Anybody who has been to this site knows I’m a huge action figure geek and major fan of NECA Toys, mainly because, while they do their fare share of licenses of new films and TV shows, there’s a concerted effort to bring collectors and film fans action figures from classic horror films.
So, if you’re looking for a Christmas gift for the action figure collector and or film fan in your life, here are some shots of their most recent horror movie classic product, with a surprise or two thrown in for good measure.
Happy Holidays!
NECA’s “Halloween II” Michael Myers Retro 8-inch figure, and Laurie Strode/Dr. Loomis 2-Pack.
“Halloween II” production cast and crew meeting, featuring director Guillermo del Toro from NECA’s GDT Signature Collection; Ultimate Marty McFly (camera) from NECA’s “Back to the Future” line; and NECA’s The Creep (lighting) from its “Creepshow” release.
NECA’s Ultimate Pinhead from “Hellraiser” and Ultimate Pennywise from “IT: Chapter Two”NECA’S Toony Terrors 6-inch line Series 3: Nosferatu (“Nosferatu”), The Nun (“The Conjuring” Universe) and Ash (“Evil Dead 2”)
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for “The KQ92 Morning Show” with Tom Barnard on KQRS-FM, “Paul and Jordana” with Paul Douglas and Jordana Green on WCCO Radio, “It Matters with Kelly Cordes” on WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “Let’s Talk Movies with Tim Lammers” with Tim Matthews on KRWC-AM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere, and reviews streaming programming on WCCO Radio’s “Paul and Jordana” as well. On TV, Tim has made hundreds of guest appearances on NBC affiliate KARE on the news program “KARE 11 News at 11”.
Christmas is less than a week out and you’re in panic mode, wracking your brains over what to get family members and friends. But if you think for a minute and realize the people you love are big movie fans, then there are plenty of reel cool ideas, so to speak, right within your reach.
That’s because Christmastime is about toys, and when you combine the passion of moviegoing with the inner child of said moviegoers, there are plenty of cool movie toys that shoppers can find. There’s plenty to pick from out there, whether they’re based on classic characters with cult followings that appeal to adult collectors or those with a broader appeal appropriate for all ages.
So, as you prepare your last-minute lists, here are a few options for the movie lover in your life:
Simply put, specialty toy and collectibles company NECA is a movie lovers dream, producing action figures of characters you never thought were possible. Being a fan of horror films and fantasy, the company this year finished up their Guillermo del Toro Signature Series (more, please?), which produced 6- to 7-inch characters from the Oscar-winning filmmakers’ most acclaimed works. This year’s offerings include Amphibian Man from the director’s best picture Academy Award-winning film “The Shape of Water,” and the Faun from his Oscar-nominated film “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
On the horror film side, the company produced figures this year from the classic “Halloween” films and 40 years-in-the-making sequel (including a butt-kicking Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode figure) and more figures based on Stephen King’s “IT” and “IT: Chapter Two”; and from the Conjuring Universe, the title character from “The Nun” and most recently, the Crooked Man from “The Conjuring 2.”
Also, the company has taken the creative route and given several iconic horror characters with their Toony Terrors line with animated, stylized versions of Freddy Kruger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Jason from “Friday the 13th and the 1990 and 2017 versions of Pennywise the Dancing Clown from “IT.” The second wave includes Pinhead from “Hellraiser,” Michael Myers from “Halloween,” Chucky and Tiffany from the “Child’s Play” films and Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
On the sci-fi side, NECA has just released new versions of the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) based on their appearances in the latest film in the series, “Terminator: Dark Fate” and more aliens and Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) from “Alien: Resurrection.”
According to “Alien” movie legend, “in space, no one can hear you scream,” but that hasn’t prevented Hasbro from making big noise with its “Star Wars” line as the final film in the Skywalker saga, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” makes it hotly anticipated debut in theaters Friday.
New in the company’s Black Series line (collector-friendly 6-inch scale action figures) from the film are Rey (Daisy Ridley), KyloRen (Adam Driver) and a Sith Trooper (a red version of a Stormtrooper) and Jet Trooper; as well as figures from the hit new Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” including the title character (Pablo Pascal) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano). Sorry, kids, no Baby Yoda figures and toys are available until spring.
The company also has new versions of the film’s iconic lightsaber and motorized versions of the droid D-O, which makes its debut in “The Rise of Skywalker.” Also, on the kid-friendly side, Hasbro has its Galaxy of Adventures line, which includes droids and characters from all films in the saga presented in a stylized, animated form. And speaking of animation, you can’t browse a toy aisle for too long before finding Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and other characters from “Frozen II.”
If dinosaurs are your thing, Mattel has you covered with its “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World” line, featuring characters and dinosaurs from the classic trilogy and new films. The company’s latest offering is a 6-inch figure of Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) from his appearance in the original films.
Lastly, Mego, which made a splash in the 1970s for its stylized, 8-inch doll line, continues its renaissance with new several new releases based on Universal Monsters characters, “Star Trek” movie greats and characters from Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for “The KQ92 Morning Show” on KQRS-FM, “Paul and Jordana” on WCCO Radio, “It Matters with Kelly Cordes on WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere, and reviews streaming programming on WCCO Radio’s “Paul and Jordana” as well. On TV, Tim has made hundreds of guest appearances on “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC).
The 50th annual San Diego Comic-Con is finally here, beginning with a preview night Wednesday before it kicks into high gear Thursday. The bigger it becomes (it’s already massive, with a reported average of 130,000 fans from all over the world), the more stars it seems to attract, particularly from the superhero, sci-fi and horror movie realms.
