Tag Archives: frankenstein

Nov 4 2024

Universal Monsters: Frankenstein Accessory Set by NECA

It may be November but here at FFZ, the Halloween spookiness is just getting started! I’ve covered all of the NECA Ultimate Universal Monsters figures in my collection so far, but NECA also pumped out a few Accessory Sets and we can’t leave those out! Today’s set is meant to compliment their Ultimate Frankenstein Monster release, and I have to say this one straddles that line where it almost feels like a playset, but not quite. I’ll have some more thoughts at the end about what NECA could have done to nudge it more in the right direction, but that’s me getting way ahead of myself!

The set comes in a fully enclosed box with some nice artwork and shots of what you get inside. Of course, I can’t stress enough that, unlike The Bride of Frankenstein Chair, there ain’t no figure in this box, so you’ll definitely want to pick up The Monster to go with this set. Inside the box you get the operating table with restraints, a bandaged head for The Monster, a torch, a sculpted towel to hang on the table, a tri-fold cardboard backdrop, and a cloth blanket to partially cover The Monster. I also need to emphasize that the table requires quite a bit of assembly and let me tell you that I can’t imagine it could be any tougher to actually build a living creature from corpses than it was to put this thing together. What the hell, NECA? It was a confusing endeavor and there were a lot of fragile pieces. Add that up and you’ve got a pretty stressful situation on your hands. But, eventually I was able to get it together so let’s see what we’ve got.

Here’s the assembled table with The Monster figure secured to it. The table is finished to look like bare steel, it’s big, and it looks great! I especially love all the slides and wheels and mechanisms under it, which are designed to allow it to be adjusted. Alas, none of these things actually do anything, other than gave me anxiety when putting it all together, but the detail adds a lot to the table and it is appreciated. Other details include the brackets and sculpted bolts that secure the table to the base frame and there are some holes in the corners of the frame, maybe in case someone wants to actually secure it to a diorama base.

The restraints include steel bands for the ankles, biceps, and three for the torso. These simply slot into the table and are pushed down to keep your Monster secured and they fit really well. There’s even a cradle to rest The Monster’s head on, although it doesn’t look like it would be very comfortable.

The white cloth sheet simply drapes over The Monster. It is not long enough to cover all of him, so his head and feet stick out the ends. I’m assuming it was like this in the film, but off-hand I just can’t remember.

The bandaged head is a nice bonus, especially when displaying The Monster on the table. The khaki bandages feature a very detailed sculpt and some painted clips to hold it in place. It definitely makes for a creepy vibe.

The backdrop is printed on heavy cardboard stock and folds at the ends to help it stand up. It’s got a dank castle wall pattern with an open doorway to the left and a bank of instruments to the right. The center has some more instruments and the device Frankenstein used for channeling electricity into The Monster. There’s no floor, so I had to use my own.

Finally, you get a torch, which feels like it’s tossed in there to beef up the contents. There’s nowhere to hang it and who’s going to hold it? The Monster? Even the picture on the box just shows an anonymous hand coming into the frame to scare The monster with it. I’m sure I can put it to good use somewhere in my collection, but it doesn’t do much to enhance this set.

Despite a lot of initial frustration, I really am quite happy with this set. It even brought me back to the days of trying my best to build those wonderful Aurora model kits as a kid. The table makes for a very cool display option for your Monster and the extra head has made me strongly consider picking up a second figure just to go with this set. But, at $35 I think the price is pretty borderline. The table is big and impressive, but some of it is pretty fragile. It’s also something that I would not dare take apart and return to the box for storage. So, considering the price point, I really wish NECA had just sold it as pre-built. I also wish NECA had gone just a little bit further to make it an actual playset. The backdrop helps, but a base would have been nice too. Throw in a smaller table with some lab equipment and I would have happily paid $50. Still, if you’re in the market for it and finding it sold out at most retailers, it can be had pretty easily on Ebay for right around the original MSRP.

Aug 23 2024

Universal Monsters (Bride of Frankenstein): Ultimate Frankenstein’s Monster with Chair by NECA

I’ve been a casual collector of NECA’s Universal Monsters series, picking them up here and there, but not really going out of my way to find them. So far, I’ve checked out Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolfman, and The Mummy. I also picked up The Gillman and Frankenstein’s operating table, but I haven’t gotten around to checking them out here yet. Well, a little while back NECA put up a new version of Frankenstein’s Monster from The Bride of Frankenstein in a Deluxe Set with his dungeon chair and I couldn’t resist, so I preordered it. It came in last week, and while I really should wait a couple of months for Halloween, I’m just too anxious to check it out. Besides, the Pumpkin Spice is already flowing at all the stores and coffee shops by me, and the Spirit Halloweens will be popping up before you know it. So, let’s go!

