Universal Monsters (Neca) Reviews
4-Pack Action Figure & Dracula's CoffinUniversal Monsters (Neca) - Loot Crate Crypt Club
Rated
4.55 stars by
RMaster007NECA's done a wide variety of Universal Monsters figures, the number made large by all the different variants. Almost everyone's each gotten a color version, a grayscale version, and a Remco-inspired GITD version. Four of them - Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy - received Loot Crate-exclusive versions based off the 90s Burger King toys, and as cool as they looked, the problems suffered with the TMNT crate series made me hold off. Fortunately, NECA gave fans another way to get them in the form of a direct-exclusive four-pack. One of those times where holding off is actually a good thing!
As opposed to plastic baggies like the LC releases, the "Crypt Club" figures are packaged here in a huge box, one of the biggest NECA's done. The motif is pretty nice, with art...[
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Bride of Frankenstein (Color)Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
4.75 stars by
RMaster007I've seen a good handful of Universal monster and sci-fi movies, and out all of them, the original Frankenstein movie is my favorite. I've seen the follow-up, Bride of Frankenstein, as well, but so far I've only seen it once, and I'm due for a rewatch now that it's the perfect time for horror. It's not surprising that NECA followed up the monster with his bride, and she was the only Universal Monster figure I had that went uncovered, until now.
In the original Mary Shelley novel, the idea of Frankenstein's monster having a wife was there, but she never got completed. The Universal movie brought the character to life, and she was played by Elsa Lanchester. Trevor Grove, who usually handles the likenesses for the monsters, brought the Bride to figural form, and she looks just like the...[
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Professor Edward C. Burke (London after Midnight)Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
4.85 stars by
RMaster007If you've never heard of London After Midnight, that's because there's no way to see it now. An old horror/mystery film from the 1920's, the film was lost to a vault fire a few decades later, but many an enthusiast has taken to preserving what's available of the film and keeping the story of it alive. NECA is also one of those people, but they're keeping it in the minds of classic horror fans not through stories and screencaps, but through action figures.
The packaging design is similar to the Universal Monsters we've been seeing from NECA, with old poster art on the front and photos of the figure on all the other sides. It's not designated as part of that line, however, since the film was distributed by MGM, not Universal (plus I think it's public domain now). The figure and most...[
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Count Orlok (Nosferatu)Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
4.90 stars by
RMaster007It's hard to believe that there are films that are over a hundred years old out there, but there are, such as Nosferatu. Released in 1922, it's known as the first vampire film, and is rather well-known (probably thanks to SpongeBob). Super7 made their own action figure of the main creature, Count Orlok, to celebrate its 100-year milestone, but NECA came along and did one that both looked better and cost less. Guess which one I went with?
The packaging is nothing too special, though the front bears a painting that looks just like the figure inside, done by Daniel Horne. I'm guessing they couldn't do a poster this time, since the film's so darn old there's no surviving ones. You still have photos of the figure on the sides and back, along with a gate backdrop on the inside. I don't talk...[
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Creature from the Black Lagoon (Color)Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
4.90 stars by
RMaster007The late 1920s and early 1930s saw Universal putting out various monster movies featuring iconic characters such as Frankenstein and Dracula, and NECA's been tackling them with as much heart put into them as possible. One of their more recent monsters is one originating from the 1950s: the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The packaging style is no different from the other Universal Monsters, with the original poster art on front and figure shots on the sides and back. Same old, same old, but it works for these figures. There's still a handful of plastic ties on the figure, but all the accessories are secured in the tray thanks to additional plastic.
Designed by Milicent Patrick (and not that jealous hack Bud Westmore), the Gill-Man has a lot of fish-like attributes to his appearance. The...[
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Mummy (Color)Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
4.85 stars by
RMaster007NECA's Universal Monsters line has been putting out some great figures, but I'll admit I haven't gotten much of them, mainly because I haven't seen much of the films. I'll make sure to change that, and I recently picked up another figures for my collection. His name is Imhotep, but everyone calls him the Mummy.
The packaging is the same as the other monsters, with poster art on the front and figure shots on the back, but it looks good, and there's the usual front flap that reveals a window behind, showing off everything included. There also wasn't a lot of ties to worry about, making the mummy easy to free.
The Mummy is the second Boris Karloff-played monster in the line, requiring a lot of make-up to bring the undead to life. He has very dry, somewhat pink skin, fitting for a...[
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Invisible ManUniversal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
4.90 stars by
RMaster007It's been a while since I've gotten one of NECA's Universal Monsters figures, and the latest addition to my collection is the Invisible Man. When I first saw the film, I knew it'd tie with Frankenstein for my favorite Universal Monsters flick, thanks to Claude Rains' great portrayal of Dr. Jack Griffin, the invisible man himself, being able to capture his descent into madness with equal parts horror and comedy.
Following the trend of previous releases in this line, the Invisible Man's packaging consists of the film's poster on the front, and a collage of figure photos on the back. Also as per usual, you can flip open the flap on the front to reveal the figure and everything it comes with. There are a few ties to snip out to get the figure itself out, but at least there isn't a whole lot...[
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Wolf Man (Color)Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
4.70 stars by
RMaster007Since Halloween is drawing near, I feel that there's no better time than any to review another Universal Monsters figure by NECA. I already loved the Frankenstein they put out, so after some time, I decided to pick up their second figure: the Wolfman.
As the case is with most packages for Ultimate figures, the Wolfman's has the original poster art for the film on the front. The other sides have a nice collage of figure photographs. Like usual, the front is a panel that flaps open to show off what's inside. This is really useful if you're looking for the figure at retail, so you can find the one with the best paint applications.
The Wolfman stands about 7 1/4" tall, and has not just one, but two sculptors. Trevor Grove is responsible for the head sculpts, and I assume Kyle Windrix did...[
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Frankenstein (Color)Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated
5.00 stars by
RMaster007It’s alive! Alive! …if you want to call it alive, since this is an action figure, not a living being.
A lot of people were excited about a year ago when NECA announced that they would be making Universal Monsters figures, with Frankenstein being the first one, mainly to coincide with the film’s 90th anniversary. He’s been out for a good long while now, with two different versions, one greyscale, and one in color. I saw that the color version was half off at Go! (which is good cause they like to charge $40 for NECA figures), so I grabbed him and managed to pick up the original movie at FYE. The perks of checking out malls outside of Maryland, I guess.
The packaging for this specific release makes use of the original poster on the front, and there’s photos of the figure on all the other...[
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