Re: collection showoff! - Ridiculously Accurate Superman Reeve costume
Superman superman superman -sigh- what a pain in the butt you are Superman...
After about a decade of attempting a lifesize superman, I think I've come a bit closer.
The main upgrade to my Christopher Reeve Superman display is a brand new costume from Action Costumes.
Let me tell you, I have never seen a finer Reeve Superman costume anywhere! They were a pleasure to deal with, I've dealt with them before, and they make everything to order so things take a bit of time. One of the problems that has plagued many Superman costumers is the fabric. I think Action Costumes nailed it. I've seen close ups of the fabric which can be seen here:
?Prop Store Collection? Superman Costume, Fabric Discussion Continued, Part 2 : The Original Prop Blog ? Jason DeBord's TV and Movie Prop Memorabilia Resource
The bottom line is - it's a really rare, heavy "bridal weight" spandex, where the machine that made the fabric has been long retired.
I urge everyone to take a look at the link above and look at my close up pics. The weave is nearly identical. It's incredible. Action Costume's fabric is thicker than any other superman costume that I've dealt with to date. That being said, the original fabric had a bit more sheen to it. However, the color is an almost near match.
If you can't tell already, I love this costume!
If you want to reach them you can do so through their website, but you have to ask them for the "GOLD edition" which I don't think is listed in their website.
..:Action Costumes:..
On with the pics.
Check out the close up of the fabric.
it came packaged extremely well
Action Costumes had another great costume prior to this one, made in collaboration with Chris King. The Chris King fabric is the one on the right, and the new costume is on the left.
As you can see it's a lot more accurate, the same fabric type was used throughout the emblem.
One of the hardest things to duplicate on the Reeve Superman costume is the color. It's a REALLY weird color that does not translate well in pictures. It's really more teal/ turquoise, but when you take a picture of it, it comes out blue. Part of it has to do with newer camera's "auto white balance" that changes the color to what the camera thinks it should be.
I've decided to take pictures of a spectrum of color temperatures in an attempt to show you how accurate this suit really is. If you were to google Reeve Superman pictures you'll see all of these colors, and that fact that they can be replicated by changing the color temperature is a very good thing.



Here's a close up of the costume when I first got it to show the sheen and the way it changes color just by being in the shadows. Every wrinkle is emphasized so putting this on a lifesize display is a huge problem, as your mannequin has to be silky smooth and perfect.
Action Costumes also redid their cape, making it more accurate by adding button snaps and a liner. They also made their pleats more accurate and the cape overall is awesome.
stay tuned - I'm going to work out a lifesize display for this...