I have yet to pick up NECA’s Bride of Frankenstein figure, but I touched on my feelings for this film when I looked at Jada’s Bride. It’s a delightfully weird film, with it’s tiny home-grown jar people, Millie playing for goofs, The Monster getting all the screen time, and the titular Bride not showing up until the last five minutes. The set I’m checking out today recreates the scene where The Monster was captured, locked away in a dungeon, and chained to a chair, which held him for about two minutes before he broke out. It comes in a fully enclosed box with some nice shots on the front and back panels, and oddly enough a hang tag. The shots on the front are all in Black & White, which could be confusing, as the toys inside are colored, but the pictures on the back confirm that. Don’t forget, NECA has been doing B&W versions of these figures, but I doubt they’ll do it for something this extravagant. Inside you get the figure and the chair, as well as extra heads and accessories. The package is collector friendly, but you do have to attach the chair to the base, and based on the deafening snap I heard when they locked together, they are definitely not made to come apart again. So it ain’t likely to go back into the box for storage. Let’s start with The Monster!

The Monster was a little worse for wear for the this film and the new figure reflects that by resculpting some parts from the original figure. The body is mostly the same, but the jacket and arms have been replaced with the sleeves torn, the jacket unbuttoned, and the left lapel on the jacket hanging off. The exposed flesh on his arms also looks more emaciated and rotted. Finally, you get some added weathering to the jacket to resemble mud splatter and soiling. I don’t know if it’s correct to call this a variant, as he’s from a completely different movie, but I think the figures are different enough to warrant having both on display, and we haven’t even gotten to the heads yet!

The three heads are completely new sculpts to reflect the considerable changes to the makeup for The Bride. I love this look, because it’s generally a lot creepier. The hair is thinned out to better show the staples along the scalp line that are knitting together his flesh. The facial features are more emaciated and rotten and he has some burn scarring on the right side of his face. The heads depict a somewhat neutral expression, a happy expression, and a slight growly expression. They’re all good, but I think that final one is some of NECA’s best work. Not only did they nail the expression, but the detail in the teeth and the creases to the face are superb.

And here’s a quick comparison shot of Monsters from the original film and this one from The Bride. As you can see, there’s quite a lot of changes here, despite being on the same basic body. To me, the original will always be more iconic, but I like the make up on weathered suit look a tad more.

You get three accessories, all of which being food items, and a couple of extra hands to help him hold them. Included is a half loaf of bread, a bowl of peasant broth, and a mug with some wine dribbling down the side. One of the extra hands is designed perfectly for holding the mug by threading two fingers through the handle, while the other is good for cradling the bowl or bread.

A third hand has a cigar sculpted into it, which is a nice touch, even if the elbow joints can’t really bend enough to bring it close to his face. Now, let’s check out the chair!

The chair was an interesting choice on NECA’s part, since it’s featured so briefly in the film, and yet it makes for an iconic way to display the figure. It’s fashioned to look like a stone seat with a wooden back sitting on a stone pedestal. NECA did a bang up job with the detail, making both the stone blocks and the woodgrain texture look extremely realistic and I was really happy to see that the back of the chair is finished and highly detailed as well, rather than just left as hollow plastic. The shoulder braces have a pair of leather straps, cast in soft plastic with chains coming off of them, there’s a cross chain running between them with a large padlock, and a set of manacles on chains, which plug into the floor with large rings. All the chains are plastic, but they look good and feel pretty sturdy.

The Monster fits perfectly into the chair and the manacles can be placed on his wrists by popping the hands off and then on again. This set up looks absolutely fantastic on display and it makes me nostalgic for those old Aurora model kits that I used to beg my parents for, but never quite had the skills to make them look good when they were finished!

I’m not sure how many collectors who have the first Frankenstein Monster release will consider this set a must-have, but you are getting a lot of new stuff here. This set is a NECA store exclusive and retails at $60, so it doesn’t look like this one will be turning up on the Big Box shelves. And while it’s obviously started shipping the status on NECA’s site has gone back to Preorder, so it is still available, but if you buy it now you may be waiting for another batch. It’s great to see NECA finding new ways to keep the Universal Monster line alive and I’m very glad I dropped a preorder on this one. I suppose, I’ll also have to crack down and find me The Bride figure as well so I can display her beside this version of The Monster! Maybe that will be a good one to save for closer to Halloween, along with The Gillman and Frankenstein’s operating table.

