Review of George, Flasher, Daffy - Gremlins action figures

Introduction

Everyone has their favorite Christmas movie - It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation...Gremlins? Yep, let's not forget that the classic flick was a holiday themed movie, so it seems appropriate that as we prepare for the holiday season, we are getting some new Gremlins figures at the store.

NECA hit the license up a few years back, but now they're going all out with several series. Right now, you can get three of the transformed Gremlins at your local Toys R Us - Daffy, George and Flasher. These are the three I'm looking at tonight. There's also several Mogwai versions, which I'll be looking at shortly as well.

These figures, run around $15 - $16 each, depending on the retailer. Several online retailers are carrying them, but finding them at brick and mortar stores is a little tougher. As I said, Toys R Us seems to be a likely spot.

There's at least one more series of each to come as well, and it looks like NECA is going to give us all the key variants in both forms.

Packaging - ***
NECA has been sticking with the clam shell packaging. It holds up extremely well to shelf wear, and it works well for MOCers. However, some folks that open their toys find them annoying, since you'll need a knife to cut your way through.

There's also several twisties on the inside, but it's not as bad as it could be. The interior card art is good, and there's plenty of character specific personalization on the inserts.

Sculpting - George, Daffy ****; Flasher ***1/2
I haven't seen this much detail in a 7" scale figure in quite some time. There's a ton of texture, with tough scaly patches, spiky edges, and rough skin.

There's extra attention paid to the work on the faces, where they have gone for classic expressions on all three characters. The mouths are designed to look good empty, or you can insert the cigar, ciggie or horn and the lip position still makes sense.

There are a few nits when it comes to screen accuracy (note the lack of edge damage on George's right ear) and there's some reuse with the body parts, including the hands and feet. The exceptional detailing on all three override any of the more minor issues though, and there's enough difference between the heads and the accessories to give each their own look.

The reason I deducted a bit off Flasher was because his coat is sculpted rubbery plastic - not cloth. It is sculpted to work in the one pose only, with each hand pulling back a side. Considering the amount of articulation on these figures, that sort of confinement is a bit disappointing.

They all stand great on their own of course, and the sculpt works well with the supplied articulation.

Paint - ***1/2
NECA has had plenty of issues with paint operations over the last couple years. Anyone that has picked up figures from lines like Terminator, Robocop or Harry Potter knows what I'm talking about.

It's great to see that none of those issues are present here. The eyes, easily the most important feature on all three, are sharp and clean. They've used a wash, but done so judiciously, and edges that should have a clean cut, like the lips, look excellent.

Articulation - ***
A ball jointed neck on these three would have gone a huge way toward upping this score and my pleasure with the articulation. Even without it, they are more poseable than I anticipated.

There might actually be a ball buried in there, but you can only turn the head - there's no real tilt action.

They have NECA style ball shoulders, with pin elbows and knees, and V hips. The also have ball jointed ankles and wrists that both turn and tilt quite nicely. While it's not a ton of articulation, it allows for good arm poses, and the legs can keep the figure upright easily.

Accessories - Daffy, Flasher ***; George **
Daffy and Flasher both come with two accessories, both completely appropriate.

Flasher has a small cigarette that can fit in his mouth, and a pair of funky sunglasses. They fit over his face, but not perfectly, and I found myself wishing that the arms were just a little shorter.

Daffy has a pair of glasses too, and his fit about the same. If the arms were just a smidge shorter, it would work perfectly. Even so, they fit well enough to look good on his face, but you'll have to mess with them a bit to get them just right.

His glasses are the silly kind of course, Groucho Marx style that look pretty appropriate considering his goofy expression.

Daffy also has a party horn, and like Flasher's cigarette, it can fit inside his mouth pretty easily.

Finally, there's George. He gets a lower score since he has only one accessory - his cigar. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar...this is one of those times.

When NECA did Gremlins figures a few years back, they loaded them up on accessories. It's a pity they didn't do that this time around, especially considering the price.

Fun Factor - ****
These are a great size, with excellent sculpts and very playable articulation. Add in some nifty accessories, and you have excellent collectibles AND toys, just like it should be.

Value - **1/2
Considering that several 6" lines are now in this price range (and higher) and often lack the sort of sculpt, paint and articulation we see here, I'm giving these a solid average value.

Things to Watch Out For -
Nothing with the figures, but both sets of glasses are made from very stiff (and therefore breakable) plastic. Don't force them on their face and take a little care.

Overall - ***1/2
I'm extremely happy with this series, much more so than most of the other current mass market figures out there in this price range. They look terrific together and with the smaller Mogwai series, and getting this wide variety of characters is going to make the display even sweeter.

I'm hoping that the fit in well with the much older series from NECA, since mine are packed away so deep in storage right now, they're in a crate next to the Ark of the Covenant. I'm going to give NECA the benefit of the doubt though, since it wouldn't be like them to produce these out of scale with their earlier work.

George and Daffy both had a crack at four star figures, but needed another accessory or two to pull it off. With the sculpted coat, Flasher wasn't going to make it, but he's still a great looking figure.

With at least three more coming, and several different Mogwai to go with them, the Gremlins section of the holiday display is sure to grow nicely this year.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting -  George, Daffy ****; Flasher ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - Daffy, Flasher ***; George **
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has a case for $210.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Gremlins products include:

- Jun Planning did some fuzzy versions.

- NECA visited the license several years ago with these.

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!