By
Dave
I
think Chucky should be right up there with Jason, Freddy,
Leatherface, and all the rest in the pantheon of iconic slashers. To
some folks he might be, but it’s only recently that merchandise has
started to reflect that.
NECA
has changed that this year with this retro figure and an upcoming
Ultimate Chucky.
This
one arrived first. I don’t usually review NECA’s retro horror
figures because…
Okay,
you guys. I have to admit something here that I’m not particularly
proud of.
I
don’t open these. The card art is so awesome that I want to display
it and the crappy clamshells that NECA uses aren’t resealable like
the ones from Figures Toy Company, so not only do you risk bodily
harm on the sharp plastic edges as you cut it open, you can’t ever
repackage the figures.
So
I’ve got around a dozen of these but have never opened one despite
the fact that I love the clothed 8” format. I’ve got plenty of
loose figures of Jason and Leatherface and they’re pricey enough
that I won’t buy two. Usually. But I did buy two of Chucky because
I just don’t have that many Chucky figures and also I thought he’d
look pretty swell with all of my sixth scale horror stuff.
THE
PACKAGE
As
I mentioned above this figure comes in an awful clamshell that will
cut you as you’re opening it if you’re not careful. And sometimes
if you are. I hate it.
Inside,
though, is a beautifully illustrated insert. All of these retro
horror releases feature gorgeous original art. This Chucky was done
by Jason Edmiston, who you should definitely be following on
Instagram.
NECA
went above and beyond with Chucky. Not only does he have the insert,
he comes in a miniature version of the Good Guys doll box from the
movie that’s so nice I’m actually going to count it as an
accessory.
THE
TOY
While
Chucky is part of NECA’s 8” retro figure series, he obviously
isn’t in scale with the other figures. He’s actually pretty close
to one sixth scale. I’ll call that good enough since the doll has
varied in size not just from movie to movie but even between scenes
within movies.
He’s
an evil, magic doll possessed by a voodoo guy. We can cut him some
slack.
The
base body has plenty of articulation. While this line is based on the
idea of Mego figures, NECA has used much nicer bodies with far
superior joints – these can actually hold poses. The arms a little
long, but I’m guessing it’s because they’re the same ones from
the child Jason Voorhees figure (which I also regret not getting when
I had the chance).
The
head features rooted hair that looks amazing for the scale. The back
is a little smooshed from being in the box, but otherwise the shape
and length are perfect and maintain nicely. The color is spot-on,
too.
Chucky’s
head is hollow vinyl (or whatever) like an actual doll head. NECA
released a version that was just a regular Good Guy doll, and I’m
kicking myself for not ordering it. It came with Scream Factory’s
release of the original movie on Blu-ray. This version is full-on
rage Chucky and it looks great. The freckles and eyebrows are
perfect, but even more impressive is the subtle blush on the cheeks
and the paint job on the mouth. Chucky’s teeth and tongue look
noticeably more organic than the rest of him and it’s slightly
disturbing.
Chucky
has his little Good Guy shoes on and they even have the tread pattern
and logo on the bottom. This is a crucial detail, but also one that
I’m not sure I would have thought about if it was absent.
The
clothing consists of two layers – the shirt and the overalls. The
shirt is pretty much the same material an actual doll’s shirt would
have – that shiny polyester-type stuff. The printed stripes are
clean and look great. The coveralls are a denim-like fabric and
feature the various tools of the Good Guys’ trade. There’s a
little pocket on the front (sewn shut, which is fine) and actual
buttons (not functioning, also fine) on the bib.
The
weight and detail of the soft goods are excellent for this scale.
Everything hangs and moves nicely and doesn’t have that weird thing
where the fabric seems to big or thick for the size of the figure.
THE
ACCESSORIES
Chucky
comes with a Good Guys doll box, a hammer, a baseball bat, a
butcher’s knife, and a toy knife.
The
box is fantastic and one of those great extra touches that NECA can
be so good with sometimes. Made of a thick, sturdy cardboard with
plastic film over the window, this isn’t altered to be a box for a
horror toy, it’s just a reproduction of the package from the movie,
complete with graphics of Good Guys running around doing things. It’s
awesome.
The
bat has a wood grain sculpt and a paint job that brings out the
details. It’s a “fresh off the rack” bat, so it doesn’t have
tape on the grip or wear.
The
hammer has the “Good Guys” logo on it, as well as plenty of
sculpted and painted detail.
The
butcher’s knife has a silver blade that actually extends down into
the handle, just like a real knife. Even the rivets have silver paint
on them.
Finally,
there’s the toy knife that most of us associate with Chucky. The
sculpt is perfect for the scale, but the paint apps are what really
sell it. This looks exactly
like a tiny version of the movie knife. It’s so cool that I think
I’d probably buy a full size prop replica if NECA made one.
All
of the accessories fit into Chucky’s hands better than I actually
expected them to. Oftentimes these kinds of figures don’t interact
with accessories particularly well, but not only can Chucky hold them
all, he can be posed to look like he’s actually doing things with
them.
Sure,
I would’ve loved an extra head that wasn’t screaming or even just
the non-evil Good Guys head. But this isn’t really that kind of toy
line. Check back in a couple of weeks after I’ve gotten the
Ultimate Chucky and we’ll look at some crazier doll heads!
THE
VERDICT
I
love
this figure. It delivered in every way possible for what it is and
I’m thrilled to have it. It looks great amidst my sixth scale
horror figures, too. Whether or not it’s worth thrity bucks is
probably going to vary from collector to collector, but when you
consider the price of human-sized sixth scale figures it works out
pretty nicely. This Chucky is so good it was hard for me to resist
the temptation to open the other figures in the line. Which I’m
sure is going to happen at some point.
Buy one from Amazon and help out Needless Things!:
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