, the beginnings of the cracks between the two friends over their respective ideaologies, the same effects and sound cues used for the mutant powers that we've seen before, a cameo appearance from a familar face and young mutants being shown how to revel in and harness the powers that they have been given.

It is these young mutants that provide a lot of the lighter moments of the film. The interplay between Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee and the rest of the cast is a really cool thing to see and whilst the pairing of Nicholas Hoult as Beast and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique should have worked it just seemed to fizzle out. This was really my only criticism of the casting.

As well as some great performances from the cast throughout the film special mention must go to the costume and make-up departments who have really truly delivered a retrofitted look from taking the comic costumes from the period and meshing them with the look of the X-Men from the first trilogy leading to a very pleasing assemblage of looks immediately reminiscent of the characters.

The practical make-up work on Beast must be singled out as one of the high points of the movies look but I'm going to leave it there for you spoilerphobes out there.

That's not however to say that the CG work on the movie is sub-par, far from it, but it is nice to see more practical effects being carried out apart from when absolutely necessary. One of the best uses of the CG in the movie was the way that they handled the scream of the Banshee really taking cues from the way it is seen in the comics.

The film climaxes with one of the most exciting sequences I've seen committed to film in a long-time, the face-off between the two-sides of the cold war with added mutant action. This is literally First Class action with the mutant powers properly unleashed and executed as we've never seen them before. I really hope that Zack Snyder is watching the flight chase to see how it can be done.

The final beachfront confrontation between the former allies is really well handled and in the hands of a lesser Director could have been a clunky mess (Brett Ratner I'm looking at you) and the final tragic moment leading us nicely to the status quo that we know from the original trilogy.

Overall though this film belongs fully to Michael Fassbender who absolutely nails every scene he is in, the early rage and pain giving forth to cold revenge and finally to acceptance and disgust. I really, truly hope that this is the start of a second trilogy for the X-Men and the Brotherhood as I'd love to see what else Fassbender can do with Magneto.

I'll certainly be hoping to see this movie again during it's run in the cinemas but until then it's (First) Class dismissed.

PS - Rose Byrne stripped down to her lingerie in the Hellfire Club...worth the price of the cinema ticket alone.

Tigertailz - Sunday 15th May 2011 - Manchester MOHO Live

The noise level was critical when Welsh Glam Titans Tigertailz finally returned to the Manchester stage as a headline act for the first time since late 1991.

Re-energised, refreshed and reloaded with the new addition of Ex-Fuzzbox bass player Sarah Firebrand and drummer extraordinaire Robin Guy the mighty 'tailz took to the stage following a last minute support slot from upcoming band, Falling Red.

I had heard great things about Falling Red and was looking forward to checking them out but after a strong opening the band, I felt lacked a creative spark jamming no less than 3 cover versions (including a ridiculously plodding cover of Love Gun by Kiss) into a 30 minute set. The band either have no faith in their own material or are under-rehearsed either way I can't see that the show earned them any new fans.

The front-line of Falling Red really look like a band, their image, their stagecraft even down to their choice of guitars. The drummer however was, for me, the weak link in a chain already loosened by the aforementioned cover versions. Certainly stylistically he looked as though he would be more at home in a band fronted by Marilyn Manson but even his musicality was seemingly devoid of the energy and spark needed (and certainly generated) by the rest of the band. I think more time needs to be spent practising stick-spinning and visual tricks to really fit in with the band. Having said that, he was very tight, just a little...well...boring.

No doubt the band, having been shoehorned onto the bill at the last moment were suffering from this and I look forward to being much more impressed by them in their slot at the S.O.S. Festival in July certainly their own material showed a great deal of promise with big chords and catchy choruses including a lovely power ballad. I just wish the band believed in it more.

After a short break Tigertailz took to the stage with the massive opening track 'Sick Sex' from the 1989 stand-out album Berzerk and that is exactly what the (disappointingly thin) crowd did. From Jay Pepper's opening riff to the closing Chord of the evening the crowd went beserk as only a Mancunian crowd can. The energy levels rising as the set wound on.

Crashing swiftly into 'Wazbones' the title track from the unreleased 1992 album of the same name the band played a set culled mostly from the aforementioned Beserk album Tigertailz showing everyone why exactly they were once one of the UK rock-scenes most exciting bands fusing the bombast of Kiss with the showmanship of Motley Crue and utilising samples and loops before most band had even figured out how to use a drum machine.

As a longtime fan of the band I was really looking forward to seeing what the new line-up brought to the older material and I was not disappointed. The delicious Ms. Firebrand gave the basslines of the back catalogue a sexy new fire whilst the blur of sticks at the back of the stage kicked (literally) the intensity of the tracks up several notches.

Struggling against a horrendous onstage sound and this being the third show in a row the band still gave all as the hits kept coming 'Livin' Without You', 'Love Bomb Baby' and 'Noize Level Critical' kept the crowd going whilst a stirring, emotional sing-a-long tribute to deceased bass player Pepsi Tate 'Heaven' brought a tear to a few eyes in the crowd.

 After a rampant jaunt through 'Long Live the New Flesh' from the Thrill Pistol album the band took a short break from the stage allowing Robin to show exactly why he is in demand a hi-energy player as he soloed along to a backing track made up of air raid sirens and a pounding electro-bass line.

I've seen Robin play on many occasions and I've never seen him drop a stick but tonight a couple of bits of wood went awry to his amusement. I wonder could he have been feeling the beady eye of former drummer, Ace Finchum who had turned up to watch the band much to the delight of many fans of a certain age who have fond memories of Ace's time with the band.

As the band returned to the stage to the strains and Kim Hooker lead the crowd in a one man singalong of 'Lick it Up' the band readied themselves to take us into the homestretch with an energy and a perfomance belying the onstage difficulties and closing the set with Jay Pepper's 'Robocop' set piece and a monstrously HUGE 'Dirty Needles'.

Answering the calls from the crowd the band took to the stage once more for a spirited cover of KISS favourite 'Deuce' and whipped the crowd into a heaving, sweating, clapping frenzy with final number 'Call of the Wild'.

Despite the bands consternation with the onstage sound the front of house mix was passable, certainly it could have been better but on the whole it was a loud, sweaty, rock and roll show as only Tigertailz can deliver. I just hope they don't leave it as long next time...