I’ll tell ya, being able to time a summer convention exclusive figure around the Olympic Games as a throw back to the nostalgia property you are promoting having the same timing over thirty years ago is some kind of synergy that nothing short of a global pandemic can disrupt and… oh… uh… well $#!%.
Yeah, there is no Sand Diego Comic Con this year (well there is a virtual thing, but c’mon), but that doesn’t mean that we cannot still have our wonderful, wonderful toys. I am glad that companies are carrying on and making their exclusives available via other outlets, but I feel for them, too, especially with something as seemingly well-timed as this NECA Gremlins offering. See, Randy and the crew went DEEP for this one, and this new “Unofficial Summer Games Figure” harkens back to a promotional print of the Gremlin Stripe all done up in swimming gear (DANGER, DANGER!) to help cross promote the release of the Gremlins movie with timing of the Summer Games of 1984. Look, I fashion myself a serious Gremlins fan, and I didn’t even know about this, so some very nice homework was done to create a version of a character that is pretty much perfect for a convention exclusive.
This summer would have been much the same, too – bring out a Gremlins figure for the big summer convention as the Olympics of 2020 would be taking place in Tokyo almost at the same time. I know this pandemic is scary, so to say that all of this didn’t get to go through with the theme is a bummer sounds a bit careless, but it is still a bummer. I make no bones about the fact that the Gremlins line is my longest-collected NECA property and ranks second only to their TMNT offerings, so I had a good chuckle once I was able to see the “on the nose” selection of this Stripe figure, and I knew I had to have him right away. The good news is that, even though he did not make the trip to sunny San Diego (that probably would have killed him anyway), he is being offered in-stores at Wal-Mart in the US and on the NECA Store for US and international customers starting on July 23rd.
Like I said, this figure is perfect for an exclusive because it is fun, and pretty “inside” for the fandom, so the fact that it is not a regular release will likely not ruffle many feathers, and I have a feeling that just about anyone who wants to get this version of Stripe should be able to do so relatively easily. Listen, I LOVE Gremlins, and I cannot wait to see what is next, but it is not like TMNT in terms of the mad rush of the fan base, you know? I am not saying it will not be popular, it is too fun not to be, but it is really a great choice for this outlet.
This being a variant (it is, head to toe, the same figure as the original Ultimate Stripe figure), the focus here is on the accessories, so if you have Ultimate Stripe, you know how great the base figure is, and if you don’t, you can check out our look at that figure HERE. To recreate the promotional ad, this figure includes a scuba mask, snorkel, fins, and the all-important unofficial Olympic torch. Oh, and a soft good Speedo. That’s right, this is likely the only chance you will ever have to own a Gremlins figure in a Speedo, so that should be work the price of admission alone. So, with all of those created in the painstaking accuracy NECA is known for, you can pretty much recreate the look from the ad perfectly, and at the end of the day, that is really what this figure is going for. it is straightforward, but pretty perfectly executed at every turn.
If you are a tried and true Gremlins fan, you will want to pick this figure up for sure, it is just too much, and a great little piece of obscure lore to add to your shelf. With such a solid base figure and some great accessories, this makes for a winning figure perfect for the exclusive avenue. I just wish all of the timing would have worked better for it because it really is well thought out. You can get all of the details from the NECA Online site, so check it out to make sure you are in the right place at the right time to get him.
*Thanks to the good guys at NECA for sending this figure along for a feature, we appreciate it!
