In October 1981, the highly anticipated Halloween II was released in theaters. The follow up to the genre defining Halloween continues moments after the events of the first film. After Dr. Loomis shoot Michael Myers numerous times, he and Laurie Strode are horrified to see that Michael has survived and has fled the scene. An injured Laurie is transported to a Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. Michael, in a quest to finish what he started, stalks the halls of the hospital. As he attempts to locate the injured Myers, Dr. Loomis learns a terrible truth. Laurie Strode is actually Michael’s sister, and Michael seems to have learned that fact as well. Loomis and Laurie confront Michael together, hoping to stop his rampage and end the nightmare. The events of the film were eventually retconned in Halloween 2018, removing the relationship between Michael and Laurie, and erasing all the sequels from canon.
Last October, NECA released the excellent Halloween II – Ultimate Michael Myers Figure. At Toy Fair earlier this year, we learned that a few new Halloween II items were on the way, as part of their retro clothed line. The selection will include Michael Myers, and a 2-pack of Dr. Loomis and Laurie Strode. Today, thanks to our friends at NECA, we have an exclusive in-hand photo gallery and review of the upcoming Halloween II – Michael Myers 8″ Scale Clothed Figure. Read on to see the photo shoot and my thoughts on the figure.
Halloween II – Michael Myers Retro Clothed 8″ Scale Figure by NECA
Pros
- Excellent head sculpts
- One of NECA’s best cloth outfits to date
- Great paint work
- Nice selection of accessories
- Easy to swap out parts
- Uses NECA’s highly articulated 3.0 body type
Cons
- None
Overall
The retro Michael Myers figure comes packed in the classic plastic clamshell design. The card backer features artwork from Jason Edmiston. The figure includes two swap out portraits, an interchangeable right hand, a knife, a hammer, a syringe, and a scalpel. For those wondering, you can easily open this type of packaging. Along the edges of the card are small tabs that are heated to seal the clamshell. Simply slide a razor blade or box cutter between the two pieces of plastic and carefully cut those tabs. Move slowly and they’ll cut fairly easily, leaving the full clamshell intact.
With each new release, NECA seems to make major improvements to their retro clothed line. The fabricators are getting better at clothing that seems more natural. Where as releases from a few years ago would have almost oversized, and bulky outfits, releases now have much more form fitting clothes that scale much better. This is NECA’s second go at a Michael Myers clothed figure. Earlier this year, we took a look at the Halloween (2018) Michael Myers Clothed Figure. Comparing the two, the improvements are immediately noticeable. The cloth outfit is more natural looking here, even more so than the prototype in my opinion. There are more natural looking folds in the legs, and the wear and tear of the bullet holes works really well. Another welcome bit of news is that this figures uses NECA’s 3.0 retro body style. This body is a bit taller than the 2.0, which you can see in the comparison photo with Halloween 2018 figure. This updated body also gives much more articulation, with double jointed elbows, a ball jointed torso, and far better ankles. The joints all felt great here, with no locking or breakage issues.
Of course, the most important aspect of a Michael Myers figure is the mask. And it looks really fantastic here. The sculptor, Trevor Grove, did some great work in nailing the likeness of William Shatner (who the mask is portraying), while also making sure it looks like someone wearing a mask. The masks also feature some outstanding paint work, with subtle transitions that simulate the wear and tear the mask went through. Some of the detail work is digitally printed onto the masks. It’s really only noticeable when looking up close. There second mask featuring blood coming from the masks eye holes, to simulate the look from the end of the film. Both look equally as good, and swap out with no trouble at all. Also included with this release are a nice assortment of weapons, and s second right hand. One hand has a looser grip, made for the knife and the hammer, while the other has a grip more suited to the scalpel and syringe. All of the weapons are a nice solid feeling plastic, so here’s much less chance for warping. The two hands can be changed out with no issues.
This turned into a really solid release from NECA, and has me more excited for the upcoming Loomis and Laurie 2-Pack. With a great sculpt, solid fabric work, nice paint, and good accessories, there’s not much to dislike here. I’d say this release is highly recommended for fans of the 8″ line, or for Halloween collectors in general. Check out a selection of images below, and the full gallery after that.
Backgrounds featured in some of the pics are from Extreme Sets – use code TOYARK at checkout for 15% off your order!
Halloween II - Michael Myers Retro Clothed Figure by NECA - Exclusive Toyark Photo Gallery
Nice photo shoot, Joe! Are the little burning embers in the air a filter or something?
BTW, any news about when the Loomis/Laurie 2-pack is coming out?
