Review : Deckard NECA, Blade Runner 2049 Wave/Series : Series 1 Released : October 2017
£24.99
Pros : good likeness to Harrison Ford. Some new innovation in elbow joints.
Cons : very plain paint job with no weathering or washing. Box is quite dull.
Please Note : for some reason my Deckard figure arrived in a sealed box which was actually for Agent K. With no option to return (no stock left) I kept this as I was unboxing anyway - but had no choice other than to write the review using the box that I was presented with.
The Bladerunner licence from the original 1982 classic movie is one licence that action figure companies like NECA have desired for many years. When the Bladerunner 2049 sequel was announced for release in 2017 it seems a licence for this movie was more accessible and NECA swooped in and obtained the licence to produce figures and vehicles.
NECA have announced four 7" scale figures in their Bladerunner 2049 line. The first pair were Deckard and Officer K, released in October 2017. Further figures of Luv and Wallace will follow later in 2018.
Like all new licences, NECA have used the window box packaging on the Bladerunner figures. The design incorporates a central window that wraps onto the top flap. The rest of the box is a gloss black colouring with deep dark red lettering. This text and the framing isn't quite visible, making the box very dark and brooding.
The Bladerunner 2049 logo sits under the window followed by the character name and the subtitle of "Action Figure".
The two side spines are quite plain with a repeat of the logo and a smaller character name (and the "Action Figure" subtitle) sitting just above a red NECA logo.
The back of the box see's another logo and under this in red text is a synopsis for the movie, this text is the same on both Deckard and Officer K packaging. Beneath this is a large colour image from the movie of the character and aside this are four other smaller boxes with head shots of the figures in the series, including Luv and Wallace who are as yet unreleased (due Spring 2018).
The bottom of the box carries the barcode, NECA logo's and the team that put the figure together.
The figure is accessed via the top or bottom flap and slides out in a plastic inner tray that is then sat in a cardboard outer tray that has also served as the figure backdrop in the packaging. This cardboard piece is actually very detailed with a skyline shot from the movie. Deckard is held in place by a single twisty tie around his waist and his weapon sits up to the side of his head.
Thanks to the return of Harrison Ford in Star Wars, The Force Awakens, we have had a wealth of "older" Ford figures in the past 2-years. This however is easily the best at a £20-£30 price point. It is not perfect, but there is no denying this is Harrison Ford with those distinctive eyes and jawline. NECA always do a great job on facial likenesses and I do like the way they often throw in a gesture or expression - there is no such "look" for Ford and the head sculpt is very neutral.
The head is also perhaps slightly oversized and the whole figure does not scale well with other NECA " figures with Deckard towering over Dutch from Predator as an example.
The paint apps are neat with nicely painted eyes and lips. There is some depth to the skin tones with areas of darker flesh. The hair too is good, with a dark grey base colour and a drybrush of lighter grey over the top.
Deckard's outfit is screen accurate and is made up of a grey T-shirt over which is a blue long sleeved shirt. The T-shirt is quite plain with just a touch of creasing around the neck area. The outer shirt on the other hand has lots of sculpted detail from pockets, seams and buttons out to creasing and folding of the fabric. The painting on both is a single tone with the only other details the black on the buttons
Trousers are a brown colour, and again single tone with no washes or brushing. The shoes are slightly lighter brown to the trousers and these have had a touch of darker wash to dirty them up. There is however no different colouring for the lacing or the sole.
Deckard has 14 points of articulation, a couple less than usual NECA figures. It starts with the ball jointed head which can turn full circle and be leaned back and forth. There is no torso joint, but the waist is a ball joint and not just a simple swivel, that means the torso can be rotated and leaned back and forth like the head.
The arms are very mobile with ball jointed shoulders. There is what appears to be a new design of elbow joint with the forearm and upper arm joined by a third piece that slots into each arm piece and appears jointed at either side. This almost gives the movement of a double jointed elbow, but means the joint itself is not on show - it is very clever and one I would like to see developed further by NECA. The arm articulation ends with pivoted wrists that rotate and can be bent. The right hand is unencumbered by the sleeve of the shirt so will adjust to 90 degrees. The left hand is held back a little by the sleeve.
The leg joints follow the current method from NECA of putting in ball jointed hips and then surrounding them in a flexible rubber crotch. Deckard can swing his legs out to the side to do the splits, or straight forward into a sitting position. The knees are a single joint, but bend to a right angle and these also rotate which means the thigh cut swivel we see so often can be dispensed with. The legs end with rocker ankles and these are nice and tight and Deckard has no issue standing.
There is a single accessory in with Deckard, his pistol. This is cast in quite a hard plastic and yet is messy in the sculpt. You can see some real detail like double triggers and texture of the grip. And yet the barrel looks warped and the side detail under the barrel piece is undefined.
The pistol is painted in a gunmetal colour for the barrel and trigger, black down either side and with a brown grip.
The pistol fits into the right hand only. The trigger finger is sculpted on the hand, yet won't go into the trigger and ends up sitting to the side of it.
Here in the UK these Bladerunner 2049 figures have hit the £25 mark, and therefore when you consider this price vs what you get there is a feeling of being a little bit underwhelmed in terms of value for money. While the sculpt is great, the decor and paint apps are not the standard we usually see from NECA in terms of washing and weathering.
While in terms of points of articulation the joints have been lowered in number, the type of joints are great and innovative and there is no issue in posing Deckard. The packaging is a bit dull and not easy to read, and there was a frustration to find mine had been misboxed.
Overall I am going to award NECA's Bladerunner 2049 Deckard a 4 out of 5. It could have been top scorer with some more paint apps and a better box.
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