McFarlane DC Multiverse Our World at War Superman & Dark Knight Returns Batman

I picked these figures up in early October and opened them immediately but got busy posting Halloween/Horror figures. The Batman is a Collector Edition, while this Our World at War Superman is a McFarlane Digital Edition- I'm not particularly interested in signing up for more ways McFarlane Toys can market to me, nor do I hold much faith in digital assets/collectibles. A character card is included, as well as a figure base and eagle.

I'm a big fan of the red/black chest insignia and black shorts on this depiction of the Man of Steel. Like the Dark Knight Returns Batman, this figure is largely a repaint, appropriately of the Dark Knight Returns Superman. It would have been great to have a wired cloth cape like we are seeing with DC Multiverse figures lately, but at least there was an S printed on back.

I was able to balance the eagle on Superman's fist, but the accessory seems like a random thing tossed in to fill out the package with no real thought as to how it should be displayed with the figure. Still, I did get a photo or two with it...

Below, Our World at War Superman with Jon Kent, Hush Superman, and Kon-El ...

Having this unmasked portrait for the Dark Knight Returns Batman really makes it special. We get a hand with shuriken tucked between knuckles, fists, and gripping hands, a rope with a bat-grapple, and a lamp post. Quite the package. Figures with painted "battle damage" would not usually appeal to me, but it seems fitting on this Frank Miller styled Batman, I don't care about the digital redemption code on back because I don't care to download whatever third-party marketing scheme McFarlane Toys is trying to sell. Had a ball playing with this figure!

Below, Dark Knight Returns Batman battles my Mattel DC Multiverse Croc ...!

Below, Dark Knight Returns Batman with my McFarlane DC Multiverse

  Future State Batman and Flashpoint Batman...

Though this Superman is from Ed McGuiness' Our Worlds at War, he fills in just fine for this scene with Frank Miller's Batman. The lamp post really finishes off the Crime Alley scene from Dark Knight Returns ...!

I'm really happy with these DC Multiverse figures- though different artist interpretations in action figure form, Ed McGuiness' thick-figured characters do evoke the art of Frank Miller in this way. I'm a fan of both these unique artist's contributions to DC and Marvel Comics. I love when I get a couple random figures that pair well, and these two do just that.

More Later- Make It FUN!

NECA Ultimate Count Dracula (Carfax Abbey)

I picked this Ultimate Count Dracula up at a small discount in February, having long mulled over the decision to buy this black and white "Carfax Abby" edition, or the colored version. The top hat and cane accessories won me over, but I was also interested in photographing it in black and white. My box is a little beat up, but I love the old movie poster art on the front.

All three portraits are dead-on Bela Lugosi- a top shelf likeness...

Below, NECA Dracula with my Mego Bela Lugosi Dracula, also a variant with its own cape lined in gray. There have been other fantastic actors that have portrayed The Count, but Bela brought a seductive quality that was unique.

Below, Carfax Abbey Dracula with my NECA Retro Card Glow-in-the-Dark Dracula- just like the 3.75" Remco Dracula I had as a kid in 1980! Getting this Retro Dracula and the NECA Monsterizer this year has been so much fun!

My only two complaints are the collar holding the cape around the figure's neck no clipping more securely, and lack of variety in the extra hands- we should have got an alternative gloved gripping left hand for the cane instead of two pairs of nearly identical "clawed" hands. That said, the figure did not disappoint overall and was fun to photograph in black and white.

Happy Halloween! Make It FUN!

Marvel Legends Hallows' Eve

I am a huge fan of the various Marvel Legends Retro-Card series, particularly the Spider-Man series. I have several Fantastic Four and X-Men Retro-Card figures as well. Hallows' Eve is my newest, but she's getting set free ahead of others on deck because it's Halloween. I have zero experience with this character from the comics, but I loved the Halloween theme.

A demonic shapeshifter that takes on the form of whichever mask she dons, Janine Godbe, formerly Elizabeth Tyne, was also the girlfriend of Ben Reilly, the clone of Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

Thes masks aren't really designed to fit onto Hallows' Eve, but I was able to fudge it somewhat ...

 

Since it's Halloween, Hallows' Eve with my Marvel Legends Demogoblin and Hobgoblin BAFs:

Below, Hallows' Eve hits the arcade with Tigra ...

And finally, Hallow's Eve with my Marvel Legends Renew Your Vows Spider-Man. I do also have the original Retro-Card Spider-Man and the rest of that entire first wave from 2020 unopened, as well as a dozen more Spider-Man Retro-Card figures.

Happy Halloween! Make It FUN!

Figura Obscura Frankenstein's Creature

This Figura Obscura Series Frankenstein's Creature is the first Four Horsemen Studios figure I've bought, and quite the deluxe package, with more accessories than any figure I've ever had, including a booklet with excerpts from author Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). The slipcover fastens to the handsome box with magnets, a laboratory scene featured on the interior. I purchased this limited release from the Four Horsemen online store- it was an impulse buy in the spirit of Halloween, and it's been a delight to play around with the last few nights.

The level of detail in paint and sculpt all over this figure is a level above a lot of figures in my collection. The rubber patchwork overcoat looks as much like fabric as the soft goods pants. and the washes over the skin and dry brushwork on the soiled boots and pants give the creature a life-like feel. 

Below, The Creature with my NECA Frankenstein's Monster- the character design made popular by the classic Universal Monsters movie. I have a few NECA Ultimate figures, and feel they are on par with Four Horsemen Studios in sculpt & paint deco- more elaborate accessories are more often sold separately, though.

The creature's other mode is just as cool: by removing the soft goods pants, booted feet, jacket, and snapping the rubber bandage accessory between the torso and pelvis. The restraining cuffs with metal chains are a wonderful touch, and we get two head portraits for this mode. Deciding which way to display the figure has been hard, but I have left him in his bandage loin cloth like this since photographing him...

The figure doesn't have the articulation that a Marvel Legends or McFarlane DC Multiverse has, but he's perfectly functional. The waist is on a ball joint that allows some tilt with swivel mobility, and the elbows & knees can also swivel in addition to the single hinge joints. The ankles also have rocker hinges. He won't be pulling off any contorted Spider-Man poses, but as a action figure, he's a work of art. I'll be keeping an eye on Four Horsemen Studios for future Figura Obscura releases- there's a Father Christmas I've seen out there that I'd love to have. Recommended!

Happy Halloween! Make It FUN!