And while throngs of fans descend upon the San Diego Convention Center’s famed Hall H to see panels of stars from upcoming films and perhaps some teaser footage not available anywhere else, there’s a large contingent of fans also attending the annual gathering to get some exclusives: toys and collectibles not available to the general public.
This year’s offerings features a gaggle of new and cool movie playthings, including action figures of actors being produced for the first time, including NECA’s retro eight-inch action figure of the villainous “Karate Kid” coach Kreese (Martin Kove), which comes on the heels of releases of eight-inch figures of Daniel (Ralph Macchio), his coach, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita) and Daniel’s chief rival, Johnny (William Zabka), as seen in the 1984 film.
Fans who purchase the Kreese figure will also get another special opportunity: to meet Kove, who will be on-hand at NECA’s booth to sign packages of the miniature version of himself. In addition to the Kove figure, NECA’sSDCC exclusive offerings include a special “etched” seven-inch version of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgard), just in time for the release of “IT: Chapter 2” in September; and a seven-inch scale figure of the young version of John Connor (Edward Furlong) and his motorcycle from the 1991 blockbuster “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
As NECA’s offerings prove, there’s a big enough market for action figures from classic films to justify the release of action figures of them, even if only in limited quantities.
Continuing its “Jurassic Park” legacy line of three and three-quarter-inch figures in the past year, figures of paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), as well as mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) have already been released, Mattel is about to debut a figure as a SDCC exclusive: Jurassic Park founder John Hammond (the late Richard Attenborough). Hammond’s figure not only features packaging that looks like the gateway to Jurassic Park, it includes a stand that holds a cracked open egg with a baby dinosaur.
While some toy and collectibles companies are concentrating on releasing exclusive products of vintage movies, others are concentrating on more modern fare. Among them are Hasbro, which is selling an exclusive “Star Wars” Black Series six-inch figure of a Sith Trooper (think of Stormtrooper’s armor, but molded in red), the first new character being revealed for the December film “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
Also being offered by Hasbro are pair of six-inch figures from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) from “Guardians of the Galaxy” and Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) from “Thor: Ragnarok.” While the exclusive figures are packaged separately (with their respective movie title treatment), they are being sold as a set. Per Marvel lore, the Collector and Grandmaster are brothers, after all.
Welcome to the new edition of Cool Movie Toys, where I take a look at some of the coolest movie tie-in product to hit store shelves in the last month.
NECA embarked on one of the coolest movie toy lines in recent memory last year when the venerable collectibles company last July announced at San Diego Comic Con the Guillermo del Toro Signature Collection, which features action figures from some of the Oscar-winning writer-director’s most notable films.
The company kicked off the collection with an 8-inch, retro-style action figure of del Toro himself, which was followed up by a release of Santi from “The Devil’s Backbone” and Pale Man from “Pan’s Labyrinth.” The latest release in the Guillermo del Toro Signature Collection is a 7-inch scale figure of Ofelia from “Pan’s Labyrinth,” along with accessories including her fairy tale book, three fairies and a key.
With the Ofelia figure, fans can now start recreating scenes from the film, including the harrowing chase scene where Pale Man is in pursuit of the young protagonist.
At least one more figure is on the way from NECA from “Pan’s Labyrinth” with the Faun. With any luck, the line will the larger monument featured in the film as well. One thing’s for certain: NECA’s Guillermo del Toro Signature collection will continue this year with its Faun figure from “Pan’s Labyrinth” in late spring/early summer, as well as Amphibian Man from the Oscar-winning fantasy “The Shape of Water” in the same time frame.
Flying into theaters March 29 is visionary director Tim Burton’s hotly anticipated reimagining of the Walt Disney animated feature film classic “Dumbo.” Toy merchandise has been surprisingly sparse up until this point, but perhaps that will change when the film hits. One of the items hitting shelves is a 13-inch tall plush of Dumbo from Just Play, which has a special feature: press the baby pachyderm’s foot, and it makes a elephant noises.
That’s not the only feature you get when you push Dumbo’s foot. Since the product’s official name is “Flappin’ Ears Dumbo,” the elephant’s oversized ears flap over Dumbo’s eyes while it makes noise.
The wonderful thing about companies like NECA and Super 7 is that they have a respect for classic films — particularly horror — and they produce product to honor such films. One of the most recent releases from Super 7, which began its retro 3 3/4-inch carded action figure line with “Alien” a few years back, is of director Alfred Hitchcock. It’s essentially a reproduction of the Master of Suspense that’s previously been issued in color and black-and-white.
The new version of Hitchcock that differs from the previous releases is that it’s in color with markings on the figure and card to replicate “blood spatter.” With any luck, Super 7 will make more action figures of directors, because as NECA has shown with its del Toro and James Cameron (a 7-inch figure of the director circa the release of “Aliens”), there’s definitely a market for them.
NECA, which produced product from LAIKA’s hit classic “Coraline” 10 years ago, is bringing back some of the product from its original line as part of a new deal the toy- and collectibles-maker struck with the stop-motion animation studio.
NECA’s new “Best of” PVC set from “Coraline” consists of three mini-figures: Wybie, Coraline (with her black cat) and the Other Mother, which hopefully signals the start of more reissues.
Also new from NECA is a Coraline figure from its Head Knocker series. Perhaps more Head Knockers from “Coraline” are around the corner?
All photos and text copyright 2019 DirectConversations.com.
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
Original Interviews, Reviews & More By Tim Lammers
