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Series: Universal
Studios
Monsters 12”
Craftsmanship: 9.0
out of 10
- Head sculpt is one of the best I’ve ever seen
- Not as steady as he could be
- Clothing is well-made
- Excellent poseability
Playability: 8.7
out of 10
- Large accessories less likely to be lost
- One of the most classic monsters ever
- Clothes likely to come apart during rough play
- Tons of play value with other 12” figures
- Head is easy to put back on
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Son of Frankenstein (Universal
Studios Monsters)
by Sideshow
Toy
You’d be hard pressed to get more classic than
Frankenstein’s monster. In most people’s minds, the triumvirate of classic
monsters is Dracula, Wolfman, and
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Frankenstein’s monster (with some argument to
include the Invisible Man – hey, maybe he’s already there).
And let’s be totally clear about this, Frankenstein is not the name of the
monster. Son of Frankenstein actually refers to the creator’s son, not the son
of the monster – although there are circles debating who is more monstrous: the
creator
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or the
creature. (You just never mind about title of this review.) However, I digress…
The monster probably has the best head sculpt I’ve ever seen. It was crafted by
Mat Falls and he’s done everything right in capturing Boris Karloff as the
monster. So much so, every once in a while I expect the eyes to start moving.
The skin creases, the dead-eye stare, those crazy neck bolts… it’s all perfect.
Even his hands and forearms have received extra attention. Most Sideshow
offerings have sculpted hands that attach to the generic arms, but not the
monster. Even though his clothes actually fit properly, the extra sculpting goes
almost all the way up to the elbow. My only suggestion for improvement would be
real metal neck bolts for extra authenticity.
Stability can be a problem. The small base doesn’t help much to get him into
radically different poses. (He’s perfectly stable when standing straight.) The
base is the familiar piece of flat cobblestone that either foot can be snapped
into, but it’s so small you can count out posing him running or doing the
can-can. That’s a little disappointing, but with a little creative leaning he
can be manipulated into all sorts of positions for display. The articulation
that Sideshow uses for its 12” figure is quite impressive – almost equal to
human articulation.
As a result of his size and articulation, the monster is quite playable – with
one exception: rough play. Rough play can result in torn and loose clothing. And
with a figure as impressive as the monster, the last thing you want is ripped
clothing. (Especially because it means some delicate repairs – heaven forbid
someone walks in on you while you’re sewing clothes for your action figures!)
The included accessories are a prosthetic arm and a book of fairy tales –
neither of which will make any sense if you haven’t seen the film; though, it’s
quite amazing how many uses there are for a prosthetic arm. The monster’s
durability is on par with other 12” figures from Sideshow (and others) so
setting up your own Monster Mash is quite feasible.
Although it’s debatable which Frankenstein’s monster is better – the original or
the son, both from Sideshow – that kind of thinking never stopped people from
snatching up 15 variations on Luke Skywalker. Serious collectors will have both,
and have them on display (in their sterling packages, of course). But if you
only have money for one, I don’t think this is a bad purchase. The whole
presentation is top shelf and the fact it has play value makes good bang for the
buck.
- Omni
(November 24, 2002) |
