So, here is one of the worst kept secrets about my experience at SDCC this year – I was REALLY excited about all of the brand new Gremlins figures that NECA was showing off. I mean, I would not shut up about them. It seems like every year I find a line of action figures that I go absolutely bonkers over and find a way to completely annoy Prodigy with my enthusiasm. “Hey, let’s go back and look at NECA”, “Oh, I want to back and check to see if I didn’t miss anything”. Yeah, it is kind of like that, but at least Gremlins ranks as cooler than the McDonalds figures I was checking out a few years ago. In fact, I am pretty sure Ron and Sandman ultimately went home with their own copies of the Convention Gizmo figure, and Robo showed so interest too. The point is, I have been really excited for the release of these figures and I have no regrets in championing some hype so my fingers have been crossed that the final product would turn out as great at the prototypes. NECA is taking a two-pronged approach to their reinvigorated Gremlins license and are releasing the Mogwai and Gremlins in alternating series of three figures each. First up is Mogwai series one featuring Gizmo from movie two, along with Lenny and George before they hit up the food court at Clamp. Come take a look as these little guys must have had to suffer through our extensive photo shoot, you know, bright lights and all that.
Like I said in my Convention Gizmo First Look, I have been a super fan of the NECA line since it first made its debut several years ago. I stand by my assertion that these are some of the BEST translations from screen to plastic in any toy line ever. So, when they just kind of went away, I was really sad to see them go. I mean, I was thrilled to get Stripe and Mohawk and Brain and the Poker Player and Gizmo, but there are so many possibilities for character Gremlins and Mogwai that would make for great figures they did not even begin to scratch the surface. Well, they are back with a vengeance now and it looks like the latter half of this year and into 2012 is going to be a great time to be a Gremlins fan. I am not afraid to admit that I am really in this for the Gremlins figures, but I have also really fallen for the Mogwai since SDCC so getting my fix while I wait for the first batch of the green guys has become cute furry bliss.
I will shamelessly admit that I am a great fan of both of the Gremlins movies. The first one is a given but there is something that I have come to really appreciate about the tone and the approach to movie two, something that I certainly did not pick up on as an eight year-old when it debuted. However, over all the years I have loved all of the designs and “character” Gremlins and Mogwai from that flick. NECA looks like they are really going to go out this time around and judging by their display case in San Diego, they are bringing their A++ game. I try to keep up with their Product Manager Randy Falk on Twitter (though I am a bit Twitter challenged) and his Mogwai Monday updates hint at much more to come if the first few series sell through. There is already a lot to love for just about any fan and while these first few series are based more around Gremlins 2, I think there will be more movie one figures lined up as well.
From what I can tell, all of the detail and quality likenesses that the original Gremlins figures provided (I mean, Brain and Stripe are SCARY accurate) look to be holding over with the new Gremlins figures about to come out (George, Daffy, etc) but the NECA team has really punched it up when it comes to the Mogwai figures. Back when the original movie one likeness Gizmo was released six(!) years ago, I thought he was handled pretty well. Well, what a difference a few years makes. Yowzers. The difference between that figure and the new Mowai is really night and day and not just in the sculpt and accurate likeness – these new little guys have a ton of articulation, paint apps and even movable eyes. While the old Gizmo was a serviceable representation of the character in the old line to stand with the starring-role Gremlins, this, ahem – New Batch of Mogwai take center stage as action figures that can stand all on their own. Let’s break them down individually.
GIZMO (Gremlins 2)
It is only natural for NECA to mine the second movie for figures in this line; it is chocked full of Gremlins of all shapes and personalities and there are a ton of them that will make for awesome figures. So it is only appropriate that we get a Gizmo to go along with them. But a Gizmo is not a Gizmo is not a Gizmo, if you follow me. He had a pretty significant face lift from one movie to the next and in the New Batch, he was a “cuter”. His eyes became more expressive, his eyes got bigger and he was a lot more mobile and vocal. I mean, he had a whole Rambo thing going on at one point, but you will have to wait for series two for that one. So appropriately, this new Gizmo looks completely different from that first version and he can move around a lot more too. If you got the SDCC exclusive, this is the same figure, just without the badge, glasses and souvenir bag. I will come right out and say that of the three figures in this assortment, he is probably my least favorite, but that is mostly because the other two are so impressive.
