Nancy

Gentlemen, coming next to the stage we've got the raunchy wrangler, Nancy! Let's hear it! As a young girl, Nancy was kidnapped by the son of the powerful Senator Roark, and only the actions of Detective John Hartigan kept her from being his latest victim. But Hartigan was framed for Roark Junior's crimes and sent to prison, and Nancy went into hiding. Nancy studied and wrote to her hero every week, and when she grew up she became a dancer at Kadie's Club Pecos. She tried to love other men, but in her heart she knew she belonged with Hartigan. His release from prison seemed like a blessing, but it ultimately placed them both back in danger. It comes as no surprise that Nancy was chosen to be part of Diamond Select Toys' Sin City line: she's one of the two most iconic characters in the series, along with Marv, and gives them the opportunity to make a sexy female figure. Would you pass that up? NECA's Nancy was sculpted by Sam Greenwell, and was one of the toughest figures to find in the whole line, even with your choice of four variations. DST's was sculpted by their go-to-guy, Jean St.Jean, and is looking lovely. The facial likeness still doesn't look exactly like Jessica Alba (a bit too much chin, perhaps?), but it looks like Nancy. And although there's only one style of hair - hanging down instead of blowing in the wind - it looks more like hair than a wig. Nancy is wearing her cowgirl stripper outfit, and the detail on it is outstanding. The studded patterns on her bra and gloves are fully sculpted and painted, but that's pretty much expected. You really want to be impressed? Look at her chaps. The complex, swirling patterns of dots on them have all been stamped into the surface, all the way down to the flares over the ankles. You can just imagine St.Jean sitting in his studio, having completed all the big folds and wrinkles, and now just tapping the end of a coffee stirrer or something into the clay over and over to duplicate what was seen in the film. Crazy! The tassels on her arms and legs are molded from PVC, rather than being softgoods fringe glued into the figure. You may think that means it would look out of place in anything but one specific pose, but if it's pointing the "wrong" direction, it just looks like it's swinging out as she moves. Her holsters are a separate piece that hangs around the hips, and the belt that's supposed to hold the two sides of the chaps together is molded as a part of that same piece. Her black panties are painted on, but not very well: the back is barely covering anything (as intended), but the front of the crotchal area is painted entirely black, with no attention paid to what the underwear would cover and what it wouldn't. NECA made their Sin City toys back before they'd mastered the art of articulation, so their Nancy was very pre-posed - this one has a balljointed head, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinge elbows, swivel wrists, a balljointed torso, swivel waist (a bit superfluous, but it's tight enough that it won't be an issue), H-crotch, swivel thighs, hinged knees, and swivel/hinge ankles. The figure is 7⅜" tall, which is massive - she's not only taller than NECA's Nancy, she's taller than Marv! She's wearing heels, but they're not that high. Was Marv manufactured at the wrong size, or does DST know something we don't? Nancy's only accessories are her six-shooters - no hat or lasso, like NECA gave her. But they fit in her hands and they fit in the holsters, so what more could you want? Well, maybe you could want a cool display piece, and in that case, we've got some good news for you! Diamond Select isn't just making the figures, they're giving us dioramas to go with them. Nancy's isn't as involved as the alleyway Marv came with, but it's entirely appropriate for her. She's got a simple archway with a set of saloon doors between them - it's the entrance to the stage at Kadie's Club Pecos! All she needs is an elevated runway surrounded by sad drunks (as if there's any other kind). It's a shame the doors don't actually swing, but there are two pegs on the base to keep her standing. The piece is 8¾" tall, 3¼ deep, and 5" wide. The old NECA Nancy was nice for its time, but that was a decade ago. The sculpt on this new one is on par, but the articulation is far, far better. If you want a Nancy Callahan, DST's is the way to go. -- 03/15/15

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