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Introduction
There are horror characters who have never received much of a proper sixth scale treatment. Their fans have been left with few or no figures of them, resorting to expensive custom work to fill in the gaps. Fortunately for the fans of the classic Halloween, this is not a problem they will ever face.
Michael Myers gets the action figure treatment in just about every scale on a regular basis. While there are other movies that have a better claim on being the father of the 80's slasher genre, like Black Christmas or The Town That Dreaded Sundown, it was Michael Myers who became an icon of terror. Lots of companies have produced figures of him in his various incarnations, and the latest to jump in is Trick or Treat Studios.
They are producing several sixth scale versions of Michael, both from the original film and later installments. Today I'm checking out the bloody variant of the 1978 version, which will run you around $140.
By the way, before I get hundreds of emails, yes, I screwed up. He
came in the box with his collar down, and I didn't think about it
while I was shooting the photos. It wasn't until I was setting him
up on the shelf later with his other buddies that I realized it.
Yea, you can flip up the collar and it looks great.
Packaging - ***
The basic box works off the poster art for the film, and adds some
nice graphics. It's sturdy, and completely collector friendly, as
you'd expect in this market. The bloody variant is called the
"Samhain Edition" on the front cover.
Sculpting - ***
We all know the story - they took a Captain Kirk mask and painted it
to create the now famous look. Getting it right isn't that hard, or
so you'd think, but there have been some pretty bad versions.
They do a really nice job here, getting the likeness down with the appropriate detail. What's particularly important is making this look like a cheap mask, not a real face. It has a slight puffiness to it around the neck and jaw, with some sagging at the eye holes. The ears aren't very detailed, and there's a seam line where you'd expect a seam line on an actual mask. I prefer the versions that use rooted hair, but the sculpted strands here have the right style, with a messy look, and the lack of fine detail in the stranding actually represents the way the mask looked.
In fact, I would have gone another half star higher in this category but for one issue, and it has nothing to do with the mask. He comes in at just barely - barely, like right at the tip of his mussed up bed head - 12" tall, and has a rather lean body. He needs at least another 1/4", with the extra bulk that goes with it, to give him a bit more of an impressive presence with the other sixth scale figures on your shelf. Standing by himself it's not obvious, but you'll see in the photo with the Threezero version and the Sideshow version, it's his only real flaw.
Paint - ***1/2
The white face has a inhuman look, just like it did in the film. The
hair is fairly consistent, matching the 'fake' look, and the lips
and eyebrows are slightly worn, pretty standard for a mask of this
quality back then.
There's eyes in the deep set sockets of the mask, and they are clean and sharp. The blood pattern on the face has a splattered appearance, as does the work on the costume. This makes perfect sense when it's your blood and not his.
Articulation - ***
The underlying body is clearly something they were able to buy on
the market, rather than their own design, and it has the issue with
overall size I mentioned previously.
The neck works surprisingly well, with enough tilt and lean to get the impression of the weird personality he had. The arms are decent, although I couldn't get the shoulders as high as I expected considering the type of costume this is. The hands swapped easily enough and I had no fear of breakage, which is good since there's no extra pegs.
The torso tilts, leans, and bends well, and the hips and knees can manage most stances. However, the sculpted boots take away a lot of the ankle articulation, making deeper stances tough, and even medium stances less realistic since the feet can be completely flat on the ground.
Accessories - **
The cost on this figure probably surprised you - there aren't a lot
of sixth scale figures in this price range these days. One of the
ways they manage that is to go with very few accessories.
He comes wearing a set of open hands, and they include an extra gripping right. This is designed specifically for holding the included knife. This knife - and the extra hand - are also painted with the blood effect.
And that's it. Of course you can always hunt up some additional appropriate accessories, like these from the Bits and Pieces set.
Outfit - ***
The outfit is pretty basic - black t-shirt, coveralls, and boots.
The t-shirt looks good, and the coveralls are well tailored. They do
fit a bit tight, lacking the frumpy look all coveralls have, but
it's a minor nit that would be less of an issue on a bigger body.
It's ironic since I usually complain that outfits aren't tailored
well enough, and now I'm complaining that this one is too well
tailored. But the way the waist comes in, fitting him neatly, isn't
really accurate to how coveralls generally look.
Most of the outfit details are in scale, with a nice zipper in the front and properly sized pockets and collar. And yes, I should have flipped it up - I already went over that. Trust me, I have him that way on the shelf right now, and it looks great.
There are two grommets on the lapels, which I think is accurate. But they are a little big and obvious, standing out more than they did on screen. Another minor nit, but one you are more likely to notice right away.
The blood spatter on the costume is great, and I recommend going this route rather than the clean version.
The boot sculpt is serviceable, but they do restrict the ankles quite a bit.
Fun Factor - ***1/2
While he's not the most posable sixth scale figure you'll own, he
has enough mobility to allow for some good posing and re-posing.
Perhaps even better, he's a character that fits in nicely with the
other 80's horror icons on your shelf, and allows you to create all
sorts of cross overs.
Value - ***1/2
Here's where he really shines. Getting a sixth scale figure of
decent quality for $140? It doesn't happen very often. Sure, he
doesn't have as many accessories as some others, but this is a
character that doesn't require a ton.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. He's sturdy and well made, and I had no worries while
swapping hands.
Overall - ***
This guy was *this* close to getting another half star from me
overall, thanks to the price point. The sculpting and paint quality
are well above what you're paying, and the costume and accessories
are solid.
The only thing holding him back is his size. He really needs to be a smidge bigger to make his presence felt on the shelf, and if he had another 1/4" and the bulk to go with it, I would have gone the extra half star.
Still, this is a really nice version for the price point, making it a reasonable option for those looking to save a hundred bucks over the new Sideshow release.
For reference in the photo below, the Trick Or Treat version is obviously in the middle, while the version to the left is the Threezero release based on his look in Halloween 6, and the version to the right is the very old Sideshow release, also based on his initial look.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - **
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - ***1/2
Overall - ***
Where to Buy
Fun.com has this guy right now for $140, along with the
other versions being released by Trick or Treat Studios.
Related Links -
Other Michael Myers reviews include the ThreeZero version from Halloween 6, the
smaller One:12
Collective version, the terrific boxed set in the 7" line from NECA, and the old sixth scale version from Sideshow, almost 20
years ago.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos
and text by Michael Crawford.