All of the Mogwai have around 12 points of articulation (give or take) including their ears. Now, I know that articulated ears might be overkill (or impossible) for most character figures, but for the Mogwai it is really essential, and I did not even realize it was until I had these figures. Gizmo is very expressive of face, but after his eyes, his ear position in the most indicative of his mood. They can move up and down, back and forth and are even able to rotate to some degree. When you match that with his movable eyes, it makes for one pretty expressive toy. He, like the other two, also has a ball-jointed neck, ball shoulders, ball elbows, wrist cuts and partial ball hips. For a little brown and white fuzz ball that is actually really good and not only does he far surpass the old Gizmo figure in terms of points of articulation, he is also one of the more articulated NECA figures in general, though they are adding more POAs to their figures as of late.
He, again like his Mogwai brethren, retains the track ball eye movement system introduced on the SDCC figure. So, you can put his eyes in a variety different directions and it works pretty successfully. Out of the three through, I think this feature is the least effective on Gizmo due to the fact that I find his irises to be painted just a touch to too big to be able to see much movement. Don’t get me wrong – they do move, but just not so much that you can see it very well, especially compared to Lenny. It is still a very cool effect for these little guys and I find that looking just off to his left to be the best eye pose for Gizmo, it is iconic to some degree for me. I like that NECA kept the little tabs under the roller ball that you have to remove before you can post the eyes because you can always put it back in to “lock” the your expression of choice if you are more of a displayer. I really cannot wait until the Daffy Mogwai comes out, I have a feeling this entire feature was designed with him in mind.
The paint on all of the figures is pretty solid too, though I have heard some reports that it varies from figure to figure. This Gizmo is not quite as clean as my SDCC version, but most of the little things here and there blend better for this figure because it just looks like a little fur patch. The wash on the ears remains very nice though and his skin looks almost real to me.
This is my new preferred Gizmo figure and, even though I have the SDCC version, I am glad to get a more standard figure as well. One of the best parts about the toy is that he is very expressive and you can recreate his dance moves, a concerned thought or a “run for your life” scurry with the perfect look. I think a lot of old Gizmo figures are going to be retired by this one and the Rambo version in series two is going to be a lot of fun for people (let’s just hope that spider form Mohawk finds a way to see release too). All of the Mogwai in the next couple of series are based on movie two, but NECA did show off a Stripe Mogwai in their case at SDCC so hopefully 2012 will bring us a new movie Gizmo as well.
GEORGE
My favorite aspect of Gremlins 2 was that the production designers gave a LOT of personality to the Gremlins and Mogwai and there are a ton of unique characters. I mean, in the first movie you had Gizmo and Stripe but save for a few fleeting moments of individuality, most of the Gremlins were pretty much the same. All that changed the minute Gizzy got soaked by the water fountain in Billy’s New York office. Instead of Stripe and a few other generic Mogwai, this time we got four distinct personalities that continued to be unique in their Gremlindom throughout the movie. Mohawk was pretty much just a more modern (and in my opinion less interesting) facsimile of Stripe, but the other three, George, Lenny and Daffy were complete standouts and I have wanted toys of them since I was a little kid.
As a kid, Daffy was my favorite Mogwai and Gremlin but as I have gotten older, I have a much better appreciation for the duo of George and Lenny and much prefer them now. The Of Mice and Men influence is not meant to be disguised in any way from name to caricature of personality, but I still love it. I have a hard time picking a favorite between the two, but that is futile anyway as you must have both of them to really get the impact.
