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22 December 2023
Throughout the centuries, mighty titans have locked in desperate combat. The Allies triumphed over the Axis Powers; George Bush defied the villainous Saddam Hussein; the Rebel Alliance struggled against the evil Empire; the Chinese fought valiantly against the Mongolians; and George Bush defied the villainous Saddam Hussein. Yes, the world has seen its share of giants squaring off against each other, yet nothing quite compares to the outrageousness and sheer audacity of this world\'s greatest and most defining battle: Freddy vs. Jason.
The movie was an orgy of severed limbs, slaughtered, obnoxious, scantily clad teenagers, and spraying blood of Niagara Falls proportions. It was only a matter of time before action figures were created to commemorate this clash of titans, and it took NECA toys to create a set worthy of such drama.
Whew, that was a mouthful. This isn’t the first time we\'ve received toys based on these guys. There have been 12\" figures, large dolls, resin statues, snow globes, and even votives, to name a few. In fact, we even got action figures way back in 1998 as part of McFarlane’s first Movie Maniacs line. This posed the dubious question of whether we even needed new figures. I’ve always really like Todd\'s Freddy and Jason. They really set a new standard for the way action figures were created, changing from mere kid\'s play to works of art. So, even though these figures were almost seven years old, they were still a tough act to follow.
I am pleased to say that NECA performed admirably.
The sculpture and design of the two opponents are light-years beyond their older counterparts. Their outfits alone are really great. From Jason’s festering jacket to Freddy’s tattered Christmas sweater, every fold, rip, and tear have been recreated very nicely. Out of the two, I think Jason sports the best outfit. He would be the envy of any Travolta wannabe on the dance floor with his killer pair of leather platform shoes.
As good as the outfits are, the face sculpts are even better. Freddy comes with a total of three heads, all of them dashing-– each one beaming with a different charming expression. They even took the trouble to make his hat removable, so it could be put on each one. The third one is made to fit in an extra one of Jason’s hands by way of a skull magnet, and it features a rather coy, winking expression, so you can recreate the climactic ending when Jason reigned victorious. Well, sort of.
Jason, on the other hand, has his hockey mask that is surprisingly removable. It reveals a face only a disembodied head of a mother could love. Since we never even saw his face in this movie, I guess we are just going to have to take the sculptors\' word that it is accurate. It basically looks like Jason was defeated in one of his umpteenth movie sequels by sticking his head in a pickle jar. That alone would attest to his bloated, sour appearance.
Each one is topped off with a nice paint job with lots of grimy, dark brown washes, decent articulation, a flaming cabin floor base, and their trademark weapons-– Voorhees\' hockey mask, and Krueger’s glove of knives. The glove actually really impressed me. Of all the different versions of Freddy I’ve seen, the glove is usually either poorly sculpted, or made of really soft plastic that bends over time. These ones look really threatening, and are very stiff. A most welcome sight.
When it comes to box sets of figures, it is a real crapshoot trying to find a set where all the characters are well-painted. It gets worse when companies like Hasbro and Mattel make box sets, only to throw together toys that have already been made with really poor, different paint applications, with a new figure thrown in just so they can make a few extra bucks. That’s why box sets of figures usually frighten me to the core. But NECA once again beats the odds, and gives us a wonderful set. There is already a plan to do another face-off set with Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis. I, for one, cannot wait to get my hands on a Donald Pleasence action figure.
Quick! Someone call Guinness! I have to be the first one who has ever written that in an article.
The movie was an orgy of severed limbs, slaughtered, obnoxious, scantily clad teenagers, and spraying blood of Niagara Falls proportions. It was only a matter of time before action figures were created to commemorate this clash of titans, and it took NECA toys to create a set worthy of such drama.
Whew, that was a mouthful. This isn’t the first time we\'ve received toys based on these guys. There have been 12\" figures, large dolls, resin statues, snow globes, and even votives, to name a few. In fact, we even got action figures way back in 1998 as part of McFarlane’s first Movie Maniacs line. This posed the dubious question of whether we even needed new figures. I’ve always really like Todd\'s Freddy and Jason. They really set a new standard for the way action figures were created, changing from mere kid\'s play to works of art. So, even though these figures were almost seven years old, they were still a tough act to follow.
I am pleased to say that NECA performed admirably.
The sculpture and design of the two opponents are light-years beyond their older counterparts. Their outfits alone are really great. From Jason’s festering jacket to Freddy’s tattered Christmas sweater, every fold, rip, and tear have been recreated very nicely. Out of the two, I think Jason sports the best outfit. He would be the envy of any Travolta wannabe on the dance floor with his killer pair of leather platform shoes.
As good as the outfits are, the face sculpts are even better. Freddy comes with a total of three heads, all of them dashing-– each one beaming with a different charming expression. They even took the trouble to make his hat removable, so it could be put on each one. The third one is made to fit in an extra one of Jason’s hands by way of a skull magnet, and it features a rather coy, winking expression, so you can recreate the climactic ending when Jason reigned victorious. Well, sort of.
Jason, on the other hand, has his hockey mask that is surprisingly removable. It reveals a face only a disembodied head of a mother could love. Since we never even saw his face in this movie, I guess we are just going to have to take the sculptors\' word that it is accurate. It basically looks like Jason was defeated in one of his umpteenth movie sequels by sticking his head in a pickle jar. That alone would attest to his bloated, sour appearance.
Each one is topped off with a nice paint job with lots of grimy, dark brown washes, decent articulation, a flaming cabin floor base, and their trademark weapons-– Voorhees\' hockey mask, and Krueger’s glove of knives. The glove actually really impressed me. Of all the different versions of Freddy I’ve seen, the glove is usually either poorly sculpted, or made of really soft plastic that bends over time. These ones look really threatening, and are very stiff. A most welcome sight.
When it comes to box sets of figures, it is a real crapshoot trying to find a set where all the characters are well-painted. It gets worse when companies like Hasbro and Mattel make box sets, only to throw together toys that have already been made with really poor, different paint applications, with a new figure thrown in just so they can make a few extra bucks. That’s why box sets of figures usually frighten me to the core. But NECA once again beats the odds, and gives us a wonderful set. There is already a plan to do another face-off set with Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis. I, for one, cannot wait to get my hands on a Donald Pleasence action figure.
Quick! Someone call Guinness! I have to be the first one who has ever written that in an article.
artid
2294
Old Image
6_9_toybox.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 09 (may 2004)
section
entertainmental