Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Action Figure Review: Demona from Gargoyles by NECA

 

     Lately I've been finding some real gems at a local bin store and today I'm checking out another great find: Demona from NECA's Gargoyles line. I absolutely remember Gargoyles being on but I don't remember watching it much. I was in fifth grade and definitely still was watching cartoon and playing with action figures (to be honest, I've never really stopped), but I guess I just never got too into it. I remember the toys being in stores and looking quite cool but I was probably more into Spawn, Stargate, Mighty Max, Iron Man, and Batman. I didn't realize until the last year or two what a fanbase Gargoyles still has and it makes me want to go back and watch the show on Disney+. NECA's Gargoyles action figures looked impressive but I didn't have any interest in picking them up. When I stumbled upon Demona for $12 or $15 dollars at a bin store, though, I couldn't resist. She's a very cool looking figure who can fit into multiple different places in my collection. Demona is one of the main villains from the show, she's a gargoyle, she hates humans, she was once partners with Goliath, and had a figure in the vintage Kenner toyline. That's pretty much everything I know about Demona, so let's check her out after the break....




The Facts:

Height: 7 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge toes, swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, swivel/hinge tail base, bendable tail, swivel waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, swivel/hinge wings, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 2 face plates, 2 wings, tail, 2 guns, 6 swappable hands, and a book.

Non-Scalper Price: $37 dollars


The Positives:

* NECA's sculptors always do a fantastic job and Demona is definitely a hit. She doesn't wear much of a costume, really; just a ripped bit of shirt covering her breasts and a loincloth with a belt. Most of the Gargoyles don't wear much clothing, though. You know, since they're gargoyles. Those scraps of clothing have a fantastic texture and even some paint applications that bring out the details in the material. Mostly, Demona's just showing off her grayish-blue body which is very muscular and athletic. She's sporting a gold cuff on her left bicep, toned abs, and some spiky protrusions on her elbows. 

* Demona looks like a rock with her super cool, spikey hair, that flashy gold headpiece and those gold hoop earrings. They're actually real metal! NECA seems to have taken the animated designs from the show and made them a little less stylized/ a little more realistic, which I think really works. She's got a cute face with a bit of a smirk that definitely shows she's up to something. 


* Rather than a second portrait, Demona has swappable face plates. The second face plate is... well, it's terrifying. I guess this is Demona in some kind of rage mode. Is that a thing? Seriously, I'm not familiar enough with Gargoyles to know. With her mouth open and those terrifying, pupilless eyes, she's really freaky. Like, Deadite from The Evil Dead freaky. 




* Here's another look at Demona's super cool hair. I didn't realize it was that long. There's a lot of texture to it and some fantastic sculpting to show off each strand. 



* Since these are gargoyles, they have wings. Well, I guess some gargoyles don't have wings, but these ones do. Wait, who was the dog Gargoyle? Bronx? He didn't have wings. But Demona does, and they're pretty cool. The sculpt and paintwork really give these the appearance of the leathery look of something like bat wings. There's a mottled paint deco on them that's just rather impressive. 



* Demona's tail comes separate in the package but all you need to do is plug it in. It attaches with a swivel/ hinge joint but is also bendable throughout, so you can pose it or use it to help her stand upright. 


* Demona's clawed feet are pretty cool. They have multiple joints in them which help her to stand upright in different poses, even with her wings on. She's also sporting a metal cuff over her right ankle. 


* Demona's articulation is extremely good overall and she feels quite durable. She feels like she's made of a slightly softer plastic than most NECA figures which makes her seem more durable and less stiff. Personally, I like her best without the wings and she looks fantastic in a variety of battle poses, including using either of her massive guns. There's a great range of motion in her joints and everything feels really well designed and well made. 



* Demona comes with 6 hands you can swap out at will: A pair of hands that are kind of in a pistol grip pose for interacting with the weapons, a pair of hands with splayed fingers for flying and fighting, and a pair of standard fists for punching the heroes. 


* Demona has two massive weapons that really impress. First up is a massive rifle of sorts with an unusually shaped barrel, a more standard grip and trigger, and a scope. The rifle has multiple paint applications and a bit of weathering to really bring out the details in the sculpting. There's clearly a lot more going on here than on most action figure accessories. 


* Next up is another large rifle. It's very sleek with a small barrel or projectile sticking out of the firing end and an unusual grip. It's very modern/ futuristic while also having something of an art deco vibe to it. 
* Demona's last accessory is the Grimorum Arcanorum, an ancient tome from the series that's a pretty powerful collection of magical spells. NECA really does amazing work on their accessories, sometimes seeming to give them as many paint applications as action figures from some other companies have. The gold design on the front looks rather ornate, though aged, as does the leather binding. The pages inside look worn and tattered, too. This book has clearly passed through many hands in its long life. 

*














The Negatives:


* I do have a few complaints about Demona and the first one involves her right wing. It's loose. Very loose. It keeps drooping to the ground. The left wing is fine, and very tight, but the right wing is way too loose, really restricting the poses she can take.



* Here's a shot of Demona with her face plates off. Creepy, right? The face plates are easy to change but they also tend to falloff. When I found the figure at the bin store, her face plate was loose in the package. It tends to fall off quite easily which is definitely a bit frustrating. 


* Lastly, Demona has a hard time getting her head to look up, especially when she has her wings on. The hair looks great but when the wings are attached there is nowhere for it to go unless you have her head leaning pretty far forward. It feels very limiting on the poses. 

