Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Action Figure Review: Clown with the Tear-Away Face from The Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction by Funko

 I know Funko releases these figures under the ReAction banner, but there is nothing about this guy that really feels like a vintage action figure. The Nightmare Before Christmas line overall feels just like a smaller scaled toyline rather than a faux retro toyline. These guys look great and while I've only looked at a couple of the series 1 figures, series 2 has blown my mind. My favorite background Halloween Town resident is without a doubt the Clown with the Tear-Away Face. I actually collected the original 1993 Hasbro line as a kid and this guy was one of the figures I always wanted to make. How funny that movie I loved when I was 9 or 10 which no one else ever seemed to care about for years is now one of the most recognizable pop culture properties out there? Now my daughter loves it, too, so I'm glad that this excellent film continues to delight audiences and give fun creatures for the toy shelf and the toy box. Let's take a look at the Clown with the Tear Away Face after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 2 3/4 inches

Articulation: Hinged hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head.

Accessories: Tear-away face and a unicycle with stand.

Non-Scalper Price: $10 dollars (Toys R Us has been running some great sales on these: I've paid about $7.50 each)
 The Positives:

* This is a fantastic headsculpt. Funko has done a remarkable job in capturing the Clown in  a smaller scale and he really does look perfect. While he's simpler than NECA's offering, he's certainly not unimpressive like some other ReAction figures; he has some incredible paint apps, sculpting, and little extras such as the propeller on his beanie cap.


 * The Clown with the Tear-Away Face actually has a Tear-Away Face. On a ReAction figure. This is just flipping incredible! The face fits on pretty well and is easily removed. Underneath is just a black hollow space. Black, hollow, nothingness...

 * The Clown comes with the unicycle (I'm going to get to it in a minute) and he's designed to near perfectly ride on it. The Clown's legs are actually hinged at the hips and move back and forth to perfectly fit on the pedals. He balances really, really well (the seat kind of fits right into a groove between the Clown's legs) and looks great riding around.

 * Not only does the Clown come with the unicycle but it is attached to a small chunk of a Halloween Town street to help keep is standing. This thing is fully painted and looks incredible. Again, this looks nothing like you'd expect a "vintage" accessory. Who cares though, right? This is just a really cool accessory.

* The paint is incredible. Look at the paint applications on this guy: There's so much color and so many great little details all over the Clown's outfit. Everything is really neat and clean. This is some impressive paintwork, perhaps even more impressive than some figures from many mass market "collectors lines."
 * Here's a view of the Clown with the Tear-Away Face from the side. I think this really shows that Funko has taken an approach on this line that varies from the typical ReAction style by allowing for the unique and varying body types depicted in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Even the articulation is rather different here, but it just turned out so well and really helps these characters to retain their uniqueness.


* All of these little gags and toys on the Clown's belt are really cool. Heck, even the paint on these items are fantastic. There's an air horn, a paddle ball, a yo-yo, and a rubber chicken.
I love this guy. While the Clown with the Tear-Away Face is one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite movies, he's also one of the coolest action figures I've picked up this year. Yeah, he has a lot in common with retro figures, but he also has some awesome paint, sculpting, and accessories. He's one of my favorite Nightmare Before Christmas figures ever and I cannot help but give this guy an Epic rating. I love this dude and I'm so excited that he's sitting on my shelf.


I've actually reviewed NECA's take on the Clown with the Tear-Away Face as well. If you want to see some more reviews of Funko's Nightmare Before Christmas ReActions, check out the following:

Behemoth
Jack Skellington (Evil Smile)


4 comments:

  1. Cool post... interesting figure... would not have known of these if not for your posts ... Thank you...
    he looks "creepy" with face removed.....
    Hope that you and yours had a great Halloween....
    Our goal is to try to get a "Sam" (Trick-r-Treat) figure that you had featured in a past post....

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    1. Good luck! Hopefully you can track a Sam down!

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  2. OMG! If I had known he had that feature I would have got him. That is incredible!

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    1. Yeah, the removable face just elevates this to the next level! Keep checking Toys R Us as I've seen these on sale there a few times.

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