Tag Archives: texas chainsaw massacre

Oct 31 2018

Savage World (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre): Leatherface by Funko

The day is finally here, my week long Twitter #HalloweenCountdown has reached Halloween, and I haven’t managed to get through nearly as much new stuff as I wanted. How the hell did I used to find the time to do five reviews a week? Nonetheless, I’m not going down without a fight and I’m back this afternoon to check out another one of Funko’s Savage World Slashers. Who will survive? And what will be left of them? Let’s find out…

Yes, Funko decided that they weren’t filling up those landfills in New Jersey fast enough with all the Pop!s and WobblerZ and Dorbs and whatever the hell they make, so now they’re shipping horror movie slashers with He-Man figures. What idiot buys this stuff? ME!!! And here is the obligatory packaged shot. You get a good look at the figure if you want to hang him on the wall carded. Otherwise, it’s time to do some slashing of your own to get him out because this card-and-bubble is decidedly un-collector-friendly.

And despite the Masters of the Universe makeover, there’s no doubt who this is supposed to be! Funko took all the key points of old Leatherface and did some tweaking, but the results are pretty damn cool. His shirtless upper body advertises his impressive new physique that makes me wonder just what them boys are putting in all that chili he eats. He’s got a sculpted apron with some wear and tear, as well as stitching, and it’s accessorized with a hook on a chain that girds it around his pinched waist. Toss in some splattered blood and the result is c’est magnifique.

I’ve pointed out my appreciation for the little details on the other two Savage World figures I reviewed and the same holds true here. Leatherface actually has a sculpted furry loincloth layered under his apron, which is pretty cool. He also has the furry barbarian boots with the stitching up the backs, and his right left arm features a long leather glove.

While Freddy’s portrait was a bit of a reach, Leatherface falls more in the Michael Meyers camp in having a pitch-perfect head sculpt. The DIY human-hide mask is haphazardly stitched and his real skin is peeking out around the mouth and eye holes. I also dig his crazy black hair.

Leatherface’s right arm is fitted with a contraption that would make Ash Williams proud, and that’s a medieval-looking chainsaw grafted onto the end of his forearm. This is where most of the liberties are taken with this design, but it looks great and I really dig it.

There’s even an extra attachment in the form of this goofy wooden mallet. Hey, that people meat don’t tenderize itself, amiright?

While I’ve been enjoying all of the figures in this line quite a bit, I’m going to have to rank Leatherface here as my favorite so far. They really did a nice job adapting the character to this ridiculous format. Sure, he’s clearly Leatherface, but he also looks like some crazy medieval butcher out of one of those B-movie Sword-and-Sandals flicks. So, maybe this is just a nonsensical license-mashing cash-grab on Funko’s part, but it’s hard to deny that they’re putting some real love into it.

And that wraps it up for my #HalloweenCountdown, but I’m not quite done with the spooky stuff for the week, because tomorrow starts my #HalloweenAfterParty where I’ll try to squeeze in a few more horror-themed reviews before the end of the week!

Oct 31 2015

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Ultimate 40th Anniversary Leatherface by NECA

It’s Halloween and while I don’t usually get around to doing any special content on this holiday, I have been saving just the thing for today. NECA has been producing some truly amazing figures under their new “Ultimate” line and while they run the gamut of movie licenses, several have been pulled from the horror greats. Last year they did a killer job with Ultimate Freddy Krueger and this year, it’s Leatherface!

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The packaging on this line has been fantastic and this release may even up the ante a little based solely on the box art. It comes in what appears to be an enclosed box, although the front is actually a velcro secured flap revealing a window and the figure within. Both side panels are lettered and that makes it perfect for sliding onto a bookshelf along with the other Ultimate releases, while the back and inside the front flap feature shots of the figure itself. The front flap has a great piece of promotional artwork from the movie poster, and what a freaking creepy ass movie it is.

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Where do I even begin with this movie? I started as quite the horror hound early in life, gorging on Friday the 13ths and Nightmares on Elm Street, but the Texas Chainsaw movies always pressed the line of fun horror and ventured into damn disturbing territory. It felt like a found footage movie before they became trendy and almost ruined the horror film genre, and I mean that in every complimentary way. It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since this flick first haunted theater goers. Yes, in the current climate of torture porn, it’s rather tame by today’s standards, as a lot of the gore is implied, and yet it’s still one of the most powerful horror films I can remember. I still consider the scene where Leatherface bursts out of the house and grabs Pam to be one of the most effective horror scenes of all time. And while Jason and Freddy have both taken on a familiar and comfy identity for me, Leatherface has still remained a seriously scary muthaf’cker. Let’s bust this demented sicko out and have a look!

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Yeah… Wow! First thing’s first, yes he is wearing a soft goods apron and that just kicks all kinds of ass. It’s made of some kind of very pliable leather-like material. It’s beautifully stitched and ties around his waist in a neat bow. It’s also splattered with blood, which looks wonderfully surreal against it’s light khaki color. The rest of the figure features a great sculpt of his dirty striped shirt, loose necktie, blue trousers and cowboy boots. The dangling bracelet on his right wrist rounds out the package nicely. Fantastic!

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And there’s a face only a mother could love. The haphazard skin mask looks deliciously grotesque and with the exposed areas of the face appropriately sunken to make it look like he’s really wearing a mask, even though it’s all part of the same head sculpt. The paint here is excellent, particularly on his gnarly teeth and lips.

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You also get the alternate old lady portrait, which is a very nice bonus and every bit as wonderfully executed as the regular stock head. Alas, this look just isn’t iconic enough for me to warrant displaying it, but I still really appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it and the fact that NECA bundled it with the figure, especially at this price point.

