Super 7 is expanding their ReAction 3 3/4” figure line this year with Planet of the Apes, based on the original film from 1968. These figure pay homage to vintage Kenner figures such as Star Wars. This assortment includes Cornelius with scroll accessory, Dr. Zaius with cane accessory, General Ursus with rifle accessory, Nova, Taylor with rifle accessory, and Zira. Each figure features new and original card art by the legendary Ed Repka.
Following this announcement, we have interviewed Brian Flynn, owner of Super 7, which is a company best known for their Japanese Vinyl figures, M.U.S.C.L.E., ReAction figures, and most recently Masters of the Universe Classics.
Hi Brian, Thank you for taking the time for this interview and help spread the word on what you guys are doing with Planet of the Apes. How excited are you to have this property join the ReAction figure line and how long have you been a fan of this property?
A: I’ve been a fan ever since I was a kid. As a kid I had the plastic masks and Mego figures and played with them all the time, so my first memories of Planet of the Apes are actually the toys, and not the movies or T.V. show. So it was a lot of fun for all of us to get the chance to work on the line and make something new for Planet of the Apes that had never been made before.
Was Planet of the Apes a property on your long term plan to join the ReAction figure line? What other 60’s , 70’s and 80’s properties would you like to see join the ReAction figure line?
A: I think POTA was a property that most fans wanted to see in this form factor, and we have had it on our wish list for a long time. Neca (good friends of ours) had the license for a time, so we had to wait until it was done there before we could get our paws on it. The 3 ¾” scale is what so many kids from the 70’s and 80’s grew up with, so there’s a deep desire to see toy lines for our favorite movies and TV shows done at that size. Everyone has a favorite obscure movie that was never made into a toyline, and we spend a lot of time around the office saying how cool this or that one would be. We have a lot in the works for 2019 that I think will surprise and delight a lot of folks out there.
Planet of the Apes has seen several relaunches in the past few decades. Is Super 7 looking at just the original films, or could they look at more recent films as well such as the Mark Wahlberg film in 2001, as well as the latest trilogy of films from more recent years?
A: We’re just focused on the original films right now. There are so many characters from that series that have never been done in any form – and certainly never in this 3 ¾” scale. And you left off one of my favorite versions of the franchise – the animated series!
From the original trilogy, which film was your favorite?
A: Are you testing me? Is this a trick question? There were 5 original films, not a trilogy! I mean, it’s hard to beat the original – everything about it is just so iconic. But what I loved about all of the sequels was how they had to get more creative with the storytelling as the budgets got smaller and smaller. It’s such a robust series of films. In the end though, the clear brain mutant atom-bomb worshippers are my favorite moment in the films. You can’t really beat that level of weirdness.
Now that Super 7 can produce Planet of the Apes collectibles, does the license only enable you to make ReAction figures or are other collectibles possible such as M.U.S.C.L.E., tee shirts and more?
A: Our focus right now is on the ReAction line, but, we have a million things we would like to make. It all really depends on how strong support for the line is. So, if you want to see more Planet of the Apes, help us out by buying these!
The first wave of ReAction figures are based on the original 1968 film with most of the core characters. Does Super 7 have the rights to produce figures based on the sequels including Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) as well as the live-action television series from that time?
A: Yes, we have those rights and you’ll be seeing some of the characters showing up in Wave 2 this fall. The Mutants from Beneath look great.
Should this first wave sell well enough, what other characters would you personally like to do?
A: Well, I hope it sells well enough, because we’re already making the second wave! Astronaut Cornelius was the one I insisted be part of that assortment. It’s so satisfying to see a chimp in a space suit.
When NECA Toys was offering this line, one offering that was a great idea was a Gorilla Infantry 2 pack army builder set. Is this something you could do for the ReAction figure line for those that like to army build?
A: If you saw what we showed at NY Toy Fair, you know there are some gorilla soldiers coming. I don’t know that we’d do a 2-pack though. I do think we will work on a way to help collectors get an army of apes!
Over the years the ReAction line has had several different diorama’s including the Haunted House and Aliens. With Planet of the Apes now available to you, will this mean that diorama’s can return for this brand? Would sets such as an Ape village, the statue of Liberty, a jungle, or even something else from the film be something that Super 7 could look into?
A: The Alien diorama was a lot of fun to make, and at the time I think somewhat unexpected. We’d love to be able to something similar with Apes. I wonder if we have already looked into that or not…
Would horses for the apes be possible in ReAction figure style?
A: That would be an interesting thing to look at. Probably have to go Tauntaun style with a trap door since the knees don’t bend, but that could be a lot of fun to do. “Vehicles” and large figures are always tricky to do because of the outsized tooling cost, but as long as people buy into the line, we’ll make as much as we can.
Are convention exclusives possible of either ReAction figures, diorama’s or something else possible with this brand?
A: Of course – all things are possible.
Is there anything else you would like to add that wasn’t covered above on what you hope to do or are planning to do with this property?
A: I think we’ve pretty much covered it. The sky’s really the limit if the demand is there. Right now I think we’re all just anxious to hear what people think about wave 1, and we hope they enjoy them.