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!

NECA Monsterizer & Retro-Card Universal Monsters

I've had most of these NECA Retro-Card Universal Monsters on ice for a while now, the Monsterizer and Bela Lugosi Dracula arriving from preorder just this March. As a child, I had the Remco 3.75" Universal Monsters, two or three of their clothed 9" counterparts, and a dungeon playset/carry case for the smaller figures, but no Monsterizer. So, getting this NECA version was really a thrill! Check out the video:

The only sounds the Monsterizer makes is the clickety-clackity of the laboratory table when winded in and out. The light options are more diverse, culminating in a flashing of the four conductors. The sculpt and drybrushed/washed patina on this toy is really great and will pair nicely with your more realistically painted NECA Ultimate Universal Monsters figures. I was impressed with its quality. That said, this isn't a toy for rough play- it has fragile parts that could be vulnerable.

It was only a little sad cracking into these beautiful retro card backs, but mostly fun! There's none of the extra hands, heads or accessories the Ultimate versions enjoy, but their glow-in-the-dark faces pay homage to the Remco 3.75" figures of the early '80s, making these attractive to kids my age, particularly the Dracula with that vinyl cape. My NECA Ultimate Series Creature from the Black Lagoon also makes an appearance in the video above!

Below, my childhood Universal Monsters lunchbox!

I could only be happier with this if it made electrical sounds when engaging/lighting the conductors, but this updated Monsterizer is a terrific accessory for the NECA 7" Universal Monster figures- particularly the glow-in-the-dark retro card back versions. You might even be able to put your 8" Mego figures in this, I'll have to try that. Recommended!

Happy Halloween! Make It FUN!

Mego 14in. Dracula, Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon

I started picking up these Mego Horror 14" figures last winter, the precursor to my foray into Mego's smaller 8" Horror figures. I have been a big fan of Mego's 14" DC Heroes for a while, also leading me into their 8" DC figures. These are some beautiful figures, check out the video...

Below, Mego 14" Horror figures with their 8" counterparts, Mego Dracula, Frankenstein, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Fow whatever reason, the 14" Dracula's portrait isn't based Bela Lugosi, while Frankenstein and Creature from the Black Lagoon do resemble their Universal Monsters look.  

With very few nitpicks to object, I am in love with these 14" Mego Horror figures and would love to see a Wolfman and Mummy produced, maybe a Phantom of the Opera. The price has risen from $20.00 to $30.00 for these larger Mego figures, but I feel like the quality has improved enough to justify that- I predict these will rise in value on the secondary market, so I'd recommend you pick them up if you are interested. Top shelf!

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Happy Halloween!

Mego Hammer Horror -Dracula, Van Helsing, Frankenstein, The Mummy

 I am a fan of the Universal Monsters above any other modern horror characters, but I also admire the more visceral Hammer Films versions of those characters, a few of which I vaguely remember watch on TV as a child. The back of these Hammer Horror cards are unique, showing the actor's photo in character- actor Christopher Lee played all three of these monsters for Hammer Films, often costarring with costar Peter Cushing. I thought Mego solicited a Peter Cushing/Dr. Frankenstein but haven't seen any recent solicitation.

Christopher Lee/Dracula and Peter Cushing/Van Helsing were the big draw for me and did not disappoint. I wish we had snap buttons on these jackets instead of velcro, but Mego did a fantastic job with the decorative buttons, Dracula's feel like beads, while Van Helsing's are more like tampographed  rubber dots. Both have shirts and ties under their coats. Wonderful! There was an earlier release of Van Helsing, but I wanted this newer running change with the candelabra to ward off the Transylvanian vampire ...!

Frankenstein's double-breasted overcoat is fantastic, and his portrait is creepy! And while I like The Mummy's aesthetic overall, the bandaged seem as though they were dipped in paint to give him his muddy look, rendering him stiffly immovable from the way the paint dried into the fabric. I've slowly worked the limbs to loosen him up, even splitting the fabric at his knees, but is really bound up tight.

Below, Hammer Frankenstein and Mummy with Mego Universal Frankenstein and Mummy...

Visit the online Mego Museum to see all the history on Mego action figures, and what's new since the return of Mego in 2018! Every good boy's dream come true! I pick up Mego figures from several retailers, The Mummy and Van Helsing came from Movie Posters Etc. Recommended! 

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Happy Halloween!

Mego Universal Monsters Frankenstein, Bride of, Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon

I actually picked these Mego Universal Horror figures up last February in anticipation of this Halloween season, and inspired by Mego's release of 8" DC Comics figures. I had been collecting mostly the 14" line of DC Heroes until then, but my nostalgia for the World's Greatest Superheroes line paved the way for me getting back into Mego's 8" figures. As a kid, I was mad for the Universal Monsters, and though I didn't have any of the 8" Mego Mad Monsters in the '70s, I did have a couple of the 9" Remco monsters, as well as all of their 3.75" monster figures from around 1980.
 

Frankenstein's Monster/Bride of Frankenstein:

The Mummy:

Creature from the Black Lagoon:

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I finally sold my Universal Movie Monsters Aladdin lunchbox from childhood a few years ago, photographing it for posterity before parting with it. All the characters in this post are present on that lunchbox, and a few I will show in other Mego Horror posts in future posts this month. As stated previously, I was fascinated by the Universal Monsters as a grade schooler, checking out books about the movies at the school library, masquerading as Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman for Halloween, and collecting the surge of merchandise that came out there in the early '80s. Great memories!

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Happy Halloween!