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The articulation here is really solid. The arms feature rotating hinges in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips and he has rotating hinges in the knees. The ankles appear to also have rotating hinges, although there isn’t a whole lot of movement there other than in the lateral rockers. He has a ball joint in the waist and another in the neck. Not bad!

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You want accessories? Leatherface comes with a wide variety of butchering implements. You get a meat clever, a skinning knife, a meat hook, and a hammer for breaking up them pesky bones, or just bonking dinner on the head when it’s trying to run out the front door. All these items are well done, but I think the little skinning knife is my favorite because of the attention to detail on the antler handle, despite it being such a tiny piece. Very nice! Oh, wait… Did I forget something?

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Oh yeah, it’s the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it wouldn’t be Leatherface without his trusty saw. I have to be honest, there are few things more terrifying to me than getting attacked with a chainsaw. I don’t even like being around them. NECA’s tribute to this horrific tool is a lovely piece of work, right down to the tiniest detail and the blood-splattered blade. And thanks to the hand grips and the figure’s articulation, he can hold it in any number of fantastic poses… not least of which is over the head for the Chainsaw Dance! I love it!

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In fact, it would perhaps be more accurate to say that I love everything about this figure. After coming off of the sheer masterpiece that was their Ultimate T-800, Leatherface here just goes to show that care and craftsmanship is the order of the day for this line. And at the ridiculously low price of $22, NECA is not only producing a top notch collector grade product, but they’re offering some of the best value in the action figure market. The 40th Anniversary of a film franchise is no small potatoes and it’s nice to see that Leatherface was given his due. This is every bit a figure that is worthy of celebrating those four decades of horror tradition and it really makes me think they should have gone with the name Masterpiece over Ultimate to accurately describe this line. Jason Vorhees is the next horror icon to get the Ultimate treatment, and man, I can’t wait.

Oct 25 2010

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 1:6 Scale Leatherface by McFarlane

I wanted to do a few things for Halloween week. I mean, I’m already going to watch a different favorite horror film every night this week and eat half of the bag of bite-sizes Snickers that I bought for the trick-or-treaters, but I aslo wanted to throw out some Halloween themed toy reviews. Unfortunately, I don’t have all that many horror themed figures, which kind of surprised me, since I’m such a fan of the film genre. Once upon a time I had a whole bunch of McFarlane’s horror creations, but not so much these days. So I figured, I’d just do what I can. Let’s go right for the jugular, with the biggest and most impressive horror piece I have left. McFarlane’s giant tribute to Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I’ve had this guy for quite a few years now, so the packaging is long gone. I do remember it came in a huge window box, which I probably would have saved. But this figure, or statue if you prefer, usually gets tossed into a storage tote along with my assortment of spook-decor after Halloween is over. I tend to give McFarlane a hard time because they spent a long time trying to pass off semi-articulated statues as action figures, but this 1:6 scale Leatherface is standing proof that McFarlane new how to craft a great looking statue… er, figure… whatever.

The figure itself is simply amazing. All too often, we’re used to seeing these large scale statues turn out to be just soft, hollow rotorcast. Not Leatherface, here. He’s a hundred percent solid plastic. If I threw Leatherface at your head, it would most certainly hurt like a bastard. He’s got all the heft of a nice chainsaw. Although his shirt and apron are actually separate rubbery plastic, which you can feel come away from the core body. Every inch of this sculpt is pure love. The skin mask almost looks like it’s removable, and there are a ton of wrinkles in his shirt, apron and trousers. Even the rings on his fingers are present, and of course, Leatherface is classy enough to wear a necktie along with his mask made out of human skin. It’s just an all around freakishly great likeness. The chainsaw is pretty huge and it is fully removable from Leatherface’s hand. It’s also chock full of detail, especially around the blade and the controls on the handle.

The paint apps are nothing to sneeze at either. Granted, this isn’t a bright and cheery figure, but there’s a ton of excellent detail work. The individual stripes on his shirt are painted on, and the wash on his mask, particularly around the eye holes is fantastic. The dried blood on the chainsaw is just the icing on the gore cake. There could be some slop here and there, but truthfully, this guy is so nasty, how would you even know?

As expected with McFarlane, this figure has just a few points of articulation. His head can turn and he has swivel cuts on each arm. He’s basically designed to be holding the chainsaw aloft in one hand, although you can have it facing outward or turn it back in toward himself. I think I would have preferred him holding it in both hands, or perhaps even above his head like he’s doing his trademark chainsaw dance. But this is still a decent enough stance.

McFarlane also went all out with the backdrop. Leatherface comes with a base that is nicely sculpted and littered with bones and an old rusted skinning knife. There’s a gallows that towers above him, which comes with a couple of hooks and a winch with a real tattered looking piece of twine rope. There’s a nice delapidated wood grain texture on the gallows, and it just adds a ridiculous amount of height to this whole display. Oh yeah, the set also comes with an extra severed arm that you can place whever you like, or just save it for later to snack on.

I seem to recall Leatherface retailing for around $29.99. At least that used to be the price point of these bigger McFarlane pieces. I’m pretty sure I got this guy at Spencer Gifts during one of their post-Halloween sales and I don’t think I paid more than $15 for him. Either way, he’s well worth the money. A lot of work went into bringing this guy to life.

In retrospect, it’s funny I own this and not a big Jason or Freddy Krueger, because Leatherface is my least favorite of the Big Three of slasher horror icons. Of course, that’s probably a compliment, since I can sit back and laugh at Jason and Freddy’s antics, but the Texas Chainsawmovies are just fucked up and uncomfortable to watch. And that’s what true horror should be about. Either way, the reason I hung on to this as long as I had is because it’s just so damn impressive and no doubt an example of some of McFarlane’s finest work, before they turned into a company that now seems content to just churn out sports and Halo figures. Sigh.