Oct 11 2021

Universal Monsters: Ultimate Frankenstein’s Monster by NECA

My sincerest apologies to those of you who aren’t into horror, but I’ll be back to comic characters and transforming robots and all the other stuff in just a few weeks. For now, it’s the second week of my Halloween Horror Month and I ain’t done with The Universal Monsters just yet. After a week of looking at Jada’s efforts, it’s time to switch gears and check out NECA’s own version of Frankenstein’s Monster! And I’ll go ahead and do some comparisons throughout.

If you’re familiar with NECA’s Ultimates line, then the packaging here should be instantly familiar. Frank comes in what appears to be a fully enclosed box, but there’s actually a front flap secured with a little velcro. Opening it reveals a peek at the figure inside. While I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not Jada was up and up on all their likeness rights, there is no doubt at all, that NECA is offering the real deal here! You get a beautiful recreation of the movie poster on the front and they rightfully dub him The Monster in the bottom left corner. This figure was released in both Color and Black & White versions, and I’ll be looking at the Color Edition here today!

IT’S ALIVE!! ALIVE!!!! Well, he looks so damn good, he might as well be! Let’s be honest, NECA has their share of problems, but when the stars align just right, and the QC holds up and the joints don’t bust, you can count on them to produce an amazing looking action figure. And to be fair, I’ve had precious few issues with NECA’s stuff over the decades, and absolutely none with this figure here. Frank looks amazing, from the top of his flat head to the bottoms of his platform monster boots. If I’m being honest, I fell in love with this figure the moment I got him out of the box, and I’ve had a big dumb smile on my face the whole time.

As always, realism is the order of the day, and Frank’s suit fits the bill! It actually has less textured detail than Jada’s, but manages to look more convincing with it’s smoother finish. The jacket is cast in soft plastic with the sleeves sculpted as part of the arms. The jacket is fastened at the top two buttons, showing off the top of his black undershirt, and parting down below his trousers. You get some rumpling in the sleeves, and a lot more down in the trouser legs. The suit has mostly a matte finish, but there’s some gloss splashed here and there to give him a bit of a wet look in some areas. The coloring on the trousers and coat also match quite closely here. The sleeves are short, exposing part of his forearms and they have all the detail that I lamented was lacking in Jada’s release, including staples and sutures.

You get three heads here, and each and every one of them is a winner. The standard head is just Frank being Frank. His eyes are partially rolled up into his head, and he’s generally expressionless. Here is all the Karloff likeness that I couldn’t find in Jada’s figure, and I’m still not sure that’s what they were going for anyway. Whatever the case, this is a strikingly gorgeous sculpt with some absolutely amazing paintwork. Let’s talk about skin color! I’m no Frankenstein expert, but I do know that the makeup was tinted green, and as I understand it, that was to make it look gray and dead on B&W film. As such, NECA went with an approximation of what that would look like in color. It’s more yellow than gray, but the jaundiced hue works for me very well indeed. I also love the glossy red they used for his forehead wound.

The next head is kind of derpy and I mean that in every positive way, because I LOVE derpy Frank! Yes, this is actually designed to replicate his cheeky growl, and it’s a mighty fine effort, but frozen like this it takes on a whole different meaning. NECA’s wizards manage to keep the likeness there, and the mouth is just some fantastic sculpting!

And finally, you get grimacing Frank, and again I think this one is up for interpretation. I think they were going for angry or scared, but I think it looks more like a big dumb smile, which I really adore because it reflects the misunderstood tragedy of the character. This is also some wonderful execution, and again the depth and realism in the mouth is striking. I don’t think it’s like has been equaled at this scale by many other figure sculptors. Take it as you see it, but like the previous one, I think this head works for a couple different possibilities.

In terms of articulation, NECA’s Frank takes a step back from Jada’s, favoring rotating hinges in the elbows and knees, as opposed to double-hinges. In this case, I don’t mind. As I stated in the other review, I don’t need super-articulation out of my Monster figure, and this guy is capable of whatever pose I wanted to do with him. I will say that the elbow joints look a bit unnatural in some poses, but I guess those double hinges aren’t always attractive either. In the end it’s all compromise, but I’m happy with what we got here. The figure also comes with three sets of hands to change up for different poses. He has a relaxed pair, a grasping pair, and a pair to interact with his flowers.

Yes, flowers! Frank doesn’t come with a whole lot of accessories, but he does come with a trio of flowers to recreat the famous scene. The flowers are sculpted in two pieces, one pair and one individual and he can hold them quite well in his special hands. These are perhaps not the most exciting accessories, but I think they were essential part of the character’s true nature, when people weren’t antagonizing him.

You also get a set of manacles, as opposed to the two sets that came with Jada’s figure. These feature a shorter chain, and the cuffs do not open so you have to pop off the hands to put them on. Still, they look better and feel more substantial.

