Cult Classics 5

After finally having a chance to hold some of NECA's new releases in my hand, I'm vastly more impressed with this company than ever before. I've said for years on internet forums that they truly have the potential to do great things and this is one of those times they've proven that claim right.

Hannibal features a good sculpt, I was lucky to get some good paint apps... far better than many other people who have posted pics of thier grabs which honestly make the figure look like it was painted with the steady, consistent hand of a Parkinson's patient on a bad day. That wasn't the case with mine and for that I am grateful. I will however keep the mask on.

That mask, by the way, is made of a flexible plastic, making it far easier to place on Dr. Lecter than if NECA had chosen to use a harder ABS material. The orange prison suit looks great and the paint is clear, smooth and consistent. The hand cart appear to be pretty durable, and it should be since it's got a heavy figure to support. People who may have expected something similar to the rediculously fragile walker that came with Sebastian Haff will be disappointed that there's nothing to gripe about when it comes to the strength of the hand cart's construction. It's solid, and perhaps the only weak point is the pull-out set of wheels in the back which tilt Hannibal back a bit.



Moving on, we come to Ash. The sculpt is great, and the final product might actually be better than the prototype pics we've seen. The only other time I think NECA's managed to pull that off was with the 18" Pinhead. The cape looks good and the shotgun holster actually holds the shotgun. Speaking of the shotgun, it's pretty good and fits snugly in the hand.

The figure's articulation is great, the range of motion in the arms is great. The base is pretty awesome, but not as awesome as the Necronomicon that he comes with. Only one thing seems to be missing, and it's minor considering that it would make the figure inaccurate, and that would be the chainsaw. I have seen that the McFarlane chainsaw hand does fit, so I guess if I want one bad enough I'll have find an McAsh and take his. The figure is probably the best Ash ever made, and it truly makes me want to go and get an Evil Ash to go with him.

I think I'll definately end up doing that.

Finally, we come to the Jigsaw Killer.
I say finally, because I didn't buy Leatherface. I don't like this Leatherface and I'm quite content with the one I bought from Movie Manaics 7 so no Bubba for me. Anyway, the Jigsaw Killer came in two versions which was a bad move from the start. This figure should have came with two heads and swappable hoods. Instead, we got what we got and that's a shame. I bought the hooded Jigsaw and I must say that the puppet stole the show. He's got good articulation and a good sculpt. The paint apps could have been cleaner, that's for sure. The main figure is good, though. He's solid, but appears to have the potential to warp and the lack of base concerns me greatly.



Also, the way the hood sat on his head was pretty damn rediculous. The way it flowed in the air, wide open was pretty unrealistic and since this figure is supposed to be from a specfic scene in the film it pretty much kills the mystique of the moment. It reveals the killer's identity, making it plain as day who Jigsaw was and leaving no surprise whatsoever, contrary to the plot twist happy nature of the film franchise. What they did is tantamount to making a Fisherman figure from I Know What You Did Last Summer and having his slicker wide own and his hat tipped up so that everyone and thier mother can see the face of the killer. NECA really dropped the ball on this one. That's for sure. This was also the only figure that I really had a problem with. The head was extremely loose and couldn't hold a pose for very long.

So I did a bit of work, and now I own a Jigsaw I can stand. The hood hides his face enough that you can still see that there's a man under there but not enough to know who it is. If you want to know, peek under and see I say. It makes him look more dangerous anyway.

All in all, this is the most solid lineup they've put out to date. It's got a little bit of everything needed for a successful line and it celebrates thier fifth series very well. That's an important milestone, 5 series, especially when most figure lines don't often reach 7 series. If you get a chance, hit your local Hot Topic and check these out. They should be hitting Spencer's and online retailers in the US very shortly.