Review of Leather Face - Texas Chainsaw Massacre
One:2 Collective Action Figure

Introduction

Way back in 1974, I had just turned into a teenager. And Tobe Hooper started one of the best known horror franchises of the last 50 years. Coincidence?

Several companies have done action figures of 70's and 80's horror icons in a variety of styles, sizes, and themes. Mezco is one of them, and has been involved with the TCM license for decades. They've continued the tradition with their One:12 Collective, where we've given us Freddy, Jason, and Michael already. It's no surprise that Leatherface is joining the ranks.

This version just started shipping in the U.S., and thanks to a sound feature, will run you around $100, slightly higher than most of the figures in the series.

Packaging - ***1/2
The box art calls back to the original film, and looks terrific. Inside is a set of plastic trays holding the figure and accessories in a very collector friendly manner - there's absolutely no reason not to open this guy up and put him on display. The cardboard is a little thin, but it should hold up to storage just fine.

Sculpting - ****
Leatherface, like most One:12 figures, comes with multiple portraits. There's the standard version he comes wearing, plus the 'pretty lady' version, and the 'old lady' version.

The regular version will probably be the most popular. The skin is stretched over the face, with the mouth and eyes exposed. It sags and wrinkles in very realistic ways, and the stitches and damage look fantastic. The hair is finely sculpted, with plenty of detail and the perfect style.

The 'pretty lady' version is perfect for one of the additional outfit pieces - the jacket - and will probably be the second favorite. We haven't gotten a ton of figures with this look, although there's a great one from NECA's early days. There's the lighter colored face and big red lips, but fewer wrinkles and less rot.

Finally, there's the 'old lady' portrait, a very unique look. While it's the one I'm least likely to use on the shelf, others may want to have this particular look to go with all the rest of the standard figures in their collection. Again, there's an extra piece of clothing - the apron - that goes with this portrait to create a scene specific look. The wig really sells this one, and it looks fake, just as it should. With the weird droop in the skin around the mouth, it's definitely a disconcerting appearance.

The heads swap easily, and this is one of the very rare occasions where I really, really wish I could afford three of these to have all three versions on the shelf.

Paint - ***1/2
One of the best features of the One:12 line is the quality paint operations at such a small scale. They've brought the quality of high end sixth scale to one twelfth scale.

Of the three, I'm liking the standard portrait the best in this category as well. The wash brings out the detailing on the face mask, highlighting the wrinkles and rot. The deep set eyes and mouth look terrific, thanks to the quality of the painted skin. You can tell what's 'live', and what's 'dead', thanks to the paint work.

My second favorite in this category is the old lady. Again, they captured the look of the skin and hair extremely well, and the hair color sets this one apart from the other two.

I'm not loving the work on the pretty lady, mostly because the lighter, white skin looks less realistic. I know it's supposed to look whiter and more 'fake', but the paint doesn't work as well with the stitches. I suspect it's just because I didn't like this look as much in the movie, making it less about the paint application and more about my own personal taste.

Articulation - ***
No real surprises here for regular One:12 collectors. The usual articulation is present, and it works about as well as you'd expect.

The ball jointed neck gives you plenty of lean and tilt, and you can add a ton of personality to every pose. The shoulders, elbows, and wrists are a bit restricted, but it depends on the outfit. Obviously wearing the jacket makes the arms less mobile than just the shirt.

I can get some twist, bend, and tilt out of the torso, but the fat suit does tend to push him back to center. The hips, knees, and ankles can manage short to medium stances pretty well, but the ankles didn't really allow for deep leg poses. Then again, this dude wasn't a ninja, and you can create plenty of very natural stances with the articulation.

Accessories - ****
I already mentioned the three head sculpts, which are always a big selling point. When they are as useful as these, they boost this score even more.

There's an assortment of hands as well -  ten in all, or five distinct sets - and they swap easily. There's also the bracelet he takes from one of the girls, which isn't permanently attached, so be careful with it.

