Guillermo del Toro is one of today’s most creative filmmakers; working not only as a director, but a writer, producer, and designer as well. Getting his directing start with the powerful vampire-esque film Cronos, del Toro has gone back and forth between Hollywood films and interdependently financed pieces. Along the way, he has brought to life some truly memorable films and shows, such as Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, The Shape of Water, Trollhunters, The Strain, and Pacific Rim. Guillermo del Toro is known for his wildly imaginative character and creature designs, as well as being someone who enjoys interacting with fans (remember when he showed up at Botcon because his kids were Transformers fans). It’s no surprise that NECA has chosen to honor the filmmaker with his very own action figure, which kicks off their Guillermo del Toro Signature Collection.
For San Diego Comic-Con 2018, as one of their show exclusives, NECA is releasing a new figure based on the popular horror, sci-fi and fantasy director. Fans had the opportunity to pre-order the figure a few weeks back, and it seems the Guillermo del Toro figure was a little easier to grab than the insanely popular TMNT figures. The 8″ scale figure is part of NECA’s retro Mego inspired line. It features a fabric outfit, and includes a small replica o the sketchbook he used while filming Pan’s Labyrinth.
NECA has sent along the figure for us to check out. Read on for my review and a full gallery of photos.
Guillermo del Toro 8″ Scale Figure by NECA
Pros
- Great likeness
- Solid paint work
- Sketchbook opens
- Beautiful packaging
- Cardboard backdrop included
Cons
- Will be hard to get now for non-show attendees
Overall
The del Toro figure comes packaged in a collector friendly window box. The box itself is mostly black, with del Toro’s signature in metallic silver. The back showcases the figure and has a small bio for the director. The figure sits in a plastic tray, held in by a few ties. The Guilermo del Toro figue features an all-black fabric outfit and his iconic sketchbook. The sketchbook was used to design the creatures seen in Pan’s Labyrinth, and this small scale version even opens up to a page showing the Mandrake Root and the Pale Man designs.
Standing 8″ tall, the del Toro figure sports a really nicely done likeness. The portrait sports not only his trademark beard, but also a really nicely utilized pair of glasses, which look more natural than most figures who sport eyewear. I actually would love to see those glasses be removable, as customizers could get a lot of mileage out of them. The paint work on the head sculpt is handled well. The skin features a mostly solid peach color, with assorted washes used in the hair and beard. The eyes feature sharp paint lines as well. The figure itself sports the standard Mego style body NECA uses for their 8″ scale releases. There are about 24 or so points of articulation on the body. For the figure, NECA used an all black suit, with a white t-shirt showing at the neckline. The fabric used is in line with what we’re used to seeing on the Mego style releases; slightly bulky, but allows room for full range of motion. Joints were all solid here as well, and the ankles were particularly strong, which should prevent the figure from tipping over.
As a SDCC 2018 Exclusive, this is a perfect release. I can’t imagine there would be a ton of mass retail support for this, especially with Toys R Us gone, but there’s definitely a fan base for releases like this. If this provies popular, I can definitely see an annual iconic filmmaker release in the Mego format (perhaps George Romero). The figure itself is handled wonderfully, with a great head sculpt, a perfect accessory, and an overall nice portrayal an iconic filmmaker. With a production run of 2,000, most fans who wanted one will likely get it (between the show and the pre-orders). If you missed the pre-order window, and aren’t going to the show, then this will be a hard one to come by. Check out some select photos below, and the full gallery after that.
CompaniesNECA
CharactersGuillermo del Toro
Scale8 Inch