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!

NECA Ben Cooper Monster Figures (Dracula & Witch)

Regrettably, I was late to the party on the NECA Ben Cooper Monster Figures, but I managed to grab a couple at a somewhat reasonable price on the secondhand market. A third wave of '80s themed figures like Aliens and Gremlins has more recently gone up for preorder, but I was more interested in the '70s themed figures like this Dracula and Witch.  

The packaging is fantastic all around on these, and collector friendly- I'll be keeping mine for storage. The figure can me nestled back into its tray and slid right into the box, which hasps closed neatly at the top. The charming Ben Cooper Costume Shop box insert even doubles as a backdrop diorama.

The little pleather costumes aren't the same material as those old Ben Cooper costumes, but they really look like it! The masks aren't removeable, and that's fine by me. You can see their human eyes behind the masks in the right lighting, which is slightly creepy. The attention to detail in the styling and rendering of the costumes is fantastic- I didn't know I needed one until I saw them!

 

Looks like our trick or treaters have run into the Universal Monster gang, running 

Frankenstein's Monster through the NECA Monsterizer! It's going to be a great Halloween!

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!