By the time that Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood was released in theaters, the series was fully embracing different gimmicks to try and keep the franchise alive. With Part VI, Jason is resurrected as an undead monster, kicking off the trend. In the subsequent films, he fights a telekinetic teenager, goes to NYC, becomes a demon that can pass from person to person, goes to space, and then gets the crossover treatment as he faces Freddy Krueger. Some films were more successful than others, but The New Blood played an extremely important role in shaping how Jason Voorhees is viewed today. The film introduces fans to Kane Hodder, who takes on the role of Jason Voorhees for the first time. Hodder, a veteran stuntman and actor, embraced to role like few before him and added an imposing physical presence to the film. Hodder would go on to portray Jason Voorhees in the next three films, as well as performing motion capture for the Friday the 13th Video Game from 2017. By playing the character more than anyone, and playing him to perfection, Kane Hodder has left a lasting impression on horror fans still hoping he will one day return to the role.
With Kane Hodder portraying Jason longer than anyone else, horror collectors have been clamoring for action figures based on his films. After years of releases from nearly every other version in the Friday The 13th franchise, NECA and other toy companies found themselves in a bit of a bind. An ongoing lawsuit to determine the rightful owner of the first film derailed the entire Jason Voorhees license. However, a year after the issues arose, NECA unveiled an all-new Jason Voorhees Ultimate Figure! After a number of delays due to the pandemic and ongoing shipping issues, the New Blood Jason Voorhees is now in stores! Read on as I take a look at the new figure, with a review and new photo gallery.
Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood – NECA Jason Voorhees Ultimate 7″ Scale Figure by NECA
Pros
- Outstanding overall sculpt
- Solid articulation
- Detailed paint work
- Great assortment of accessories
- Hands and portraits swap out easily
- Nice implementation of the split hockey mask
Cons
- The hips are going to be an issue
Overall
The New Blood figure is our first Jason Voorhees Ultimate Figure in almost two years, and it does not disappoint. The figure is one of the taller Jason Voorhees releases by NECA, standing a little taller than the Jason Lives figure, though still noticeably shorter than the Freddy vs Jason, and Remake figures. It has roughly 25 points of articulation. It includes two interchangeable portraits, two sets of hands, a regular mask, a split hockey mask, a machete, an axe, a knife, a tent stake, a brush cutter, a wood cutter, a sickle, and a metal chain around the neck.
The design for the New Blood Jason was always a sight to behold. The film took his zombie-like design from Jason Lives and ran with it. Having spent years submerged in crystal lake, Jason’s clothes have become heavily tattered and his skin has begun to rot away. Bones are visibly protruding through his skin, and the scars of past battles are clearly present. The sculpt for the figure is a fantastic representation of the New Blood Jason. The details are spectacular, and spectacularly gross. The skin looks bloated and rotten, the exposed bones are grayed and weathered, and the entire figure is slick and slimy looking. The two included head sculpts are well done, giving fans a solid selection of display options. The standard rotted head sculpt has the base hockey mask, missing the lower left portion after his battle in Part VI. The screaming head sculpt is meant to be displayed with the split open hockey mask. There is a small peg on the straps, allowing the mask to plug into the back of the screaming portrait.
Articulation is handled really well, allowing Jason to properly hold any two-handed weapons, and to get in some nice poses. The elbows have that odd extended middle piece we’ve seen a few times that NECA uses to give double-jointed elbows. It’s not my favorite design, but it does blend in better on a figure like this. Much of the design features a vinyl/softer plastic overlay for the clothing, giving the figure a more realistic look for the rips and tears. This style also allows for maximum range of motion on the knees and elbows. The only real problem I ran into are the hips, something that has plagued nearly all of my ultimate Jason’s now. As the years have gone on, the hips on the figures have become looser and looser, with little to no handling. The hips on my New Blood Jason already have a bit more looseness to them than I would like right out of the box.
Pretty much every weapon you could want from Part VII is included with this figure. The brush cutter (weed wacker) is the highlight here, as it’s such a unique addition. For those wondering, the blade does rotate. Outside of the wood cutter (the spear looking weapon), the rest are mostly slasher film staples. The all look great, and I experienced no warping on any of the blades. The included grip hands held the weapons well, with nothing slipping from his hands while I was shooting the photos.
NECA did a fantastic job in bringing the New Blood Jason figure to live. The sculpt, paint work, and accessories are some of their best in the line. It’s an absolute must-own for fans of Friday The 13th. Check out a selection of photos below, and the full gallery after that.
CompaniesNECA
CharactersJason Voorhees
Scale7 Inch