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Introduction
It's that time of the year, when fat men in red suits are jolly, when your chestnuts get roasted by an open fire, and people argue over whether Die Hard is a Xmas movie or not. BTW, spoiler alert - it's not.
It's also not the only movie that has some sort of Xmas connection that people hail as a great Xmas movie. Another is Gremlins, a terrific film in which a young boy's present goes madly out of control. If you think Die Hard is a Xmas movie, then Gremlins surely is.
NECA has been producing terrific figures of the little buggers for years, both in their cute Mogwai form, and in there less fun Gremlin form. Their latest release is two 'winter two packs", featuring a set of festive friends, ready to carol at your doorstep. Each two pack has two of the carolers from the film.
I picked these up at Target where I believe this set is exclusive, but the other set should be at most online retailers. Expect to pay around $40 -
$50 for each set.
Packaging - ***
Nothing particularly unique, but the box does have a nice large window that shows off both figures and a couple of the accessories. Although it's a
box, it's not collector friendly, with a ton of plastic ties holding the figures in place and even a couple pieces of unnecessary tape.
Sculpting - ***1/2
I really like the sculpting on this line, particularly the Gremlin versions. The scaly body, the detailing on the face, the intricate textures -
it's a fantastic job.
These guys stand about 6" tall, not including the hats. The hats and scarfs have a very fabric like appearance, good enough that you might mistake them for soft goods on first glance. They also match up nicely with the actual screen characters, and when you get the other two, you'll have the full four right from the scene.
Paint - ***1/2
Both have terrific paint jobs, although there is a ton of similarity.
I'm particularly happy with the eyes and the work inside the mouth. The lips, teeth, and tongue are very well done, and the eyes are straight and clean. The skin has a natural appearance, while the hats and scarves look like the pieces of manufactured clothing they are. The combination adds up to a very realistic final product.
Articulation - ***
NECA has done a nice job articulating the series, and the more I posed the figures the better the joints worked.
The ball jointed neck has a decent amount of tilt and lean, and you should be able to add some nice personality to any pose. The ears are also articulated, but you won't get a ton of movement out of them, unlike some of the previous releases.
The rotating hinge shoulders, wrists, and elbows allow for natural arm poses, and I was able to get them to work with any of the accessories. The hand sculpts are designed to hold the various extras.
The rolling waist joint can lean, tilt, and turn as well, but the legs are where I ran into some issues. The ball hips, rotating hinge knees, calves, and ankles didn't allow for as many leg poses as I'd hoped. Getting the center of gravity just right, with those huge heads and heavy hats, was a real trick, limiting some of the deeper or more dynamic stances.
Accessories - ***
There's a decent number, particularly if you count the hats and scarves.
Counting the hats is a no brainer, since they are easy to remove and replace. They are sculpted to fit tight, and I had no trouble keeping them on them while posing. I love the addition of NECA to the white knit hat! Counting the scarves is a bit more of a personal call, because you'll have to pop off the heads to remove them.
There's also a sturdy paper carol page for each of them, printed with sheet music on the interior side. You can get them to hold these quite easily, completing the caroling diorama.
There's also a couple other perfect Xmas extras - a gingerbread man and candy cane. You remember the gingerbread scene, right?
Fun Factor - ****
While I had a few issues with the legs, the overall articulation does allow you to get some great holiday set ups. Add in the other pair, and you'll
have a quartet of caroling goodness to add to your Nativity scene every year!
Value - **1/2
Figures in this scale run $25 or so each. Getting the two packs, even with some figure re-use, at $40 or so is a solid value, and up to $50 is still
average.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Be careful to locate the paper music sheets before you toss the packaging though, because they are easy to overlook. They are taped to
the plastic tray at the bottom, in a small plastic bag.
Overall - ***1/2
It's a little weird to me that this pair was a Target exclusive, since you need all four to complete your Gremlins Xmas display. I've only seen them
the one time I bought them, and I visit Target a lot. Too much. Trust me.
Thankfully, NECA has done a great job with the line overall, and these two (along with the regular release pair) are going to make a fantastic addition to any fan's collection.
I'm still waiting on my regular pair to arrive, but until it does, I'm happy having these two caroling on my shelf. Tis the season!
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has the other two pack for $40 as well.
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Other Gremlins reviews include the Ultimate Gizmo, Penny,
Doo Dah, and Brownie.
Before that, we had the cuddly versions of Haskins
and Stripe,
the evil versions of Lenny
and Phantom,
the Mogwai versions of George
and Lenny, gremlined
out versions of George,
Daffy and Flasher.
And don't forget that NECA started with these years
ago,
and before that they did one in their Cult
Classics line.
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 purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.