Sideshow Brings the ‘Hero From the Sky’ to Life With New Evil Dead 2 Ash Figure

Ol' Ashley Williams has never had the best of luck. It all started that fateful weekend at that cabin in the Michigan woods, where he and his friends happened upon the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis and awakened an evil that would just not let them rest. The evil spirits kill everyone, and force Ash to kill his possessed girlfriend. Guy just can't catch a break. Then it mostly happens all over again when some other wanderers make their way to the cabin, and find Ash the lone survivor of a vicious bloodbath. With the Necronomicon's demonic powers still holding court, the night takes an even darker turn, leaving everyone to fend for themselves.

Though Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn could be considered a soft reboot of the first film because so many events repeat, it's got enough going for it to make it one of the most memorable cult horror hits of the '80s. Evil Dead 2 not only led us to Army of Darkness, the quintessential slapstick horror movie every teenage boy loves to quote, but it also laid the real foundation for fan-favorite actor Bruce Campbell's career. Evil Dead 2 wouldn't have happened without Evil Dead, but without Evil Dead 2, Bruce Campbell would have just been that guy that shows up in Sam Raimi films as a friendly cameo, and we probably wouldn't have Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Most importantly though, without Evil Dead 2, we wouldn't have a bunch of kick-ass toys of a dude with a chainsaw for a hand.

Sideshow's sixth-scale figure line exploded this year, with a variety of characters from multiple licenses expanding on the existing Star Wars stuff the company has been doing for years. While the Marvel characters have gotten a great deal of the attention, cult film heroes like Snake Plissken and Ash here are of great interest since it's so rare to get a high-end collectible for a feature film that barely grossed into seven figures.

This prototype was on display at San Diego Comic-Con earlier in the year, but these new images provide a much clearer picture of what to expect from Ash's sixth-scale foray. As Ash is a bit of an everyman/goofball, he doesn't necessarily have the traditional superhero physique. That's not to say Bruce (at the time) wasn't fit, so the medium build body works just fine here. The key thing here is the clothing, which has a very distinct look, not just because it's a movie costume, but because it's a beat-to-hell movie costume.

From an accuracy standpoint, those are some fairly on-point details. The rips, the dirt, the sleevelessness, the straps holding it all together; it's all there and it all looks so good. For my taste, the chainsaw starter hook is a little big proportionately, but the rest of it is tied together so nicely it's hard to be that upset over such a tiny detail.

The head sculpt has a very close likeness, though I wish the expression was a bit less grim. Yes, Ash does deal with a lot of dire situations in Evil Dead 2, but a slight smirk would have been nice. There are just so many action figures with "super serious bro" faces it can be tiresome at times. I like the scarring and paint app though.

On the accessories front, Ash is fairly pragmatic. All he needs to get the job done is his chainsaw hand, double-barreled shotgun and a lot of quick wit. Both weapons look solid, and the inclusion of shells in the gun barrel (I'm assuming not removable) is a nice touch. You'll also get a Necronomicon and the dismembered head of Henrietta with the normal version. The deluxe edition comes with an additional dismembered hand from Henrietta, which while nice, feels like a missed opportunity. Why aren't we getting Ash's chopped-off, possessed hand? That thing is a little bugger. Two deadite parts will make a nice addition to your display when the figure finally comes out though.

The Evil Dead 2 Ash will be available for pre-order at Sideshow Collectibles later today for $239.99.