With the immense success of the newest Resident Evil title (available on Gamecube and PS2), it was a sure bet that someone would get the license to make a series of figures. And with no surprise, NECA had managed to get a quick series of four figures out, including Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong, the Chainsaw wielding Ganado and the monstrous Verdugo. Considering that Palisades and ToyBiz had done previous Resident Evil figures, I guess it was about time for someone else to give it a shot. Personally, I though the Palisades figures weren't that bad, but I guess they either weren't interested (apparently they don't like cash) or NECa beat them to the punch.

When it comes to the figures, the details are pretty nice and the figures are sizable without being cumbersome. Leon comes in two versions - with and without jacket, but both versions come with a handful of accessories. Each version comes with slightly different accessories, but unless you want a full set or like buying multiple version of the same character, there isn't a lot of reason to buy both. He does have multiple points of articulation, but not as many as I would have liked. Ada Wong looks pretty good, but she's even more statue-like than Leon. Verdugo and the Chainsaw Ganado both look really good, probably because their faces don't have to be as recognizable as the two humans. Verdugo really shows off a lot of excellent detail in the modeling.

Coming in the Spring of 2006 is going to be series 2, which will exclusively feature enemies from the game, including a group of Los Illuminados, a red-robed Illuminados (the one with the horned mask), an Iron Maiden (Regenerator with spikes), a Garrador (my personal favorite) and Krauser. Each figure looks pretty good in the promotional images, but I can't attest to how poseable they are or how many accessories they may be packaged with until they're released.

I can only hope that this series does well as I would like to see a third series featuring Ashley ( in both outfits), Saddler, Mendez, Luis and a Novistadors. To be honest, there's more than enough characters/enemies to get a couple of series out. I would think NECA would be foolish not to try and get an oversized El Gigante out for those who want to reenact that boss fight.

So, who would this series be good for? Fans of Resident Evil 4, of course. There certainly is little in terms of playbility with the series and most are limited in how they can be posed, but considering the quality of the models, fans of the game should be pleased with their purchases.

- - Vane