Twilight Zone™: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet Gremlin

Sideshow Toy is known for their super detailed collectibles, most notably Monty Python and the Holy Grail™ and Lord of the Rings™. Recently their 12" figure assortment includes the Twilight Zone™: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet gremlin. You know the episode, if you haven't seen it, you've seen references to it.

The original episode aired in October of 1963. William Shatner has recently been released from a mental institution and is flying home. During the flight, he sees a menacing gremlin out on the wing. He tries to alert the crew and other passengers with the infamous line "There's s-s-s-something on the wing!". No one believes him, and he later believes he is still crazy. However when the plane lands, we see that there is indeed damage on the wing, as if something unknown had been prying at the panels. This scenario has been spoofed many times, from Third Rock on the Sun™ to The Simpsons™. Jim Carrey does the line in his Shatner impression in Snowflake's tank in the first Ace Ventura movie.

The figure itself is a work of art. Back in the sixties, they didn't have a large special effects or costume budget on Twilight Zone™, so they did their best and dressed up a guy in a carpet and an afro. Lighting and camera tricks did the rest. Sideshow did an amazing job replicating the look of a guy dressed up in a carpet and an afro. Resisting temptation to add non-original detail or take the gremlin concept further than the show did, they pay perfect homage to the character and truly do this oft-neglected enigma.

The base figure is fully poseable at the neck, shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, ribcage, waist, hips, knees and ankles. The puffy-ness of the suit makes it a little difficult to get him to stay in every position, but he does come with a great collector stand for keeping him upright. His face sculpt and hair are dead-on.

The gremlin comes with a bit of wing paneling and some stray wires. His packaging is also substantial. The front panel has a velcro latch covering the window box. The inside flap has a detailed synopsis of the episode and production credits. Screen shots from the show cover the box. He looks great in the packaging, but you have to bust this guy out and let him wreak havoc.

This figure is great, if you're either a fan of the Twilight Zone™ or obscure pop culture references, this is a must have. The only draw back to the figure is that none of my coworkers recognized him, or had seen the episode. They all thought I was crazy I had bought this strange gremlin. Irony?

Head Crouching With wing Package interior Scaring our editor Riggin Looming over Riggin's fish Freaking out Gabriela Annoying Sarah

Click to buy him from Sideshow's online store

Twilight Zone, the gremlin, and other properties are copyright their respective owners. All photos unless otherwise noted are copyrighted 2003 MillionairePlayboy.com