Classics are rare. And holiday classics are even rarer, largely because so much of what is put out for the holidays – Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter – blows chunks like Nicole Ritchie after a five course meal. But occasionally there’s a gem, and occasionally that gem stands the test of time to become a classic.
Such is the fate of A Nightmare Before Christmas. When it was first released in 1993, it was not a huge hit at the box office. Part of this was due to marketing, because they weren’t quite sure how to sell it – was it a kid’s movie? An adult movie? Or something in between? And how do you sell something in between? Remember, this was before Toy Story and Pixar proved that a film could entertain both adults and kids at the same time.
Toys were made, and they went on clearance almost universally. But then the DVD hit the shelves, and kids were enthralled. Their parents were paying attention too, and those old toys suddenly dried up. The film is now a regular for the Halloween and Christmas season, which makes it fairly unique.
NECA picked up the toy license a few years ago, and began what will turn out to be the definitive line for the movie. They’ve produced 5 series of figures, several boxed sets, and a wide variety of other goodies as well. Tonight I’m covering the very latest in their releases, the Jack Skellington/Snowmobile deluxe set.
If you have any questions, drop me an email at mwc@mwctoys.com or visit my other site at Michael’s Review of the Week.
“Nightmare Before Christmas Jack/Snowmobile deluxe set”
Jack uses a couple different means of delivering ‘toys’. There’s the sleigh and reindeer created by Finklestein, but there’s also the small sleigh piled high with goodies that is pulled by his trusty snowmobile. That’s the set we get here, done up right with even an action feature.
Packaging – ***
Look, it’s a box! The graphics are somewhat dull on this one, but it has the usual box advantages – easy to store for the MIBBers, very sturdy on the shelf, and a nice big window to see the figure and vehicle. On the downside, it is not collector friendly, and you’ll have to tear things up to get all the goodies out of the box.
Sculpting – ***1/2
Both the vehicle and figure are really the focus of this set, so I’ll be discussing both in the main categories.
This is the same Jack we saw in series 1. He was a terrific figure then, so it’s no surprise that he’s still a terrific figure, even with the overall improvements in the industry over the last two years. The sculpt matches up with the source material extremely well, and they even managed to get plenty of articulation into a rather tough design.
Now, there have been other statues and collectibles based on this particular scene, and in them Jack fits better into the snowmobile. But while he doesn’t look perfectly comfortable in there, I’m much happier that they went with an actual figure, in the proper scale, instead of creating some sort of hybrid designed to only work with the vehicle. And of course, there’s a nice rubber seat belt just to ensure he’s not going to fall out on any high speed turns.
Jack’s hand sculpts work fine with the steering wheel, and while they are twisted in placed inside the box, you can get rid of the ties and still keep his hands firmly on the wheel.
The sled looks terrific, and is pretty much in scale with the rest of the entire series. It includes the scratches down either side, and all the right detailing in the rivets and treads. The large bundle of packages is wrapped with a separate rubber rope, giving it a more realistix appearance than had it all been one piece. And the rubber rope attaching the sleigh to the snowmobile is removable, in case you want to change up the look. The bundle is also hollow, but made from a fairly thick rubber, so it doesn’t end up looking like a chew toy.
There are screws holding the snowmobile together, since it’s assembled from two halves, but they are not particularly distracting, nor do they ruin the lines of the sculpt.
Paint – ***
This score evens out the paint ops on the snowmobile/sleigh (great) with the work on Jack himself (not quite as great).
The bright colors of the vehicle will contrast nicely with many of the darker tones of the rest of the series. Everything on the vehicle is clean and sharp, with nice cuts between colors and just the right amount of detail painting. I’m particularly happy with the shading and shadowing on the pile of toys, which makes it appear lumpier and larger than it really is.
