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Packaging - **
In most of my overall scores, packaging doesn't play a major role. But
it still counts, and it was the one area I was a little disappointed in here.
The art is adequate, but not exciting. Each
package does showcase the particular figure though, and the green is a nice
difference from the usual red, yellow or blue.
Sculpting - ****
When NECA started getting 'real' licenses - things like Hellraiser and
Gremlins - people had all kinds of nasty comments. Many of the Toddites
said that if McToys had gotten the Gremlins license, they would have done a
superior job.
I'm here to say that the proof that NECA is now
a player is in these figures. Could McToys have done any better?
No. Just as good, sure. But the level of detailed sculpting and
design style is exceptional. From the bloodshot eyes of Stripe to the
cutesy look of Gizmo, NECA nailed it.
Gizmo will be the least favorite of this set,
sorry to say. He's just too cute. He's also smaller than the rest,
which is to be expected but likely to cause value grumbling. He's very
hefty though, with a lot of plastic packed in to a small package, and the sculpt on his fur works well. This is how the
12" Ewoks from Hasbro should have looked.
The other three are all sporting excellent
sculpts. There's a ton of accurate detail in the clothes, skin, and
faces. The hands are sculpted to hold the accessories, at least reasonably
well, and even with the tiny feet, they all stand fine on their own.
You'll have to play around with the legs a little to find the sweet spot, but
once you do they'll stay up on the shelf with little problem.
The figures are about 7" - 8" tall,
although Gizmo is closer to 5". There's a couple photos at the end of
the review showing Gizmo with Stripe, and one showing Stripe with Kermit and Apu
for scale comparisons.
Paint -****
One of the advantages of figures with lots of browns and greens, lots of wash,
and lots of wrinkling, is that there is less trouble with clean lines between
colors. There are some bold colors here though, particularly in Brain's
clothes and in the faces of each Gremlin, and they've done an excellent job
keeping the borders between colors neat and clean.
There's also no overspray or glopping, and I'm
very impressed with the detailing on the faces. I didn't even notice the
bloodshot lines in their eyes until shooting the photos, but it's that kind of
detail that gives the overall impression of accuracy.
Articulation - Gizmo **1/2; rest ***1/2
The three evil Gremlins sport plenty of articulation - neck, ball jointed
shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hips.
Gizmo has less articulation due to his stockier
build. He has waist, elbows and a ball jointed neck. The neck joint works
best, and allows him a wide range of motion up and down, side to side.
All the joints were tight, with little gapping
and are very unobtrusive. The articulation is just about right on the evil
Gremlins, giving you enough to get them standing on their own, and to hold the
accessories in various ways. Gizmo is light, but it's understandable
considering the design of the character.
Accessories - Stripe ****; Poker, Brain ***;
Gizmo **1/2
The number of accessories varies quite a bit from figure to figure.
Gizmo comes with three Gremlin furballs and a pair of 3D glasses. He can't
actually wear the glasses, but the furballs are made from a nice soft, squishy
plastic.
Stripe is on the opposite end of the spectrum,
with a ton of movie junk food. He has six different candy bars, and a huge
bag of popcorn, all with great stickers. The stickers are complete right
down to the lists of ingredients on the back. They stick fairly well to
the plastic, but there is a little wrinkling in some areas.
Stripe also has one saw blade, not something you
want your evil Gremlin in possession of, if you can help it.
Poker Player and Brain fall in between.
Poker Player has his tinted visor, one card that fits nicely behind his ear, and
a hand of cards that he can hold. He also has a pile of chips, popcorn,
etc. that are all molded together.
Brain is the largest of the figures, and has
only two accessories, but they are great accessories. The first is his
book on the history of civilization, and the second is a Erlenmeyer flask,
containing a unusual looking fake fluid. I really like both of these accessories,
although Brain can't easily hold either one.
I wish we had gotten some of the more 'adult'
accessories, like booze and smokes, but I suspect that the licensor wasn't keen
on the idea.
Value - **1/2
The only negative here is the price. It's a little higher than I'd
like to see, by maybe two bucks. That's going based on the $12 that
Suncoast etc. is charging. Major retailers like Target or Toys R Us
aren't carrying these, but if you can find them for $10 or less you can add
another star.
Overall - Gizmo ***; the rest ***1/2
Gizmo gets hurt in the overall score because he's a) too damn cute in
general and b) is a smaller figure with fewer accessories. He's a
great sculpt with excellent paint ops though, and your Gremlins collection
really isn't complete without him.
The other three are excellent, and at a
couple bucks less could have been four star figures. I'm particularly happy
with Stripe and all his ultra-cool accessories, but Brain and the Poker
Player are great additions to the collection as well..
Where to Buy -
I picked my set up at my local comic shop for $50. He cut me a deal
since I was buying all four, but they were $15 each otherwise.
On-line:
- Killer
Toys has the set for just $38, or the figures individually for just
under $10. That's a much better price than the local Media Play!
- Time
and Space Toys has the plush ones listed at $20 each, but don't have a
listing for the smaller figures. You might want to give them a call.
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