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Jack the Ripper

It's been awhile since we had a King Randor review, and he returns tonight with a good one - Jack the Ripper from Mezco!  What's the dealio, KR?

Last year, McFarlane Toys revealed that their 2004 lineup of Monsters figures would be about serial killers, and tyrants. That lineup happened to include a figure of London’s legendary Jack the Ripper. Ironic as it may seem, at the exact same time, Mezco Toys was also working on a figure of the legendary serial killer. Naturally, McFarlane’s got a lot more attention, due to the overall “shock value” of the lineup, as well as the usual sculpting magic that they do…and also due to controversy over the “peg leg”. Mezco’s Jack the Ripper went overall un-noticed, but did hit retail, regardless. While they’d been advertising it for quite some time, it’s just recently been hitting retailers for a few months now.

I saw it, several times, while stopping by Suncoast- just looking at the figure over and over again, I was getting easily pulled in, but didn’t want to simply jump and buy it- so I waited till I had a little more dinero to blow, but I knew I had to have that figure for some reason. 






Actually, more specifically, several reasons- 1. Victorian England is one of my favorite eras of history. 2. I happen to be a serious fan of the British culture- of course having some British ancestry definitely helps me out there. 3. Let’s just say..I find him a bit…interesting. If I were to explain that reason any further, I’d probably wind up severely disturbing you, so I won’t go into it. 

Anyway, a week ago, I finally laid down the cash for the figure…and believe me when I say, I’m GLAD I did!

Packaging - ****
Wow, Mezco REALLY outdid themselves on this one. The artwork works perfectly for the figure, complementing it all the way. Attractive? Yes, 100%. This is the type of packaging that may blend in with the other stuff on the shelf a tiny bit, but once you do notice it, you’ll be pulled right in. In fact, the packaging even works great as a small cardboard diorama for the figure, with the outline of 1887 London skyline behind Jack, a lamp-post to the left, and a “blending” sketch of Jack to the right, with a message in blood on one of the side flaps. Whether or not you actually do wind up using the box as a diorama, it still looks great, regardless. Mezco definitely took their time on this beauty, and I give them full credit for it.

Sculpt - ****
Unbelievable, isn’t it? Do remember, however, that Mezco doesn’t exactly have source material to work with( and neither did McFarlane), but what they do have to work with is the general style of the time- overcoat, hat, mutton chops and all- and they pull it off amazingly well. Granted, this figure is more of a “cartoony caricature” of what Jack may’ve looked like, but somehow…it works perfectly with the “source” material- absolutely perfectly. They even managed to pull off sculpting all of the wrinkles and curvatures of the face of a middle-aged man…and that’s basically the look they were required to go for. Had they missed that, that would’ve ruined it- but no, they got it, and they got it perfect. To make this even better, the hat is in fact removable, so you can check out his head underneath it- with that level of detail, part of me really wishes I could’ve given this category 5 stars.

Whilst the overcoat isn’t exactly what would be considered “sculpting”, due to the way it was attached to the figure, it isn’t removable( unless you try some real crazy %$#^ to get it off…but why would you want to?), and so I’m throwing it into this category. The overcoat looks absolutely perfect on the figure- but what really stands out about it is the gold chain that connects the collar together. In fact, I think that little detail was one of the things that pulled me in to buy it in the first place.

Paint - ****
Wow- just wow. It’s all just perfect. I haven’t found any paint bleed yet on any of it. You wouldn’t think a fashion style from Victorian England would involve a serious paint job- Mezco has just proven you wrong…and I don’t think I’ve ever really seen it done better. The suit has that dark gray look that’s so legendary for that time, same with the hat, and the shoes are polished black. The buttons on his jacket are a dull gold, but in all honesty I have a feeling that only makes sense, considering the character, and again, the era here. He’s caked in blood- and it looks phenomenal. It wasn’t underdone, or overdone. It was done just right. His hands- or in this case, gloves- are covered in it, which would only naturally make sense, and while his suit is also covered in blood, it’s naturally not as noticeable, as it is a black suit. I’ll say it again- perfect, just perfect.

Then there’s that little thing called paint wash..y’know the wash that can either ruin, or “make” a figure. Need I say it again? Perfect. The trim around the hat is a bit shiny, as I believe it should be, and his face comes off SLIGHTLY shiny, but more of a dull look to it. And the shoes are naturally shiny. What can I say other than…they did it right?

Articulation - ****
Folks, prepare yourself- ball jointed neck, ball jointed waist, ball jointed shoulders, ball jointed wrists, cut shoulders, cut ankles, and cut thighs! That’s right- this figure is absolutely loaded with articulation, and y’can get some pretty nifty poses out of it. Hate to say it, but in this category Mezco pretty much puts McFarlane to shame, at least with this particular figure. Trust me when I say I doubt you could ASK for more articulation.

Accessories - ****
Just when you think there has to be one area where Mezco will skimp out on this- guess again. Jack comes with his removable hat, a doctor’s black surgeon bag, a human heart, a syringe, four knives( caked in blood), a saw( caked in blood), and a scythe( caked in blood). The accessories all look great too, and fit nicely in his hands- though a few of them do require a little patience to get in there. His hands are sculpted in a way that getting certain accessories in there provides a little effort- trust me it’s entirely worth it.

Value - ****
So let’s see- we get an ultra-detailed caricature figure loaded with articulation & accessories, amazing paint ops, and mind-blowing packaging. I bet you’d expect to pay a lot for such a piece, right? Yeah- so did I. And the price was what pulled me in even more- $8.99! That’s right- for less than $10, you get this amazing work of art. Your heart is probably racing upon hearing that, so you can bolt out, and dash to your nearest specialty retailer to grab this, am I right?

Naturally, if you pay more for it, depending on how much, take off a star or so. If you’re paying between $13-$15, take off half a star. Between $15-$20, take off a full star- but I wouldn’t recommend going beyond that…this figure is just that worth it.

Overall - ****
I have to say it- this is probably one of my favorite figures in my entire collection. I had no idea I’d be so blown away by such an inexpensive( and incredibly undersold) action figure. Yes, it must be said- I think this figure outdoes McFarlane’s, TEN-FOLD! If you don’t already own it, I suggest you grab it as soon as you possibly can- I assure you that you won’t be disappointed- unless of course that is you’re not into “cartoony” caricature figures. Truth be told, neither am I overall, but this figure is JUST THAT GREAT. If you’re into murderers/serial killers, monsters, horror, and all that great stuff as it is, I know it’s a figure you’ll absolutely love.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ****
Sculpt - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Value - ****
Overall - ****

Where to Buy - 
I picked mine up at Suncoast for $8.99. I’m sure Media Play and Sam Goody may also carry it. 

Actionfigureexpress.com has it on sale for $14.99- regularly priced at $19.99

Entertainment Earth has it for $17.99- it’s currently sold out on their site, as of this writing, but it appears they’ll be getting more in soon.


Figure from the collection of King Randor.

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