Review of Count Dracula - Christopher Lee
Scars of Dracula sixth scale action figure

Introduction

Many people have played Dracula over the years, but few have done it with the style and finesse of Christopher Lee. He played the count at least a half dozen times in the early 70's, and turned up in just about every one of my most beloved franchises, from Dracula to Sherlock Holmes to Saruman the White. He passed away in 2015, but his legacy of acting will endure for decades to come.

Sadly, he has been underrepresented by toy manufacturers. We got one sixth scale figure about 12 years ago, and it was great...for the time. Fans have been hoping for a more modern update, and Star Ace has obliged.

This figure is just starting to ship, and will run you around $230 depending on the retailer.

As a note, some of the photos have a red tinge to them - it's not the skin tone, but rather the light. I was experimenting a bit with a red diffuser. The skin is quite white, which you'll also see in some of the photos.

Packaging - ***
The basic box uses the glossy photo on a matte cover technically effectively, although it is a bit less interesting than some past releases. There's a variety of stills inside and out, and everything is collector friendly, as you'd expect.

Sculpting - ***1/2
This was a tricky category to call - due to some issues I have with the paint (more on that in the next category) it can be tough to separate out the quality of the sculpt.  I used a number of stills to compare - here's a screaming shot that is similar to the extra head, and another but with a bit of blood this time, and a more relaxed look as well. I couldn't find anything quite like the main portrait here, with the teeth only slightly exposed, but if you thought they couldn't get more extreme in their choices, I'd beg to differ. Christopher Lee was an expressive Dracula.

The regular portrait has a slightly open mouth, teeth barely exposed. He appears to be savoring the moment, preparing to bite into a tasty meal. The detail work in the hair is quite impressive, as good as we've seen from them and better than most other new sixth scale companies. The skin texture is appropriate if a *little* old for this version of Lee, and the detail work around the eyes is quite realistic.

It also looks a lot like Lee, particularly around the nose. I often complain that we get too many 'generic white guy' noses, but they captured the look of Lee's proboscis nicely.

The second head sculpt is probably going to be the go-to choice of most collectors. It shows Lee being the crazed, blood thirsty Dracula that you knew he always was. The mouth is open wide, fangs prominent, tongue exposed, and eyes wild with blood lust. The wrinkles can look a little extreme in macro photos, but in hand are just about spot on for the extreme expression. All the earlier comments on realism apply here, particularly with the hair and texture. The teeth and tongue are a little off, looking rougher than they should, but that appears to be more of a manufacturing issue than one created by the original sculpt.

A note on swapping heads - it's not easy.  The standard head pops off and the new head pops on, but getting either ALL the way on is the tough part. There is a soft attachment first, but that's not down far enough. You have to REALLY press to get the head all the way on. I found that keeping the screaming head up slightly wasn't all bad though, as it allowed for some better neck posing. Still, try to get them completely seated for the best overall result.

All the hands are sculpted for specific poses or to work with the accessories. One of the lefts also includes the sculpted ring.

Lee is thin but tall, coming in at about 12 3/8" in a straight pose.

Paint - **1/2
Something strange happened on the way to the production plant - Dracula got sweaty.

The skin tone is quite pale of course, and they've matched the hands and neck to the face nicely. The detail work is decent, especially the gray hair, usually a tough look to pull off. The hair is so good it's worth mentioning twice, and people may get so caught up in other issues that they neglect to give it the due it deserves. Realistic graying hair, like truly blonde hair, is very hard to do, but Star Ace has killed it here.

The work on the wide mouth suffers a bit though, just like it did in the previous category. Things are a little gloppy around the teeth and gums, further reducing the sharpness of the sculpt.

While the red eyes might seem like extreme bleed, it's really on purpose. Part of his look was these very red eyes, and they got redder the more the blood lust took hold. To the uninitiated it might seem over done, but it looks fairly screen accurate on both portraits to me.

One of the things they got rid of from the prototype paint job is the beard stubble around the chin. Early marketing photos showed more of a five o'clock shadow, and dropping that was a smart move. Dracula should never look like he forgot to shave this morning.

But they added something that makes no sense - this glossy shine to the skin. It's definitely on purpose, as it covers both the face and the hands. Perhaps it's an effect of the type of paint they used for the skin tone, perhaps they added a gloss coat because it seemed like the thing to do. Either way, it's a major issue for me here, and hurts what could otherwise have been a terrific portrait(s). I'd love to see someone with better skills than me (i.e. any skills) take a shot at him with some Dullcote.

Articulation - **1/2
The underlying body is similar to earlier Star Ace releases, with a little less mobility than some of the best bodies on the market.

As I mentioned earlier, swapping heads can be tricky. I recommend using some heat to get the head fully seated on the post.

Swapping hands is not difficult, and I had no fear around wrist breakage. That's good, because there's no extra pegs.

