|
Packaging - ***1/2
These packages are so close to four stars, I feel bad giving them three
and a half. But there is still one minor point holding them back. The
graphics are fantastic - the poster front flap, along with the interior
graphics and back text makes this one of the nicest looking boxes from
Sideshow so far. They've
returned to the flap boxes, and are using the tray to allow the MIB
collector to remove the figure and put it back if they desire. Great
stuff...but...there's one annoying twisty tie. This tie goes around
the character's neck, through the tray, and through the insert. This
is the same as the Fritz packaging. Take
away that one annoying twisty tie, and you'd have a solid four star
package. Sculpting -
****
Dracula was good, but this figure is excellent. Mat Falls has
captured the look of this character perfectly, and it's really an
excellent tribute to Lugosi. The
hand sculpts are fairly familiar now, but they work fine with this
character. I wonder if
I could get my goatee and moustache to look like that? Paint -
***1/2
While the sculpt is excellent, the paint ops are a little weaker on this
figure. The beard is missing some spots of black paint, and the face
wash looks odd around the top of the nose. This
may just be mine, but be careful picking yours out if you can. The
eyes were excellent though, and the piercing stare is dead on. Articulation
- ****
Sideshow makes one of the most articulated bodies on the market.
Murder has all the joints you'd expect, including the ball jointed neck. The
joints are also very tight. It looks like Sideshow has fixed the
problem with loose hips and knees, and I have no trouble getting him to
stand in many poses completely on his own. Accessories -
***1/2
The only complaint I could have with the accessories is that there could
be more. But then, couldn't there always be more? Murder
comes with a small dagger, wooden voodoo doll, Madeline's scarf, and the
usual foot stand. Madeline was the heroine in the film. The
sculpt and details on the dagger are very nice, but it doesn't fit in
either hand very well. The statue looks great, and does fit nicely
in his hands. The
weakest accessory is Madeline's scarf. It's a simple piece of white
cloth with no stitching. The
foot stand is the same foot stand we've seen many times, and is pretty
much unneeded with this figure. Outfit
- ****
I've commented in the past that while the sculpting and accessories on
Sideshow figures are excellent, that often the outfits left a little to be
desired. Not this
time! It looks like they've stepped up the quality of the clothing,
and I'm very pleased. Murder
comes with his suit coat and pants, full shirt (no more dickies here! uh,
that doesn't sound right...), socks, shoes, and tie. There is no
belt, and the tie is not the best quality I've ever seen, but the suit
itself is excellent. I'm also very happy to see the complete shirt.
The tie needed better stitching, and better
cloth, but the stitching on the suit and shirt are excellent. The
outfit is completed with a full size cape and unique hard plastic
hat. The hat fits his head well, without rubbing off any
paint. Its style looks extremely good on him, and matches the source
material. The cape is one of the best I've seen. Complete stitching,
along with a string to tie in front, makes the cape superior to the
Dracula version. Value
- ***
Just like Fritz, the forty dollar price tag is a bit steep on this
one. He is a better value than Fritz was, with new accessories
rather than re-hashed ones, and a much more complex outfit. Of
course, the limited run of 3500 also drives the price up somewhat, but
thirty dollars would have made me much happier. Still, I can
understand the price point. Overall -
****
This is one of my favorite Sideshow figures, although I'm not a huge fan
of this movie. They've done an excellent job matching the source
material, and the quality is excellent. If you're a big Lugosi fan,
I highly recommend picking this one up. And
wouldn't that suit be perfect for a Lincoln custom?
|
