Paging Robert Picardo, paging Robert Picardo! Sir, after years and years of anxious patience, she has arrived – Greta Gremlin is here!
Much like the case of Mr. Picardo’s performance of Forster in The New Batch, you never forget your first love. As he fell for Greta, so did I with the Gremlins line from NECA. I have been with this since the very beginning, the better part of two decades, and it was my very first NECA line. Sure, I loves me some TMNT like no other, but Gremlins are the NECA OGs for me, and I am proud to say that I am a completist when it comes to this line. I have EVERYTHING they have released thus far and I love it all. That is a statement of my adoration for the franchise, but also for these figures because they are consistently outstanding and match their source material so very well.
While the line has been focusing on the original move over the past couple of years, it was announced awhile back that G2 would start to move back into the spotlight in 2021, and friends, they picked the perfect figure to kick it off. Gremlins 2 is an oft mis-understood parody sequel, which I find ingenious in its own right, but regardless of your thoughts about the story, there is no denying that the “character” Gremlins in the flick are amazing. NECA has done a great job in getting us most these like, Daffy, George, Lenny, Brain, and a few iterations of Mohawk, but Greta has been a glaring omission for a long, long time.
Well, as is the old adage, good thing come to those who wait, because Greta is here, and the figure is FABULOUS in many aspects of the word. Greta was always going to be a tougher get due to a significant amount of new tooling required to realize the character correctly, but NECA chose the right time, and this figure turned out exactly the way it needed to in order to do proper justice. If you have been collecting their recent Gremlins offerings, you will know what to expect in terms of articulation build. It is a pretty wonderful thing that this line has been evolving for so many years, but there is still continuity from end to end that allows all of these figures to fit together perfectly well.
I wish I could remember the first time we saw the original prototype for this figures, it was years ago, but I CAN tell you that the sculpting and paint details are just as, if not MORE, amazing than any prototype that has been shown for Greta. This is something I will argue until I am blue in the face: despite having a myriad of lines with incredible detail, I feel like Gremlins continues to be the standard above everything else from NECA. These figures are hideous, just as they should be, but they are also absolutely beautiful, and the sculpting or and paint details always seem to work together perfectly well for dynamite final products. Greta is a wonderful example of this.
I don’t think I need to even say much here because the picture speak for themselves – Greta’s likeness is spot-on. Right down to the Marylin Monroe-inspired expression, and the scales, horns, spikes, and claws are all rendered beautifully and are wholly unique to the character. The vibrant paint applications help enhance those details, and I love how the bright colors are allowed to stand on their own, even as a departure from the some of the base colors of the other Gremlins. The bluish-purple accents on the ears and arms hold up, even with the bold red lips and bright pink boa taking center stage. Greta sports the requisite two-piece dress and high heels, and I actually a little surprised just how well the figure balances in those heels. Standing takes minimal effort.
I do want to say that I was nervous about the “Barbie” hair that this figure has, even though it is 100% the right call in terms of style and material choice. I have three daughters, and while they are not super into Barbie or dolls in general, there are some around the house, and man, that hair get get out of control in a hurry. Yes, I know I will not be putting Greta through those same play paces, but the rest of the figure is so well realized, it did not want the hair to be a break from the overall aesthetic. The good news is, of course, that NECA has handled this very well, and there is some reinforced styling in the front to ensure the quaff stays as it should. I will probably trim a few strays here and there just to keep things in order, but overall the hair looks great and the bright green color will an eye-catcher amongst the rest of the Gremlins 2 group.
The aforementioned boa is probably the most important accessory included with the figure, and it is made of feathers (likely faux feathers, but still), and actually works really well at this scale. There is a central string that runs through it so it can go around the waist or neck with ease and hold a natural pose/look. Greta also gets a pair of alternate hands with a tighter grip, as well as the vial containing the pink “Female Sex Hormone” (as it is marked). This looks to share the same sculpt with the previous “Brain” and “Spider” serum, but this time the contents are painted in an opaque pink, rather than being translucent like the others.
I am so very ready for more Gremlins in 2021. Greta is a great start to the year, and I am excited to see what is next based on the accessory pack and new G2 sculpt teases we have already seen. My dream figure at this point is the Veggie Gremlin, so I REALLY hope that one shows up this year, but I am down for whatever NECA wants to give us. Greta has a few opportunities for variation as well, so maybe a wedding dress version is on our future? I would say would require a Forster figure (like from their soft good line) to go along with that. Do NOT miss out on this figure, you will regret it, so get it at BBTS now!
