REVIEW: NECA 8" Mego-Style Escape From New York - SNAKE PLISSKEN

[JeffSaylor]

"I Heard You Were Dead"...

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 90 NEW PHOTOS OF NECA'S SNAKE PLISSKEN!

I watched many of my all-time favorite movies growing up in the Eighties. John Carpenter alone directed a good chunk of those, my favorites of his being the Kurt Russell-starring trio Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986). All three films are now certified cult classics, and while The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China underperformed at the box office, Escape From New York helped catapult Carpenter's career by grossing $25.2 million on a 6 million budget (as most know, 1978's Halloween was the movie that put John Carpenter on the map).

1981 seems like a lifetime ago, but I swear I've seen Escape From New York close to 50 times over the years. Before this review, I actually bought the movie on Blu-ray, you know, for "toy journalism research" purposes. It's one of my favorite movies of all-time for a reason: it's still pretty damn cool even three decades later. The wild sci-fi premise is simple: In an alternate 1980's, crime in the U.S. has skyrocketed, so the island of Manhattan is turned into a giant maximum-security prison in which all inmates serve a life sentence. Our story opens with the President of the United States' plane being hijacked, crashed on said Manhattan prison island, and taken captive by the "Duke of New York" and his thugs. Time is running out to save him! Around the same time, U.S special forces soldier turned rebel - Snake Plissken - is preparing to be sentenced to Manhattan for attempting to rob the Federal Reserve. However, a deal is made: If Snake can rescue the President and retrieve a cassette tape containing a vital speech within 24 hours, he will receive a full pardon. In goes Snake - armed to the teeth with guns and attitude - and the rest is movie history.

As part of their retro 8-inch Mego-style action figure line, NECA has captured Snake Plissken in all his badass antihero glory. This successful series turned me off when it was first announced, as I was never a big fan of the Mego figures growing up as a child. They just struck me as too doll-like. However, after getting my hands on NECA's Evil Dead Ash and Jason (read my reviews HERE), I saw the light. NECA's 8" Mego-Style figures are more like deluxe versions of their realistic 7-inch line... or like a more expensive one sixth scale figure shrunken down.

Priced at around $27.99, NECA's Snake Plissken sees the 8-inch series move slightly above the $25 they used to retail for. Still, that's a very reasonable price point for what you get and NECA has actually improved the quality on these figures with each new release. Starting with the packaging, fans receive a collector-friendly clamshell with awesome artwork featured on a removable, sturdy cardboard backer. The hand-drawn nature of the art - this piece done by Justin Osbourn - really adds to the figure's retro charm. Like old movie posters and album covers, the art also delivers a very personal touch to the collectible. As an artist myself, I really appreciate the extra effort on NECA's part.

The classy packaging presentation doesn't stop there. By cutting along the perforated line on the outer clamshell, collectors are able to remove their Snake Plissken figure from the package and return it later for packaged display. NECA's approach to packaging this line is sure to entice MIP collectors to open their figure, and you know, actually play and admire the toy they just purchased. I'll admit though, as an opener myself, even I was hesitant to rip into such a beautifully designed figure package. This clever solution puts all fears to rest.

Out of pack, Snake Plissken screams Eighties action hero. The feathered hair, muscle shirt and camo pants hitched up above the waist are clearly fashion statements of the time, but the whole ensemble still works oh so well. I think the eye patch and worn leather jacket really help tie things together. All kidding aside, this is the Snake I know and love and NECA hit it outta the park with his screen-accurate presentation. Want Snake as he appears in the second half of the movie? No problem, simply pop off his hands and slide off his bomber jacket so that Snake Plissken can flex his muscles. Heck, if you want to achieve Snake's look in the battle arena, you can go one step further by taking off his tee to expose his awesome cobra chest tattoo! My figure had a bit of paint rub (or perhaps its dye from his black shirt), but I admire NECA going all out on the detail. Plus, while I love both of those Snake Plissken looks, when I get a fully kitted-out figure like this, I feel the need to display it that way. Having my Snake Plissken displayed half naked next to a pile of his clothes just strikes me as kinda... odd. Still, the option is there and you have to hand it to NECA for the fantastic fan-service.

Complimenting his expertly tailored clothes, Snake Plissken stars wonderfully sculpted detail. For starters, there's the incredible Kurt Russell head portrait; stern look, 5 o'clock shadow and "I'm badder than a pirate" eye patch included. But it was Snake's boots that blew me away. I knew he had a Road Warrior thing going on (which by the way, actually released a few months after Escape From New York hit theaters), but *WOW* I had no idea his boots looked so cool! Snake's got the knee pads and etched metal shin guards we see clearly in the film, but I never noticed the spiked toes and plethora of metal buckles that line up the boot's back. Such a great look.

Another nice accessory is Snake's holster. You get a place to stash his scoped Smith & Wesson Model 67, as well as a spot to stow his MAC-10, silencer and scope. What's neat here is that the silencer/scope array actually detaches from the submachine gun, allowing you to slide it in a loop in front of the gun holster. Unfortunately, why Snake Plissken ever had a rifle scope on a close-quarters, inaccurate submachine gun like a MAC-10 will forever remain a mystery. Still, it looks tres cool.

And the accessories keep coming! In addition to his killer-looking MAC-10 and revolver, Snake Plissken packs a throwing star, the wrist tracker used to find the President, and comes wearing his countdown timer (which can be removed): the clock ticking down from 22:59:58. To hold the throwing star, NECA even includes an alternate hand, just another small attention to detail that fans will appreciate.

Lastly we come to articulation. Introduced with Scream and Leatherface last fall, NECA has been using an all-new Type 2 body. The former buck body was pretty impressive, but this newly tooled design allows for even more articulation, including the addition of bicep swivels, as well as re-designed thighs and hips for more movement in all direction. Needless to say, Snake Plissken can move and all the joints on my figure were nice and firm.

Owning collectibles from my favorite movies is awesome, but owning Snake Plissken from Escape From New York is like a dream come true. While I'm a huge fan of NECA's 7-inch action figures, I believe they made the smart move to produce Snake as part of their 8" retro series. This Eighties action hero deserves all the bells and whistles the line offers. From the gorgeous packaging presentation, expertly tailored clothes, and multiple screen-accurate accessories, to the amazing scale and articulation the 8" Type 2 body provides, NECA's Snake Plissken is money well spent. Now all we need is those other two Carpenter/Russell classics turned into NECA figures. MacReady and Jack Burton? Sign me up...

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 90 NEW PHOTOS OF NECA'S SNAKE PLISSKEN!

All Photos by Jeff Saylor
Review Sample Courtesy of NECA

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