Monday, January 6, 2020

Christmas Haul 2019: Leatherface from Toony Terrors by NECA

    Part of wrapping up 2019 is showing off some of the cool action figures I received as gifts. Today I'm checking out Leatherface from Toony Terrors, who was most certainly sitting under my Christmas tree as a gift. I actually got Michael Myers a few weeks before Leatherface, but I figured I'd show off these guys pretty close together. I haven't picked up all of the Toony Terrors (I've skipped both Pennywises, Pinhead, and the Chuck/ Tiffany two pack) but I definitely wanted to display Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Leatherface together. I'm not the biggest fan of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but Leatherface is certainly one of the icons in horror/slasher cinema, and he definitely feels like he should be part of the core Toony Terrors team. Fun Fact! For a year or two I used Google Adsense but I was blocked from using it for refusing to take down my review of the McFarlane Movie Maniacs Leatherface, which was deemed to be violent content. Next time someone asks, you tell them that your old pal Barbecue17 keeps it real, folks. Let's check out NECA's Toony Terrors Leatherface, as he keeps it real, too...



 The Facts:

Height: 5 1/4ths inches, though he is sculpted crouching down.

Articulation: Swivel shoulders, swivel biceps, and a balljointed neck.

Accessories: Chainsaw and cut out backdrop

Non-Scalper Price:$13-$14 dollars

Director: Randy Falk; Design, Illustrations, & Paint: Geoffrey Trapp; Sculpt: Adrienne Smith; Packaging Art: Chris Raimo

 The Positives:


* I really love the design aesthetic of this line and I can totally see how Leatherface would work as a cartoon character. He's big and bulky and is wearing a fairly pedestrian brown short-sleeves dress shirt with a purple tie underneath a worn out apron. There's nothing too elaborate here, but that's part of the charm of this line. These guys really feel like they were designed with the sensibilities of characters from a classic 1970s or 1980s cartoon.

 * The headsculpt is excellent. I love Leatherface's wild hair and the staples on his mask. The definitely look like what you would imagine a Leatherface cartoon design would look like. Now why in the heck you would have a Leatherface cartoon is anyone's guess. I like to pretend that Freddy, Jason, Michael, and Leatherface team up to solve mysteries who only ever use their weapons for non-violent purposes.


* The articulation on these guys is minimal so the poses are really important. Leatherface is sculpted hunched over, as if he is in the middle of chasing someone. Or helping some kids build a tree house. He's a lot bulkier than the rest of the guys, which suits him well.


* I really like this little bone bracelet. It's a minor detail on the character and while the cartoon designs usually go for very simple, symmetrical details, something like this definitely makes for a cool element.


* Leatherface has more articulation than you would expect and can make crazy poses like this (he's dancing!) or hold his chainsaw with one or both arms. Sweet!


* Freddy has his claws, Michael has his knife, Jason has his machete, and Leatherface has his chainsaw. It's a really cool piece that manages to capture quite a few details of a chainsaw while still looking very animated. The cartoon metal colors of the blade really sell the effect of this guy as a cartoon character, too.



* One of the features of this series is that each character comes with a cardboard backdrop that is actually the back of the package. Leatherface's shows off some of his creepy skull collection, a key location for Leatherface and one that definitely looks like it could be the static background from a cartoon. It's kind of a fun touch that reminds me of the cardboard backdrops that came with various toylines of the late 80s and early 90s, such as Monster Force.
 The Negatives:


* Of course, a cardboard backdrop is just a cardboard backdrop and it ends up looking kind of weird just sitting behind the figure without a stand. I wish Leatherface had a base this could clip onto, or perhaps if it were a separate piece in the package that folded down and made a diorama like base with a small floor section.

 Leatherface is a Great and a 1/2 figure and, actually, he's probably the best figure in the series that I've reviewed. Honestly, they're all pretty cool though Leatherface doesn't have any really faults plus he has a great accessory and some cool little details. I'd love to see how NECA continues to expand this line. Ash, Nosferatu, and the Nun from the Conjuring films are coming as part of series 3. Personally, I really want to see Sam from Trick 'r Treat. He seems like a shoe-in for this line, doesn't he?




I've actually reviewed a few other Leatherface figures on this site: The NECA Ultimate Leatherface,  the McFarlane Movie Maniacs Leatherface, and the ReAction Leatherface.

For more Toony Terrors, check out the following:
Freddy Krueger
Jason Voorhees
Michael Myers

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