Retro toys are all the rage right now. People my age and slightly older have a desire to revisit their childhoods in various ways. Adult themed coloring books from shows such as Game of Thrones and films like Harry Potter have become extremely popular in the last few years. NECA Toys has tapped into the same sense of nostalgia in its products. They’ve created a line of figures styled off of the old MEGO style designs of the 1970’s. And they’ve also tapped into the memories of the early 1990’s toy market with these…

The Kenner Toys themed Predator Series 16!

I’ve previously reviewed NECA’s Kenner styled Alien Vs Predator 2-Pack which you can read here to get a sense of the look they were going for in both faithfully recreating the packaging of the early 1990’s and updating the figure itself dramatically. NECA continued this idea perfectly in this new series!

Along with recreating the figures and packaging, NECA created very detailed backstories for each of these Predators.

As well as the NECA name written in the Kenner Toys logo style.

Spiked Tail Predator and Stalker Predator are updated versions of previously released standard Kenner toys. While Ghost Predator is a creation of NECA’s artistic ability mixed with the design of a larger, 12 inch Predator figure made by Kenner named “Ultimate Hunter” which came in a 2-Pack.

A friend of mine of Twitter, Patrick O’Brien, was kind enough to send me some shots of his vintage Spiked Tail and Stalker Predators. You can follow him on Twitter @OBrien10712.

 

As you can see, NECA faithfully incorporated all the elements and color schemes as possible from the original Kenner toys as possible.

We’ll start with Spiked Tail.

Spiked Tail comes with a removable mask…

an arm mounted, bendable blade…

and a shiruken that can be mounted on Spiked Tail’s shoulder.

Spiked Tail is unique among the NECA Predators. His stripe skin pattern, ornamental horns and permanently placed breathing mask all make him stand out on a shelf next to the other hunters.

His namesake is not a tail in the traditional sense, but a spiked ball at the end of a long trail of his tendrils. This trail is bendable.

Spiked Tail also features other mechanical parts unique to his armor besides his mask.

Stalker Predator is my personal favorite of this series. His most obvious feature is his glow in the dark body and mask. Most glow in the dark toys have only a portion that can glow, Stalker’s entire body on the other hand is completely made of out the fluorescent material.

Glow in the dark was a big toy gimmick in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. I remember having glow in the dark toys from a variety of toy franchises such as Terminator and The Real Ghostbusters. And this isn’t NECA’s first venture into glow in the dark toys. They recently released a Toys R Us exclusive glow in the dark Thermal Vision Xenomorph from AVP: Alien Vs. Predator which you can read my review of here.

Stalker gives off a bright glow and this seems to have the best results when placed in direct sunlight.

Stalker comes with a removable mask…

a Net Gun that has its own slot on the right leg…

an alternate hand for the Net Gun…

an extended spear…

and a pair of collapsed spears that can be stored in Stalker’s backpack.

The detailing on Stalker’s armor is incredible! The most apparent feature of this armor is the Xenomorph head which is mounted to Stalker’s chest plate.

Other interesting points are the spikes on the armor include the thigh and shoulder guards as well as human skulls on the shin armor.

Stalker is also the first Predator made by NECA to come with the Net Gun as a removable weapon.

This gun was first seen in Predator 2 brandished by the City Hunter Predator. When NECA made City Hunter years ago for their Predator line, the Net Gun was attached to City Hunter’s leg. While it has been announced that an Ultimate City Hunter is coming with a removable Net Gun, Stalker is the first to reach retail with one of them!

Ghost Predator is another new addition to the Kenner line.

As I mentioned before, this figure isn’t as directly inspired by previously released Kenner figures as Stalker and Spiked Tail is. He is more of an artistic liberty taken by NECA’s artists with a larger, 12 inch Kenner Predator that was released in a 2-pack.

Ghost features a removable mask…

a smart disc that can be placed in the thigh holster…

a spear…

a sword…

an extendable pair of wrist blades done in black for the first time…

a wrist computer that opens…

a bone necklace made of the mandibles of Super Predators…

and a plasma cannon.

Ghost received his name from his eerily pale skin.

This skin is complemented with dark stripes that run along certain sections of his body.

Ghost has a surprising amount of weapons for a single Predator as well.

