NECA Original Superheroes Flash, Ming & The Phantom In-Hand Early Look

NECA is expanding it’s King Features line of action figures with the Original Superheroes line. Currently these are comic/retro based renditions of The Defenders of Earth characters released earlier in the year – Flash Gordon, Ming The Merciless, and The Phantom. That may expand down the road of course. They take the base sculpts from the first releases and add to it, tweak it. The new window box packaging features the property it comes from and a numbering system, allowing MISB collectors to keep count on shelf as the line progresses.

NECA sent through some early samples for us to take a look at. Pre-Orders are now live, check our sponsors below to get your orders in!

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Read on to check out our pics and some additional thoughts!

Original Superheroes Wave 1 Overall Thoughts

Ever since I saw the NECA Defenders of Earth back at Toy Fair 2020, I was eager to get my hands on them. The superhero sculpts NECA created back in the DC VS packs with Alien and Predator got some new life, altered of course. They are just some really well done modern hero designs. While not a huge fan of Defenders of Earth or the original IP now under King’s Feature, these new takes were just sharp AF. NECA’s head to toe paint was icing on the cake. I STILL don’t have the original figures in hand, even though some are out in the wild, but they are on order. These here are review samples, and are due to ship early next year, but pre-orders are live now.

Let’s get this out of the way for all the figures here – I dig them and they are well done on all fronts – sculpt, articulation, accessories, paint, engineering and execution. No point in saying it repeatedly. Basically no complaints on any of the key points.

There is a lot of reuse of parts, which I am fine with. The holster, pistol, waist sash and blast effects for Flash and Ming are the same. The sheath and swords have some differences. Both have design inspiration from the past. Flash had a lot of different looks over the years which this references, and Ming seems to pull from a cartoon actually – the New Adventures of Flash Gordon, which pre-dates Defenders of Earth. It’s possible this was a comic look but I didn’t run into it in my research. Both have alternate heads so it’s dealer choice there on which you want to rock.

The Phantom is a more classic look. He has the striped over-underwear. Dual holsters and pistols, because his previous release was based on the cartoon where he only had one pistol and black trunks. The whip is well done, has some bendy capabilities. The Skull is dope and has an articulated jaw, can pop on the body or be some accessory fodder. The capper is a small hit of glow in the dark on the eyes and his belt skull.

Bottom line – great set. Great packaging. Love the numbering system, hopefully the line continues and works in a lot of different characters over the coming years. I look forward to a nice little (big) King Features nook with these awesome sculpts as it all progresses. Now if my toon Defenders would get here I’d be set!

Stay tuned for more galleries from this line, we have a couple more in the chamber for later on!