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4-Pack Action Figure & Dracula's Coffin Universal Monsters (Neca) (Neca)NECA'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 of the monsters on the sides and shots of the figures on the back, but the inside is what's really special. The interior background is designed like a kids' meal toy display, with figure shots on the sides and back (the back is the same as the main box) and a sturdy cardboard "floor." While you'll still have to cut plenty of ties out, the plastic bubble can still hold everything in place fine even after opening. If I ever do a list of my favorite action figure packages, this will be on that list. The main thing to note about these figures is that the sculpts are the same as the standard releases, but the deco is different, being recreations of the BK toys. Frankenstein's monster has his head and forearms cast in translucent green plastic, with the face and stitches completely unpainted, but the neck bolts are, being a metallic gray. The bolts were painted on the inspiration, which is a surprising detail for a fast food toy. The outfit is different as well, with a green overcoat and the rest of the clothes being a darker color. Paint applications are lessened from the other monsters, due to the aforementioned green skin, but the colors are spot-on and very clean. All four figures here are pretty big, but this guy is one of the tallest at 8". Next is Dracula, and he's the first figure of the count I got. He's not just a repaint, however; this version gets a unique head. The portrait here doesn't resemble Bela Lugosi as much as the regular version, being meant to resemble the BK figure that they didn't get likeness rights for, but it's a nice upgrade over his visage, making it look a bit more life-like while retaining the simplified, slightly toony look. In addition to the pasty, undead skin tone, the hair, eyes, and mouth bear clean paint and edges. Unlike the original toy, the skin sadly doesn't glow in the dark, which would've been pretty cool here. I assume Trevor Grove did the new head, since he's usually the go-to guy for Universal Monster likenesses. At about 7 1/4" tall, Dracula's outfit remains the same, though the colors are a bit bolder and flatter, and the details are reduced a bit, since kids' toys, both fast food premiums and regular retail, don't always paint everything. The simpler paint means less room for error, and the work overall is pretty good, but some of the edges could be a little neater. The outfit is nicely sculpted as well, with soft rubber being used for the overcoat so the tails don't interfere with leg movement. Drac also has a cape as he should, and it's made of stretchy fabric. The cape and collar is a separate piece that just clips into the neck, and it fits on firmly. The Wolf Man, like Dracula, has drastically simplified paint for the face and fur, with lighter colors, no wash, and lacking paint for the nails. Nevertheless, the detail in the sculpt remains, and Grove's work is just as good as ever even if the paint looks like a dollar store toy. The shirt is a more olive color, the pants are gray, and the belt is solid black. Wolfy is also around 7 1/4" tall, and the paint is handled just as well as the others, with clean edges contrasting the fur and skin. The feet are still molded with an arch to them, meaning the Wolf Man once again has a small disc stand to help him stay up. Lastly is the Creature of the Black Lagoon, and he has two things in common with Frankenstein's monster: he's 8" tall, and cast in translucent green plastic. The plastic is a different shade of green, and it covers his whole body. Burger King had a pretty cool idea making their Creature see-through, and NECA doing the same somehow looks better, thanks to Maarten Verhoeven's screen-accurate sculpt. He's not all green, as the eyes are a solid yellow. The yellow eyes make him look a bit more creepy, and even though it wouldn't have been accurate to the old toy, making them glow in the dark would've been a cool idea. Don't expect him to squirt water out of his mouth like the BK toy, since most action figures don't have such a feature. Since the sculpts are unchanged, so's the articulation. The basic scheme is a barbell head, ball-jointed/barbell neck, chest, and waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles, ball-jointed hips, and swivel thighs. Yes, both Drac and the Wolf have chest joints underneath those thick clothing overlays, and the chests and waists in general have plenty of tilt. The Wolf Man adds shin swivels, and the Creature has double-jointed elbows and knees as well as calf swivels. All of the joints move and work great, allowing for plenty of poses on the shelf, even with less accessories than average. As for accessories, we only get three here despite the four figures. No longer will I complain about the TMNT four-packs having less extras with each release! The three extras are the Wolf Man's stand, Dracula's cape, and a coffin. The coffin seems to be a retooled version of the one from the basic Dracula accessory pack, but near-solid red with a different lid, having decals lifted right from the Burger King Drac coffin, and a bat symbol with Drac's eyes peering through. I guess NECA didn't feel like making the bat a slit for the eyes like the inspiration, but the printed graphics look great. The coffin scales around 8 1/2" long, 4" wide, and over 2" deep, providing enough room for Dracula to fit inside, or Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man, but not the Creature. We don't get the monster's table or the Wolf Man's cellar, but both of them would've been just as big, and I doubt there'd be enough room for them. Some extra heads or at least hands would've been great for these creatures, but having a coffin is still better than the nothing the Loot Crate releases had. I'm happy NECA gave us another way to get these figures without going through Loot Crate again, and I love these variants, harkening back to the era when kids' meal toys were actually fun and well-made. The lack of accessories is a let down, and they should've at least lowered the price to make up for it, because $150 for four (albeit full-sized) figures with only a coffin and small stand as accessories feels like a rip-off. Still, this is a great set for those who have/had the original Burger King toys… and those who don't. - 1/28/25 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Geocron (Infernac Universe) | ![]() | Submission Order | ![]() | Slithe |
Bride of Frankenstein (Color) | ![]() | Universal Monsters (Neca) Series | ![]() | None |
Geocron (Infernac Universe) | ![]() | Written by RMaster007 | ![]() | Slithe |