This series is rare among the other 15 series of Predators for one specific reason. All three Predators in this series have a removable mask.

Many people have asked NECA online why they have made both masked and unmasked versions of Predators in the past. Why not have the mask be removable with all of them?
NECA’s goal is just like that of most companies who produce collectibles from films, screen accuracy. They want to make the most perfect replica of what fans saw in the films as possible. NECA tried many ways to make the Predators’ masks removable. Each time, either the face/head or the mask didn’t look EXACTLY like what was seen on film. They didn’t want to try pegs as that would leave holes in the face. They even tried magnets in both the head and mask to try and pull this off. Nothing looked exactly like the on screen Predators, so they decided to make two versions instead of one.

So, you may be asking, why do some have removable masks now?

Because all the Predators made by NECA with masks that can come off are all based on Predators that were not seen in films. They are based on earlier Kenner Toys figures or comic books, so more liberty could be taken with head and mask sizes in order to make them work. The only on screen Predator with a removable mask is Series 17’s upcoming Elder Predator from AVP: Alien Vs. Predator. However, the Elder only carries the mask in the film, he doesn’t wear it. It also has an opening in the front of the mask for the Predator’s lower mandibles to rest in and I think that may also have helped make this one removable.

These are my favorite Kenner Predators of all the ones NECA has produced so far. Every aspect of the figures captures the retro feel perfectly and the detail in the armor is some of the finest in the whole line.

NECA is continuing the Kenner line very soon with the Deluxe Clan Leader Predator figure which is arriving to me any day now! Look for a review soon!

Predator Series 16 is available online and in stores now for around $21.99 a piece.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow them on Twitter @NECA_TOYS and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

The Predator franchise is NECA Toys’ highest selling line. It has been for the past eight years and current sales figures show this line is only getting more popular, with some of the largest and most detailed Predators coming in the next few months.

In the past year, NECA has focused a large amount of its time working on creatures from the 2004 film AVP: Alien Vs. Predator. They began in Series 14 of the Predator line with Unmasked Scar Predator, Celtic Predator and Chopper Predator which you can read my review of here.

NECA then continued producing the creatures from this film in both the Aliens and Predator lines. Series 15 of Predator was again AVP based and Series 6 of Aliens featured two versions of the Xenomorph Warrior that appeared in the film.

Fans are loving the sculpts from this movie and even more figures from it are scheduled next year for Series 17.

So, fans were naturally excited when NECA revealed this exclusive Toys R Us set featuring alternate versions of previously released AVP figures…

The Grid Vs. Celtic: Rivalry Reborn 2-Pack!

As I mentioned, this set makes use of the previously released Celtic Predator and Grid Xenomorph figures and alters them to create battle damaged versions that look the way they did during their epic battle in the film. This fight and this scene are significant in the film as it is the first time we actually see a Predator battle a Xenomorph. And not just any Xenomorph, as this particular one had already killed the Chopper Predator before lunging at Celtic, showing particularly deadly skills.

Battle damaged Grid comes with only one accessory, the sliced off tip of his tail.

This can also be brandished by Celtic as a weapon.

This new Grid also features a clear head dome where the first Grid had a dark one.

Both versions of Grid feature a bendable tail and an extendable, inner jaw.

Battle damaged Celtic comes with a shiruken…

a pair of wrist blades melted by Xenomorph acid blood that were used to slice off Grid’s tail…

a cloth net with plastic pins…

and a ceremonial dagger.

This Celtic also comes with less body armor. During the battle, the Grid Xenomorph flicks its tail towards Celtic, splashing his chest armor with acid blood that starts dissolving it. Celtic tears this damaged armor off of himself mid fight.

Celtic also features a bio mask with deep claws marks running down it from where Grid slashed at his face.

The acid melted wrist blades pop in and out easily.

The ceremonial dagger fits snugly into the leg sheath.

These two figures pose together very well and you are able to recreate many of the battle moments from the film.

 

A NECA Dynamic Stand help make Grid seem just as agile as it did in the film.

The net accessory is new and unique. Celtic fired the net from his wrist when Grid tried to jump him from behind and above.

The net slammed shut around Grid and he smashed through the floor when he lands. The net is made of serrated line that slices into the Xenomorph, leaving the signature marks across his head and shoulders.