   Demona does have some flaws but the positives definitely help offset them. To be honest, I really prefer her with her wings off. She makes a great enemy who could fit in with larger scaled Masters of the Universe figures, Mythic Legions, and other similar fantasy lines. Her sculpt and paint are incredible, the articulation of her main body is fabulous, and the accessories are truly top notch. She's definitely a Great figure and, while I'm not planning to pick up any more Gargoyles figures, I'm certainly glad to have her, especially for the $15 bucks I paid. 




This is the first figure of Demona I've reviewed. 


19 comments:

  1. If you were closer and it were cheaper to ship to you I'd offer to sell her to you. She really is quite cool, though I still don't plan on collecting the rest of the line. I do want to go back and watch the show, though.

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  3. Email me. Maybe we can work something out. I'm sure mailing a box of opened figures (if you don't care) purchased at a discount all together would be cheaper than buying them outright in the UK right?

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  4. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 18, 2023 at 3:51 PM

    And my latest MOTU purchase.. isn't a MOTU figure. It's Neca's Ming the Merciless (the version with green skin and the big red cape). It is the same size as the Masterverse figures, fits in quite nicely with the MOTU universe aesthetically, and Ming is just the best looking villain since Skeletor. Oh, and the art on the box is simply stunning - truly a labour of love. I might also buy the other version of Ming (with normal/flesh coloured skin and green costume) and The Phantom too.

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    1. The Flash Gordon/ Defenders of the Earth definitely would fit in pretty well with the MOTU design aesthetic. That would actually be a really cool crossover.

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  5. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 18, 2023 at 4:33 PM

    Next on my list of non-MOTU figures is Neca's "ultimate Warduke" figure (from the Dungeons & Dragons line). I had some of those 1980's D&D action figures when I was a kid, and Warduke has always been my favorite (alongside Zarak, the half-ork assasin). What a cool warrior of Chaos.. I can't wait to see what Neca's version is like.

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    1. I saw NECA's Grimsword a few times over the weekend. He's a pretty cool looking figure. I'd love to see Warduke in person, too. I was really looking for ALF, though.

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    2. I saw NECA's Grimsword a few times over the weekend. He's a pretty cool looking figure. I'd love to see Warduke in person, too. I was really looking for ALF, though.

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  6. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 20, 2023 at 2:35 PM

    Yes, I'm planning to get both Grimsword and Warduke in the next couple of weeks, although Warduke seems to be a bit more tricky to find over here, for whatever reason. I saw pictures of the next two installments in the line (these were shown at some toy fair in the US) and they will be Strongheart and Zarak (yay !!!)..

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  7. These are so darn tempting. I don't need to get into another line though.... do I?

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  8. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 21, 2023 at 2:36 PM

    I don't know, they are such great companion pieces to the Masterverse figures - same size, same kind of medieval universe.. Besides, I don't think Neca will make dozens of them, anyway. Getting the first two figures in the line released took ages (Warduke and Grimsword were post-poned forever, they should have come out in 2022, originally..), so these probably aren't a priority for Neca. Personally, I just can't resist them. The 1980's LJN figures were beloved toys of my childhood (like MOTU), so there's undoubtedly an added "nostalgia factor" at play here. My only problem with Neca figures is that they are a tad expensive.. but D&D ? I'm ready to pay the price for these, really. I'd love it if they made Kelek (the evil wizard) too..

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    1. I never had any of the LJN D&D stuff except for a Bugbear that I got at a yard sale as a kid but I've always liked the look of them as they were shown off often in a number of 1990s toy publications like Lee's and ToyFare. Kelek is definitely one I'd want the most, too. He just has such a coo look to him.

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  9. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 23, 2023 at 4:12 AM

    Well, I will wait for the prices on the Neca D&D figures to drop a little before I buy them. Right now I could get them for 64 Euros each (on amazon.fr, and that's the cheapest option I have found thus far), and that's darn expensive, even for Neca. Usually, Neca figures like Robocop, Predator and the likes sell for around 40 Eur. here - and I got Ming for 30 Eur.. Ming hit my mailbox yesterday btw, and it's a truly awesome figure - just beautiful. I haven't opened it yet, but trust me, it definitely deserves to get a little shelf space your collection (nudge nudge).. ;-)

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  10. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 27, 2023 at 4:57 AM

    Eventually I ordered Grimsword on amazon this morning, as the price had dropped a little. I guess Warduke will be next. As I wrote earlier, I simply cannot resist these guys, and if there is a second toyline I'm bound to collect after Masterverse, it is Neca's D&D line - an obvious choice for me. That would be cool if Neca also tackled the bigger monsters, like Dragonne and Hook Horror. (The Fortress of Fangs playset would be a dream come true, but considering it's Neca and the "regular size" figures are already pretty expensive, it would probably be way out of my price range..).

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    1. Have you seen the new monsters Hasbro has shown? Some of them look quite cool, especially Xanathar. Such a cool looking Beholder sculpt.

      Also, I saw some new shots of Zarak and he just looks really wicked cool. The portrait reminds me a bit of Lubdan the Leprechaun for some reason.

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  11. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 31, 2023 at 1:48 PM

    No, I haven't seen Hasbro's new D&D monsters (that's from the new animated series line, right ?), but I saw something very cool which is called Dicelings.. These are RPG dice (like 12-sided dice) that can fold out and turn into monsters and creatures (a Beholder, among others..), Transformers style. Now I'm not sure what size they are exactly, but they are available on amazon.fr, and aren't very expensive..

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    1. My daughter loves the Dicelings. She has the red dragon and the Beholder and is really looking forward to the upcoming Mimic. We saw the movie over the weekend and all really enjoyed it.

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  12. MekaneckfrenchiefrogMarch 31, 2023 at 2:04 PM

    Yep, those new monsters are cool indeed - Owlbear looks great too !

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    1. I'm finding that Xanathar mighty tempting, too.

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