Packaging - ***
The Freddy is designed to fit right in with the Jason box, and the rest of the
Modern Horror line. This consistency in design across the boxes is a great
touch, allowing the MIBBer to display them together. The front pictures a
nice closeup of the big bad, with some basic text on the back and the credits on
the fifth panel. Some additional text would have been nice, and the boxes
aren't really collector friendly - you'll have to tear up the insert to get the
stand free - but I really do appreciate the consistent look of the front.
Sculpting - ****
Another excellent job by the Sideshow sculptors. I thought the did an
excellent job with Jason too, but that version of Jason is likely to be lower on
the list of the fan's favorite versions. This is the classic Freddy, and
the burn marks, deformed ears, and menacing grin are all perfect.
The sculpting of the hands is also quite good,
especially the bladed right hand. You can see the burned flesh through the
palm of the glove, and the burned left hand matches the overall appearance
well. The left hand is capable of holding accessories (although there's
none for him to hold), and the design and execution of the gloved right hand is
extremely good.
However, since the blades are plastic and not
steel, they will come out of the package slightly bent. I shot these
photos without making any changes, since I don't want you surprised when you
open yours, but I used some warm water to straighten them out later, and then
cooled them off in the new position. It works well because the plastic is
very stiff and hard, compared to some of the other soft figures we've gotten
from other companies in recent days. It's not brittle plastic, but stiff
enough to be reformed.
Paint - ****
The paint operations cover the head and hands. In both areas, they've used
a pretty sophisticated wash to produce the highlighted burn effect, and the
color of the damaged flesh looks accurate.
The eyes and mouth detail work is extremely good
as well, and I think Sideshow can be proud of both the sculpting and paint work
here. When you match up great paint application with great sculpting, you
get a figure that really stands out.
Articulation - ****
Sideshow bodies usually get high scores from me, and this is no exception.
There's tons of articulation, and unlike Jason, Freddy has not only the ball
jointed neck but the cool special Sideshow wrists that have all the extra
articulation.
I did have a minor issue with the body.
The bands were so tight in the upper body, that the chest and waist articulation
was tough to use. But that minor issue was greatly outweighed by four
additional points of articulation that are special to this figure - the fingers
of his glove!
Each of the four fingers on his right hand is
articulated at the main joint, allowing you to move them forward and backward
independently. This is a fantastic touch, and really adds to the realism
of the figure.
Accessories - *1/2
This is easily the area that this figure takes it's big hit. There's only
one accessory, a stand with the Nigtmare on Elm Street logo. The Sideshow
stands are nice, and they do ensure that your figures won't be toppling off the
shelf every time somebody slams a door, but that's not sufficient for this
category, especially at this price point.
Outfit - **1/2
The outfit is made up of his hat, sweater, pants and boots. His outfit
is crucial of course, since it's so much a part of his trademark.
The hat is made from a soft rubber, and it fits
great. It looks accurate, with good sculpting and paint, and won't fall
off when you look at him funny.
The boots are also a good sculpt, and fit his
feet nicely, although I could swear we've seen them on some other figure.
Likewise, the pants fit well, and look fine. There's not much you can do
wrong with the pants though, unless the tailor was drunk. The are a
slightly lighter color than the prototype wore, but they look fine.
The big problem in this category is the sweater,
his most crucial piece of clothing. It is made of a polyester type
material, not a sweater-like material. This really hurts the overall
appearance, and the black stripes are printed (or silk screened) on the red
material, rather than being knitted together like a normal sweater. The
fraying at the neck and arms doesn't really look quite right either, because
with this material the best they could do is machine cut edges. This
doesn't really look like a fraying sweater, but a shirt with fringe.
Value - **1/2
Sideshow's site sells Freddy for $40, at a run of about 7500 figures.
That's not a terrible price if you consider the license probably cost some
decent coin, but with no accessories it's still only average at best. The
articulated glove added cost, but at this price point we should have gotten a
knitted sweater.
Overall - ***
I'd love to give this figure another half star, but I just can't quite do
it. I really do like Freddy, and he looks fantastic with the Furnace, but
the less than thrilling sweater combined with the shortage of accessories, hold
this figure back from perfection. If you're a big fan of the films, and
you don't have psychological issues with the idea of 'dolls' (read my article
on action figures vs. dolls if you do), then you'll be happy with this figure.
Where to Buy -
It's unlikely you'll see these in any bricks and mortar stores, unless it's your
local comic shop. On-line:
- The Classic
Freddy is still available at Sideshow, but not for long. He was
originally sold out, but due to some cancelled orders they still have a few
available. And don't forget about the Freddy vs. Jason versions of both Freddy
and Jason,
and the Furnace
play set! The Furnace is a run of only 500, so it's likely to sell out
fairly soon. The other Modern Horror Classics should be released soon,
including Michael
Myers and Leatherface.
- Aisle
Sniper is sold out of the classic Freddy and Jason, but they have the others
up for pre-order right now, at about $35 each.
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