However, those marks draw the Xenomorph’s acid blood which snaps the net line, freeing Grid.

 

Grid then finishes off Celtic the same way he did Chopper, a deadly strike of the Xenomorph’s inner jaw to the head.

NECA has recently announced that they would be releasing a pillar from the pyramid featured in AVP: Alien Vs. Predator. These pillars can be seen in the battle between Celtic and Grid and look like they will be a perfect companion piece to not only this 2-pack but all the NECA AVP figures!

The Celtic Vs. Grid: Rivalry Reborn 2-pack is a Toys R’ Us exclusive item and is only available in their stores or from their website here for $44.99.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow them on Twitter @NECA_TOYS and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

Ash Vs. Evil Dead is without question a hit!

Since premiering Halloween Night 2015 on the Starz Network, two additional seasons were announced with the second season airing now! Ash is finally back to his old ways like fans have always wanted and its a very exciting time to be a horror fan, especially an Evil Dead one!

I recently reviewed the first series of NECA Toys’ action figures based on the show’s first season which you can read here. Fans loved them and NECA announced shortly after the main announcement of the line that a deluxe 3-pack would be coming soon to join the first series! It just arrived and here it is…

The Bloody Ash Faces Demon Spawn 3-pack!

Featuring an insert of the basement of the cabin in the woods…

this set features things that will please Evil Dead fans old and new alike! The older fans will be thrilled because for the first time in the history of Ash figures, we finally have one covered in the trademark gore of the franchise!

Making use of the Hero Ash sculpt from Ash Vs. Evil Dead Series 1, Bloody Ash features a bloody chainsaw…

alternate robotic hand…

and shotgun.

Like Hero Ash, the shotgun can be placed in the back sling.

Unlike Hero Ash, this Ash’s robotic stump is not removable and is attached to the chainsaw.

Every film in the series except for Army of Darkness features Ash covered from head to toe in blood at some point in the film. This happens multiple times in the first season of Ash Vs. Evil Dead and its still just as fun and gruesome as its always been. Bloody Ash is a perfect companion piece for the three previously released Ash Vs. Evil Dead figures or even against other NECA Evil Dead toys.

Now we come to what the newer fans will like, the two Demon Spawn!

I don’t want to give away any plot details for anyone who hasn’t seen Ash Vs. Evil Dead season one, but these two creatures were featured in that season’s finale. This episode featured Ash returning to the infamous cabin in the woods where all of his troubles started. Once there, Ash again ventures into the basement where the power of the Necronomicon calls forth something new for him to battle. Actually, two new things.

These creepy little bastards are burrowers, that’s why they are covered in mud.

Again, I don’t want to say too much more about the episode so as to not ruin it, so we’ll just stick to the toys. The Demon Spawn feature two unique head sculpts, one with the snarling face and one with a screaming face.

To round out the creepy picture, their eyes are black, hollow sockets and they are wearing what appear to be diapers of some sort.

One of the best parts about these two is that due to their smaller size and weight, you can actually have them climb on Ash to create more dynamic poses.

I like this set a lot. It gives us the blood covered Ash we’ve always hoped for and the two Demon Spawn pop nicely on your shelf on account of how pale they are.

This set is available now through NECA’s eBay and Amazon pages. It is shipping out now and will be available both online and in stores very soon for around $39.00.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow them on Twitter @NECA_TOYS and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

“That ain’t no way for no soldier to die” – Mac from Predator
Earlier this year, I reviewed the Aliens Creature Pack by NECA Toys which you can read here.

It was an immediate hit with fans and it was announced shortly after that accessory packs for both Predator and Alien 3 would soon follow. Well, the next set has arrived and it’s from the 1987 John McTiernan classic Predator!

NECA’s Predator Accessory Pack comes with seven items, four recycled and three new! Skulls of a human being…

a Xenomorph skull…

a skull with spine…

a bloody skull with spine…

a Jungle Hunter Shoulder Cannon style blast effect…

a City Hunter Shoulder Cannon style blast effect…

and, the main attraction, a full size, skinless corpse!

The corpse and blast effects are the new pieces. The Pack comes in a basic window box with a cool infrared shot of a jungle as seen through the Predator’s bio mask as a background insert.

