Lets dish about the McFarlane Toys Negan figure. I have a history with McFarlane Toys. Most of us older collectors do. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’ve maintained for decades now that Todd McFarlane destroyed the toy collecting hobby single handily. By extension, he and his friends bottomed out the comic industry as well. Of course, that wasn’t all Todd on the comics, but toys… yeah.
Please don’t get me wrong, I am just as guilty as Todd, and every single one of us back then were as well. There was no way the industry could have sustained a dozen variants for each figure, gold plated, platinum plated, exclusives, etc. Yet we, the fans, lapped them up. Before you knew it, we were up to our ears in Medieval Spawn and Ninja Spawn and Samurai Spawn and… wait, those are super awesome names I’d probably still end up buying today. Regardless, it simply collapsed under its own weight and was the end of my collecting for a while as well.
Since the collapse, the only other McFarlane Toys I’ve purchased has been the ten inch Rick Grimes…. statue (?) and the Titanfall 2 BT. The Rick Grime’s only action feature is changing out his weapon. Yet I like the TV series enough to warrant the display space. The McFarlane Toys Negan figure is the third purchase.
What did I think of the McFarlane Toys Negan?
The solicits were not too far off from Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s portrayal as Negan. If you’ve not watched the last season or two, now would be a good time to tap out to avoid spoilers.
The figure comes in a standard display box.
In hand, it is not as close to the actor as the solicits. In fact, it looked very much like someone took a paint gun and blasted it in the face.
The McFarlane Toys Negan profile really stops looking like Morgan and begins looking more like my Uncle Jan. That’s only moderately funny if you’re related to me and read my blog. Approximately none of you.
The McFarlane Toys Negan comes with one additional right hand. The first allows him to hold Lucille (the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire he used to tee off on Abraham and Glenn in the most recent season premiere) upright and the alternative hand allows him to hold it menacingly in someone’s face.
Lucille herself looks really nice for the scale, but the plastic feels very rubbery and tends to lose its shape because of how aggressively you have to force it in his hand. I’ve had similar problems in truck stops that have led to various restraining orders.
Yup. “Aggressively forcing it into his hand.”
I never promised high brow here, people.
What doesn’t work with the McFarlane Toys Negan?
As far as it being an “action” figure, it is one only when comparing it to the aforementioned ten inch Rick Grimes. The industry has left McFarlane toys behind. Whereas back in their day, they were industry leaders in sculpt, paint, articulation, and accessories (remember Sam and Twitch’s donut?), today most people yawn when Todd releases a figure.
This articulation scheme is horrible. Single jointed elbows and knees, no ankle pivot and aesthetically frightening gear like joints. The rotating hip thing is maddening. You won’t get more than a static pose out of him. He does, however, come with a nifty base to stand him on. I assume so you can pretend he’s a statue as opposed to something fun, like, I dunno, a toy.
Still, if you like the character and you don’t have another option (which you don’t unless you want to spend hundreds) this may be your only real choice. For me, Negan is a character that just eats up every scene he is in, and you find yourself actually liking the guy until you remember, “Oh yeah, he’s kinda horrible.” That is more of a testament to Morgan’s exemplary acting skills.
Should you get the McFarlane Toys Negan?
Go get this guy if you’re a fan of the series, or the character. I feel like I paid about $10 too much for him. If McFarlane doesn’t step into 2017 (and I see no indication that Todd will start admitting he’s wrong about anything), we may be looking at the ending of a once brilliant toy company.
You can still grab him at:
Here are some more pics, enjoy!
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