So, I am quite pleased that NECA decided to release them together as Mogwai in series one and leaving hyperbole to the side, they knocked them out of the park. These two little guys are an absolute hoot and their likenesses are stunning and completely unique. In true fashion, George is the old curmudgeon of the duo and that sour expression of his does not leave his mug for one second. As a Gremlin he took to chomping on a cigar but in his cute and cuddly phase he was known to let out a myriad of guttural disapprovals toward any person or Mogwai in the vicinity.
The thing is that, you can almost hear him do it when you look at the figure. The combination of his up-pointed ears, squinted eyes and pursed lips are almost scary in their accuracy. If you add in his movable eyes positioned so that he is looking directly at Lenny, he looks kind of put out and completely annoyed. This is how they will be displayed on my shelf and judging by the fun of these two little figures, the Gremlins team-up is going to be ripe for hilarious situations. While there might be some that would prefer his eyes to be not so squinted, I think that if they were any different, you would not get the same character personality from the figure. You can still see the movement in his eyes though, and he looks completely shifty because of it. He is going to be the brains behind some bad little Mogwai antics and his dim-witted pal Lenny will carry out the heavy lifting. Speaking of which…
LENNY
Like his literary counterpart, Lenny is the lovable slow to think, but fast to move sidekick of George. It is funny to think of a Gremlin as lovable, especially from the first movie, but Lenny, with his big tired eyes, buck teeth and deep laugh is hard not to love. Actually, if not for his pal George bossing him around, I don’t think Lenny would be ill-intentioned at all, he might just want to go tend the rabbits. NECA was able to catch the perfect balance between sweet simpleton and mindless thug and I am keeping this guy away from all of my floor registers as I don’t want him trapping Gizmo in my heating ducts.
In this age of reuse in the action figure world, it should come as no surprise that the Mogwai are all built on the Gizmo body. It makes sense as they are all little puffballs, but Lenny is actually quite a bit bigger than the other Mogwai in Gremlins 2. Well, thanks to some creative piece overlay on his neck, NECA has taken the Gizmo base and made it taller to fit Lenny’s imposing stature. Now, I know that doesn’t seem like a huge deal, and if you are not well-versed in the movie from over-watching you might not even know there is a size difference, but they could have totally taken the cheaper way out and not added this piece, but they did it right. So while I conceded the reuse needs, I will always applaud going the distance when it is needed.
Like his pal George, Lenny has a VERY expressive head sculpt. Even just standing there he gives off the feeling that he kind of lumbers along, taking time to be easily distracted or enthusiastically follow his mischievous friend around, not aware of any possible trouble-making. I realize that his tired eyelids might be suggestive of some illegal Mogwai activities, but his happy nature lends itself to the same effect. Lenny also has a pretty massive melon on his shoulders and the ball joint in his neck helps add to his confused state of being. I think one of the aspects that make Mogwai so endearing is that they tend to remind us of our pets, especially those of us that have dogs, and as I have two that REALLY match the personalities of Lenny and George, I just can’t help but love this figure.
I make no secret the Gremlins figures are my favorite part of the license. I cannot wait for figures of George, Lenny, the freakin’ Flasher(!) and all the rest in their Gremlins forms. However, I am well impressed by these new Mogwai figures as they are a huge improvement over the previous Gizmo figure and they are much better than I was even expecting. Series two of the Mowai will include the insane Daffy, the diabolical Mohawk and Rambo Gizmo (I know a lot of people are really looking out for that one) and is currently scheduled to hit before the end of the year. In the meantime more Gremlins will join the fray, including the four main guys from movie two, but also the “Phantom” gremlin and the highly unique lightning Gremlin. I am REALLY hoping that this line takes off so if can continue on indefinitely, there are SOOOOOOOO many possibilities out there that have not yet been tapped yet and I REALLY want the Salad Bar Gremlin, Bat Gremlin and Greta the gender-bending Gremlin for the second movie, but also the ski mask Gremlin, break dancer Gremlin and the carolers (Deagle, Deagle, Deagle!) from the original. I think NECA has newly revitalized hit on their hands and if this first series is any indication, they are going to really deliver.
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