Review of Goliath - Gargoyles
Action Figure

Introduction

If you're a child of the 90's - which means you're pushing 30 if not already well into that decade of your life - you'll remember the terrific Disney cartoon Gargoyles. The concept was quite unique and quite cool: Gargoyles once were alive, but were cursed to be 'asleep' in stone. The curse is lifted when several are brought to New York and mounted high above the clouds, a requisite for breaking the spell. As a species, they return to stone during the day, but are now free to roam the night, and they protect the citizens of New York.

Of course, we had action figures 25 years ago, and they were actually quite fun. Produced by the action figure powerhouse of the 80's, Kenner, the line went pretty deep, and was a hit with kids.

NECA announced they had the license to produce modern versions as part of their 'ultimate' action figure series. The first to arrive is Goliath, but they've already teased more to the line, including some shots of Demona.

This guy is now shipping, and I picked him up at Target for $40.

Packaging - ***1/2
A great looking box with some terrific throwback artwork. It's somewhat collector friendly, but not quite as much as their usual Ultimate boxes. There's some ties to cut and some tape in the way.

It's also a box that is likely to get damaged if it's hung on the peg. The hanger attached to the back will tear due to the weight of the figure. Hopefully they won't be hanging it up where you shop.

Sculpting - ****
There's two portraits here, and both look terrific.

The standard is a resting face, stoic and stern. Goliath wasn't a big giggler, and this look works well for him in lots of poses. The rock-like design is sharply cut, and while the hair doesn't have a ton of detail, it's appropriate for an animated figure.

The second head has the teeth bared, ready for battle. It's a bit more specific, but lots of people are going to be going for the more aggressive look on the shelf. Swapping is easy, but the long hair does get in the way of the wings in some poses.

Speaking of which, the wings and tail come as separate pieces you attach. You don't have to of course - I included a shot of him without to see show he looks like - but I know you'll be going full Goliath. The wings snap into the back, the tail into the butt. The wings are a very hard plastic, and when they are in place, the ankles might have some trouble. That's where the soft rubber, bendable tail can come in handy, helping support the weight in various stances.

The wings have an amazingly detailed sculpt, far more than most animated figures. Lots of leathery texture adds some interesting realism to the look of the figure.

He's bigger than the usual ultimate figure as well, which are generally in a 7" scale. You can assume Goliath is in that same scale, but because he's a big dude, he comes in at 8" tall with a 22" wingspan!

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work on most recent NECA figures has been excellent, and Goliath continues the trend.

I love the stone color of the body, and the wash helps bring out the musculature. The work on the buckle, the eyes, and even the teeth is quite clean. The open mouth could be a smidge better, but for a mass market figure (or what passes for one these days), it's still quite good.

The wings are sharp as well. with clean 'bones' and a darker skin that allows them to pop. This guy is really impressive on the shelf, and a big reason is the color choices and clean paint operations.

Articulation - ****
Not every joint is perfect, but they loaded him up with articulation and most works great.

There's a ball jointed neck of course, although the long hair does take away some of the mobility. That long hair can also get in the way of the wings, which have ball joints that rotate at the back of the figure. You can put the wings in a variety of poses, and using the tail for balance, he should remain upright.

The shoulders, biceps, elbows, and wrists work well, giving you some good arm pose options. The sculpted biceps won't allow the double pin elbows quite as much mobility as you might like, but the design is solid.

The legs use ratchet joints, or click joints. These will help him hold the weight of the wings. There's rotating ball joints at the hip, knee, and ankle, and a half foot pin. You can get good rocker movement out of the ankle as well, so the foot should be able to remain flat in most poses.

The tail will also help with the weight of the wings. I found that he could easily stand on the half foot joints without the wings, but once you added them he needed the tail for extra support in that pose. Of course, you can also go with the full foot flat on the ground, and he's even more stable this way.

The tail is bendy, but there's also a rotating ball joint at the butt where it attaches. Combing all this articulation, you should have no trouble finding your ultimate pose.

Accessories - ****
There's a nice assortment, depending on how you count.

I'm counting the wings and tail, since they come separate. They add a ton to the figure, and look terrific.

There's also that excellent second portrait we discussed earlier. Swapping is easy.

There's three extra hands too. He comes wearing a grasping set, but there's a set of fists and one tighter left grip. This one is useful with a couple of the other accessories. Swapping hands is as easy as swapping heads, and they remained in place while I was posing him.

He also has a jalapeno pepper, and a book. The extra left hand can hold either of these.

Fun Factor - ****
If you had toys like this when you were a kid, you'd never want to grow up. Even as an adult collector, you'll have a ton of fun posing this guy in the display, and changing him up over and over again. With the excellent articulation and accessories, you have a million display options.

Value - **
Here's the one spot where he takes a bit of a hit. The usual 7" scale 'ultimate' figure from NECA is $30, but this guy is $10 more at most retailers. There are some online spots where you can get him closer to $34 though, and at that price I'd add back that half star and get him to an average value. The wings really do add a lot to this figure, and they weren't cheap. Still, he's best around $35.

Things to Watch Out For -
The wings are ratchet joints as well, and I suggest working with them a bit before you attach them to the back. You'll get a better feel for how they work, and avoid breaking anything.

Overall - ****
There are very few companies giving us unique, off the beaten track licenses right now. There's a whole lot of DC, Marvel, and Star Wars...and then the pickings get pretty slim. It's nice to see NECA really expanding their Ultimates series outside the 80's horror franchises they've been hitting so hard, and give us something this nice.

Of course, it also helps that we'll be getting more figures to go along with him. I doubt they'll go as deep as they have with the animated TMNT stuff, but it's not too much to hope for five or six figures before they are done.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him for $33.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Surprisingly, I haven't covered any other Gargoyles stuff...but there will be more.

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