Originally, the Lighting Gremlin action figure (not really a figure considering it’s a flat piece of plastic) was going to be straight-up cut from the line until NECA decided to make it a Toys R Us exclusive during July 2012. But our story isn’t over yet, no, we got more to cover! There was much rejoicing within the fandom and was such a successful toy that NECA decided to reissue it in 2018. However in 2013, the phoenix rised from the ashes as they announced the Spider Gremlin would be going into production and released by December that year. Some Gremlins fans (like myself) assumed that NECA didn’t have much confidence this license would sell well for them and that it was too expensive to produce. He was shown once and never again while the other figures were released. But the biggest elephant in the room to address right now is a deluxe figure of Mohawk after he drinks the Spider serum from the Slice of Life Laboratory, turning him into an arachnid-gremlin mutant. It is unknown if this guy was going to be his own standalone figure or was just there to show what the rest of the “Flasher” looks like. Revealed among the Series 1 and 2 figures was a generic Type 1 Green Gremlin that was the same sculpt as the Flasher figure, just without the plastic trenchcoat. First off, let’s go way back to Toy Fair 2011 when the “New Batch” was first announced. Many of the figures in this line have a notorious habit for being ready for production and release yet nearly cancelled at the last minute. Series 2 consisted of “Combat” Gizmo with his Rambo style headband and arrow “grenade launcher,” Mohawk Mogwai, Daffy Mogwai, Lenny Gremlin, Phantom Gremlin, and a generic Type 1 Brown Gremlin. The revamped line mostly focused on characters from The New Batch first as Series 1 consisted of Gizmo (an SDCC variant of him with a miniature souvenir bag and sunglasses), George in both his Mogwai and gremlin forms, Lenny Mogwai, Daffy Gremlin, and the Flasher Type 1 Gremlin. In 2011, NECA decided to revisit Gremlins by producing updated action figures featuring the mischievous Mogwais and reptilian creatures from the films with more articulation, better paint application, intricate detail, and had a special feature on the back of the Mogwai heads that allowed their eyeballs to rotate at a 90 degree angle. Both these figures would be rereleased in 2008 with Brain Gremlin going to Cult Classics Icons right when the line was running out of steam. An action figure of Mohawk was released with the first Cult Classics line in 2005, along with a large limited edition replica statue. NECA’s first venture with the Gremlins franchise was in 2003 with semi-articulated and detailed action figures of 1984 Gizmo, Stripe, Poker Gremlin, and Brain Gremlin.
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