Review - NECA Ultimate Blade and Torch (Puppet Master)

I recently decided to become unhealthily obsessed with the Puppet Master series; a tale of Egyptian demon avatars, psycho-sexual telepathy, laser battles, and German people, among other gut-wrenching horrors. Created by the twisted, yet earnest Andre Toulon, each puppet carries the restless soul of an unfairly lost; from those of his fellow puppeteers, to his own wife. Toulon dies, revives, and amplifies his odd presence throughout the series; something of an overarching protagonist, his interests and motives conveyed through the murderous actions of his resurrected allies. Ah, but who cares about that - we're here for the freaky-cool Spencer's dolls!

Puppet Master's greatest appeal has always been in it's iconography; a cult classic series through and through, perhaps most famous through merchandising - thus, naturally, drawing the wandering eye of NECA, always hunting for new recruits in their seemingly endless array of "Ultimate" horror figures.

Let's start off with the big metal bastard Torch, who first appeared in the series' second installment, Toulon's Revenge. This little guy is absolutely packed full of articulation - at only about three inches, it's awesome how fluid and useful each little joint can be. You'll get a ton of poses out of Torch's impressive seventeen joints, right down to a moving jaw. I always love those

The sculpt is beyond amazing - if you didn't know any better, you might think it's a sort of screen used CG model turned toy, like NECA's Godzilla 2014; that is, the sculpt you see in the movie, is same the one used on the toy. But nope, these guys are as meticulously and accurately sculpted as ever - remember, they're physical props in reality, not CG. That in mind, it's crazy how much Torch looks like the real deal. Just look at his individually detailed bullet-teeth, the little patches and badges decorating his uniform, the divots holding together his steel head. It's amazing. 

NECA always has this sort of grain to it's sculpts, especially their horror gallery; it's all over both puppets, and though it's subtle, it looks so much more tangible than flat lifeless plastic. The textures really sell these little dudes as legitimate collectors items, not just toys.

The same goes for Torch's paint - I've got zero issues, and plenty of praise. All sorts of accurately painted details and very lifelike attributes illustrate the figure - his metal skull looks harsh and cold, his billowing flames are appropriately foggy, and even his clothes look stiff and sooty. 

My one complaint is Torch's, er, flames - they're sculpted well and all around look great, with nice yellow highlights accentuating it's base orange glow - but, sadly, they're a bit heavy and tend to throw off his already wonky center of gravity. Hard to say whether or not there's much NECA could've done to remedy this, but, hey, I wouldn't have minded a figure stand to counteract the accessory's weight. Whatever happened to those, man?

Onto Blade - suppressed Nazi scientist turned demonic murder doll... not to mention, series front man.  Blade's easily the most recognizable of the Puppetmaster gang; I've always thought he has this eerie atmosphere to him, especially as a kid, and NECA fails to disappoint. 

Just like Torch before him, Blade's sculpt is dead on. I think he's based more on the character's slightly more gaunt, defined look than that seen in the series' earlier installments, particularly it's first. Ambivalent grin, literal staring daggers, stabby limbs; they're all there, and looking solid. Oh, and believe me - Blade's little hands are sharp. Same with Torch's pointy head. Now even you can recreate classic Puppetmaster killings at home!

Blade came with two head sculpts; a plain, creepy expression, and an "action" likeness with blood strewn across his face and extended eye needles. Likewise, two knives were inculded - clean, and... used. Yuck! My set's standard head came out of the package pretty messed up - a recurring issue with NECA's products - with a bit of mold excess along the cheek and and a badly misaligned jaw. I was able to fix these issues with a little tinkering, though you'd be wise to double check your figures before purchase if you manage to find 'em in store. 

He's such a slender lil' toy - his spindly little legs and tiny, tiny feet totally remind me of NECA'S classic Nightmare Before Christmas series. Oh, how baby-me inadvertently destroyed many a Jack Skellington from that line... sigh. He poses extremely well, with fifteen points of articulation packed in that tiny stickman body. His long black overcoat somewhat limits the width of his stance, however, it simultaneously does a great job of melding to the figure's pose, especially the sort of cape strung over his shoulders. He can be a bit hard to stand on some surfaces thanks to his itty-bitty feetsies - same goes for Torch - but if you can narrow down a good enough pose, he'll hold it for a minute or two... just don't hit the shelf. Again, a little base would've really been useful here. 

Onto the paint. Mostly comprised of a stark black and white, Blade's certainly a lot less colorful than Torch, but nevertheless, NECA's done a wicked job bringing out Blade's intricate details. I really love the subtle, shiny buttons adorning his jacket, as well as the rusty bronze mechanics holding together Blade's deadly limbs. A light wash of greyish blue overlays the sculpt's many creases and folds, with a light transparent shine or matte applied to emphasize specific areas along the outfit. The spew of blood thrown across his face looks really good - if not slightly too clean - though it's a little more smudged and nasty on his alternate knife hand. Even his off-white lips are accounted for.

Both figures are, pretty needless to say, excellent - and, at only $25 or so dollars, they're a total steal. They may be small, but these evil toys pack a serious punch.

Tangent. I hardly ever bother to review a figure's packaging, as I feel it's a bit of a waste of time - I love package design, all around, but more often than not, with toys you're just rambling about how generic stock art is generic stock art; besides, it's about the figures, not cardboard, eh? 

Well, as usual, NECA went above and beyond to please their dedicated cult of horror-head weirdo fan-boys - hey, that's me! Torch and Blade's box is almost as much a draw as the figures themselves; though the front may be - ahem - stock art, inside is a beautifully designed velcro-sealed display meant to replicate the mysterious Toulon's famous puppet trunk. The spooky Anubis statue, each printed-on locks and handle, the mock stage... I could babble on and on about how cool this is, but to wrap things up - I love it.

I plan to pick up NECA's Pinhead and Tunneler set soon, seeing as I really loved this one. I was certainly prepared to be slightly underwhelmed, considering their scale, but NECA blew my expectations right out of the water. Here's hoping they complete the Toulon troupe - I need a Six-Shooter.