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Write a Review link for that item. Universal Monsters (Neca) (Neca)Since Halloween is drawing near, I feel that there's no better time than any to review another Universal Monsters figure by NECA. I already loved the Frankenstein they put out, so after some time, I decided to pick up their second figure: the Wolfman. As the case is with most packages for Ultimate figures, the Wolfman's has the original poster art for the film on the front. The other sides have a nice collage of figure photographs. Like usual, the front is a panel that flaps open to show off what's inside. This is really useful if you're looking for the figure at retail, so you can find the one with the best paint applications. The Wolfman stands about 7 1/4" tall, and has not just one, but two sculptors. Trevor Grove is responsible for the head sculpts, and I assume Kyle Windrix did the rest. The Wolfman head isn't 100% wolf, but a mixture of wolf and human features. The appearance is spot-on, and there's some nice detail on the fur as well. Two different heads are included; the default head is a somewhat subdued, but still fierce, expression, while the alternate one has a snarling/roaring expression. The paint is nice and clean all around, with some wash to give him a dirtier appearance, but my main complaint is the eyes on the snarling head. They're looking off to the side instead of straight forward, and it really throws it off for me. Everyone knows werewolves are only wolves during a full moon, so NECA went the extra mile and threw in parts to depict the Wolfman in human form. Lawrence Talbot was played by Lon Chaney Jr., and the third head option looks just like him. It has what appears to be a worried expression, and slightly messy hair as well, but you'd look like that as well if you spent the night mauling anyone in your line of sight. To complete the transformation from werewolf to human, additional hands and feet are included as well, and both have realistic detail on them. The paint is very nice on the human parts, with even the nails getting some color to them. Granted, the paint around them isn't the cleanest, but I can forgive it because of how small they are. The articulation is pretty much standard NECA, not going overboard but at the same time, giving the figure a good range of movement. The Wolfman has ball-joints at both the head and neck, and while the head doesn't want to move easily on mine, the neck has some good tilt, even though it pops off pretty easily. The swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists allow for nice arm poses, especially with the deep bend on the elbows. The waist is on a ball-joint with some nice tilt, and the chest is the same type of joint, but since it's hidden under the shirt, its range is somewhat restricted. Lastly, there's ball-socket hips, swivel thighs, and swivel/hinge knees and ankles, and the shins also swivel as well, mainly because of the part-swapping feature. I feel that the head, chest, and waist could have better movement, but other than that, the articulation is good enough for a variety of poses. Moving onto accessories, I already mentioned the two extra heads, as well as the human hands and feet. All of them swap easily, and you'll have a tough time deciding if Talbot should be displayed as a human, a werewolf, or in-between. There's three human hands to go with the werewolf claws; a pair of open hands, and a gripping right. The hands pop off easily, but stay in tight. Also included is a cane, meant to be used with the extra right hand, and a beartrap. The trap can open and close, and the dog and pan move as well (yes, I looked them up). Lastly, since the werewolf feet are sculpted to stand on their toes, a small circular stand is included. It can peg into either foot, and helps give the figure some extra stability. It should be noted that there's three different versions of this figure. The one I have is the color version, and there's also a black-and-white version that showed up at Target first before hitting other retailers. The third version is a glow-in-the-dark version with a paint application and cardback inspired by the Remco figure, but that version has no accessories aside from the stand. While it is at least cheaper, I wish that version kept the extra wolf head. While this figure has a few nits, mainly the eyes on the snarling head, it's still really nice. The human parts add a whole other level of coolness to it, and you may find yourself getting two to display both forms of poor Mr. Talbot. I have enough restraint that just one is good enough for me, or at the very least, just one colored version. - 10/25/22   by RMaster007 |
| Captain Atom (Gold) (Chase) |  | Submission Order |  | Grimlock & Autobot Wheelie |
| Frankenstein (Color) | | Universal Monsters (Neca) Series | | Invisible Man (H.G. Wells) |
| Captain Atom (Gold) (Chase) | | Written by RMaster007 | | Grimlock & Autobot Wheelie |
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