Fortress Of Wax…

Both a labour of love and and a product of great expense and obsession, SuperFan Chris King has been responsible for commissioning and fabricating some of the greatest high-end Superman collectables ever made.

His dedication to the pursuit of the perfect Super costume lead to several differing versions before submitting definitive amendments to makers Action Costumes which are still in use by them today. The ambitious project shown above was a combination of said costume, (including belt made by yours truly) mannequin and a silicone headsculpt (featuring glass eyes and punched hair) by UK sculptor/artist Mike Hill.

If you notice more than a passing resemblance to the recently offered Cinemaquette 1/4 scale statue it is no coincidence as that was also crafted by Mike. Ever the perfectionist, Chris would do further revisions of the costume and eventually sold this piece to fund those and other projects…

 

"Great Blue Git…"

A recent viewing of the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II prompted a dusting off of my original script, (originally belonging to Production Illustrator Reg Hill) where I was reminded of the intended opening shown above.

These pages are the only evidence of the scene’s existence, however, as apparently it was never shot. The lack of the Fox Hunting scene among others accounts for Superman’s late appearance in his own movie, highlighting the fundamental problem with the Donner Cut insofar as expectations could never be met by what is, essentially, a series of unfinished scenes with Richard Lester footage as glue. Despite a valiant effort by editor Michael Thau to achieve coherence with this, it ultimately best viewed as a flawed but nonetheless groundbreaking experiment – and possibly the greatest DVD extra ever conceived.

Its also fascinating to think what potential use the above scene may have been put to in a campaign to ban foxhunting by people who shared Superman’s sentiment – a law that was passed by the UK Government decades later…