Jason Vorhees (Battle Damaged)
I have never seen a Friday the 13th movie. Even back in the glory days of the VHS and Betamax video players, mine was more of a Halloween household, when it came to slasher films, although I did play a lot the old Sega Genesis game Splatterhouse, whose protagonist was a hockey-mask wearing, chainsaw wielding psycho.
That image is so widespread on western pop culture, that I simply could not pass up the opportunity to grab this version of a certain Jason Vorhees when I saw it with a hefty discount at a local Blockbuster shop.
This 7-inch figure was manufactured by NECA for their Friday the 13th license, and depicts Jason as he appeared in the fourth movie in the series.
Right off the bat, this is another stellar sculpture by NECA. Granted, the costume used in the movie was not all that complicated to create, being mostly regular clothes, but nonetheless, the sculptor managed to replicate very nicely the unkempt, disheveled appearance of the garments. Also replicated in the sculpture is the slight hunch on Jason’s back, further driving the point of his freaky appearance.
The head sculpt is another part of what makes Jason what he is. The one I found is the Battle Damaged version, so in addition to the disfigured visage, Jason also gets a gash on his head that is also reflected as a cut on his removable mask.
I remember that at one time, NECA figures were not all that articulated, and upon first glance of this figure, I thought it belonged in that older generation of characters. However, I am glad to report that Jason has a whole lot of articulation, very nicely concealed into the figure design. Jason ends up with:
• Barbell mounted head.
• Pegged hinge shoulders.
• Pegged hinge elbows.
• Barbell mounted wrists.
• Barbell mounted torso.
• Pegged hinge hips.
• Upper thigh swivels.
• Pegged hinge knees.
• Barbell mounted ankles.
The secret to hide all these joints is that the pieces of clothing covering the torso are actually separate rubber pieces, which help in hiding the larger joints, while on the limbs, articulation is concealed by the sculpture.
The overall functionality is very good, although I’ll be the first to admit that Jason Vorhees is not necessarily the most limber of characters.
The other aspect that separates this Battle Damaged version of Jason from the regular one is the paintjob. The deco on the clothes is rather dull, having a two-tone color scheme of grays, but the blood splatters from the damage adds a much-needed touch of color.
The application of blood onto the head is quite well done and it doesn’t look overdone. The paint used for the blood seems to have a certain transparency that works well with whatever color is underneath,
As far as accessories, Jason comes with a removable, battle-damaged hockey mask, a machete and an axe. All of these accessories are fully painted and have a fair amount of blood on them. Both weapons fit quite well on Jason’s right hand and their blades also fit the cut on his head.
In closing, even though I am still far from being a horror film fan (and I’m certainly not rushing out of my way to buy more collectibles from that specific genre), I have to say that this Battle Damaged Jason Vorhees figure is a great addition to my collection.
Errex Score: 92/100
Category: Featured, Other Film, Toy Reviews
About the Author (Author Profile)
I've been collecting action figures since the original Kenner Star Wars days. Nowadays, I still collect pretty much anything that catches my eye.Subscribe
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