Bob's Blog

The long wait for NECA’s officially licensed Valve figures is almost over. Though Valve fans are still awaiting word on when the company will release Half-Life 2: Episode 3 (or Half-Life 3, at this point), the figures, props, and plushes NECA has coming over the course of the next year should help satiate many appetites.

Above: Gordon was shown with a headcrab, crowbar, and gravity gun

Easily one of the most requested licenses for NECA to try and obtain, the ecstatic response from fans over the deal announced at San Diego Comic Con last year was quickly replaced with constant requests for updates on when and where the Valve figures would first be seen. The flagship figure of the line, Gordon Freeman, delivers on every hope and wish the fanbase had. No fan should be disappointed with the attention to detail, or with the accessories included with the figure. Gordon’s iconic crowbar and gravity gun will come packaged with the Half-Life hero, as will a headcrab. Instead of focusing on individual games, NECA has decided to approach the Valve license as one giant line.

Instead of releasing strictly Half-Life or Left 4 Dead figures, the toy manufacturer will dole out an assortment of figures based on all of Valve’s games at once.

Above: NECA captured Valve’s art style perfectly

Releasing shortly after Gordon will be plastic representations of Team Fortress 2’s Heavy and Demo Man. Sadly, NECA’s prototype Demo Man was stolen just before the show started (we’re not saying it was the Spy, but it was the Spy), so we will have to wait until another prototype can be made before getting a look. Fortunately, the Heavy was spared, and so were the two zombies from Left 4 Dead, the Boomer and Smoker. Even though both games have such drastically different art styles, NECA manages to capture both the simplicity and grotesqueness of each game perfectly. Just look at the exploded version of the Boomer’s legs (in the gallery below). It takes a special kind of commitment to detail that much intestinal fortitude.

NECA plans on doing much more with the Valve license than just make action figures, though. The company is planning a wide variety of props and plush dolls as well. All of the Team Fortress 2 characters will be getting Muppet-like makeovers, and you really couldn’t ask for a better license to turn into plushes. The Pyro, Soldier, and Scout will be joined by a squishable headcrab from Half-Life. Fans wondering where the plush companion cube went from the Valve store now have an answer, as NECA will be making those now as well.

Above: The lights change colors, obviously

Of course, the show-stealer had to be the Portal gun replica NECA is producing. Life-sized, and perfect for getting science done around the house, the Portal gun will light up with blue and orange lights, and will even make the familiar sound effects that have haunted GLaDOS’ dreams. A final retail price and release window have yet to be finalized, but NECA expects the Portal gun to retail somewhere in the $ 130-200 range later this summer. 

Above: Aperture Science doesn’t recommend pointing the Portal Gun at living things

The company’s replica Lancers did well at a $ 100 price point, but lacked the working lights and sound effects that the Portal gun includes. Quantities will be very limited, but even the slightly high price point shouldn’t keep too many of the Valve faithful from successfully obtaining this awesome replica.