INTRODUCTION:
"Groovy."- Ash Williams
Ashley James "Ash" Williams is a fictional character and the protagonist of The Evil Dead movie franchise in the 1980s. Created by Sam Raimi, Ash has been portrayed by actor Bruce Campbell in all three Evil Dead movies and has since October 2015 starred in a brand new television series called Ash vs Evil Dead.
The series is a continuation from the events of the first two Evil Dead films and is set in the same universe, with the addition of a few more supporting characters. It is set 30 years in the future where we see Ash living out his life as a simple worker at the local "Value Stop" mart and a pale shadow of his former self- ageing with a slightly protruding beer belly.
In the TV series, Ash lives in a run-down trailer and spends his nights frequenting local bars where he occasionally has sex with various women. But after having unintentionally read an incantation from the "Book of the Dead" (AGAIN!) he unleashes the Evil Dead demon. Before long Ash hustles up a posse of bad-ass companions and assumes his former fighting persona to bring down the demon.
The thing I love about Ash vs the Evil Dead and by extension, the earlier movie franchise was how they always managed to combine elements of a horror/gore genre film with tongue-in-cheek humour. Campbell's iconic portrayal as Ash- the selfish, beer-drinking, one-track minded "hero" has earned him a legion of hardcore fans throughout the years....and for a damn good reason.
I mean, who doesn't love a chainsaw-wielding, beer-swigglin' hero who looks like he could be your neighbour's uncle? AND the fact that he somehow has absolutely no problems using a sawed-off shotgun and reloading it (even though his right hand's technically a chainsaw).
Ash kicks ass. Plain and simple, 'nuff said. Which is why I HAD to get me NECA's latest release of its 7-inch Ash vs Evil Dead (Hero) Ash Williams figure in all its (plastic) glory.
I feel that people are going to be torn about owning this figure. Those who are Ash fans will love him simply because there isn't any other toy company out there producing the updated Ash from the ongoing TV series, while others looking for a figure which offers a good range of articulation will be slightly disappointed.
BUT, if you're used to collecting NECA figures in general, then you'll probably know what you're getting yourselves into.
PACKAGING- 6/10
Ash comes in a basic box with plastic case inside, with sections where you can store away your accessories. I particularly like the back of the box, where NECA's done a nice little description about the character as well as some shots of the figure with his weapons of choice (chainsaw and BOOM-stick).
FIGURE- 7/10
Ash stands at nearly 7 inches tall, and what I like about the figure is the level of attention given to his facial features. For a 1:12 scale figure, the facial similarities to Bruce Campbell is surprisingly uncanny and in this aspect, NECA nailed it.
The texture of his shirt, as well as his shoes give a very authentic vibe and feel which would usually be quite uncommon in a figure of this scale. Here's the view from the back, and where Ash can put his shotgun in its holster.
And here's a shot of Ash with his alternate head and robotic hand:
ARTICULATION- 5/10
In my opinion, this figure looks great in certain poses; and if done properly it really looks quite close to the real deal. However one of the setbacks with this figure is that you're not buying it for its range in articulation.
Ash's head can move up, down, left and right and there is some hip movements as well as a limited ab crunch. His knees bend and his legs stretch out to halfway through. (you can push it slightly further, but I wasn't going to push my luck!) There are double ball-joints on his elbow so you can definitely do a lot with that, especially with the poses with his weapons. His arms in general however move up and down and do not really stretch out.
Some pictures below just to get a better idea of his articulation capabilities:
ACCESSORIES- 7/10
NECA ain't too shabby when it comes to Ash's accessories. He comes with his trusty chainsaw and customised sawed-off shotgun as well as as mechanic "stump" for his right arm, an additional right arm, his mechanical/robotic right hand and an additional head.
I don't quite fancy his nonchalant look; which is why I've decided to stick to the angry-looking Ash in most of my shots.
POSEABILITY- 6/10
Like I said earlier, Ash is the not the best figure for poses, but he certainly can pull out a couple of sexy shots if you know how to work around the figure's limitations. I don't find it a particular hindrance per se; it just means I have to figure out how to get him to pose the way I want him to.
VALUE- 8/10
If you're an Ash fan, you should definitely add him to your collection. Its a bit hard to get him in Malaysia though; although there are deals on Ebay that are selling him in a set along with Value Stop Ash and Heligos for RM380. He's being sold in the US for US$28.99 (RM129.01).
OVERALL SCORE- 6.5/10
Like my review? Hate it? Let me know? Drop me a comment (or a rant!) and let's thrash it out :)