The hands are designed to hold the other weapon accessories, including the bone handle knife, bloody cleaver, and large hammer. And yes, of course, there's a terrific chainsaw. I was particularly impressed with this one, not because of the sound effect - more on that in a minute - but because of the sturdy build. I've had trouble with pieces like this having handles that tend to break, even in sixth scale, but they made these thick and sturdy. Oh, I'd still be careful with them, but I felt far less apprehensive when I was working with it.

There's nothing like a little blood spatter to go with your toy, and you get three effects. Two larger ones work by slipping over the chainsaw blade, while the third small splat is designed for the end of the hammer. The largest one worked pretty well, as did the small splat, but the medium sized version was a bit more difficult to work with.

To go with the blood spatters, there's a big old bucket of blood. It's nice and disgusting, just as you'd assume a bucket of blood would be.

There's three extra costume pieces, one for each 'look'. There's his standard apron, covered in blood, with a tie designed to go around his back. There's an apron for his old lady look, less bloody but still gross. and finally, there's a jacket to complete his ensemble with the pretty lady portrait. More on these in the Outfit section.

There's the usual display stand, with either the foot peg or the clear support rod. You won't need it, but it's nice to have it.

Sound Feature - **
There's a really good thing about this sound feature - and a really bad one.

First the good. It's really easy to pop off the side plate (which is all part of the blade itself) by following the instructions, and you can easily insert the two included button batteries. By the way, there's going to be fewer and fewer of these button batteries included and eventually used with figures, thanks to several countries banning them.

It's also easy to use the feature. The small button is part of the saw itself, so it doesn't have to be hidden. Oh, it's kinda tiny, but you'll be able to operate it easy enough.

However, this is a really, really small accessory. Which means it's a really, really small speaker. And you know what that means - the sound is really, really hard to hear. Hold it up close to your ear, and it will be the distinct sound of a revving chainsaw. Hold it at a normal distance, and it sounds like a mouse on a roller coaster.

I'm not sure you could get anything different - this is the science of sound after all. But it was still a bit of a bummer that it doesn't sound better, considering how easy it is to use.

Outfit - ***1/2
The basic outfit - shirt, tie, pants, belt, shoes - all look fantastic. There's blood and dirt, and just the right amount of wear and tear. The tie is appropriately sized, and he has the perfectly disheveled look down pat.

There's a fat suit as well, padding added to the torso to create a very screen accurate appearance to his heft.

You can add three different outer layers. Of course there's the standard rubber apron, with blood splatters galore. I really like the way they set up the tie in back. You can pull it tight through the two holes and then tie off these ends to keep it in place, and it's plenty long enough to create a bow.

The second apron is designed to go with the old lady portrait. This apron is dirty and bloody as well, but made from a thin material. The pattern looks just like something grandma would wear.

Finally, there's a suit jacket. Again, this is specifically designed to go with the pretty lady head sculpt, but there's no reason you can't use it with the standard head if you'd prefer. The fit is a little tight on this one, and I had some trouble getting the shoulders fully over the arms. But with enough work, you can get a decent look out of it.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
This guy is a ton of fun by himself, with plenty of posing potential on the shelf. Add in the other 80's icons, and they'll look great together. We need some victims though, if we're going to properly use these blood effects.

Value - **
Most One:12 figures run around $80, depending on the license. When they add in light or sound features, they jump in price as you'd expect. The extra twenty bucks here is due to the revving chainsaw.

Had it sounded great, I would have gone the extra half star in this category and said he was worth the price. However, I'm a bit bummed that I won't be showing off the sound to anyone.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. The accessories are sturdy, and I didn't have any worries about breakage or damage while I was working with the figure and accessories.

Overall - ***1/2
This guy is a fantastic addition to the horror collection. Mezco continues to crush it with their One:12 70's and 80's horror icons, and I'm hoping we see a few more variants before they are done.

As I said earlier, while most One:12 figures come with multiple heads, this is really the first time I wish I could afford three of a figure, just to use the heads and the outfit pieces to create the three different looks.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ****
Sound Feature - **
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
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- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Mezco has done other Leatherface figures in different styles and sizes, like this vinyl dude. Threezero did a nice sixth scale version that didn't break the bank, and the Cult Classics line had a great 7" version.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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