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DTWolf
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Jareth figure review
My Jareth figure arrived this afternoon. Though nobody asked for it, here's a long review offering my own opinions.
My first thought was that he was smaller than I'd expected. Now, though, seeing him standing next to my computer while I write this review, he looks bigger. Maybe it's having his swirling cape free and fully visible; maybe I just got used to the size. I measured him against my Palisades Muppets figures; the top of series 2 Fozzie's head (hatless) comes up to Jareth's shoulders.
My second reaction was that Jareth's eyes looked crossed, but on closer inspection I found that was mostly an optical illusion caused by the fact that his eyes are different colors--right eye blue, left eye brown. That's something I confess I'd never noticed in watching the movie, though looking at some still photos it does seem accurate. That Neca paid attention to this detail impresses me.
I expected to get poor articulation--that's the trend with hyper-realistic-looking figures--and I was partly correct. There is no articulation at all at the hips. He can't move either leg up or down. There is also no joint at the knees. However, on the plus side, he has ball-jointed shoulders and a ball-jointed neck (although you don't get much range out of the neck due to the hair and collar). He has swivelling elbows and wrists, and his calves have a swivel cut at the top of the boots. He also swivels at the waist, underneath the edge of his armor-like shirt. Clearly sculpt was more important to the designers than articulation, but mostly they made good use of their opportunities within that limitation.
Maybe I should've said this first, but--the figure looks fantastic. It's a fine likeness, there's incredible detail on the outer cape, and there's some fairly subtle coloring on the pants to make them look more like leather--even on the back, which is covered by the capes pretty much all the time unless you're testing the waist rotation. The inner cape (which is quite thick in the back, by the way, giving Jareth a kind of built-in stand) has a lovely shimmering blue color on the inside. I love the outer cape. It's molded into a particular shape, yes, but it's a nice shape, dramatic without being excessively windswept (none of that Star Wars Unleashed silliness here). Plus the cape is still flexible enough that you can pose Jareth's arms to hold it open further.
Actually, when I first started moving them, the arms felt really flimsy to me--but I've had no trouble posing them, and I'm not worried they'll break. I got used to the feel quickly.
One problem I do have with the look is the hair. Not the sculpt of the hair--I'm not sure how you'd do much better with a figure this size--and not with the color of it. What I don't like is the texture. It looks to me like the paint they used dried with lots of tiny clumps in it. Jareth's hair ought to be smooth, but here it's rough-looking, like maybe he hasn't washed it in a long, long time. From a normal distance you wouldn't notice, but up close the hair is--well, a little lumpy.
In sum:
Good Stuff: amazing detail, great coloring, decent likeness, impressive cape, and, not to be forgotten, somebody ACTUALLY MADE A JARETH FIGURE.
Bonus Stuff: Jareth comes with a very small "glass" ball which can be balanced on his open right hand. That's no small thing when you think about it: many a company would've made a hand with the glass ball sculpted in, but Neca gave us a removable ball. He also has a second right hand, closed in a fist, which can take the place of the open hand. (Of course, that makes him look like he's itching for a fist-fight. . . .)
Not-So-Good Stuff: There's no hip articulation. His hair has tiny lumps.
Would've-Made-This-Even-Better Stuff: A second left hand that wasn't a fist would've been nice. I wish he'd been a little bit larger to be more in scale with Palisades Muppets figures--but Neca is hardly obliged to match the Palisades line, and Labyrinth is not the same "universe" as the Muppets anyway.
Is it the perfect "masterpiece" Jareth you might have dreamed about? Not quite. Is it a good figure? Yes. Am I glad I bought it? Definitely. Would I recommend it? If you like Jareth and/or Labyrinth, and posing him like a Rockette isn't your main goal, yes.
My Jareth figure arrived this afternoon. Though nobody asked for it, here's a long review offering my own opinions.
My first thought was that he was smaller than I'd expected. Now, though, seeing him standing next to my computer while I write this review, he looks bigger. Maybe it's having his swirling cape free and fully visible; maybe I just got used to the size. I measured him against my Palisades Muppets figures; the top of series 2 Fozzie's head (hatless) comes up to Jareth's shoulders.
My second reaction was that Jareth's eyes looked crossed, but on closer inspection I found that was mostly an optical illusion caused by the fact that his eyes are different colors--right eye blue, left eye brown. That's something I confess I'd never noticed in watching the movie, though looking at some still photos it does seem accurate. That Neca paid attention to this detail impresses me.
I expected to get poor articulation--that's the trend with hyper-realistic-looking figures--and I was partly correct. There is no articulation at all at the hips. He can't move either leg up or down. There is also no joint at the knees. However, on the plus side, he has ball-jointed shoulders and a ball-jointed neck (although you don't get much range out of the neck due to the hair and collar). He has swivelling elbows and wrists, and his calves have a swivel cut at the top of the boots. He also swivels at the waist, underneath the edge of his armor-like shirt. Clearly sculpt was more important to the designers than articulation, but mostly they made good use of their opportunities within that limitation.
Maybe I should've said this first, but--the figure looks fantastic. It's a fine likeness, there's incredible detail on the outer cape, and there's some fairly subtle coloring on the pants to make them look more like leather--even on the back, which is covered by the capes pretty much all the time unless you're testing the waist rotation. The inner cape (which is quite thick in the back, by the way, giving Jareth a kind of built-in stand) has a lovely shimmering blue color on the inside. I love the outer cape. It's molded into a particular shape, yes, but it's a nice shape, dramatic without being excessively windswept (none of that Star Wars Unleashed silliness here). Plus the cape is still flexible enough that you can pose Jareth's arms to hold it open further.
Actually, when I first started moving them, the arms felt really flimsy to me--but I've had no trouble posing them, and I'm not worried they'll break. I got used to the feel quickly.
One problem I do have with the look is the hair. Not the sculpt of the hair--I'm not sure how you'd do much better with a figure this size--and not with the color of it. What I don't like is the texture. It looks to me like the paint they used dried with lots of tiny clumps in it. Jareth's hair ought to be smooth, but here it's rough-looking, like maybe he hasn't washed it in a long, long time. From a normal distance you wouldn't notice, but up close the hair is--well, a little lumpy.
In sum:
Good Stuff: amazing detail, great coloring, decent likeness, impressive cape, and, not to be forgotten, somebody ACTUALLY MADE A JARETH FIGURE.
Bonus Stuff: Jareth comes with a very small "glass" ball which can be balanced on his open right hand. That's no small thing when you think about it: many a company would've made a hand with the glass ball sculpted in, but Neca gave us a removable ball. He also has a second right hand, closed in a fist, which can take the place of the open hand. (Of course, that makes him look like he's itching for a fist-fight. . . .)
Not-So-Good Stuff: There's no hip articulation. His hair has tiny lumps.
Would've-Made-This-Even-Better Stuff: A second left hand that wasn't a fist would've been nice. I wish he'd been a little bit larger to be more in scale with Palisades Muppets figures--but Neca is hardly obliged to match the Palisades line, and Labyrinth is not the same "universe" as the Muppets anyway.
Is it the perfect "masterpiece" Jareth you might have dreamed about? Not quite. Is it a good figure? Yes. Am I glad I bought it? Definitely. Would I recommend it? If you like Jareth and/or Labyrinth, and posing him like a Rockette isn't your main goal, yes.
