Please share with your friends!
Introduction
There are questions that have plagued mankind for generations. How can we achieve world peace? Will Jennifer Aniston ever find true love? And what would happen if the
Creature from the Black Lagoon and Kermit the Frog had sex?
We may never get the answer to the first two, but I'm pretty sure the new Monster Pals Creature answers that last one.
Regular readers know I'm a huge fan of the original Creature From The Black Lagoon. The movie may be average 50's B fare, but the creature design itself is one of the
greatest in monster cinema history.
Available through Amok Time, this is the first in a planned series called "Monster Pals", slightly silly...okay, really silly, revisions of old school monsters.
He runs about $40, and is designed and sculpted by Adam
Dougherty. I don't know what's planned for the line, but I'm always up for Universal Monster style stuff.
Packaging - **1/2
These come in a fairly standard box, with photos of the statue on the outside. It looks decent, if a bit plan, but my only real complaint is with the use of the cheaper
soft Styrofoam inserts. You know, the kind that end up shedding all over the place when you handle them.
Sculpting - ***
This is a truly bizarre little character. I have to say that the analogy of the Kermit crossed with the Creature is very appropriate. Or it's just the Creature, after
Bigfoot kicked him in his tenders.
This is not a dangerous appearing Creature, but a cute one. Nothing wrong with that!
The detail work is pretty good, particularly on the scales and gills. Some areas are a little heavy hanged, like the eyebrows and eyes, but it's still a very unique look.He's made out of resin, and stands about 7" tall, and I've included a couple shots with some other figures so you can get a feel for scale.
He's separate from the base, and there's no pegs to hold him down, so he can stand anywhere you'd like, not just on the base. The pose isn't exactly dynamic, but since he's more of a cartoon character than a deadly beast from the deep, I can live with it.
Paint - *1/2
While the sculpt is...interesting, and certainly good enough for the style, the paint isn't up to snuff.
The most obvious issue is the eyes, with the ugly green wash. It looks like it's on purpose, but ends up appearing sloppy.
There's a wash on the body as well, and this is heavy handed and over done. It's also not consistent, with some areas very heavy and others practically clean.
There's also quite a few sloppy spots, including a terrible sloppy cut line around the single color chest and abdomen, and odd little air bubble marks as well. Overall, it's a very disappointing paint job.
Articulation - Bupkis
I knew this was a statue going in, so I'm not taking any points off of my overall for the lack of articulation, but I wanted to point it out in case you were expecting
something different.
Accessories - **1/2
I'm counting the base as an accessory, since he doesn't attach to it in any way, but rather simply stands on it. It's a fairly simple sand sculpt, with no extras, but
it does the job.
Value - **
At $40, he's actually not bad. That is, if the paint quality was higher. Resin statues at this scale are usually not this cheap, and if the paint work was better, I'd
bump it up at least a half star here.
Things to Watch Out For -
Just don't drop him on the floor.
Overall - **
I like kitchy Universal Monster stuff, and I do hope that we see this series continue. But they need to get a better handle on the production paint quality to make them
stand out, and for you to really feel like you're getting a quality product.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - *1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - **1/2
Value - **
Overall - **
Related Links -
If you're looking for other Creature products, check out:
- the Sideshow PF was one of the nicest collectibles produced.
- Sideshow has done a great 12" version, and one from the later film, The Creature Walks Among Us.
- the most recent smaller figure was from Toy Island.
- and this mini-bust might not be an official Creature, but it's mighty close.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!
Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!
Please share with your friends!
This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