In the film, Major Schaffer and his team get their first sign that something is very different about this rescue mission very early. Billy Sole, the team’s tracker, discovers three completely skinned bodies hanging upside down by their ankles from the branch of a tree while tracking them from a helicopter crash. The men are horrified at what they see and assume that it is the work of particularly brutal guerrilla soldiers. They have no idea what is waiting for them.

The skulls are wonderful set pieces to go with ANY Predator, either being held by them or just at their feet.

The AVP Predators look especially complete with the Xenomorph skulls!

The blast effects are wonderful little touches that give your displays an extra sense of vibrant motion!

While these blast effects will not fit all Predator Shoulder Cannons, they fit the majority.

Now, we come to the main attraction, the skinless corpse!

It is made of a hard rubber so it is slightly flexible, definitely not the same type of plastic a normal NECA figure is cast in. Now, in the film, these bodies always hang suspended upside down. The collector is free to come up with lots of different scenes and poses to try and recreate this. I personally chose to use hemp wick to hang the body as it has a natural vine type look. You can find this in smoke shops everywhere or online in many places such as Amazon.

Start by wrapping the hemp wick around the corpse’s ankles three or four times, enough to secure the beginning of the line.

Snake the opposite end of the hemp wick up between the ankles and through the loop the hemp wick has made around them. Pull the rope tight and it should be snug, straight and ready to be hung!

Because these figures are made out of a rubber type material as opposed to plastic, they are much lighter in weight and this makes suspending them from a surface much easier.

It is irrational how excited I was when NECA announced this! Every since the Predator line first started, I was hoping for these to be made as gory set pieces! I can’t recommend this set enough for anyone who is a fan of NECA Predators!

The Predator Accessory Pack is available online and in stores now for around $20.00.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow them on Twitter @NECA_TOYS and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

Godzilla.

He is undoubtedly worthy of his title, “King of the Monsters”. Having spanned six decades and 31 films, Godzilla’s appearance has changed many times over the years. From the lumbering, black and white giant from the original film to the bright orange Burning Godzilla in 1995 to this year’s incredibly huge and bizarre Shin Gojira.

Due to the visual as well as personality differences between the variations of Godzilla, I’ve often thought of him to be similar to Batman in this regard. There are multiple story lines, tones and personalities during the years that clearly set both very campy and very dark moods. From the original 1966 Batman television series to The Dark Knight and similarly, from the child friendly protector of the 1970’s to the dark, nuclear nightmare of 1985; Godzilla and Batman have followed equally varied paths.

For their seventh Godzilla figure, NECA Toys decided to visit what is undoubtedly one of Godzilla’s darkest designs, the 2001 suit.

Like all previously released NECA Godzillas, this one features no accessories. The pieces you see along with Godzilla in these photos were provided by myself.

This suit only appears once in the film series in “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack” or better know to fans the world over simply as “GMK”. Right from the beginning you can see how it stands out. This film is rare in the series as it not only sees Godzilla return to his darker origins, it also makes him the flat out antagonist of the film. Godzilla’s long time nemesis King Ghidorah actually appears as a force of good in the film, a first for the franchise.

In this film, Godzilla is possessed by the souls of all the people of Asia, both Japanese and non, who died in World War II and are upset with Japan for forgetting the sacrifices they made. This can be seen in his angry eyebrows and pure, white eyes.

This version also features larger claws on both the hands and feet than have been seen in most Godzilla suits.

The spins on his back also carry through with the white color scheme of this suit.

The anger is also clear in Godzilla’s face, caught in a sort of mid snarl look.

Compared to previous NECA Godzillas, the meanness of this one is obvious.

The tail of this Godzilla is also slightly shorter than previous suits.

I’m a massive Godzilla fan and the 2001 suit is one of my personal favorites.

It was refreshing to see Godzilla return to his origins in being a symbol of fear and I was very happy when NECA announced he would be joining their ranks.

Godzilla 2001 is available online and in stores now for around $20. Again, please note, this figure does not come with any of the accessories you see here.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow @NECA_TOYS on Twitter and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, SELECT, START

The Konami Code. A code in video games made by the Japanese company Konami that granted the player extra lives. I had it memorized as a kid as did almost all of my friends who played video games. And while the code worked on many games Komani made, there was one game in particular that cemeted it into my generation’s memory, Contra!

