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Packaging - ***1/2
I like the small, compact size of these cards, just big enough to hold
the small figure without a lot of wasted material. Hey, there's nothing
wrong with being environmentally aware without going nuts over
it.
Of
course, these aren't 'collector friendly' in the standard definition,
but I'm going to cut them some slack in that department.
Sculpting - ***
Whether you're concerned with the underlying head or not may make a big
difference in your feelings about the overall sculpt.
If
I were never to remove the mask, I'd be tempted to boost this score
another half star. The look of the mask, including the machete damage,
is great. It fits the head tightly, so tightly that if they didn't tell
you on the package that it's removable, you might not realize it.
UPDATE:
A reader (thanks, Shel!), who is a huge fan of the franchise, pointed
out that this is the ax damage Jason got from Chris in Part 3, not the
machete damage that came from Trish in part 4 or even later from Tommy.
He knows far better than I!
The
body sculpt is also good, with proper wrinkles, pockets, buttons and
other details sculpted cleanly. He's a good height at 4 1/8 inches
tall, fitting in pretty good with other figures in this scale. Yes,
he's large, but Jason should be taller than your average person.
There
is a couple weird issues though. First, the left hand is larger than it
should be, sculpted in a menacing pose. It's not an atrocious
issue, but it is noticeable.
The other general area is in the
hips
and pelvis. Due to the ball jointed hips, getting the legs to look just
right was tough. I'm more than willing to sacrifice the perfect look
here for the added useful articulation, however.
Now, with the
mask off, the figure doesn't look as good. The Final Chapter isn't the
worst of the Friday movies, but it's certainly not may fav, either.
Considering the scale, the detail work on the damaged, ugly face is
good, but it's not really my preference.
Because the figure is made to
look perfect IN the mask, the figure
ends up looking pretty pinheaded without the mask as well. While I have
to take this into consideration, I suspect that most folks won't be too
worried about it since they'll opt to display him wearing his trademark
hockey mask.
Paint/Glow in the Dark
feature - ***1/2
While the sculpt on the unmasked head isn't the greatest, the paint is
quite good. Remember - this is a itty bitty figure. The rotting teeth,
sagging flesh and open head wound look surprisingly good for such a
small figure.
The
mask is also well painted, although I suspect some folks might not like
the slightly rough surface. I suspect this is an artifact of the GITD
nature of the paint, and that feature works quite well. In a completely
dark room, this tiny glowing hockey mask is pretty damn creepy, and it
glows with a slightly greenish tinge. The very first photo in the
review is shot in a very dark room, and the lighting of the mask (not
the body) is largely due to the GITD feature, not an external light
source.
I do wish there were some
additional paint details on the
outfit, where the buttons, etc, blend in with the overall gray color,
and some of the wash on the exposed neck and hands is a bit much, but
these are minor nits for me.
Articulation - ***1/2
I want Mezco to make all my 3 3/4" figures. Please.
And it's not just because of the
sculpts and paint that we've seen with Jason and the Hellboy II series,
although it's great.
No,
it's the terrific articulation. On Jason, the hips do look a little
wonky, but it's not a major problem for me, and this little serial
killer poses great.
He has a ball jointed neck, and
you know how
much I love a good ball jointed neck. The joint is down at the torso,
not up under the chin, so it's fairly well hidden.
He also has
ball jointed shoulders and hips, and while the hips are very much like
those on Marvel Universe figures, the design is much, much better,
allowing for a greater range of movement. The arms finish off with cut
wrist joints.
There's single pin knees, but
the elbows are
pin/post, so that they can turn inward and outward, as well as moving
up and down. The ankles might also be pin/post in style, but the pant
legs reduce the range of movement considerably.
Finally, there's
a ball jointed waist, which allows him to tilt as well as turn. While
the shirt restricts it a little, it also covers it up well so that it
isn't too obvious.
Accessories - ***
Small figures often end up shorted in this category - just look at the
DCIH or Marvel Universe figures for proof. But Mezco has always loved
accessories, no matter what the scale.
Jason
comes with the removable mask, which I'm calling an accessory here. It
fits great, and goes on and off fairly easily. The GITD feature works
great, and you could even pop it on some of your other figures in this
scale for some amusing photos.
But that's not all he has -
Jason
has to have a weapon, and what better than his machete? The bloody
blade looks great, and it fits nicely in his sculpted right hand.
Finally,
there's a black display stand included. He certainly doesn't need it to
stand in just about any pose, but it works well nonetheless.
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Okay, so Jason might not be your first choice for your kid's toy box,
but even without ever seeing the movies, this figure would make a
fantastic monster/villain for any Star Wars, super hero or even G.I.
Joe confrontation. Yea, he's a little big, but Jason is supposed to be!
Value - **
Yea, I wouldn't call $13 for a figure this size a great deal. Still,
considering how expensive some of the recent 3 3/4" mass market lines
are, and considering that it was a Toy Fair exclusive, it's not as bad
as it could be. The regular series figures will be much more in line
with the current market prices.
Things To Watch Out For
-
Not a thing - he's sturdy, well made, and I suspect the quality will be
very consistent.
Overall - ***1/2
Mezco has really been doing up the modern
horror figures right. They also clearly know what they're doing in this
scale, so when you combine the two, you get a real winner. Playing
around with this guy I can't help but wish the DCIH and MU figures were
this good. If they were, I'd have no problem spending $8 on every one
of them.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Since these are no longer available through Mezco, your best bet is ebay
at this point.
Related Links -
I've looked at plenty of Jason
figures over the years:
- I just checked out the 7" version of Jason
based on the new film.
- then we had the excellent 12" Jason from Mezco.
- Mezco has also done other
smaller scale Jasons, like this one
from part VI.
- the Mezco stylized version
is one of my favorites.
- from Sideshow,
there's the guest review of the recent Sideshow Part 7 version, and my
Jason reviews, including Sideshow Part
6, Sideshow Part 2,
Sideshow's Part
3, Sideshow Freddy
vs. Jason, and NECA's 7" Freddy
vs Jason set, and the large PF Jason.
- also in the Mezco Cinema of
Fear line up, there's the second
set of Mez-itz, and the first series of Cinema of Fear,
- and there's also the 8" version of Jason from
Freddy vs. Jason.
- finally, if you're a Friday
the 13th fan, check out the
3-D poster from Mcfarlane.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
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