Five Movies NECA Must License!
Several times now NECA has shown the world that they’re not afraid of licensing classic films and producing action figures (Amazon.com search*). This is a great thing, since it means that collectors are getting access to new toys for favorite movies, but NECA could take this path to new destinations. What follows are five films that I feel NECA must license and bring to life in plastic. It’s unlikely that all five of these will ever really happen, but if NECA were to announce one or two of these licenses as action figures I wouldn’t be shocked.
Total Recall, 1990
1990’s Total Recall (Amazon.com search*) was the very first movie that came to mind when I started thinking about films I’d like to see NECA tackle. The film is a blast to watch, and getting action figure versions of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
Douglas Quaid, Michael Ironside’s Richter, and Sharon Stone’s Lori would be awesome.
Not to mention how much fun the line gets when you add in the mutants like cabbie Vinny and resistance leader Kuato. Total Recall certainly doesn’t have the strength to go as many waves as something like Predator, but there are enough characters — and very likely fans — to support one or two really strong releases.
The Black Hole, 1979
Even though Disney’s The Black Hole (Amazon.com search*) was considered a failure when released I find it fun. And without even touching human characters NECA could make lots of fans happy by releasing only V.I.N.CENT, Old B.O.B., and Maximilian at the 7-inch scale.
The human characters would be a risk — people really love the robots — but the thought of Ernest Borgnine and Anthony Perkins action figures in their uniforms is too tempting to not at least dream a little.
The Road Warrior, 1981
How can The Road Warrior (Amazon.com search*) not already be in NECA’s catalog of licensed action figures? Even if all we got was Mel Gibson’s Max (and his dog) I would be happy, but how much crazy fun could be had when characters like the gyro pilot, feral kid, and the various warriors are tossed into the mix?
For bonus points, NECA would also include Beyond Thunderdome (Amazon.com search*) in the line. You’ve always wanted Tina Turner as a post-apocalyptic warrior on your shelf, right?
The Running Man, 1987
While this could be an excuse for another Arnold Schwarzenegger action figure, I must admit that I added The Running Man (Amazon.com search*) to the list because I want the gladiators in 7-inch scale. And that means all of the gladiators!
And Dynamo would have to be a deluxe figure complete with his little cart. Without that vehicle the toy simply wouldn’t be as much fun.
Starship Troopers, 1997
The final film on our list, 1997’s Starship Troopers (Amazon.com search*) might actually make the most sense for a 7-inch action figure series. Both the bugs and trooper tooling would lend itself to lots of reuse, exclusives, paint variants, and retools that would make the setup costs worth a lot more in the long run.
If the line doesn’t include Neil Patrick Harris’ Carl Jenkins in trench coat then it’s a complete and total failure.
That covers my own five movies I feel NECA must license and bring to action figure shelves, but I’m certain that my list of five in no way matches your own. Please take a few moments to leave a comment and let all of us know which five films you want to see NECA announce. There’s a good chance you’ll have thought of the perfect movie that I completely overlooked.
And even if none of these are ever announced I’ll sit happy knowing NECA has already got Robocop, Aliens, Predator, and more (Amazon.com search*) in their catalog. What they are already producing should be enough for all of us, right?
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This is actually been a topic I’ve discussed at length. They’re already making “Planet if the Apes” classic figures, so that’s one off my list!
1. Escape from New York! I know it probably wouldn’t sustain multiple waves but Snake, Duke, Romero, Brain, & Hauk would be amazing!
2. Lethal Weapon! Murtagh, Riggs, & Mr. Joshua (because who doesn’t want a Gary Busey figure?)
3. Ghostbusters. Do I need to explain why? Well, because Ghostbusters.
4. Clint Eastwood. I know he’s not a movie, but a Neca Dirty Harry Callahan & a man with no name need to be in my home! (and yours)
5. Dredd 3d. One of the most satisfying comic adaptations ever. One of the most under-rated films of 2012. Heck, it was my favorite film of ’12. It just worked & I really think somebody dropped the ball by not making a Neca version.
There are literally a myriad of films I wish neca would do. The list goes on & on!
1. Escape from New York. Snake, The Duke, Romero, Brain, & Hauk!
2. Dredd 3d. The most satisfying comic adaptation ever (in my opinion). Its a shame we didn’t get at least Dredd. Neca is the only company I wanted for this!
3. Clint Eastwood. I know he’s not a movie, but a Dirty Harry Callahan & Man with no name need to be on my shelf (and yours)!
4. Lethal Weapon. C’mon, why haven’t they already done this? Murtagh, Riggs, & Mr Joshua (because everyone needs a Gary Busey).
5. Planet of the Apes. Wait, they’re doing this? *runs around squeeling*
1.Escape from New York.
2. Dredd 3D. A shame this didn’t happen.
3. Lethal Weapon. C’mon.
4. Clint Eastwood. (I know, he’s not a movie. Imagine Neca Dirty Harry Callahan & Man with no name!)
5. Planet of the Apes. Wait, they’re doing this? *squeels & runs out of room to make room on shelf*
There is only one answer to this question: Big Trouble in Little China.
I’m a proud owner of an N2 Toys’ Jack Burton action figure. The series didn’t make it past the first wave which also included Lo Pan, The Chinese Wildman, Wang, Egg Shen, and Lightning. They can still be and at reasonable prices, but I would not be opposed at all to revisiting this property in plastic form.
Mattel already has Ghostbusters, don’t they?
I feel obliged to note that a lot of these licenses might work for Funko’s Legacy line as well, particularly since they seem interested in going after licenses that NECA might deem not profitable enough. Mad Max and Big Trouble in Little China come to mind.
Of the licenses on Phil’s list, the only one I can conceivably see NECA giving a shot is Mad Max. With a fourth movie on the way, I could see it happening in a year or two.
I’d argue the rest of the movies don’t have enough of a following to make it worthwhile (though I’d probably have said the same of PotA, to be fair, although at least that’s had a successful reboot).
Personally I would love to see new Black Hole figures, but frankly I can’t see how those would be at all profitable except perhaps as high-end, limited-run 1/6 figures.
Oh man, I got so excited thinking about a NECA Starship Troopers line….this has to happen!
I would buy every single figure…budget be damned…
The others are great ideas too, I just can’t get past how jazzed I feel right now!
Oh man, Road Warrior and The Black Hole would be awesome.
Also, from Matthew M. and Barbeque17, I would love Escape from NY, Big Trouble in Little China, a Man with no name (but also want Ramon, Col. Douglas, Angel Eyes and Tuco), and Dredd 3D.
I would be all over Running Man figures! Starship Troopers could be fun, too.
Mad Max has so many characters, i would love to have them rather in Funko’s retroaction lineup (with vehicles of course!) but for the rest – yes, they make great lines! Running Man will rule with the gladiator villains! And i want the Total Recall figures! Douglas Quaid with the flipping open old Lady mask please! The mantle could be like a 2 part shell you can take off and the regular Dougie being under it. You think they may do the 3 bust bar lady?
NECA Black Hole would be fantastic! I also would love an Eastwood’s Manco/Man With No Name!