Contra let the player live the adventure of Bill and Lance, two soldiers in the jungle combating the forces of the evil organization Red Falcon. While it was released in arcades in 1987, it was the home console version for the Nintendo Entertainment System released in 1988 that truly introduced the game to audiences en mass. It quickly became one of the most popular and memorable games in NES history and it was this enthusiasm that lead to NECA Toys announcing this in the beginning of December 2015…

Fans, including myself, immediately freaked out. Not just for figures being made for the first time from a game that many of us love, but the awesome use of “floating” effects that made these figures already even more unique among the other VGA toy releases.
But, before we could celebrate for too long, it looked like these figures might have been heading down the drain.

Every figure that NECA creates has to be approved by the company that owns the property. For example, any figures made from the Alien or Predator films has to be approved by 20th Century Fox. In this case, Konami has to approve Contra. Well, for some reason, there was a problem along the way in developing the Contra 2-pack that Konami had with something. Randy Falk, NECA’s director of production and the man who runs their Twitter account, hasn’t commented on exactly what the issue was out of professionalism, but it almost killed the figures. A similar instance with Konami led to the cancelling of a classic 8-bit VGA version of Simon Belmont, the lead character from the Castlevania video game series, that fans had long awaited the return of until recently.

So, at the end of the day, there is much more legality in producing these figures that many collectors fail to appreciate and understand.

Now that the figures have arrived, they are better than I could have hoped!

 Coming in the now standard window flap box, the packaging recreates the original Nintendo box.

Even putting “NECA” in the Nintendo Seal of Quality as they have done before with VGA figures.

This is the first time NECA has packed two figures in one of the window flap boxes and they are fully loaded!

The figures come with an awesome insert of the large, mechanical beast that is the boss of the game’s third level.

Bill, red pants, and Lance, blue pants, both stand and can be posed very easily.

One of the features that made Contra stand out as a game was the awesome array of weapons you could pick up to use along the way. NECA translated these into plastic form brilliantly. The weapons would float through the air in capsules that the player would shoot to have the weapons inside drop to the ground to be picked up. NECA included one of these capsules with the Red Falcon logo and a stand to make it hover off the ground. The capsule plugs into the arm and the arm attaches to the base by inserting it and turning.

Two of the most memorable weapons the capsules can give from the game have also be recreated for these figures; the Machine Gun and Spread Shot!

Three separate bullets with trails combine to form the Machine Gun firing and then plugs into the barrel of Bill’s rifle.

The Spread Shot effect has three bullets and trails built into a blast effect that then plugs into the barrel of Lance’s rifle.

They are spaced in a half circle type shape to show the beginning of the Spread effect. The three bullet effects used with Bill can be plugged into the end of the Spread effect to make its ark even wider.

It is completed by plugging this massive bullet ark into the stand and turning it. You then align it with the beginning part of the blast in the rifle’s barrel to make one huge Spread Shot!

The stand is meant to be used with both the floating capsule and Spread Shot effect separately. The rifles themselves are excellent! The front end of each barrel detaches and is able to swapped, allowing the blast effects to be switched seamlessly between Bill and Lance.

They also feature flip down grips and one single extendable shoulder stock that can be used with either rifle.

All the customization options on the rifles are a testament to NECA’s attention to detail. I could easily see a lazier company just casting basic assault rifles accessories in pure red and blue and then calling it a day. Bill and Lance also come with matching accessory belts that each hold a handgun and a combat knife in their respective colors.

The paint apps on these figures are great, not just for the 8-bit paint squares, but the duel flesh tones make the faces and chests stand out more.

Bill and Lance can be posed in all the poses you saw them in the game such as running, jumping and firing while prone. Please note, this jump is being done with a NECA Dynamic Figure Stand and is not included with this Contra set.

This set is absolutely worth the price considering it’s two full size seven inch figures with a ton of accessories and a collectible box. Many friends of mine who have no interest in toys, but were big gamers when they were kids, commented on and asked me questions about these figures simply because Contra is so iconic. And so far fans are loving Bill and Lance! And I’m definitely one of them!

