It's a spooky, creepy day - and Coheteboy treats us to a spooky
review! Give us the scoop, CB!
Halloween spooks! Outside my window! Yeek! That's right, it's that time of year when those grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize. But lucky for us, we're going to a piece of property that works great during Halloween and Christmas!
Tim Burton's magical film, The Nightmare Before Christmas is over a decade old now but the merchandise is as hot as ever! There's more and more offerings every year, but let's take a look at something that you probably won't see on the toy shelves in a store near you. That's because this line of action figures are not from Americatown... but across the Pacific ocean in Japantown. But since NBX is such a cult classic with fans wanting everything produced, I thought it would be nice to share what they've got.
But don't get too jealous, for NECA has an entire line of action figures coming our way this holiday season.
Tomy's line of Disney Magical Collection figures is still going strong in its THIRTIETH ASSORTMENT! In this wave of three figures, we have Jack Skellington in his Santa gear, Sally with Zero, and a triple-pack of Lock, Shock & Barrel. These figures are the 113th, 114th, and 115th figures respectively in the line with more to come. The first Jack Skellington figure in this line appeared several waves ago.
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Packaging - ***
Tomy has continued with the long tradition of a card with bubble and it works. These are small figures with proportionate cards and I have no problems with that. While the front of the blister card is the same, the back reveals a still from the film along with a small blurb. Unfortunately it's in Japanese so I can't read it, but it's nice that it's there nonetheless. The blister also tells you the figure number so you can put them all in order, and there's also a list of who else is in the wave, and what's to come. Something else I never brought up was that each different film has a unique stamp or icon next to the name. For Nightmare Before Christmas, it's a jack 'o lantern. Fitting isn't it?
Sculpting - ***1/2
I've never been disappointed with Tomy's sculpts. Ok maybe once or twice but always a quality job. This wave is no different. Jack Skellington in his Santa outfit couldn't be better. The figure is pretty much posed to stay in that position for all eternity and it looks fine. Jack's expression is perfect.
Sally, played by Catherine O'Hara, is an example of a figure that COULD look better but I really can't complain. It looks pretty darn good, especially in this scale. All the stitching is there. You really can't get too much better than this. Even her accessory Zero is nicely sculpted.
Finally we have the three hooligans, Lock, Shock and Barrel. For those trying to keep track, Lock is the guy in the red (yay, another Paul Ruebens figure). Shock is the girl, and Barrel is the skull-face one. All of these are sculpted decently but could have been a little better. They really don't stand too well on their own so that could have been improved. But overall, the essence of the characters are all here, so I'm perfectly satisfied.
Paint - ***
Very much like the sculpts, paint has always been incredibly consistent in these Disney figures, though you might find some bleed on occasion. When you do, it's usually minor. The color selections are usually quite accurate to the character, and everything looks great here.
Sally steals the spotlight here with the amazing detail to her dress. It really does look like different pieces were stitched together.
Articulation - Sally **; the rest BUPKIS
Articulation definitely isn't the high point of this line as of late. Most of the figures had at least four points of articulation but there really isn't anything going on here. Sally has the most points with only four... but all four are in the arms! No head or leg articulation for this rag doll.
And as you can see in the score, the rest have zilch. Jack does look like he has articulation in the arms, but they're either stuck or glued stiff. The figure is so frail that I dare not pull too hard on this one. The triple pack of Lock, Shock and Barrel don't offer any points of articulation either. But I suppose you get three figures so that's nice. Still would be cool to have SOME articulation.
Accessories - Sally ** 1/2; the rest * 1/2
Each figure comes with at least a base. Jack's base is a little more unique, being a sack of Christmas toys. Lock, Shock, and Barrel all come with their individual clear bases that are unique to each character. Just plug the feet into the base and you're all set.
Sally's base is the standard black circular base that accompanies most Disney figures but she gets an extra star for having Jack's pet Zero as a pack in.
Fun Factor - **
The only fun from these would be to display them on a shelf. Definitely not for play.
Value - **1/2
At a cost of $10 per figure, the value isn't really there. But because it's the only consistent brand of Disney Action Figures, they're worth it to me.
Overall - ***1/2
Despite some very low scores, I couldn't not give it a high score because these really are cool figures that look fantastic when displayed. And of course, you can't go wrong with the Nightmare Before Christmas!
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But if I had to say anything at all, it would be this: The sculpts and paint are terrific as always but articulation is horrible.
Next wave: The Incredibles!
SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - *** 1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - Sally **; the rest bupkis
Accessories - Sally ** 1/2; the rest */12
Fun Factor - **
Value - **1/2
Overall - *** 1/2
Where to Buy -
Ebay and import shops are all I can think of here as Japan and the rest of Asian toy stores carry these figures. These three figures were purchased at Frank and Son's Collectible Show in California
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Figure from the collection of
Sean Teeter.
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