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Sculpting - ***1/2
Diamond Select knows that there's already an excellent Sideshow version
of this character in this scale. So they have to do something different
to get your purchase.
And they do - they give you him
in his suit, rather than in the overcoat or the robe. You can put this
guy right next to your Sideshow version, and have two looks.
The hair is a little iffy, since
it looks more like a weird mossy growth than hair tufts. The nose
should look weird - it's a fake nose - but the hair looks off as well.
The suit looks good, if fairly
basic. The hands are both done in poses that could be used to hold
accessories...but there are none to hold.
He stands great on his own, and
comes in at just under 8" tall.
Paint - ***
Seems like the painters just aren't pulling their weight lately. Once
again, we have a pretty solid sculpt let down by slightly inferior
paint ops.
The face looks pretty good,
although the wash on the bandages is a smidge heavy. The black hair
looks off, but part of that is the difficulty in sculpting
it realistically. Still, the paint can improve on a weak aspect
of any sculpt, and that's not the case here.
The suit has a weird wash on it
too, which is intended to give it a realistic, slightly worn look, but
instead looks dirty to me. I would have preferred a cleaner look.
The gloves are the right color,
and the tie is pretty good as well. The handkerchief in his pocket
looks
terrible though, with a really bad cut edge.
Articulation - *1/2
This guy is pretty basic - the pose you see is the pose you get. He's
as close as you can get to a Nerd Hummel and still call it an 'action'
figure.
There's a ball neck, but the
sculpt restricts it to pretty much just a cut. The shoulders are NECA
style, which gives them a reasonable amount of articulation without
damaging the appearance of the suit. Then there's cut wrists and a cut
waist - yep, that's it.
He does stand great on his own
though, even with no leg articulation.
Accessories - **
There's only one - his basic display base. Sculpted on top is a book,
part of the rug, and some more bandages. He's held in place by a
plastic peg with fits into a hole on the bottom of his right foot.
This is a character who could
have plenty of other extras, from lab equipment to a hat or a scarf, so
the only reason there aren't more accessories is cost.
Fun Factor - **
A dude in a double breasted suit with no posability and no
extras is probably not going to illicit much interest from
kids under 10. You have to be a pretty serious Universal Monsters fan
to appreciate this one.
Value - **
It's not real surprising to see an action figure in this scale in that
$15 - $17 range. However, with the lack of articulation, accessories,
and weak paint, I can't say this one is an average value at the average
price.
Things to Watch Out For -
Take a little care breaking free the wrists if your's are painted
tight.
Overall - **1/2
While this guy is getting a weaker than
average score overall, I am glad I picked it up. As a big Universal
Monster fan, he'll make a nice addition to the display. His real issue
is the high price for such limited articulation and almost no
accessories.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - *1/2
Accessories - **
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - **
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy -
This guy appears to be only at Toys R Us, since I don't believe there's
a different online retailer exclusive. You'll pay about $16 for him
there, or you can search
ebay for a deal.
Related
Links -
Past Invisible Men include Sideshow's
12" version and their
8" version.
Diamond Select has done other
monsters in this style and scale, including the Metaluna Mutant, the Munsters, the Mummy, Creature, and Wolfman,
and Frankenstein, his bride,
and Dracula.
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