This set is available in stores and online now for around $44.00.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow @NECA_TOYS on Twitter and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

Ki-ki-ki-ma-ma-ma…

Contrary to popular belief, the infamous sound effect from the Friday the 13th film series isn’t actually “ch-ch-ch-ah-ah-ah”, but rather what you read above. It’s supposed to represent the sound of Jason’s voice in Pamela Voorhees’ mind saying, “kill for mommy”.

I mention this because that sound has been stuck in my head ever since I got the figure of this article’s focus. I’ll explain.

In 2012, NECA released two figures from Friday the 13th: Part 3, a clean version of Jason with removable mask, machete and spear gun. The second was a bloody version with damaged head, bloody removable mask, machete and ax that can plug into the wound in Jason’s head. These sold very well and two more Jasons from the franchise’s fourth entry, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, followed shortly after. Like many figures in NECA’s catalog, fans asked many times for these Jasons to be brought back to store shelves. And like many times before, NECA listened and gave us this…

Ultimate Friday the 13th Part 3D Jason!

Coming in the now standard Ultimate figure box, this one takes things one step further with a lenticular cover image of the film’s poster to tribute the film’s original 3D release! The knife jabbing towards the viewer shifts to the left and right when tilted slightly!

The background insert is an image of a dock that leads to Crystal Lake at night. This is the dock that Jason walks up with the speargun in the first shot we see of him in his infamous hockey mask!

But, that’s just the packaging, the figure located inside the window flap box is amazing!

Featuring a newly sculpted articulation, this figure is another one of NECA’s two in one figures. They have given fans both the clean and bloody heads to attach to a single body that has blood stains on its neck and shirt.

This Jason is fully loaded with seven weapons, four of which are brand new for this figure! Each one of these weapons was used by Jason on screen in the film.

A machete…

An ax…

A spear gun…

A fireplace poker…

A pitchfork…

A wrench…

and a knife.

One of the coolest parts of this figure is the mask. Friday the 13th Part 3 was the first film in the franchise that featured Jason wearing his iconic hockey mask.

The grotesque face under the mask is also capture perfectly in the two heads!

Being able to get both a clean and bloody version of the mask in one package is fabulous! There is even film accurate scraping away of the red triangle of the bloody mask that is later seen in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. And being able to create the shot where Jason first strolls down the dock to show the audience his mask is extra sweet!

I also love how the ax can fit into Jason’s bloody head and mask to recreate the fatal blow delivered to him by the film’s protagonist, Chris.

The weapon and mask give the buyer tons of different customization options! You can really put Jason in some terrifying poses!

This is an absolute MUST have for horror fans and it’s an steal at the price NECA wants!

It is available now online and in stores for around $23.00.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow @NECA_TOYS on Twitter and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

NECA Toys has a long history of incorporating glow in the dark effects with their items. From the fully glow in the dark Friday the 13th Nintendo game Jason mask to the partially glow in the dark Terminator 2: Judgement Day 2015 Endoskeleton.

Well, they’ve brought the concept back for their Aliens line again after the success of the previously released glow in the dark Xenomorph egg with Facehuggers cartons. The first was released as a four pack carton in an Aliens 30th anniversary Loot Crate. A half dozen of these eggs and Facehuggers were later given wide release so all fans could get a chance to buy them.

Of course, they come with instructions.

To guard these eggs, NECA gave us this…

The AVP: Alien Vs. Predator glow in the dark Thermal Vision Warrior Xenomorph!

Meant to replicate the bright, fluorescent glow of a Xenomorph through the Thermal Vision filter of a Predator’s bio mask as seen in the 2004 film, this Alien makes use of the previously released AVP: Alien Vs. Predator Warrior Xenomorph sculpt.

This means that this Xenomorph comes with an extendable, inner jaw…

a bendable tail…

as well as finger and toe joints.

Sections of this plastic is not only glow in the dark, but translucent.

The glow effect works very well, although he doesn’t seem as bright as the eggs can be. But, this figure is molded out of this glow in the dark material, while the eggs and Facehuggers from the cartons are normal plastic coated with glow in the dark paint.

But, he doesn’t need to glow as brightly when the figure’s plastic by itself under normal light conditions gives off such a strong shine!

This Alien goes perfectly next to any of the AVP Predators or even as a standout to your hive display!

