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Introduction
You say Halloween is over? No, my friend, when you keep the spirit in your heart, it's Halloween all year. And who has the spirit more than Jason Voorhees? Tonight I'm checking out the latest release in the Star Ace series of vinyl figures called Defo-Real (or Deformed Real), good old Jason. He comes in two versions, a regular and a deluxe. The deluxe includes one additional accessory, and since that's the one I'm reviewing, we'll be discussing said accessories in just a bit.
The regular will run you around $55, the deluxe perhaps $60, depending on the retailer of course.
Packaging - ***
Nothing unique here, but the large window allows you to see the figure you're getting, and the interior trays are completely collector friendly.
There's even a small instruction sheet, although you should be able to figure it out on your own.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Let's point this out right up front - this is the remake 2009 Jason, not the classic version from perhaps Friday the 13th 2 or one of the many
additional sequels. If you're a 'purist', the underlying portrait might not be your exact cup of tea.
The mask is removable of course, and the underlying rotting, damaged face looks terrific. The exposed teeth and gums are hideous, and the skin texture is dry and cracking. There's excellent fine stranding in the hair, what little this poor guy has. He stands about 6" tall, but this is a deformed style of vinyl figure, so the head is much larger. This means plenty of detail is possible, and Star Ace took advantage.
There's not as much detail work on the body, but that's not unexpected. From the neck down, he's pretty much standard vinyl, but from the neck up he really shines.
Paint - ***1/2
The sculpted details and textures are well supported by an attractive production paint job. The detail work, including the aging and wear on the
hockey mask is excellent, and the sickly skin color and gruesome blood work on the underlying face is terrific. The eyes, with their pale blue, dead
iris', seem to be staring right through you, and the blood effects on the weapons and face are all well done.
As with the sculpt, the paint work from the neck down is pretty standard stuff. The costume has some wear patterns, and the colors are appropriately subdued, but it's really the production paint work on the face and mask that makes him stand out on the shelf.
Accessories - ***
Most vinyl figures don't have accessories, but Jason technically has three with the deluxe release.
Both versions come with the terrific looking hockey mask, and both come with an axe to put in his right hand. The machete is sculpted in his left and not removable.
The deluxe includes one more extra: a large bear trap. This trap and chain are made from real metal, and the trap can open and close with a little manual effort.
Fun Factor - **1/2
While vinyl figures, with their lack of articulation, aren't exactly 'fun' in the traditional sense, you can have fun putting together interesting
dioramas on the shelf.
Value - **
While $50 might seem steep for a vinyl figure, particularly if you're accustomed to buying Funko Pops, there's no real comparison. The quality with
these is very high, with much more sculpt and paint detail. I'm still dinging them slightly, but it's not as much of a price issue as you might
expect, considering the high end vinyl figure market.
Things to Watch Out For -
Be a little careful around the machete blade, since it's thin plastic and could snap. And don't forget that bear trap is metal - those points
are quite sharp.
Overall - ***1/2
While the Defo-Real line isn't cheap, the quality of the sculpts and paint help support the price. I'll be covering a few more in the coming weeks,
and I'm hopeful that Star Ace fills out their horror selection even further.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Other Defo-Real figures I've looked at include the special Pennywise with light up feature and the
regular release Pennywise.
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.
