Davy Jones

This ain't the Davy Jones you're used to. Last time I saw a representation of Davy, it was the big green ghost on SpongeBob Squarepants. For Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Davy Jones is an amalgam of sea creatures, most prominently cephalopod and mollusk (that's octopus and lobster for those of you who aren't complete nerds). Davy Jones has figures in both the NECA and Zizzle lines of PotC figures, although the 7" Zizzle version leaves a lot to be desired. The 3" Zizzle figure, for some reason, has a lot more detail (as is the case with most of the Zizzle figures) but the NECA version is still the way to go if you want the best. Unlike Maccus, I can't really find anything about NECA's Davy Jones that's terribly off-model. His sculpt is wonderfully detailed, with layers of octopus tentacles comprising his "beard" and barnacles covering his tattered suit. His overcoat simply drapes over his left arm, while the right arm is sleeved. The left hand is a lobster-like claw (which is why he can't get it through his sleeve), while the right hand is a tentacled monstrosity. It's bendy, which was a novel idea, but the wire inside is very short, and can only, at most, wrap one solid loop around the included staff. A barnacle encrusted sword is sculpted onto his waist (it's not removable - too overgrown with ocean muck) and though his left leg is relatively normal, his right is some kind of organic, crustacean equivalent of a peg leg. The paint is nice, particularly in the small areas, like the eyes, which are very expressive. He's not as dull overall as Maccus, and from a distance there's still some nice definition between colors. There's really nothing to complain about with the figure's paint job. The articulation is still NECAlicious, which is to say, not the greatest. The tentacle beard would render a ball jointed head useless, so the neck is a peg. The shoulders are balljointed, but the separate piece coat restricts the movement in both arms. His wrists are pegs, as is his waist. I mentioned the bendy tentacle already, but his coolest joint is on the other hand: the lobster claw has a nifty hinge joint. It's not a lot, but just enough to elevate him above statue status. The accessories are the most confusing and disappointing aspect of the figure. The package claims the figure comes "with hat, treasure chest, heart, walking stick, and base." Well, there's no sign of any treasure chest or heart with my figure, and the same can be said for every other Davy fig I've seen on the shelves. What gives? He does have a nice removable hat, his walking stick, and a cool-looking base that connects with other figures' like Maccus, but he's missing another essential element that even the 3-inch Zizzle figure remembered to include: his key. I suppose you could buy the Zizzle toy and give its oversized key to NECA's Jones, but why should we have to? Also, allowing such a flagrant packaging error to go unchecked is pretty irresponsible (although it's not exactly as if packaging errors have been rare in the PotC line). In the end, there's not much to say about this guy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. He's a cool-looking, solid figure without a lot to complain about. His sculpt and paint are stellar, even if his articulation isn't. The confusion with his accessories is annoying, and his bendy tentacle isn't executed as well as I'd like, but ultimately, this is an excellent figure to add to any PotC display. So, uh, what happened to the accessories? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.

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