By every assessment, this is an excellent figure, and for fans of the original film, I think it’s a must own. Jada’s figure still has it’s merits, and I’m happy to have it in my collection, but it’s an entirely different take and comparing the two is like apples and oranges. For a while, I was actually going to pass on this release, since I’m trying to limit my acquisitions these days rather than expand into new areas, but once I saw that the line would be expanding, I jumped on board. I think you’d probably have to look to Mezco’s One:12 release to find a suitable rival, and considering the vast price difference, I think this one wins the day.

Oct 6 2021

Universal Monsters: Frankenstein by Jada

Welcome to my third entry in FFZ’s generically named Halloween Horror Month! If you can’t tell, I’m running through all four figures in the first wave of Jada’s new Universal Monsters series, and number three on the list is Frankenstein’s Monster! I’m a big fan of the original film. It’s so atmospheric and fun to watch, although I’ll confess I’m an even bigger fan of the Hammer Horror flicks featuring the always amazing Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein. I’m actually working my way through all of those again this October and loving every second of it!

Now let me be Frank with you… HA! Does it bother me that they called him Frankenstein on the box? Nah. I’ve got no more strength in me for that fight. The last time I heard myself say “Um… actually…” I wanted to punch myself in the face. Let it go, people. Let it go! I will, however, point out that this guy has some fierce competition on the shelves, as NECA has already got their own version of The Monster out and about and in my clutching mitts. And yes, he’ll probably be the first figure I review after I’m done with Jada’s line this week. Let’s face it, NECA is going to own at least 75% of this month!

First off, I think they did a great job on his overall stature. Frank is a big boi and the heft and size of this figure conveys that very well. He’s not overly big, not too small… He’s just right. And true to the film, some of his height comes from his giant platform kicks. His suave monster suit consists of a black shirt, dark gray jacket, and brown trousers, all of which is textured with a cross-thatch pattern to make it resemble cloth. The trousers have all the usual rumples, and a wash to bring out some of the detail. The jacket is the usual soft plastic vest with sleeves sculpted as the arms, and the illusion works, as there aren’t any major gaps in the arm holes. You get sculpted pockets, lapels, and buttons, and some green slime painted on his right arm. I like that the sleeves are too short, but would have liked a little more gross detail on his exposed forearms.

You get two heads, the first of which is a pretty solid sculpt, even if it isn’t a great likeness for Karloff in the makeup. I’m actually not sure if Jada actually got the license to do Karloff or not, but there’s enough attempts at similarity here that I’m going to assume they did. The indent in the bottom lip, for example, is definitely from Karloff’s Monster, but it’s way too exaggerated here, and the overall facial structure just isn’t quite there. That’s not to say it isn’t a decent looking portrait for a more generic take on The Monster. And to be fair, if you aren’t very familiar with the film, or have a picture to compare, you might not notice the discrepancies. The paint is pretty good, especially the shading. They used halftone printing for the eyes, which as usual looks great in hand, but breaks down as you get in real close. I like the silver paint applied to the bolts and the staples, as well as the red for the forehead gash. Still, I don’t need a crystal ball to tell me that the portrait is going to be a big part of what separates this figure from NECA’s effort.

And then you’ve got this head, and I don’t like this one at all. I know the look they were going for, but I don’t think they got there. Indeed, the drop in quality on this head is so noticeable that it feels like it should go to a different figure. Beyond the expression just not working, the paint here is high gloss, giving him a shiny finish, which makes him look like he’s got a flop sweat going. The eye paint is also terrible, and the white for the teeth is sprayed all over his lower lip. I don’t know what happened here, but if the grave robbers I hired brought me this head, I would have sent it back. It’s just terrible.

The articulation here is right in line with the previous figures, so I won’t run through it all here. Suffice it to say, The Monster has a lot more range of motion than a lumbering brute like himself should really need. With double hinges in both the elbows and knees, and the ability to get those wide stances makes him fun to play with. And even with those platform boots, he has good balance and is easy to stand. Frank also comes with a pair of grasping hands, which are probably what I will display him with the most.

In addition to the extra hands and a terrible second head, The Monster comes with two sets of chains and manacles. These are really well done, as each of the manacles is hinged and can be opened and closed, so you don’t have to pop the hands off to put them on.

Despite a total failure on the alternate head, I think this figure turned out fine. I don’t think he’s as amazing as The Gillman, but I’d put him on par with Dracula for sure. Little attentions to detail and texturing on the body go a long way in making this one feel like a labor of love. Even the pair of manacles are well thought out and well executed accessories. So far, Jada’s Monsters have been hitting home, and I’ve got just one more to look at, so come back Friday for a look at The Bride!!!