Man Of Steel (Kenner) 1995

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Kenner continued their partnership with DC Comics branded toy lines in 1995 with the Man of Steel action figure line. After the success of their “Legends of Batman” line, Kenner turned their attention to Superman. This line was heavily inspired by the Death of Superman aftermath period of that time. Several new characters were introduced in this line, such as Superboy, Steel and even Doomsday. The Man of Steel line proved to be popular enough to eventually lead to the Total Justice line the following year. In all, there were a total of 9 standard figures, 3 two-packs, a couple of Deluxe Figures, an exclusive Eradicator figure, a few vehicles and a 10″ Ultimate Superman figure. Each figure also included a Skybox trading card.

For more information about Kenner’s Man of Steel line, see bottom of page for a complete summary.

Man Of Steel: Series One (1995): Basic Assortment

For the debut of their Man of Steel line, Kenner released five new figures in 1995, which included Conduit, Laser Superman, Power Flight Superman, Steel and Superboy.

Conduit

Market Value:
Carded $10 – $15
Loose $4 – $7

Conduit
Accessories: Spinning Kryptonite Attack Cables x 2, Removable Helmet, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: Conduit (AKA Kenny Braverman) made his 1st appearance in Man of Steel issue # 0 and tried to murder anyone important to Clark Kent. Conduit comes with two Spinning Kryptonite Attack Cables and a removable helmet

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Laser Superman

Market Value:
Carded $12 – $18
Loose $5 – $8

Laser Superman
Accessories: Super-Charged Laser Cannon, Missiles x 2, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: This version is called “Laser Superman”. He comes decked out in his black and silver costume from the Death of Superman storyline. Superman comes with a Super-Charged Laser Cannon and two missiles. The missiles can be stored in the launcher or fired by pushing a button.

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Power Flight Superman

Market Value:
Carded $12 – $18
Loose $5 – $8

Power Flight Superman
Accessories: Take-Off Force Arm Action, Silver Chain, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: This version of the Man of Steel is called “Power Flight Superman”. He comes with a silver chain that can wrap around a captured figure. When you position Superman’s arms at his sides, his right arm flicks upwards and his head rises to a flight position.

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Steel

Market Value:
Carded $15 – $25
Loose $7 – $11

Steel
Accessories: Pounding Hammer, Cape, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: Steel (AKA John Henry Irons) is a genius engineer who builds a mechanical suit of armor to replace Superman during the Death of Superman storyline. This was the very first figure of Steel and he comes with his trusty Pounding Hammer and cape.

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Superboy

Market Value:
Carded $12 – $18
Loose $5 – $8

Superboy
Accessories: Mammoth Capture Claw, Taser Missiles, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: Superboy (AKA Connor Kent) is a genetically engineered metahuman as a duplicate and equivalent of Superman during the Death of Superman storyline. Superboy comes with Mammoth Capture Claw and Taser Missiles that can be launched.

Man Of Steel: Series Two (1995): Basic Assortment

Kenner released four more figures for the second wave of their Man of Steel line later in 1995. Included in the wave were Lex Luthor, Solar Suit Superman, Street Guardian Superman and Ultra Shield Superman.

Lex Luthor

Market Value:
Carded $10 – $15
Loose $4 – $7

Lex Luthor
Accessories: Squirting Hornet Attack Jetpack, Hose, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: What’s a Superman toy line without his arch nemesis Lex Luthor! This version of Lex is a bit beefier than past incarnations and he comes with a Squirting Hornet Attack Jetpack w/ Hose. The jetpack actually squirts water when filled, which was kind of fun.

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Solar Suit Superman

Market Value:
Carded $17 – $27
Loose $9 – $14

Solar Suit Superman
Accessories: Space Probe Launcher Backpack, Breathing Mask, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: This version of Superman features him wearing his Solar Suit, for whatever reason….The figure comes with a Space Probe Launcher Backpack and Breathing Mask. The backpack fires a projectile from it and the side wings actually move.

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Street Guardian Superman

Market Value:
Carded $22 – $35
Loose $10 – $15

Street Guardian Superman
Accessories: Swinging Battle Chain, Armor Shield, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: This version of Superman features him as he walks the streets of Metropolis to fight crime…The figure comes with a Swinging Battle Chain and Armor Shield. The right arm moves in a circular motion when his legs are squeezed together.

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Ultra Shield Superman

Market Value:
Carded $22 – $35
Loose $10 – $15

Ultra Shield Superman
Accessories: Kryptonite Shield, Armor, Helmet, Blasting Rocket, Trading Card
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Less Common – Appears often but some hunting needed
Notes: Yet another version of Superman, this time it’s Ultra Shield Superman. It features the Man of Steel with a Kryptonian Shield, Armor, Helmet and Blasting Rocket. This figure was a late release in the line, so it can be a bit harder to find.

Man Of Steel (1995): Deluxe Figures

Kenner released two Deluxe Figures for their Man of Steel line in 1995, with Blast Hammer Steel and Ultra Heat Vision Superman. it should be noted the Deluxe Figures did not come with the exclusive trading cards like the standard figures.