BTW, any news about when the Loomis/Laurie 2-pack is coming out?
I normally don’t like to Photoshop up my pics. But trying out a few things, like Tony B. is, to add some extra oomph to a few pics.
I think the 2 pack is this summer
Head too big, looks like a cheat code from NBA Jam so theres that as a con.
I just...don't understand the appeal of Barbie dolls. Real fabric looks like garbage 99% of the time.
Its the Great Pumpkin (Head) Charlie Brown!
Awesome job with this gallery.
I'm torn on this one. I've avoided the retro cloth figures after the fiasco that was Snake Plissken. I've come to prefer NECA's fully sculpted figures.
I love the new head sculpt. As much as I love my ultimate H2 Myers, there has always been something off about the mask. The likeness to the Kirk mask is certainly there, but I think it looks to be based more off a particular behind the scenes photo rather than a specific scene from the film. I re-watched some of the movie recently, and the mask looks so different from scene to scene, despite being the same mask most of the time and on the the same person.
The paintjob on both heads looks excellent overall, I like the shading and weathering. The printing only looks obvious up close.
That said, the new head is the high point. The rest seems ok. The coveralls are a massive improvement over the 2018 version (seriously, those are embarrassingly bad). They seem to have a decent fit, the collar and pockets being the only weak part for me. I hope they don't all have chest and back pockets that are stitched on lopsided like the sample here.
I do wish the coveralls weren't so blue. They nailed the color on the ultimate version. The real ones in H2 were the infamous "spruce green" color, which can look wildly different depending on lighting, filters and distance. I wonder if these could be dyed or stained to tone down the blue. I'm sure someone will try.
I am curious about the new body used for this figure. The extra articulation sounds great. The hinged ankles on the older bodies was always a pain to deal with as they would get loose rather quickly.
I guess I'll have to see him in person to decide wether I will get one or not. I'd like to see how the Loomis & Laurie set turn out as well. The paint and the fit of the clothes will make or break that set. It seems like NECA has been trying to step up their game with the retro cloth line, but not every figure has benefited.
I'm torn on this one. I've avoided the retro cloth figures after the fiasco that was Snake Plissken. I've come to prefer NECA's fully sculpted figures.
I love the new head sculpt. As much as I love my ultimate H2 Myers, there has always been something off about the mask. The likeness to the Kirk mask is certainly there, but I think it looks to be based more off a particular behind the scenes photo rather than a specific scene from the film. I re-watched some of the movie recently, and the mask looks so different from scene to scene, despite being the same mask most of the time and on the the same person.
The paintjob on both heads looks excellent overall, I like the shading and weathering. The printing only looks obvious up close.
That said, the new head is the high point. The rest seems ok. The coveralls are a massive improvement over the 2018 version (seriously, those are embarrassingly bad). They seem to have a decent fit, the collar and pockets being the only weak part for me. I hope they don't all have chest and back pockets that are stitched on lopsided like the sample here.
I do wish the coveralls weren't so blue. They nailed the color on the ultimate version. The real ones in H2 were the infamous "spruce green" color, which can look wildly different depending on lighting, filters and distance. I wonder if these could be dyed or stained to tone down the blue. I'm sure someone will try.
I am curious about the new body used for this figure. The extra articulation sounds great. The hinged ankles on the older bodies was always a pain to deal with as they would get loose rather quickly.
I guess I'll have to see him in person to decide wether I will get one or not. I'd like to see how the Loomis & Laurie set turn out as well. The paint and the fit of the clothes will make or break that set. It seems like NECA has been trying to step up their game with the retro cloth line, but not every figure has benefited.
However, the issue that still pisses me off is the staining. For some reason, either his shirt or his jacket causes blue/purple stains on the figure's body. Even if you replace his upper body with one from another retro cloth figure (which I did try), the clothes stained that one too. This was a widespread issue and NECA barely addressed it. Snake should have been a regular 7" figure, and because the retro sold so poorly we'll probably never see him made right.
After all that I gave up on the retro cloth figures, I've not purchased one since.
However, the issue that still pisses me off is the staining. For some reason, either his shirt or his jacket causes blue/purple stains on the figure's body. Even if you replace his upper body with one from another retro cloth figure (which I did try), the clothes stained that one too. This was a widespread issue and NECA barely addressed it. Snake should have been a regular 7" figure, and because the retro sold so poorly we'll probably never see him made right.
After all that I gave up on the retro cloth figures, I've not purchased one since.
Full Thread: Halloween 2 Retro Michael Myers - 1st Look Gallery
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