Jack is good, but has a few issues. The white of his head isn’t as consistent and even in coverage and color as the first series version, and the general quality of his paint just seemed a step down from past releases. He’s not terrible, but more on par with mass market toys than the specialty market quality we’ve gotten accostumed to.
Articulation – ***1/2
The vehicle isn’t particularly articulated, although it does have small wheels on both the bottom of the snowmobile (which drive the pull back action) and on the bottom of the sleigh (which simply turn free). The treads themselves do not turn, but the steering wheel has some movement in it.
Jack has plenty of articulation to make up for it though. I gave the series 1 Jack four stars in this category, but this time around I’m having a little more trouble with gapping and weak joints, particularly at the bicep cuts. He has a great ball jointed neck with plenty of movement, ball jointed shoulders and hips, cut biceps and thighs, and pin knees, elbows and wrists. There’s also the joint at the chest where the coat mets the lower torso.
I believe he still has the two joints in the neck, one at the top and one at the bottom, but I couldn’t get the lower one to free up. I’ve broke enough of my stuff to avoid going wild with it, but the old freezer trick is in his future.
Accessories – **1/2
While this is a more average score, I’m not counting either the figure or the vehicle as an accessory, but rather the main highlight. Therefore, while this category is still important, it won’t have as big of an effect on the final overall score.
There’s one accessory here, and it makes complete sense. It’s Jack’s goggles that he wore while driving the snowmobile. They are made from a hard plastic, and fit on over the top of his head. It took some work to get them in place, and keeping them there is a little tricky, but once you manage to find the sweet spot they look terrific.
Action Feature – ***
The snowmobile is powered with a pull-back action. You know what I’m talking about – rest the vehicle on a hard surface, pull it backward to wind the gears, and let it go. In theory, it zips ahead full speed.
And the theory works pretty well here, although some times I had to fiddle with it just to get it started rolling. But as action features go, this one is innocous for the collector and fun for the kids, a great combination. The only downside for the collector is if you don’t quite get all the oompf out of the drive, until you place it back on the shelf, and zip! He runs down an entire town of figures.
Fun Factor – ***
Put the nifty action feature together with a very well sculpted and sturdy vehicle, and you get a solid toy for kids who are big fans. Of course, it will be predominately collectors buying this, but the few kids that do manage to get their hands on it will be happy.
Value – **1/2
At $24, about twice the price of a single figure, you’re getting a average value. Had I paid $20, or had there been a few more extra packages, another half star would have popped up in this category.
Things to Watch Out For –
Not much. If you’re picking them out on the shelf, look for the very best paint ops on Jack. When you’re playing around with him, remember that some of those joints are a tad fragile. And last but not least, make sure those gears are completely wound down before you place him on the shelf. He might be wearing his seat belt, but driving off a high shelf onto a hard floor is still going to leave a mark.
Overall – ***1/2
If you’re a fan of the movie, you really need to have this full line in your collection. Hey, it makes for a terrific Halloween or Christmas decoration too, and I’ve seen some amazing displays of the entire set put together with custom built versions of Halloweentown. Also, if you missed out on the first Jack, this is a great chance to add him to your display and get a great vehicle in the deal. Even if you aren’t picking up the entire series, this vehicle with Jack is large enough to make a nice display all it’s own.
Where to Buy –
Hot Topic and Spencers stores should get these in, and your online options include:
– Amazing Toyz has him in stock for $24.
– CornerStoreComics also has him in for $24. They also have the great Oogie Boogie set still available!
Related Links –
I’ve reviewed a lot of the Nightmare product produced by NECA so far…
– as I mentioned, there’s a guest review of the Lock, Shock and Barrel set, and my review of series 4.
– also recent was series 3, Jack/Oogie Boogie boxed set, and the 14″ Jack with multiple heads.
– the second series of figures, with Santa Jack, the Witches, Harlequinn Demon and Dr. Finklestein was one of my favorites.
– I also reviewed the first series of figures, with Jack, Sally, the Mayor and the Vampire.
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