Bela Lugosi

Glenn Strange

Lon Chaney

Packaging - ***1/2
Last box I got from Sideshow got four stars, but these drop a bit.  Why?  They still have that annoying twisty tie around the neck, and last time at least it was nice and long.  On all three of these it was barely long enough to reach through the back of the package, so putting things back together is going to be a trick.

On top of that, this particular twisty now doesn't just go around the neck...now it wraps around under the arms.  That little addition is taking things to the over kill level.  These figures would withstand a earthquake and still be in the tray.

The artwork is great though, and the rest of the accessories are packaged in the tray for easy removal and replacement.

Sculpting - ****
All three head sculpts match the source material extremely well.  All three were done by Mat Falls again.

Of the three, I like Glenn Strange the best, but that may also be due to the fact that I like that film the best.  House of Frankenstein had Karloff as the mad scientist, John Carradine as Dracula, Lon Chaney as the Wolfman, J. Carrol Naish as the hunchback assistant, Daniel.  It had everything!

If you compare the head sculpts with the back of each box, you'll see how well done the work is.  Another great job!

Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops on these sculpts is almost perfect.  Up close they might appear a little sloppy, but step back and you can see that it works perfectly.

The only reason they are losing a star is because my Bela Lugosi has a mark on his nose!  It looks like the paint wasn't dry and touched something, since it is almost a perfect circle.

The paint work on the eyes and scars is particularly good, and the work on the hands is good, although identical to each other.

Articulation - ***1/2
The joints are tight again, so that proves to me that they've solved that particular problem.  They need to improve the neck joint, but otherwise the body is perfect.

Accessories - ***
The accessories with these figures are cool, but since all but two are reused from previous figures, they don't get too many extra points here.

Bela Lugosi comes with a book, The Seret of Life and Death  (same size book as Buffy's), a large burnt log, and a bundle of dynamite.  Those pesky villagers weren't too happy with the Frankensteins by the time this movie came out.

The nicest touch for Bela is the metal used for the wicks of the dynamite sticks.  His accessories are clearly the best.

Lon Chaney comes with two books, both the size of the book that came with the good Doctor from Young Frankenstein.  He also has the same shackles as the first Frankie, but separated into two pieces.

Glenn Strange has more books, again the size of the Young Frankestein book.  He also has two, count them two, brains in glass jars.  One is for Strauss, and one is labelled Ullman.

Every figure has the standard foot stand of course. At least they fit the oversized Frankie boots well.

Uniforms - ***1/2
Remember the first Frank?  Well, these three have the same outfit - jacket, pants, shirt, boots.  But there is a crucial difference!  Sideshow heard people complaining that Frank was a little anorexic.  They've added some padding to the clothing, both in the front of the shirt and the shoulders and back of the jacket.  You should be able to tell from the bottom photo that they appear beefier than the original.

Value - **
I really like getting all these cool Universal Monsters, but at $40 a pop for just a new head sculpt, I can't say these are a good value.  I supposed I can't complain too much, considering we'd never get these otherwise, but I have to be honest on the price.

Overall - ***
These are great looking figures, matching the source material extremely well.  Big Universal fans, or fans of Bela Lugosi or Lon Chaney, are going to want to fork up the bucks.  But the casual collector can pass without being too concerned about missing anything critical.

Where to Buy -
I don't know of any bricks and mortar retailers that are carrying these, but there should be plenty of on-line options.

- Sideshow has them of course, for $40 each.

- Lugosi, Strange, and Chaney are all at Entertainment Earth for $35 plus shipping. It says they aren't scheduled to be in until January, but I'm betting they just haven't updated the web site yet. (MROTW affiliate)

- Small Blue Planet also has them for $35 each plus shipping.  Compare the shipping though, as their shipping prices tend to be high.  Search for 'Frankenstein'.

- Amok Time also has them for $35.  They are in the section for Sideshow.