Man Of Steel (1995): Exclusives

Kenner released one exclusive for their Man of Steel line, and that was Eradicator. He was made available exclusively through Toyfare Magazine in 1995.

Eradicator (Toyfare Exclusive)

Market Value:
W/ Packaging $20 – $30
Loose $7 – $12

Eradicator (Toyfare Exclusive)
Accessories: Removable Cape
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Less Common – Appears often but some hunting needed
Notes: Eradicator was originally an ancient Kryptonian artifact that evolved into a sentient being. He came to Earth to bring Kryptonian culture to the world. He was one of the Supermen of the Death of Superman storyline. Eradicator comes with a removable cape. This figure was only available through Toyfare Magazine as an exclusive.

Man Of Steel (1995): Multipacks

In addition to the standard and deluxe figures, Kenner also released three different two-packs for their Man of Steel line. These new two-packs included first time figures of big time villains Massacre and Doomsday. Each two-pack came with an exclusive comic book.

Man Of Steel (1995-1996): Large Sized Figures

Kenner released one 10″ figure for their Man of Steel line 1995 and another 12″ figure the following year in 1996, after the line had already technically came to an end. Both figures were, of course, the main man himself, Superman.

Man Of Steel (1995): Vehicles

We got three new vehicles from Kenner with their Man of Steel toy line. Included were the Superboy VTOL Cycle, Matrix Conversion Coupe and Kryptonian Battle Suit.

Kryptonian Battle Suit

Market Value:
Boxed $110 – $140
Loose $35 – $55

Kryptonian Battle Suit
Accessories: Opening Cockpit, Battle Ram, Robotic Claw, Shoulder Launcher, Missiles x 3
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Moderate Difficulty – Takes patience and appears less often
Notes: The Kryptonian Battle Suit was developed through advanced Kryptonian technology and provides the wearer with incredible protective powers, along with lots of firepower. The suit holds one figure and fires three missiles from a shoulder launcher. There’s also a power punch feature and robotic claw to grab bad guys.

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Matrix Conversion Coupe w/ Clark Kent

Market Value:
Boxed $35 – $55
Loose $17 – $27

Matrix Conversion Coupe w/ Clark Kent
Accessories: Clark Kent Figure, Opening Cockpit, Disc Launcher, Discs x 4, Side Wings
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: The Matrix Conversion Coupe is Clark Kent’s ride about town, but can change into a Hyper-Drive Space Jet when Superman is needed to battle crime. It comes with an Opening Cockpit, Disc Launcher, Discs x 4, Side Wings, and an exclusive Clark Kent figure.

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Superboy VTOL Cycle

Market Value:
Boxed $20 – $30
Loose $8 – $15

Superboy VTOL Cycle
Accessories: Rear Wheel/Jet Thruster, Front Fender/Impact Shied, Kickstand, Claw Snare
Years Released: 1995
Difficulty To Find: Common – Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: Superboy’s VTOL Cycle transforms from a hi-tech motorcycle into a pursuit jump jet. The front fender fold down to become an impact shield and it has a claw snare to capture bad guys. The rear wheel converts to jet thruster wings for space travel and there is a kickstand for support. It should be noted that Superboy is not included with this vehicle.

Kenner continued their partnership with DC Comics branded toy lines in 1995 with the Man of Steel action figure line. After the success of their “Legends of Batman” line, Kenner turned their attention to Superman. This line was heavily inspired by the Death of Superman aftermath period of that time. Several new characters were introduced in this line, such as Superboy, Steel and even Doomsday. The Man of Steel line proved to be popular enough to eventually lead to the Total Justice line the following year. In all, there were a total of 9 standard figures, 3 two-packs, a couple of Deluxe Figures, an exclusive Eradicator figure, a few vehicles and a 10″ Ultimate Superman figure. Each figure also included a Skybox trading card.

The premier wave of the Man of Steel series in 1995 featured five figures, with Conduit, Laser Superman, Power Flight Superman, Steel and Superboy. Four more figures joined them for the second wave, with Lex Luthor, Solar Suit Superman, Street Guardian Superman and Ultra Shield Superman. In addition, there were also two Deluxe Figures in Blast Hammer Steel and Ultra Heat Vision Superman, along with a 12 inch Superman, 10 inch Ultimate Superman, and three different two-packs. Kenner also gave us three vehicles that included the Kryptonian Battle Suit, Matrix Conversion Coupe and Superboy’s VTOL Cycle. Toyfare Magazine got their own Man of Steel exclusive as well with Eradicator.

The packaging for the Man of Steel figures was bright and eye catching. It was done in a deep Superman themed blue color scheme, but the star of the show was the oversized iconic Superman logo that adorned a good portion of each card. Each figure was on a traditional blister card with the figure centered on the lower part of the card. Each character name was on the bottom of the blister bubble to the right while the “Superman Man of Steel” logo was to the left on the lister bubble. Each card back featured that wave’s figures, along with a very small bio of the character and an explanation of the figure’s action features. All figures come with an exclusive Skybox trading card and the two-packs come with an exclusive comic. Overall, I personally enjoyed the Man of Steel line and it was definitely done in the style of the “Legends of the Dark Knight” Batman toy line. Kenner tried to put their best foot forward on this series but there were definitely some misses.