REVIEW: Bruce Campbell Figure

Background

Produced by Dark Horse Entertainment, My Name Is Bruce stars cult horror movie icon Bruce Campbell as himself (albeit a crazy film version of himself). Released to DVD/Blu-Ray (unfortunately not on Betamax or Laserdisc) this past February, the film will appeal to Campbell fans…even though it blatantly stereotypes them as crazed stalkers.

Something evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by one man - Bruce Campbell (the guy who starred in all three Evil Dead movies and Bubba Ho-tep), B-move star and deadbeat ex-husband extraordinaire, who's recruited to be their unwitting savior. Thinking the whole scenario's a publicity prank, Bruce is distracted from his mission by a hot mom and fan boys aplenty-- but when our hero has to face off against a dark force more fearsome than a Hollywood agent, the laughs and screams start flying.

Since Dark Horse Entertainment produced the film, it makes sense that Dark Horse Comics would release a 12” tall version of Bruce Campbell from the movie.

The Facts  

Bruce Campbell 12” Figure
Series: My Name Is Bruce
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
Authorized Likeness: Bruce Campbell
Material: Hard plastic, articulated body
Dimensions: 12” tall
Points of Articulation: 29 points
Outfit: Black pants; Black shoes; Black t-shirt; Blue patterned Hawaiian shirt
Accessories: Miniature Angel and Devil magnetic versions of Bruce Campbell; Shemp’s Olde Tyme Whiskey; Bruce Campbell toy; Lemon drink bottle; Miniature If Chins Could Kill book; Handgun with price tag; Display stand

Packaging

The front of the package is designed similar to the movie poster/DVD cover, while the rear panel shows the figure and included accessories. It features Bruce Campbell in his film attire, with the menacing Guan Di lurking behind. The front flap opens (using Velcro) to reveal the figure through a plastic windowpane. The figure and accessories are secured in a plastic tray using twist ties.

Our Opinion

Even though I’m a Bruce Campbell fan, I have to admit that I struggled watching My Name Is Bruce. “Goofy” would be my chosen one word description of the film. Others might use “Terrible”. While Campbell prides himself on being a B movie actor, this could possibly be the best (worst?) B movie of the past 10 years.

Even if they hated the movie, Bruce Campbell fans will like the 12” tall figure. Dark Horse used a 3D scan of Campbell in the creation of the face sculpt. So it actually looks better than any of Sideshow’s Army of Darkness versions of Ash. But the sculpt is still not perfect. The nose is a little narrow and his eyes are squinted.

The hair is sculpted and painted as a separate piece, and then attached to the head. His sideburns are painted in horizontal lines (I’d like to see a more natural look). There’s a slight graying of his face to simulate a five o’clock shadow.

The articulated body doesn’t measure up to Hot Toys’ TrueType or Sideshow’s Prometheus, since it’s fairly stiff. But, it does have joint cuts in the middle of the forearm rather than at the wrists. I like this look for a figure wearing short sleeves, since wrist posts usually look awkwardly out of place.

You get a bunch of movie-relevant accessories with the 12” Bruce Campbell figure. The gun fits into Campbell’s sculpted right hand, while all of the other accessories can be placed in the other hand. The little Bruce Angel and Devil are fitted with magnets (as are Campbell’s shoulders), so they can be placed on the figure’s shoulders.

Looking at the total package, you’re getting a pretty good sculpt of Bruce Campbell with seven film accurate accessories. Some of the small issues can be overlooked, but no bean curd?!?!