Was really into the NECA products, before deciding to bow out for reasons.
For starters their company has horrendous customer service. Randy, the man on Twitter, is a notorious irritable dorky little prick.
The other reason is their products, are brittle and fragile as hell.
NECA calls them action figures, and they feature articulation, but they have the cheapest most brittle plastic. That breaks seemingly sometimes just from one looking at them.
Then the other reason I got out of the NECA game, including selling my collection off on Mercari. Is because they had such a stranglehold on the majority of these adult, or horror 80s / 90s license, that nobody else was willing to make stuff in the scale and then figures that could compete or that I wanted but now ...
In 2021, Lenard makes mass produced toys. Actual action figures. With 25 points of articulation. Sizable 7 inches of hefty durable plastic. That actually feature more points of articulation than a NECA figure. And like I said, won't break just by looking at them.
So on the mass produced front, I have some thing that looks amazing, is very cheap at just $10. Compared to the $30 or above price point from NECA. And it's more durable when taken out of the package. And it's still accurate in detail enough to whatever movie source material it's based on.
The other reason I'm out on NECA figures, it's because a superior company got the license for more high-end action figure products for adult collectors.
Mezco One 12 is basically 6 inch (Predator case 8 inch) hot toys caliber action figures.
That also GASP don't break or fall apart or have dinky brittle accessories. Yes the price point is larger, but it's still reasonable for an adult collector if you're a massive fan of the property. And TBH, if I buy 3 of an Ultimate Movie Predator. One for the masked head. One for the maskless head and one to keep in box? That's $100. The same price as one of these mini hot toy Mezco One 12 figs. That you don't have to worry about breaking.
And the Mezco too comes with multiple heads sculpts. Jungle Hunter's case a masked head, closed mouth and open mouth.
The OG jungle hunter being released in this scale is the greatest figure done of the property at this size point. Amazingly includes a light up targeting system on the mask. At 8 inches tall.
So both Lanard and Mezco renders NECA obsolete.
I have the super high-quality adult collector piece at $100.
And I have a relatively amazing durable and accurate 7 inch action figure toy at mass retail for $10 a pop.
So why do I need the slimy company with poor customer service, terrible quality control, "non-durable goods" in action figure form at $30-$40 a pop?
I've got the best of both worlds. I've got the high-end collector market item in Mezco, with even superior detail, paint apps and durability to NECA and I have the collectible, durable and fun yet kid friendly Lenard stuff now found at Walmart.
Which really is a spiritual successor and modernization of my childhood favorite Kenner Aliens and Predator lines.
f**k off, NECA !!!
Oh yes, favorite figures? New Lanard stuff and the yet to be released 2021 Mezco Jungle Hunter.