NECA Escape From New York Snake Plissken Retro Figure - Toyark Photo Shoot - The Toyark

As a kid who grew up watching sci-fi and horror flicks in the 80’s, there was no bigger thrill than the combo of John Carpenter and Kurt Russell. Together, they produced a total of five films. Three of those films are absolute classics, and some of my personal favorite films. The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, and Escape From New York. With the renewed interest in classic film properties, we’re finally getting assorted figures based on these properties from numerous companies. NECA went the Mego style route and have given fans an 8″ tall Snake Plissken from Escape From New York.

Today I have a full gallery of the figure. Read on to check out over 40 photos as well as my thoughts on the figure.

Escape From New York – Snake Plissken 8″ Mego Style Figure

Pros

Lots of articulation
Plenty of accessories
Great packaging art
Retro style is a good fit
Tight joints
Fine details are a nice touch

Cons

Paint oddities
Right leg assembled incorrectly

Overall
I personally never had Mego figures as a kid. As my Dad was a huge Star Wars fan, he was happy to share that passion with me, and Star Wars figures were some of the first toys I remember getting. Not long after that, toy lines like MOTU, Transformers, and TMNT became all the rage and classic Mego stylings faded away. So the Snake Plissken figure is my first Mego style figure. Well actually second, as I have, but didn’t open the NES Jason. NECA’s approach is more of an homage to classic Mego as opposed to a straight Mego style figure. The figure is a little more realistic, has much more detailed paint and lots of accessories. The clothing is more form fitting and there’s even more articulation.

Right off the bat, you NECA took great care when crafting the figure. The packaging card art is a great throwback to 80’s movie posters. Snake himself is a finely detailed figure. It has a good likeness to a young Kurt Russell, and lots of movie specific details and accessories. From his trademark jacket, to the timer on his wrist to, to the guns, and even the “swastika”, this figure is a great homage to the film. Like Mego figures of the past, the cloth outfit is removable. The jacket and shirt can be removed to reveal Snake’s stomach tattoo. The figure comes with an interchangeable hand so he can properly hold the swastika. Snake has a ton of great articulation from swivels in his biceps to waist twisting and adjustabel ankles, knees and hips. The only thing missing is a cigarette and a glider.

Now, I did run into a couple odd QC problems with my particular Snake. His right leg was assembled incorrectly. The knee joint bends side to side, and the paints are glued to the inner boots, and there’s no way to fix it without tearing the entire leg apart. Also, as you may see in some of the pics, there’s purple paint smeared here and there. It seems to be a fairly isolated incident, as this is the first time I’ve seen it. I’ll be displaying this with the shirt and jacket on, so the paint smears won’t be showing. The incorrectly assembled leg, thankfully, doesn’t stop the figure from standing or even posing a bit. On the shelf I can’t even tell, but I was a bit bummed initially.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the Snake Plissken figure. It’s a fantastic homage to one of my favorite films, and it looks great on display. There were a few QC issues on my figure, but that does tend to happen once in awhile. I will definitely be grabbing more of NECA’s retro figures in the future (ANOES 2 Freddy for sure), especially if this leads to an R.J. MacReady from The Thing. If you like these stye figures, and like the movie, then this is a must buy.

Check out some highlight photos below, with the full gallery after that.