After a long delay while awaiting approval from the studio, the second series of Rocky 40th Anniversary Figures are now available from NECA. This assortment contains four figures from Rocky IV. They include Rocky Balboa, Apollo Creed and two version of Ivan Drago. With the release containing perfect fight match ups for Apollo vs Drago, and Rocky vs Drago, I’m doing two photo shoots around those fights. In our first gallery for the assortment, we’re taking on Apollo Creed vs Ivan Drago (yellow trunks).
The figures were supplied by Toyark sponsor Entertainment Earth. For this shoot we have over 65 photos and a review of the figures. Read on to check them out.
Related Entertainment Earth Links: NECA Apollo Creed, NECA Rocky and Mickey Puppet Maquette 2-Pack, All Rocky Collectibles
Rocky 40th Anniversary Series 2 Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago
Pros
- Excellent head sculpts
- Great version of Apollo Creed
- Removable jacket and hat for Apollo are a nice touch
- Good articulation
- Nice details on the gloves and shoes
- Solid joints on both figures
Cons
- Paint apps on some of the eyes
Overall
Like series 1, this assortment of figures comes packaged in nice collector friendly window boxes. The front features nice metallic foil art for the character, and a nice open window to see the figure and any accessories. The back of the packaging includes the poster for Rocky IV and a photo check list for Rocky Series 2. Each figure sits on a plastic tray with a few twist ties. Ivan Drago (yellow trunks) includes no additional accessories. Apollo Creed includes an extra interchangeable head sculpt and a removable star spangled jacket and hat.
Right out of the box, both figures have great overall sculpts and paint jobs. The muscular bodies are nicely detailed and cast is the slightly translucent skin colored plastic, but feature a nice wash of paint over them. The translucent plastic works especially well here, as it picks up light really well, and gives the look of sweating. The head sculpts are pretty much spot on through the three portraits included here. The stern Apollo portrait and the Drago portrait are great representations of the actors. Paint work is good on the figures, though close inspection shows a bit of misalignment in the eye paints. But, on the whole, the figures feature good use of paint. The gloves, trunks and bodies all have subtle paint washes to give it a life-like look. Small detail work on the gloves, trunks and shoes, such as logos for the companies is a nice touch.
While Drago is a perfectly fine figure, of the two, Apollo is a stand out release. This is essentially an Ultimate Rocky IV version of Apollo Creed. The included star spangled hat and jacket are easily removable. To take the jacket off, simply pop off one or both of the arms at the shoulders. To do this, pull from the bicep or shoulder. Do not pull from the forearm or hands. If it feels too difficult to pop them out, simply apply a bit of heat to the joint using a hair dryer. Apollo looks great when displayed either way, and I can see some fans picking up two to display him both ways. Another benefit is the I noticed the figures upper body pops off at the lower waist easily, and many fans have already done so and put it on one of the Predator Dutch legs to create and easy Dillon custom.
Both of these figures are worthwhile pick ups for Rocky fans. It’s easy to recommend when tey’re done this well. Tomorrow I’ll have the Rocky Balboa figure and the red trunks version of Ivan Drago. Check out some select photos below and the full gallery after that.
CompaniesNECAEntertainment Earth
CharactersApollo CreedIvan Drago
Scale7 Inch