NECA has been hitting it out of the park with their figures for quite some time, and their Ultimate line of figures is no exception. The Ultimate versions of Freddy Krueger and Leatherface are top notch in quality. Needless to say, when their Ultimate Jason Voorhees figure was announced back in August 2015, I was beyond giddy. Not only would we be getting another figure of Jason Voorhees, but it’d be his Friday The 13th Part 6: Jason Lives incarnation. After patiently waiting, it’s easy to say that NECA has done the figure right, apart from one annoying issue.
Packaging:
In keeping with their past Ultimate figures, Jason comes in a collector-friendly windowbox packaging, recreating the poster art for the film. The back of the box features a small blurb about the film, accompanied with shots of the figure. The interior of the box has a cool open grave design behind the figure, mimicking the way Tommy and Hawes found Jason after they lifted the lid.
Sculpting/Paintwork:
Once again, NECA does an awesome job with the sculpting. Kudos to Kyle Windrix and Chris Gawrych for nailing the look. Jason stands at around 7″ tall, and replicates Jason’s look in the film flawlessly. This is a brand new sculpt from the earlier Friday The 13th figures, and so Jason isn’t hunched over or as bulky-looking. Jason’s decayed face is quite gruesome, and even though we don’t quite see much of it in the film, this sculpt does its best to stay as close to it as possible. The shirt features some great sculpted wrinkles, seams, pockets and bullet holes. The sculpt also has the belt that housed the darts, machete and combat knife that Jason used in the film. And yes, the sheaths for the weapons can be used to hold both the knife and the machete. The pants also feature some great sculpting, including some nice fraying at the bottom of the pants.
Paint-wise, the figure again looks great. There’s no slopping of paint or bleeding over. The figure has a nice black wash that gives the figure an appropriately grimy look., with blood smeared on the shirt and pant legs that’s not overdone. Jason’s head does feature a bit more green paint than the overall brown neck, which doesn’t quite match up. Still, it’s not as noticeable if you have the mask on or you’re seeing the figure in appropriate lighting. Overall, it’s a great job.
Articulation:
Jason features over 25 points of articulation, and while it’s great that we get this much articulation, there’s unfortunately some problems that come along with it. The head is on a balljoint, which moves up and down, side to side and rotates left and right. However, it feels much looser than compared to the rest of the articulation, and does have a tendency to move even when brushed slightly. The arms are on a pin-and-socket joint, and can move outward and up and down. They feel nice and tight, and aren’t hindered by the sculpt at all. The elbow bends roughly 45°, and can rotate side to side. The hands are on a ball joint, and can rotate all the way around with no problem. Do be careful when switching out the right hands, as the peg that goes into the arm can come out with the hand itself. It’s a rare occurrence, however.
The waist is on a ball joint, and can swivel Jason side to side, as well as move up and down. Like the head, unfortunately, it’s also loose, and even has a tendency to be more floppy than the head. The legs are on a pin-and-socket joint, and can move up and down, rotate side to side and outward. Again, the sculpt doesn’t hinder that movement at all. The legs bend at the knee, and can rotate side to side. The feet are on a ball joint, and can rotate left and right, but not so much up and down or side to side. Then again, when was the last time Jason really did any advanced posing? As you can tell, there are a few issues with the loose joints. And while they aren’t too bad, it’s a little disappointing that Jason can be a little floppy when it comes to posing him.
Accessories:
First up is the mask, which is made of a hard plastic with rubber straps. The mask fits easily onto Jason’s head, and looks quite nice. There’ were previous figures by NECA that had a softer plastic that was made to fit better over the figure’s head, but also had a tendency to warp, thanks to the gash in the mask, as well as Jason’s misshapen head. Luckily that’s not a problem here. Some will complain about the eyeholes being solid, but given how the mask in the film had mesh to cover the eyes, this isn’t that big of a problem.
Jason’s trusty machete is included, as well as a combat knife. The machete fits into Jason’s alternate right hand, while the knife into his left. The hands are sculpted to accommodate the weapons in these hands only, however. The paint jobs on both blades are nicely done, and are made of a stiffer plastic, so be careful when putting them in the hands. Speaking of hands, the hands that are on Jason out of the box are sculpted to hold his other accessory: the fence post. The post comes in two pieces that fit together tightly, and has a nice wash to appear rusty and grimy. Jason’s hand can be popped off and the other hand fits nice and snug onto the joint. The post itself can be held in both hands, and can be posed in multiple ways. Again, be careful when sliding the pieces into his hands, as they’re a tight fit. Lastly included is Jason’s tombstone, which again features a nice paintjob and great stone detail. There’s a single piece of mold/grass on the stone to break up the colour, and should fit in with any diorama.
Overall:
Despite the loose joints, NECA has done a great job in giving us a Part 6 Jason that’s comparable to their previous larger scaled clothed figure from Jason Lives. The detail is still amazing, and while the loose joints can be potentially annoying, the articulation still allows for some great poses. The accessories are also fun, and feature the same level of quality as the figure. Compared to the earlier Jason Lives figure that Mezco put out, NECA’s is more realistic-looking and features more articulation. Plus, at this point, NECA’s is also cheaper and easier to find. Regardless, this is a quality figure for fans of the film, as well as those who love collecting from NECA. Here’s hoping for next time that NECA can tighten up those joints a bit better.
