Sideshow Toy has been producing some fantastic sixth-scale figures for a number of years now, including horror figures from classic Universal films, television shows such as OUTER LIMITS, and now a series called “modern horror classics,” including Leatherface, Michael Myers, Freddy and, of course, Jason. The first figure has hit the streets -- Jason from FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3.

Sideshow will also be doing a set of FREDDY VS. JASON figures, based on the new film and the slightly different appearance of both characters. On top of that, you can pick up a special furnace display for your Freddy figure! Considering the exceptional quality we've seen from Sideshow in the past, I expect these to be a huge hit with fans.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now, on to the review!

"FRIDAY THE 13th PART 3 JASON VOORHEES"

Jason has had a variety of looks, and one of the most distinct was in the third film, perhaps appropriately done in 3-D. The film isn't one of the better ones, but Jason's face is seen, and its disfigured appearance made for a unique action figure. It's hard to fathom that Jason has had ten, count them TEN!, films. Throw in FvsJ, and there's eleven. That's an impressive run for any character, let alone one that just stands around in a hockey mask and looks threatening.

Packaging - ***

Sideshow normally knocks it out of the park with their packaging, but this time around it's only a triple. The graphics are great, particularly the front, but the text is light, particularly on the inside fifth panel. The included stand is also sealed to the insert, so it's less collector-friendly than usual. But it will display well, and if you cut off the cover it would make a great backdrop for a loose display.

Sculpting - ****

The head sculpt on Jason is exceptional, right up there with some of the other better figures by Sideshow. They've captured both the horrific nature of the character, and the sadness that was present in this particular film. Not everyone is going to be thrilled by the choice of movie, since it's certainly not a fan favorite, but you can't fault Sideshow for getting it down perfectly.

The hands are sculpted to hold the weapons, with the right being the main hand and the left intended to look menacing or support the axe. The machete hands a bit loose in the right hand, but it's not too bad. It's a happy medium between being too loose for the machete and too tight for the axe.

Jason is tall - easily 13" rather than the usual 12". This is accomplished through the use of the longer torso, the thick boots, and longer shins. We seen these body parts on other taller figures from Sideshow, and I expect we'll see them doing more and more of this mixing and matching to get a greater variety in their line.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops are predominately on the face, although there's also a fair share of blood spattered on the clothing and hands. The work on the skin tone is clean and consistent, and has just that right tinge of dead but animated color that makes a Saturday night date go so well. His eye detail is very well done, and there's certainly no slop anywhere on his face or head.

The hands are really the only other major area of paint work, and that is made up mostly of blood splatters. These are well done, with a decent degree of realism. Blood is also liberally apparent on the machete, axe, and across the front of his outfit.

Articulation - **1/2
Normally, this is a category that Sideshow gets an automatic pass. But with Jason, they've done some swapping and switching that produced a better looking figure, but at the cost of articulation.

The first casualty was the neck joint. The head is sculpted all the way down over the shoulders, so there is no articulation at the neck at all. That means that his head looking off to the side is the only way you'll be able to display him. The wrists have also been lost, and the hand/forearm sculpt is similar to Frankenstein, where it's all one piece. The final loss is in the torso. They've gone with the larger, bulkier torso they used for the Kanamit (and for Jaws, coming soon), and that gives Jason a better looking upper body. The clothes don't require padding to be fully filled out, but this torso doesn't have the chest joint, and does not have a ball jointed waist. The cut joint at the waist works fine, but it is less articulation than you've come to expect.

Accessories - ***
Jason comes with three accessories - his machete, axe and display stand. The machete and axe look great, with excellent realism in both the sculpt and the paint application. The stand has Jason graphics on it, and works nicely to hold the figure up in unusual poses. It's not really necessary though, if you're looking to stand him in a basic stance, and I've had no trouble keeping him up on the shelf without it for about a week now.

I mentioned this in the sculpt section, but his right hand doesn't really hold either accessory perfectly. The machete is a bit too small, and the axe works alright but could also be a better fit. They both look great however, and the only real negative here is that for this kind of price point, a couple accessories like this seems extremely light. Considering all the cool weapons that Jason has used, including many items not normally considered weapons, there were some options that could have been explored.

Outfit - ***
The outfit consists of boots (with large soles), pants, jacket, shirt (made from a wooly rough material) and his trademark hockey mask. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure this movie was the first in which he actually wore the hockey mask, and perhaps that was another driving force behind Sideshow selecting this version.

The mask looks great, and has the double straps to hold it perfectly in place. They are just the right size and tension, and you'll have no trouble getting the mask positioned perfectly on his big noggin'. The paint ops here are great as well, although the mask is a tad less distressed than I had expected, and a whole lot less distressed than the teenagers in the film.

The shoes, pants and jacket are all pretty basic and standard. That's to be expected, since that's the design from the film, but it doesn't make for too much excitement. The blood on the jacket was a nice touch however, and the shirt is made from a very realistic and nifty material that matches the film well.

Value - **1/2
This figure was $40 at Sideshow's site, and that's what I'm grading it on here. That's about ten bucks more than you should really spend, but I'm betting this license was not cheap to acquire. With the McFarlane versions from a couple years ago, and the new 7" versions coming out by NECA, I'm also betting that the competition for the license was hot and heavy. Still, do what you can to find a retailer selling these closer to $30 than $40 if possible.

Overall - **1/2
While this character isn't quite perfect, I think most Jason fans will be pleased. The sculpt is great, with decent paint apps and good accessories. The price point is a bit high, and the lower articulation (especially for a Sideshow figure) bring down the overall score, but he's a nice addition to your horror collection. I have mine hanging out right now with the old Universal monsters, until my Freddy, Leatherface and Michael Myers get here.

Where to Buy -
Other than the occasional comic shop, I don't think you'll see these at any bricks and mortar stores. Your options on-line are getting fewer as well, as the modern horror line appears to be very popular. Both Freddy and Jason are sold out at the Sideshow site, and several others I check are also out. I did manage to find one though:

- Time and Space Toys still has Jason in stock and ready to ship, at $40 each.

- Sideshow does have the pre-orders up right now for Leatherface, Michael Myers, the Furnace playset, and the Freddy and Jason figures from FREDDY VS. JASON. The first 500 people that buy either of these will get a special exclusive accessory added in! Click the links for the details.