NECA 'Freddy VS Jason' VS Movie Mold Mask Review

I've been wondering this for quite a while. I've had a (repainted) NECA Freddy VS Jason mask for over a decade and it always seemed a little small to when I compare with photos of the movie mask. 

Josh Ludemann of Beyond Disgusting Studios, often the first mask maker out of the gate with a new movie mold piece, recently pulled a limited run of 20 pieces from the original Freddy VS Jason mask mold, won by Sean Clark at the Bill Terezakis estate auction a few months ago. I've got number five.

Finally, I can compare the NECA to the real thing. What I found is that while there are some obvious differences -- the NECA's nose and overall profile is slightly flattened compared to the movie mold piece, the forehead has been reshaped and about 4 mm of the edge has been trimmed off -- overall, it's about as faithful to the movie mask as I expected, given previous NECA mask experiences. Slightly wider, slightly shorter. Noticeably smaller and flatter, but with the details faithfully preserved.

 

Profile flattening is sometimes the result of molding a piece without creating a plaster shell to hold the shape of the silicone, or several generations of recasting. In this case I think it's probably the former, but it's hard to say. NECAs website advertised their VS mask as cast directly from a film-worn mask, though which one it was isn't clear.

For anyone interested in exact dimensions,  the NECA is 23 cm height x 19.2 cm width measured across the back; the movie mold mask is 23.4 cm height x 18.9 cm width. It's closer in actual dimensions than it looks in photos, but a few millimeters of lost plastic makes a lot of difference when you look at it. For comparison, the end scene mask formerly owned by Mario Kirner measures 24.5 cm x 17 cm, according to the Propstore auction.

Now that I finally have a direct movie mold VS mask, the NECA will be up for sale, probably on eBay. Keep an eye out for it if you're interested.

Mario Kirner Propstore Presentation

 

Mario shows off a little mask detail with the part 6, part 8 and Freddy vs. Jason masks he's owned for quite a few years. You can also see this on the Propstore's Youtube channel.

R. I. P. Ted White (1926-2022)

  

Word is Ted passed in his sleep today. I remember seeing him at Monster Mania in Cherry Hill in 2018  and got a photo with him. Even though he only played Jason for money and never liked horror movies, he was a kind man who truly enjoyed meeting the fans, whom he called "some of the nicest people I've ever met." Truly amazing that he kept showing up for us for conventions, autographs and photo ops until he was well into his nineties. 

I don't doubt Ted would rather be remembered for his cowboy roles and having stunt doubled for John Wayne and Charlton Heston, having an onscreen sword fight with Caesar Romero, among scores of other roles in his six decade career. Let's not also forget that he was a World War II veteran, played football, boxed, and even worked for Howard Hughes briefly. The guy truly had an amazing life. R. I. P. Ted.

The Best Photo of the Part 8 Hero You'll Ever See

 

From the upcoming Propstore auction of Mario's collection. You can see here how the mask was basically put together pretty clearly. Basecoat of silver on a clear blank, then a coat of yellow was sprayed with sort of incomplete coverage. Then weathering and scraping of the yellow coat was done to make it look damaged, followed by a misting of black spray paint to create a gritty effect. Then of course the red marks, straps, etc. Very rare you see this kind of detail of a screen-used mask. Click to enlarge.

Mario Kirner's Collection Goes Up For Auction

All eras must come to an end. Mario's entire collection -- the biggest of any Friday the 13th collection in the world -- is going up for auction at Propstore on November 3-6. I might try to grab something, but with the prices we're seeing lately, I don't hold out much hope.I guess as a consolation prize, it looks like I'll forever remain the only American to have seen Mario's whole collection in person. It was an honor I'll never forget.

Here's a photo Propstore shared of a part 6 mask Mario owns, probably the most detailed photo of the mask ever taken. Note the base coat popping through the chipped paint in the chevron.

New Behind the Scenes Photo of Ted White

 

Darb Designz Uber Jason Mask

Nice comparison shot here with a movie mold blank (black). Can't get closer than that in a fan sculpt. Get one at Darb Designz.

Full Color Scan of Production Part 7 Head

 

I sold this piece recently, but got a full color scan of the whole head first. Eventually I'd like to combine this cranial scan with scans from the MMI mold of the face, teeth and neck and maybe produce a limited run super faithful part 7 bust. The only movie mold part 7 bust, the SSN New Blood, had a reproduced cranium that isn't quite exact to the original. But for now it's just something to sit on.

A Freddy vs Jason Mask Movie Mask

 

Note: this last one is one of the best pictures you'll ever see of the strap rig. Appears to be either a lady's belt or purse straps that were pulled apart and weathered.