NECA’s new They Live “Rowdy” Roddy Piper action figure is here to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and it’s all out of gum. With Toy Fair 2020 now under way, NECA is back at it with several new reveals of upcoming horror movie action figures for fans of the genre to get excited about. Following last year’s They Live figures, which depicted the alien antagonists from the movie, Piper’s John Nada is next in line from the cult classic John Carpenter flick to be given the glorious action figure treatment from the famous collectible company.
Though the figure isn’t yet listed on NECA’s official website, people in attendance at Toy Fair have been taking snapshots of the reveal. As John Nada, Piper looks exactly as he appears in the 1988 movie, coming complete with his trusty shotgun and sunglasses. Standing at 8″ tall with clothing made of cloth, the figure is also set for a Q3 2020 release, as noted by NECA. Boasting the company’s usual attention to detail, the figure looks just like a miniature version of John Nada, complete with Piper’s classic 1980’s hairstyle. You can take a peek at the figure in the Instagram photo below.
— DaViD (@FakeEyes22) February 22, 2020
As a pro wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer, Roddy Piper has had plenty of action figures made in his likeness from years past. This includes classic wrestling figures made by LJN and Hasbro in the late ’80s and early ’90s, along with newer versions released as a part of Mattel’s collection of retro action figures. Still, any big fan of Piper might still feel that their own collection is incomplete without this They Live figure of Piper from NECA included, as his work on the big screen was just as memorable as his run as the “Rowdy” one in WWE and other wrestling organizations. His career will also be explored in an upcoming Biography special for A&E as Piper remains a beloved part of pop culture nearly five years past his death.
Released in 1988, They Live is right up there with Halloween and The Thing as one of John Carpenter’s very best horror movies. It stars Piper as a drifter who, by way of special sunglasses, discovers that the public is being controlled by space aliens manipulating them with subliminal messages in mass media. Keith David and Meg Foster also star. Over the past three decades, the movie has built itself a solid cult following, even if it didn’t exactly light the box office on fire upon its initial release in theaters. It’s also one of those classic horror flicks which has somehow never had any kind of remake or sequel, but chances are, most fans of the movie would prefer to keep it that way.
In addition to the new NECA Alien action figures, their They Live Roddy Piper action figure is scheduled to be released in Q3 2020. Hopefully, another 8″ They Live action figure based on Keith David as Frank Armitage is in the works as well. In the meantime, NECA has also been unveiling awesome, must-have action figures of other beloved horror stars for collectors to look forward to buying, such as Ghostface from the Scream series and Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in Halloween II. The photo of the NECA figure shown above comes to us from darthjader66 on Instagram.