While the basic body has the usual arm, torso, and leg articulation, there's a couple key areas worth noting. The ball jointed neck is a little restricted by the thick neck, but it still allows for some decent posing. The hips are ratchet style, so they click into place, allowing him to maintain stances long term.  And the chest and waist move fairly well, even under the layers of the suit.

The biggest issue pulling this guy down is the lack of any ankle articulation. Those aren't shoes he's wearing, they're boots, and they definitely take away any rocker or forward/back movement in the feet.

Accessories - ***1/2
While the price tag is a bit high, he's still fairly well outfitted, making the cost sting a bit less.

The big plus is the second portrait, of course.  I'm a huge fan of getting two head sculpts - if Sideshow's Beetlejuice had done something similar, I think I'd be far less annoyed by the goofy expression we ended up with - and this is one of those situations where the second head will probably be the one most people prefer.

There are also two bladed weapons, a knife and a sword, which are film specific. I haven't mentioned anything about the film this version is based on - Scars of Dracula - mostly because they all tend to blend together. But these two weapons were used in the film, and including them is a nice touch.

He also has a wine glass, filled with an austere, crisp red. Sure, that's what it contains. To hold these various extras there are six hands, three sets. As I mentioned earlier, the hands swap easily, and one of the lefts - the one that holds the glass - is wearing the classic Dracula family crest ring. They all suffer from sweaty paint as well.

Lee's Dracula liked to turn into a giant bat, and they've included one. The wing span is pretty good, and he can be attached to the basic display base via an included wire. The wire is sturdy enough to hold the bat aloft long term, but thin enough to be relatively unseen.

And yes, there's a basic black display stand. Nothing too exciting, and it utilizes a waist grabber support.

Outfit - ***
There are certain aspects of this costume that I really, really like...and one that really, really bugs me.

The suit itself is well tailored and made from quality material. The underlying body is thin, which means a well fitted suit can accentuate that look. That tends to be the case here, but I wouldn't want them to create a baggier suit.

Underneath there's the crisp white shirt and cravat. The collars are all in proper scale, and the cravat looks great. Other items, like the buttons and pockets, are also in proper scale. Mine came out of the box requiring very little futzing, always a big plus.

The coat is tightly closed using hooks and loops, not Velcro or snaps. This allows for the material to lay very flat on his chest (like thin Velcro) but stay tightly closed (like snaps), sort of the best of both worlds.  ThreeZero did something similar with their Jaime Lannister, and other companies should be investigating this.

The best part of the costume is the cape, a high quality piece of red and black cloth that looks great and hangs perfectly. They've tailored the shoulders just right, and it lays across them and down the back beautifully. There's a sturdy wire that runs along the bottom edge, making posing the cape a breeze. You do have to tie the front, and hiding the large bow can be a pain, but it's a minor nit with an otherwise excellent cape. I wish they'd come back in style.

Normally, I'd go at least another half star here, but then there's those boots. While the dark color allows them to blend in, the style just doesn't fit the character. I'm also quite positive that I've seen them someplace before - perhaps Steve McQueen? - and I hate re-use like this at such a high price point.

Fun Factor - ***
With two portraits, a nice assortment of hands, and a great looking costume on the shelf, you'll have a reasonable number of ways to pose and re-pose this guy over time. Add in a Lugosi Dracula and a Karloff Frankenstein, and you'll have all the bases covered.

Value - **
While retail on this guy was $230, I've got at least one sponsor closer to $210, and I'm betting you can find more. I'm going to split the difference, and assume most folks can pick him up around $220, about an average price point for high end figures.  While the paint is a disappointment, they do give you a nice set of extras including the second portrait, always a big plus, and this is not a figure they'll make thousands of. A low production run means fewer figures to spread the fixed costs over, resulting in a higher price point for these lesser demand licenses. I'd love to see him closer to $200, but I'll cut them a little slack considering the character.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing, really. As I said, it might take some heat to swap the heads properly, but everything else on the figure is sturdy and well made.  I did have a little trouble finding the hole in the bat for the wire, but it's there - it just takes some effort and a very bright light.

Overall - ***
There's a lot to like about this figure, but there's some serious issues as well. While the glossy paint isn't a problem for collectors with basic skills, those of us lacking them are up a creek. And at this price tag, fixing the paint with Dullcote shouldn't be required.

Thankfully, the majority of the costume and accessories help make up for it, and there is a great looking sculpt hiding under all that sweat. Like Beetlejuice, I'm betting we see some simple repaints of this guy that let the quality shine through, pun intended.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - **1/2
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the best deal at just $212.

- Sideshow is also at $230.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I reviewed the older Lee Dracula back in 2005, but it was in an article for Movie Poop Shoot, which is long gone.  Not even the WayBackMachine had the photos archived. One of these days I'll dig out all those old reviews I did for other sites and get them added in here - but until then, it's a review lost to the ages.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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