Kick-Ass 2
NECA
2013 - 2014
It was the long awaited sequel to the original Kick-Ass film, and with it came much disappointment for fans. As a whole, the film's not bad, but for all the shock value the first one had when seeing an eleven year old spout lines like a sailor, the second film just fell flat at the now young adult actress trying to do the same. See, in the first one you're sitting there saying, "Wow, I can't believe this kid just said that." However when you roll around to the second film, you just find yourself saying, "Wow, this young lady has a very fowl mouth." It just doesn't work.
Then of course there's the whole marketing debacle of Jim Carrey saying he wouldn't support/promote the film anymore due to the shootings which took place at Sandy Hook Elementary...Yet Mr. Carrey seemed to have been more than happy to be a part of the film in this post Columbine, Dunblane, Erfurt school masacrees, and unfortunately so many more.
Film and awkward Jim Carrey point of views aside, the figures for the second films switched from the hands of Mezco to NECA, and with it came the figures that fans always wanted - With the exception of there still not being a Big Daddy. Okay, fine, he wasn't in the second film per say, but it still would have been great to finally get the figure.
Right off the bat fans noticed the overall improvement to the articulation and stances of the characters. This meant that none of the characters suffered from hunchback syndrome such as they did with the Mezco line. It also meant that Hit-Girl would actaully be able to stand up.
To date only two waves of figures have been produced. While the series hasn't officially been cancelled, if more product is coming, NECA is certainly taking their time about it. The first series included; Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and The Motherfucker.
Much like the original series, censorship was well at hand, and NECA had to release the series with caution. To counter this uphill battle, first and foremost they shortened the series name to simply KA2. They then censored two of the characters names by way of calling them KA and The MF'ER. Fans knew what they were, but at the same point it just didn't feel right.
Shortly after the first series of figures, wave two hit store shelves. Much to the dismay of fans the line featured an all new KA, now called Armored KA, and another Hit-Girl. This time without the purple wig. Though fans were happy to get the opportunity to purchase a Colonel Stars and Stripes figure, they weren't so thrilled with NECA producing two versions. In the past NECA had been kind enough to include changable heads, and even did so with this latest version of KA, so it was a slap in the face to see the Colonel with two versions as opposed to just swapable heads.
For fans not concerned with censorship, NECA produced a small box set of the first series figures prior to the retail released versions. This particular set was only made available at San Diego Comic Con, and featured not only the full title of the series, but also uncensored names for the retail censored ones. It was a nice novelty for fans, but certainly not something to collect if you are the type of collector who removes your toys from the package as they are the exact same sculpts as the retail versions.
Join us next time when we take a look at Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!
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