 This figure is a Toys R Us exclusive and is only available through their website or in their stores for around $22.00.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow @NECA_TOYS on Twitter and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

 

Ever since the release of Army of Darkness in 1992, fans of the Evil Dead series have screamed for the return of Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell as everyone’s favorite, handsome and still shockingly dumb at times Deadite killer, Ashley J. Williams! Fast forward through 23 years of rumored new films, Ash action figures, comic books and video game releases, it was clear that the time had finally come to bring Ash back to the screen.

Enter the Starz Network and their new show which premiered Halloween Night 2015, Ash Vs. Evil Dead! From the moment of its announcement and with every new image fans saw, excitement grew. The gore seemed to be there, the humor seemed to be there. Expectations were high and Starz did not disappoint in the slightest.

Ash Vs. Evil Dead was an immediate hit, so much so that it got a second season ordered by the network three days before the first season even premiered. And a third season has already been announced.

Adding to that hype is the first series of figures based upon the show by NECA Toys!

Value Stop Ash, Eligos the demon of the mind and Hero Ash!

We’ll start with Value Stop Ash. Due to legal restrictions, the writers of Ash Vs. Evil Dead were not permitted to reference the events of Army of Darkness on the show. The series serves as a sequel to the events of the first two films in the series, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn. As a result, the writers couldn’t mention S-Mart, the value store seen at the beginning and end of Army of Darkness where Ash works in the housewares department. But because the idea of Ash being an adult stock boy had become a fixed part of the character lore, the writers came up with a new store for him to work in.

All three figures in this series come with an insert of the red woods image seen in promotional images for the show.

Value Stop Ash comes with an alternate, screaming head and a possessed Little Lori doll which attacked Ash in the stock room of the series’ premiere, grabbing his face.

The doll can be attached to Ash’s screaming head.

Ash also comes with his wooden hand, which is removable.

This is another example of the writers having to skirt around the events of Army of Darkness. In the film, Ash manufactures himself a metal hand out of the glove of a suit of armor. So, in the beginning of Ash Vs. Evil Dead, Ash is shown simply having a basic wooden hand. The bright red of the Value Stop overcoat pops very well on your shelf.

Next, we have Eligos, the demon of the mind.

Featured in season one of the series, this Deadite has a very different design compared to the other demons on the show. Rather than a Deadite creature we see after it possesses a person, Eligos is a demon in it’s pure form. And that form is ugly!

Featuring a bizarre, eyeless face and chin horns, Eligos’ body is covered in bleeding wounds.

Tipped with black nails, his lower arms and legs have their skin torn away to reveal a red, bloody layer of muscle underneath.

The legs are the most unusual with backwards, bone fragment ankles that lead down to hands for feet.

We round out with Hero Ash. He is the classic blue shirt, brown pants and chainsaw hand look that is cannon for the character and the outfit Ash wears throughout the majority of the show.

He also comes with an alternate, angry head…

alternate lower arm with robotic hand…

shotgun…

chainsaw(Please note, this accessory was received damaged with the top handle missing)…

and stump accessories.

This robotic hand was made for Ash by his Value Stop co-workers Pablo and Kelly and allows Ash to now have the full range of motion he had with the artificial hand in Army of Darkness.

The robotic hand, chainsaw hand and stump can all be interchanged.

Ash’s shotgun can fit into the sling on his back. A great feature of this series is that all of the Ash’s heads are interchangeable between his figures. This allows for a wide variety of facial expressions and poses.

These three figures were great choices to represent the first season of the show and they will soon be joined by a three pack featuring a bloody Hero Ash with two demon children who were seen in the first season’s finale.

I will be reviewing this set very soon!

This series is another excellent entry by NECA into the Evil Dead franchise and a second series has already been confirmed for next year!

They are available online and in stores now for around $22.00 each.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow @NECA_TOYS on Twitter and you can follow me @Ode2Ash.

Thanks very much for reading!

 

I’ve mentioned before on this site when reviewing NECA Toys’ Pacific Rim figures how much I would’ve lost my mind for the film if I was a kid now based on how much I loved monster movies when I was younger.

NECA over the last three years has delivered an amazing line of figures from this film, resulting in some of the biggest and most detailed creatures to ever come out of their studio. For a period of time, it was the company’s third best selling line behind Predator and Aliens.

