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Introduction
For fans of the classic Universal Studios monsters - Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman - there have been floods and droughts. There have been periods where finding great collectibles has been easy, and other times when they have been non-existent. Sadly, we're currently in one of those droughts. We get a figure here or there, or a bust or statue now and again, but they tend to be a one off, rarely followed up with anything else.
If you want a sixth scale version of the classic monster the Creature, you're only real option was the Sideshow release, produced about 18 years ago. It's a great figure, particularly for the time, but is mighty tough to find these days. Sideshow did the license proud, and went deep into the characters across multiple types of collectible.
Mondo has just released their first Universal Monster related
figure (although they've had lots of artwork in the past), based on
the classic Creature from the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
There are two versions, a regular wide release (which I'm reviewing
tonight), and an exclusive to their store, exactly the same as the
regular but in gray tones, designed to mimic the look in the black
and white movie. The regular release will cost you around $175
or so, depending on the retailer, and the black and white exclusive was an extra ten
bucks.
Packaging - ***
The outer box is very attractive, as you'd expect from Mondo. The
artwork is based off poster art, and the box itself is quite thick
and sturdy. Inside is a plastic tray holding the figure and
accessories, and there's a plastic cover taped to the interior box
for the stand.
While that tape isn't likely to rip the interior box, it is
annoying. Add in a twisty tie holding the figure in the tray, and
you can color me confused. It's unusual to get twisty ties with a
$200 sixth scale figure in 2021.
Sculpting - ****
It's clear this figure was created by real fans of the monster. The
detail work is amazing, from the scaly texture to the warty
forehead. It has taken almost twenty years, but we have a worthy
replacement for the Sideshow release.
I'll be commenting on the articulation in a later section, but it's worth noting here that the engineering of the underlying body and joints was done with the sculpt in mind. They've managed to maintain the look of the character and maximize the posability at the same time.
He has three heads - the normal version he comes wearing, with a stony gaze and closed mouth, an open mouth version, and an 'underwater' version, with the blacker eyes and slightly flatter gills. Of the three, I prefer the standard look, because I find it the most menacing. If you do have a way to display him that approximates a swimming appearance, the underwater head is a great option. The open mouth? Yea, I'm not feeling it. He always looks surprised to me. But having all three choices really adds to the figure, and there is enough difference in the expressions to make it worthwhile.
He stands about 12 1/2" tall fully upright, giving him enough height to hold his own on the shelf. Sadly, I haven't gotten to the horror section of the CIOPCC yet, so my Sideshow version is still boxed away, but I added a photo with Wonder Woman as an example.
Paint - ****
Overall, the paint quality is excellent, especially on the body and
skin. There's a nice wash that highlights all the detail in
the texture, and makes the sculpting pop. The colors themselves also
seem quite accurate, although it's a tough call since seeing him in
black and white meant you had to assume the greens.
The eyes have a very fishy sort of appearance. It's hard to explain, but there's a viscous look to them that only fish eyes have. There's a reflective surface too, and it's quite impressive.
Articulation - ***1/2
As I mentioned earlier, the engineering on the articulation is quite
ingenious. They didn't sacrifice either sculpt or joints with the
final design.
The ball jointed neck allows for good tilt and lean, but it is one area where I was slightly disappointed. More on that in a minute.
The shoulders, elbows, and wrists all have pretty traditional action figure joints, but they are well hidden by the design of the plates. These plates make the joints more seamless, yet they don't restrict the movement.
The same is true for the hips, knees, and ankles, and you can get great shallow to deep stances. The ankles allow the feet to stay flat on the ground in just about any pose.
The torso has three spots where you can get some tilt and lean, as well as a little crunch and turn. These are a little more restricted than some of the other joints, but it's still a pretty impressive design.
So why the drop of a half star? It's all about the neck, where I had two issues. First - and this may only be a problem I face - when popping off the head for the first time, the entire neck post popped out. Only the head should pop off, and once I had removed and replaced it a few times, it worked much smoother. But that first time meant I had to get the neck post back in, and it was definitely a frustrating moment.
The second issue also revolves around the neck. While they provide swimming feet, designed with the post located in such a way to make the feet go much further back, the head can't lean back as far. It makes creating a really convincing swimming post that much harder.
However, if you aren't going for a swimming pose, and you are particularly careful popping the head off that first time, you'd probably go the full four stars here.
Accessories - ***1/2
The big plus here is the two additional heads. It goes a long way to
boosting this score, because there's not a lot of additional extras.
He does have an extra set of feet, and an extra set of hands. Both of these are considered 'swimming' versions. The feet have the posts positioned in such a way that they can be posed tilted further back, and the hands have bigger 'cups' with wider fingers, perfect for moving more water.
I had no trouble swapping either the hands or the feet. While I won't be using the extra feet in my normal display, there's something about the swimming hands that looks more menacing to me, and will probably be my go to for the shelf.
There's also a petrified hand, which you know is the reason the scientists went looking for him in the first place.
Finally, there's a basic crotch support display stand. It's nothing special, and you won't really need it, but it's nice to have.
However, some sort of stand better designed for a swimming pose would have been nice. In one of the photos you'll see my pathetic attempt to use the included version to create one, but it's mostly to show off the feet.
Fun Factor - ****
Thanks to the excellent articulation and optional heads, you're
going to have a ton of fun posing and reposing this guy. He has lots
of potential with other characters, and my only regret is that we
probably won't see any more Universal Monsters from Mondo.
Value - **1/2
Most sixth scale figures these days are over $200. While you might
argue that this is just a big action figure, I'd argue that the
detailed outer skin is far more complex than many cloth costumes,
and the addition of the extra portraits make him well worth the $175
initial price. Also, sellers on ebay are already jacking up their
asking price, so picking him up now at retail while you still can is
the smart move.
Things to Watch Out For -
When you pop the head off the first time, be careful. It could be a
tight fit, and you don't want the entire neck post coming out, trust
me. Once you've popped it on and off once or twice, it will get much
easier.
Overall - ****
It's taken a long time, but we have a worthy replacement for the
Sideshow sixth scale Creature. This figure will look fantastic
alongside more modern releases, and I only wish we could get someone
to produce a full Universal Monster series in this scale and this
quality. I'd be down for every release.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Other Creature goodies include the Sideshow
sixth scale version, the Sideshow
8" version, the DST
7" version, Mezco's rather unique
take, and the nicest Creature statue ever produced, the Sideshow Premium Format.
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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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and
text by Michael Crawford.