SEARCH      FEATURES    NEWSLETTER    EMAIL     HOME
White Space
Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week
Review Header Bar
White Space

Review of Betsy Ross - Kick-Ass 2 Prop Replica

NECA
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

Please share with your friends!

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Introduction

Tonight is a double whammy - a guest review and a MWC review, all at the same time! I've asked my nephew and geek extraordinaire to join me in reviewing the Betsy Ross prop replica from NECA, a San Diego Comic Con exclusive. Let's give Guy the floor first - take it away, Guy!

GUY: On August 16th Kick Ass returns in Kick Ass 2! I really loved the first movie and the risks it took as a film and story.  This time Kick Ass has a team of heroes, but there is also a team of villains for them to battle.  At comic con this year NECA did a great prop replica of one of the weapons carried by a team member.  Jim Carrey plays the role of Colonel Stars and Stripes, and his weapon is  “Betsy Ross”, a decorated ax handle decked out in full patriotic regalia.  This was one of this year's exclusive from NECA and the one I wanted most.  I got a laugh that when you enter Comic Con, any weapons have to be tagged and inspected, but once inside make you way to a booth and you have yourself a crowd clearing stick like no other.  Hell, buy your weapon inside like a gun show!
   
MWC: I loved the first Kick Ass, largely because of the excellent performance by Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl. The sequel is finally here, but not without its controversy. Jim Carrey, who (as Guy mentioned) plays Stars and Stripes, has come out against the movie's violence, although I haven't heard anything about him donating his entire pay check to charity at this point. His character uses a decorated ax handle, called 'Betsy Ross', to knock a little patriotic justice into any evil doer who might pass by. For me, NECA's replica of this prop was my most wanted SDCC exclusive this year, although to be fair, there wasn't a lot of competition. But NECA has been a bit hit or miss with their replicas, so there's always a question as to how they'll turn out. Let's see how this one turned out!

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Packaging - Guy/MWC - ***
Guy: The package features a picture of the character with the “Betsy Ross” as well as a close up of his crazy eyes.  The number ***/2000 is written in silver ink is on the box letting you know what you have. What I liked most was how it’s packed inside.  There a plastic sleeve over the bat and each end has Styrofoam caps so it doesn’t rattle around inside the box.

MWC: As Guy mentioned, this is an actual limited edition of 2000, but there's no Certificate of Authenticity, just the numbering on the box itself. That means you'll want to keep it around. The weapon is well protected inside, but in the end, it's pretty much just a box with a decent Styrofoam tray.

Sculpting - Sculpting - Guy ***; MWC ****

Guy: This is a real ax handle! Real wood, not foam or plastic, but wood.  I am not sure if it is different than a generic handle as I am sure the character dresses up a real handle and doesn’t carve one or anything.  So is it “sculpted”? I don’t know but its dead on and that’s what I wanted. 

However they did do the carving into it and that counts. On one side inside a carved banner, “Hey ho, let’s go” and the other side has “These colors don’t run”, they also scratched and dinged and dented the wood so it looks as though its seen action. On the small end is a silver Colonel badge and three stars on the large end. Sculpted or not, the grip is done with electrical and grip tape as well so you get a fine grip to use around the house or wherever you feel the need to take it.

MWC: I suspect that NECA didn't just pick up a few ax handles at the local Home Depot, but Guy is right - this is the real deal, solid wood and not just any wood, but a true hardwood. This baby has heft, and is an excellent replica.

The stars on one end and the badge on the other are metal, and set deeply into the wood. The handle is wrapped in actual electrical (red) and grip (white) tape, again, making this about the most realistic replica I've seen in awhile.

On either side are the carved sayings, and these are carved, not merely painted. It adds quite a bit to the overall look of the weapon.

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Paint - Guy/MWC: ****
Guy
: Here is the winner and what sets a good replica apart from a mediocre one.  The painted stars are there as well as the deep blue color but some of it is rubbed off, scratched, nicked, dirty, chipped and the like. The whole thing has a wash over it to give it a dirty used look. Even the white grip tape on the handle is grungy, and both the white grip tape like on a hockey stick or baseball bat and red electrical tape for its American look are worn.

MWC: Great work on the paint, with beautiful wear and tear added to the various colors. Nothing looks faked or forced, and that's not an easy thing to pull off. The natural chaotic patterns of real wear are always difficult to match on purpose, but they've done it beautifully here.

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Value - Guy ***; MWC ****
Guy: As I said before, most prop replicas are high priced so only $50.00 is not bad and a comic con exclusive at that, well it’s better than many other options.

MWC: Most con exclusives are $30 - even the little ones. Here, we get an excellent prop replica for a real bargain price. You can't find any replica for $50, let alone one that's an exclusive.

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Things to Watch Out For -
Guy: Furniture, if you are swinging this.  Remember how people broke their TV’s with the Wii remote? 

MWC: Not a thing for me!

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Overall - Guy ***; MWC ****
Guy: A prop replica, well made, screen accurate, heavy weight, exclusive, all lead to a fun find at this years Comic Con.

MWC: Sadly, we do not get enough really well done prop replicas, especially at a reasonable price. When I come across one, I do a little happy dance, and believe me, I'm bogeying right now. I didn't pick up a ton of SDCC exclusives this year, but Betsy Ross was easily the best of the the crop.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - Guy/MWC ***
Sculpting - Guy ***; MWC ****
Paint - Guy ***; MWC ****
Value - Guy ***; MWC ****
Overall - Guy ***; MWC ****

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Dividing Bar

Where to Buy 
Your best bet was SDCC of course, but now you can try to search ebay for a deal. One may pop up on th NECA Ebay store soon but currently they only have a foam option.

Related Links -
I haven't checked out any of the new Kick Ass figures yet, but I did check out the cool 12" figures and the 6" versions from Mezco based on the first film.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!

Dividing Bar

Dividing Bar

Please share with your friends!

Kick-Ass 2 Betsy Ross prop replica by NECA

Back to Main Page
This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford and Guy Klender.

White Space
Review Bottom Edge
This page copyright 2000 - 2017, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved. Click here for copyright permissions!