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Freddy Krueger
New Nightmare

Sideshow Toys has made it clear that they like Freddy Krueger.  We got the Freddy Vs. Jason version, a version based on his original appearance, and a very cool Furnace Environment display set to pose him next to.

Sideshow has now released Freddy from the Wes Craven film "A New Nightmare".  The film was an interesting twist on the original idea, taking Freddy as a real character.  He's upset that he was killed off by Wes Craven in the previous film, and forces his way into reality, through the dreams of Craven and the mind of Heather Langenkamp (the actress who played Nancy in the original).  Craven weaves reality with movie fantasy, to create a rather unique horror story.  Not a perfect film by any means, but not the worst slasher flick to ever grace celluloid either.

Coming up very soon (like any day now) is the next Freddy figure - Robert Englund as Freddy.  And with the quarter scale version just around the corner, it looks like your Nightmare on Elm Street shelf is going to be mighty full!

 





Packaging - ***1/2
While not quite as nice as the box for the recent CSM from X-Files, the work here is still much better than average.  Great graphics, particularly on the interior cardboard tray, but not nearly as much text as I'd like.  It is very collector friendly though, with only the most necessary twisties, and no weird changes to how Freddy is packaged inside.

Sculpting - ***1/2 
Freddy always suffers from some level of skin condition, and here we have alternating skin and exposed muscle.  The sculpt is actually quite good, although at first glance you may not agree.  This is one of those cases were a very good sculpt is hurt by less than perfect paint ops.

There's lots of detail and sharpness to the face sculpt, and the difference in the texture between the muscle and skin makes for a very realistic appearance.  Freddy's expression is also quite appropriate, appearing as though he's just stepped in something, like your large intestine perhaps.

The hands are also both new sculpts, and the right hand sports the permanent "wolverine" like blades.  This means they are less articulated than past versions, but the hard plastic of the blades makes them less likely to warp.  The hands themselves are actually a softer plastic, and can hang onto various accessories quite well.

Paint - **1/2
So if the sculpt is so good, what's wrong?  It's the paint, man, it's the paint.

The work on the skin and muscle isn't bad, and they've used two different finishes - matte and gloss - to give a realistic appearance to each.  The colors are fairly consistent, although the muscle colors might be a little too consistent, appearing more like painted plastic than real flesh.

The big issue with the paint ops lies in the eyes, those windows to the soul, or in Freddy's case, lack thereof.

In short, the eyes don't look real.  They are the most 'doll-like' eyes I've ever seen done by Sideshow, and are certainly a big disappointment.  They went with a look off to one side, which actually works fine on it's own.  However, the white of the eyes appears too thick, and certainly has way too matte of a finish, to appear realistic.  A shiny appearance works well with eyeballs - they're always moist.  Here, the lack of shine makes it extremely obvious that this is a toy, and not the real deal.

It also doesn't help that the pupils of the eyes are clearly simple black dots, and they don't even line up particularly well with each other.  The eyes on their figures is always one of Sideshow's strengths, so it's even more disappointing that this is the biggest problem with the paint application.

Articulation - ****
I've been commenting on the Sideshow body for years, and those comments remain in force.  He has all the industry standard articulation for top line sixth scale figures, plus the specially designed Sideshow ankles and wrists, along with a ball jointed neck.

He does lack the finger articulation that we got in the previous gloved Freddy's, but since that's not surprising considering the breakage issues and the delicate nature of the blades.

All the joints were nice and tight as well, and I haven't had an issue with a floppy Sideshow body in several months now.

Accessories - **1/2
The version I'm reviewing here is the Sideshow site exclusive, so he includes the exclusive accessory - the tongue phone.  Oh, you remember this phone!  Nancy picks it up to call for help, and Freddy answers in his own distinct style.

The sculpt is quite good, and it's a well done accessory, but other than the standard display stand, that's it.  After getting the cool accessories with CSM, and even the accessories with POTA, this seems very light.  If you're not getting the exclusive version, you're actually ending up with a big bupkis in this category.

Outfit - ***
Freddy almost pulled another half star here, just because of his uber-cool boot sculpt.  These boots are extremely tight fitting, and flow almost to his knee.  They look great, and are some of the best foot wear Sideshow has ever produced.

The rest of the outfit doesn't fair quite as well though.  The hat looks good, and fits on the head well enough, but some may find it a tad oversized.  However, it's very similar to the past Freddy hats, so if you're cool with them, you'll be cool with it.

The jacket looks great closed, and is very nicely tailored.  When it's opened up, it shows of the red and green striped lining specific to this movie.  The sweater is a very obvious read and green as well, to the point of Christmas decoration obvious.  I don't recall them being that green in the show - it really is quite bright - but I might be confusing it with the other films.

The green on the shirt is also that 'rubbery' paint, you know the type, that is often used on cheap t-shirts.  Since the red stripes are not, and are actually dyed material, there's a bit of a mismatch in style between the stripes.  Worse yet, both the green AND red stripes on the inside of the coat appear to be the rubbery paint-like coating, so that the red on the lining doesn't match exactly in color with the red of the shirt.

The pants are a soft pleather, and are also very well tailored, not too baggy yet not too tight.  If you're not one to pick too many nits on the outfit, you'll be fairly happy, but I was a bit disappointed in the rubbery paint used on some of the stripes.  I know that process has a name...but I can't remember what it is for the life of me right now.

Fun Factor - **1/2
How much fun can you have with a child molesting serial killer?  Then again, if you choose to ignore his background, and avoid explaining it to your kids, they might find him a very fun villain in their battles.

Still, it's tough to ignore his vicious nature, and kids are much more likely to end up snapping the finger blades.  This is really a toy for the adult fan out there, looking for another Freddy variation to add to the shelf.

Value - **1/2
At $40, with almost no accessories, Freddy isn't quite as good a value as the usual Sideshow product.  Sideshow figures are never a fantastic value, but this one is even below the average.  Of course, if you pick it up through some of the other sponsor sites I have listed where it's cheaper, that helps this score.

Overall - ***
It's nice to get another very distinct version of Freddy, and I think this was a good choice.  The sculpt is very nice, but the paint ops, especially the eyes, are going to put a lot of people off.  The accessories are light, but the outfit is fairly nice, especially the boots.

The Robert Englund as Freddy figure should be here any day as well, which will make for a nice comparison with this and the previous Freddy's.

Things to Watch Out For - 
If you have a chance to look at more than one, watch for the best possible eye paint.  That might be tough since you'll probably have to order on-line, but if you have a local retailer carrying them, that's the one thing to watch for.

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpt - ***1/2 
Paint - **1/2
Articulation - ****
Accessories - **1/2
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***

Where to Buy - 
I got mine directly from Sideshow, since it's the exclusive version.  Other options:

- Sideshow still has some of the regular version available.

- Alter Ego Comics has New Nightmare Freddy for just $32.

- Killer Toys has him for $35.

- Fireside Collectibles doesn't have this version listed, but they do still have the 1/4 scale version available for preorder at just $190!


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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