Renfield
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Last month, we were treated to a nicely done
figure of Fritz, the hunchback sidekick in the first Frankenstein
film. The actor who portrayed him, Dwight Frye, also portrayed another
unfortunate sidekick - Renfield, in the original Dracula. Sideshow
has produced this second Dwight Frye character, giving your Dracula someone
to boss around. He is another limited edition, and
the suggested retail is $40, although you should be able to find an on-line
retailer selling it for less.
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Packaging - ****
I really would like to complain about the packaging, but I can't.
Great graphics, nice design, and collector friendly. Renfield does
come with both the twisty ties on his feet (painted to match his shoes)
and the plastic band around his legs, so that's a little more bondage than
I personally like, but overall Sideshow is hitting on all cylinders when
it comes to packaging.
I'm hoping they can keep it
up though, since the Monty Python boxes were a slight slip backwards.
Sculpting - ***
I'm being a little rougher on the sculpt here than usual, but it may be
simply due to the source material. It's definitely Frye, but the
look doesn't quite capture the same level of psychotic intensity that he
did in the film. That's probably a lot to ask of a static medium,
but it still isn't my favorite Sideshow work. The sculpt looked far
more disturbed to me in the original prototype photos.
Paint - ***1/2
No major complaints here. The paint ops are good, although there's a
little less detail here than some figures require. I think that the
paint work could have been exploited to show the insanity though, perhaps
helping the sculpt in that direction. As it is, he comes off as
someone simply a little too happy to see you.
Articulation - ****
I had no problems with the body being tight and holding poses. He
stands great on his own, and can hold his lantern out straight without his
arm drooping.
With the jacket on, the
slightly odd hip shape doesn't appear, so that's not as much of an issue
here as with the Gypsy.
Accessories - **1/2
There are three accessories here, but one is a re-use.
The lantern is nice, with a
great sculpt, but we already got this one with London After Midnight.
The only major unique
accessory is Renfield's briefcase. They did a very nice job putting it
together, but be careful. The straps are very thin, and can easily
rip or come loose from the bag itself. It looks like you could open
it up if you wanted to, but I'd suggest leaving it as is.
The final accessory is new,
but is simply a print of the deed for the property, as signed by both
Count Dracula and Renfield. It looks nice in the box, but it's very
thin, and easy to damage. I'm not sure how you'll display it out of
the box.
Outfit - ***1/2
This costume suffers from not being as intricate or detailed as other
characters, but it's still nicely done.
The pants and coat are a
heavy material, with good stitching. The pants are cuffed, as was
the fashion at the time. The sirt is a full shirt - no cheesy
sleeveless deal this time. And his pants are held up by cloth
suspenders that look very nice. Also, the very small buttons on the
front of his shirt are a great detail.
The shoes are a re-used
sculpt I believe, but the look good, and of course he has the necessary
socks.
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Value - **1/2
The value isn't quite as good on this figure as some, particularly if you
end up paying the full $40 retail. Try finding it for $25, as that's
about the right price for this character.
Overall - ***
This isn't a bad figure, just not an exciting figure. The briefcase
is a nice enough accessory, but isn't particularly exciting, the outfit is
well done but not particularly eye catching, and the character doesn't
have much pizzazz.
Unless you're a huge
Universal fan, or a huge fan of the film, I'm betting you'll pass on this
particular guy in a suit.
Where to Buy -
I don't know if any bricks and mortar stores will be carrying these, but
there are plenty of on-line options:
- Sideshow
themselves of course. Retail is $40 plus shipping.
- TNC
Universe usually has a good price, although you'll have to call since
they don't have the price on this one listed yet on the web site.
- Entertainment
Earth has him listed at $35 plus shipping, but it still says 'coming
soon'. (MROTW affiliate)
- Amok
Time has him listed for $35 plus shipping too, and it appears he is in
stock.
- War
Toys have other Sideshow stuff very cheap, like Larry Talbot for $20,
or many others at $25. They don't have this one listed yet, but it
might be worth a call.
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Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford. |