Well, sadly NECA announced late this past spring that they would be ending the line after three years. With the exception of three kaijus, NECA did a figure of every other kaiju and Jaeger in the film, some seen on film for only a matter of seconds. So, even though it wasn’t a complete line, it got much closer than many others did.

The series came to a close over the past few months with these four figures…

Deluxe Kaijus Mutavore and Harship, Ultimate Gipsy Danger and the Loot Crate exclusive Battle at the Docks Gipsy Danger!

We’ll start with the best part, the monsters!

Please note, due to the time in between releases, Mutavore was opened prior to being reviewed. For reference, Mutavore’s packaging is the same as Hardship’s which is shown.

Mutavore was the kaiju seen breaking through the Australian coastal wall on a rampage towards Sydney.

The figure is very fitting for the first Category 4 kaiju seen in Pacific Rim. So massive it needs a stand!

One of the most striking features of this kaiju’s design is that it’s eyes are below it’s mouth. It immediately catches the eye, you can tell something is off with it.

Fans can now properly recreate the Sydney battle with this new kaiju and NECA’s previously released Ultimate Striker Eureka!

Now onto the final monster to be released in this line, the huge and colorful Hardship!

This kaiju was actually one seen in the film for a few brief moments during the films prologue.

Like Mutavore, Hardship comes with a stand and is structurally similar to him.

Besides Hardship’s bright colors, one of his standout features is his lower jaw which unhinges like Otachi’s.

You can recreate the battle of Romeo Blue versus Hardship shown in the prologue.

These two kaijus are very heavy and definitely need the stands they come with in order to pull off most poses.

Now we move onto the main Jaeger of the film, the two final versions of Gipsy Danger, Battle at the Docks Gipsy Danger and Ultimate Gipsy Danger!

Battle at the Docks Gipsy is from the fight between Gipsy and the EMP emitting Leatherback in the docks of Hong Kong.

It features two accessories that allow fans to recreate two of the most memorable moments in the film. When Gipsy smashes two fist fulls of shipping containers into Leatherback’s face.

And the famous Elbow Rocket!

This accessory slips over the elbow joint after the forearm is removed and then replaced.

Gipsy is also splattered with neon, blue kaiju blood to mimic the aftermath of her battle with Leatherback.

This Gispy is a reuse of the previously released Honk Kong Brawl Gispy and was exclusive to a LootCrate subscription service box released earlier this past summer. I’m actually not a member of this service and I bought my copy of this figure on eBay.  The accessories are easy to attach and they allow for customization on each arm.

Finally, we come to the last Pacific Rim figure to be released by NECA, officially ending the line, Ultimate Gipsy Danger.

She comes in the same style packaging as the previously released Ultimate Striker Eureka, you can read my review here, and includes the same wonderful touch of scale to the size of the machine in your hands.

It includes a background insert of the Shatterdome.

Featuring an all-new sculpt of the film’s main Jaeger, Ultimate Gipsy comes fully loaded! Including two closed fists, two open hands, two alternate plasma cannons arms, two chain swords and a reactor blast plug in effect for the chest, this Gipsy allows fans to recreate every scene that includes Gipsy, minus when she is battle damaged.

When combined with previously released kaiju, you can recreate the Battle of Anchorage from the film’s beginning.

Or the showdown in Hong Kong with Otachi! In fact, the ship from the previously released Hong Kong Brawl Gipsy Danger will fit in Ultimate Gipsy’s hands.

By far though, Ultimate Gipsy’s coolest feature is the LED light in her chest that illuminates the reactor blast!

It can also used without the blast effect.

The joint articulation is vastly improved in this Gipsy over previous versions allowing her to stand with greater ease.

All in all, these four figures round out an amazing three year run for NECA with the Pacific Rim license. It’s been one of my favorite lines that they’ve done and with the film’s sequel, Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, beginning production in Asia very soon, here’s to hoping we’ll see more figures from this universe in the future!

Deluxe Kaijus Mutavore and Hardship and Ultimate Gipsy Danger are available now in stores and online. The Deluxe Kaiju are around $55.00 a piece and Ultimate Gipsy is around $23.00. Battle At The Docks Gipsy Danger is only available on secondary markets.

For all the latest NECA Toys news and information, follow them on Twitter @NECA_TOYS

You can follow me on Twitter @Ode2Ash

I’m Ash and thanks very much for reading!