As a kid, one of my favorite authors was Roald Dahl. Oh yes, he did that little book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and as a fan of the book and movie (uh, the good one with Gene Wilder, thank you very much), you might think that was it. But no, the book that really turned me on to Mr. Dahl was James and the Giant Peach. But long before either of those books, or Matilda or The Witches, or any other piece of fiction penned by Roald Dahl, there were Gremlins.

His first children’s story was written in 1943, specifically for Walt Disney. It told the story of Gremlins, the little bastards that got into military aircraft and snafued it all up. That’s actually the origin of the term ‘gremlins’, first seen in British Air Force writings in the early 1940’s. Dahl took that idea and whipped up a tale of little creatures that wreak havoc, which was turned into animated characters by Warner Brothers several years later, and even ended up in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

Dark Horse is reprinting the original book (just released last month), and are also releasing several different items in conjunction. Today I’m checking out one of three different PVC sets, called “Jamface”.

Gremlins – not so fuzzy!

Dark Horse is producing three boxed sets of PVC figures. The one I’m reviewing is refered to as “Jamface”, while the other two are “Gus” and “Rufus“. There’s also a larger vinyl set of Gus and Fifinella (which was the name used by Dahl for any female gremlin. Males were called ‘widgets’). On top of all that, Dark Horse will be using the characters in new stories as well!

Packaging – ***1/2
It’s a nice sized box, with bold colors reminiscent of the era and the book. It shows off the figures pretty well, and it’s completely collector friendly – pop out those PVC’s and pop them back in later if you’d like. No twisties. Thank God!

The box will also store easily for the MIBBers, but won’t take up much shelf space if you want to display it that way.

Sculpting – ***1/2
Gentle Giant was involved in the sculpts on these, and they did a very nice job. Each Gremlin looks very much like his comic counterpart, and they are posed in mischievious ways. In this set, one is using a hand drill, one is using a pick axe, and the third is scarring a surface with a nail. Just the kind of behavior you’d like your own children to emulate around the house.

The bases all show sculpted signs of their work. The drill is leaving shards in it’s wake, scattered on the base, the pick ax is aimed at a roughly scratched “X” on the base, and the nail has gouged a fairly deep line. The proportions on the little buggers and their tools is good, and while they aren’t quite small enough to really be in scale with the DC Direct Bugs Bunny figures, they’ll look okay together.

If I have one complaint, it’s that the mold lines are a little too obvious in some spots. Of course, they might appear quite obvious in the photos, but keep in mind that the scale here is fairly small (under 4″ and that’s standing on the base), so in person they aren’t quite that easy to see.

Paint – ***1/2
These are PVC’s, and as such you might not expect perfect paint. But you might be surprised by the quality here, with very little bleed, and good cuts between colors. And speaking of colors, there’s plenty of bright ones, but even these feel very much like the 40’s.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a little slop here and there. Some of the brighter colors aren’t quite as consistent as they could be, and the eyes have a smudge here and there. But in general, these are well above average for PVC’s. They’ve also added a nice touch using different finishes for differen areas, something you don’t see much in this format. For example, the markings on the back of the gloves and the edges of their masks are done in a glossy black, providing a nice contrast against the more matte colors on the suits. This is something you see more often in high end collectible, but it’s fairly rare at this price point.

Articulation – Bupkis
Nope, these are PVC’s, not figures. This category won’t go against them in the overall, but I wanted to be sure I pointed it out, to avoid confusion.

Accessories – Bupkis
See above. As you should expect, there’s no accessories, and none of the tools are removable, and they don’t come off their bases. Again, this won’t effect my overall score, but I wanted to be clear.

Fun Factor – ***
Contrary to popular belief, kids can have fun with unarticulated figures. I know I sure did, and I’ve seen my own kids do it as well. Those little imaginations are pretty active. Still, without joints these aren’t as much fun as they could be, and unless you’re 7 year old is into ancient cartoon characters that were created before you were, it’s unlikely they’ll have any idea who they are. Of course, cute designs are cute designs, no matter what decade, and kids will be attracted to the style and color.

Value – **
These are a little more expensive than the usual PVC, even by today’s standards. It’s gotten common to pay $4 for a basic PVC figure in this scale (about 4″), but here you’re paying around $5 each. Pick these up for around $12 – $13, and you can add another half star to this category.

Overall – ***1/2
The paint and sculpt on these are top notch, and for me this time around, those categories have the greatest weight. While they are a touch more expensive than I’d like, I also have to take into consideration that these are pretty much going to be it for Gremlins merchandise, so it’s unlikely that beggars can be choosers. Fans of Dahl’s work are likely to be quite pleased that these are hitting along with the reprint, and I for one will be watching for the 7″ vinyl figures as well.

Where to Buy –
Your local comic shop should be getting these in soon – this is a bit of an early review, but you should see them within the next couple weeks. Ask your fine LCS employee, and I’m sure he (or she) will be happy to let you know if they have them on order.

Related Links –
There are some interesting conspiracy theories out there about Dahl and his role between the U.S. and Britain during the end of the war. Check out some info here. And, if you have the need to kill someone, you can always use the technique in his classic short story, Lamb to the Slaughter.

And if you prefer your Gremlins more modern, check out the review of the NECA action figures based on the film.

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