NECA: The Thing – Ultimate R.J. MacReady 7-Inch Action Figure

The Thing – Ultimate R.J. MacReady 7-Inch Action Figure by NECA will be released on the 20th June 2021 (Fathers Day) and will be a ‘first to market’ exclusively at Target stores. There will then be a general release to all other NECA stockists later in 2021.

The Thing (1982) is one of the greatest classics of the science fiction subgenre called Cosmic Horror and one of director John Carpenter’s most acclaimed works. Scripted by Bill Lancaster, it is based on the short story “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell. The story is set at an American research study station amidst the vastness of the Arctic, where a shape-shifting creature attacks a group of scientists.

The Ultimate release of MacReady will feature three head sculpts, his hat, goggles, glasses, lantern, a bottle of scotch with a shot glass, and his shotgun. Three pairs of hands are also included. The packaging follows suit with the usual Ultimate packaging, recreating the original 1982 movie poster as the box cover artwork.

The film opens with a vision of an icy landscape. Carpenter sets his drama on an American research station in Antarctica. The researchers living there are stunned by an unusual scene: a helicopter of Norwegian origin chasing a fleeing dog in the white immensity. It all ends in destruction, and the dog finds refuge inside the American station.

Determined to investigate, some of the scientists set off for the Norwegian camp accompanied by pilot MacReady (Kurt Russell) and make a startling discovery. Everyone has died. Something has been pulled out from underneath ancient ice sheets – they later discover it to be a ship of extraterrestrial origin – and there are gruesome, partially burned remains at the site.

One night, in the station’s kennel, something terrifying happens involving the rescued dog. Quickly the scientists come to a frightening conclusion: they are dealing with a life form capable of imitating other life forms. This alien creature could be impersonating any one of them, or more than one. And when provoked, the Thing reacts, transforming human bodies into bizarre versions of themselves, with appendages, teeth, arachnid legs…