NECA Half Life 2 Gordon Freeman action figure review

NECA is known for its single-character lines and the one character people have been waiting a good 14 years for has finally arrived, Gordon Freeman. Hero of the Half Life video game series his horn rimmed glasses and beard have almost become a cult trademark. Here NECA brings him to you in their 7" Player Select scale. But is it the figure that's been sought after for more than a decade? Let's find out.

The packaging is classic NECA, a rectangular clamshell with nice graphics and a quick bio on the back. Once you get the figure free of the single twisty tie (yes only one) the sculpt really stands out as downright amazing. Each fiber of the mesh undersuit is clearly defined. The pockmarked HEV suit armor sections look realistically weathered. Gordon Freeman's headsculpt is quite realistic, but not as young as the game's source material. The Lambda Complex symbol is sharp looking and even his gloves have tiny seams sculpted on the finger edges.

The  equally impressive paint applications help accentuate the detail put into Freeman. Different washes for grime, blood stains (or perhaps a very red rust), and highlighted weathering make for a very realistic look. Gordon's glasses are painted cleanly which is a real task these days. His hair and beard are cleanly applied and the overall application of paint is something to behold making this figure look like a tiny high-end statue.

Articulation for Gordon is astoundingly good. While the shoulders and knees may not get past the 90 deg angle this is the HEV suit design, a protective suit not meant for leaping and crouching. Gordon's neck, wrists, torso, and ankles are all ball jointed allowing for great poses. His hips are a modified V-crotch but with DCU hinge-style/swivel hips which work perfectly for sitting positions. Basically anything he'd be doing in the game can be mirrored here.

The accessory department is where you truly get your money's worth. Freeman comes with his crowbar, an extra set of different gripping hands, bug bomb, gravity gun, and yes, the all important Headcrab! The gravity gun, bug bomb, and crowbar are all nicely sculpted and painted with the same attention to detail Freeman is. The Headcrab excels beyond normal accessory status with both front pincers articulated and a sculpted inner mouth. The inner mouth is removable revealing a larger chamber so the Headcrab can fit on another figure's head.

So what's the verdict? I'm not one to gush over action figures given my picky nature but here I feel like I've just ripped off NECA paying under $20 for this figure. And that's how you should ALWAYS want to feel when you purchase a figure, like you received MORE than your money's worth. You get an amazingly sculpted/painted/articulated action figure, a bunch of accessories, and one accessory that can be combined with another figure. Gordon Freeman is still available at our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store and is currently selling out at all the Toys R Us store.