Toy Review: The Wide-Winged Goliath Kicks Off NECA's Gargoyles

Goliath is one of those action figures fans didn’t realize they needed, until NECA made him. Frankly, as beloved as the Gargoyles cartoon remains in certain circles, it always felt like a niche/cult thing. And Disney has shown little inclination of reviving the brand. NECA, however, is a company where the late ’80s and early ’90s rule. And with Aliens, Terminator, Predator, Rambo, and Defenders of the Earth, the company has shown an affinity for reviving licensed toys from the arguable heyday of collecting. So it is with Gargoyles, once immortalized in plastic by Kenner, in an animated style. Well, NECA doesn’t do a whole lot of animated. So they’ve decided to go all-in on a realistic depiction of the warriors by night, statues by day. NECA’s Gargoyles begin, of course, with the Keith David-voiced leader, Goliath. (David also voiced Spawn around the same time.)

Goliath in the package looks similar in size to a typical NECA 7-inch scale figure. Only once assembled does he change that opinion. Because those wings go big. How big? Here’s a comparison of the wingspan next to NECA’s quarter-scale, 19-inch Jason Voorhees:

RELATED: NECA’s Next Gargoyles Action Figure Will Be Hudson

And here he stands alongside another NECA figure and a larger McFarlane:

Bottom line: make some space. Because these wings do not fold in. NECA could have made them rubbery and flexible, but then they wouldn’t likely stay upright. They’re light, rigid plastic attached by disc and pin ball joints that make an anxiety-inducing cracking sound every time they’re reposed. Goliath’s folded down wings will be made available later, packed in with Bronx.

The figure’s articulation looks fairly standard. NECA hasn’t yet adopted butterfly joints, but he has double-hinge elbows, ball knees, ball lower-leg joints, and hinge-and-rocker toes. The up-down movement on the shoulders in this sample feels extremely stiff and tough, so take care in raising them. His tail is an inside-wire bendie attached by a disc and pin ball joint. The neck has a double ball, but because of his long hair its movement is quite restricted. Despite the hair being quite flexible. So while it’s near impossible not to pose him looking down…real gargoyles actually do look down, mostly. So it’s accurate.

While portions of the anatomy look monstrously clawed, there’s a better-than-average chance NECA reuses parts of this muscle body somewhere down the line. Some parts could help build a muscular human.

RELATED: NECA’s Next Gargoyles Figure, Bronx, Comes With Bonus Wings

Goliath comes with two heads — a blank-eyed monster version and a more friendly humanoid face. Hands include two fists, two bared claws, and one left claw for holding his two accessories. Those are a book, opened to illegible pages, and a jalapeno pepper. The latter item added into the show on a dare, to incorporate Keith David’s very real habit of shouting “Jalapena!” in place of “Hallelujah!” It’s tiny and likely to get lost here. But funny.

Color work on this figure looks outstanding, with an airbrush-style effect to highlight his physique, and clean purple/black areas on his wings. The tail seems a slightly paler shade than his body, but that’s really only noticeable in flash photos. The loincloth has a nice leathered effect, with painted-on shadow effects.

Goliath sets a high standard for a line that apparently has at least 13 figures in the pipeline, and NECA seems super-bullish on. Start making space, or figuring out how to hang these from the ceiling. Anyone with even the slightest affection for this old show is going to want at least one. And then get hooked on more. At $33, he’s no more than the standard NECA price nowadays. (Note: Superhero Hype earns fees for every Entertainment Earth purchase made through site links.) It’s too late to use him as a Halloween decoration, but plenty of time to not miss out on an incredible line at the ground floor.

Take a look through the gallery below for more angles. Then tell us what you think of this Goliath in comments below.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.