A great hobby for classic monster movie fans is collecting monster movie-related toys and models.   Unfortunately, it's also a hobby that can lead to disappointment.  So, let HORROR-WOOD guide you through...

(From June 2006)

Probably the most talked about figure recently is Sideshow’s Freddy Krueger Dream Warriors figure. This version of everyone’s favorite nightmare man features a unique chest appliance that is being called "Chest of Souls", paying tribute to the scene in A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 where Krueger lifts his sweater to reveal the souls of his victims stretching underneath his flesh. This figure also comes with interchangeable hands that includes Freddy’s gloved right hand and burned left hand and also a set of hands that feature syringe fingers from another scene in the film.

Other accessories include Freddy’s hat, a crucifix and Freddy’s burned remains including skull and bones. This 12-inch figure is going for $49.99 and is limited to just 1,500 pieces. Sideshow is already sold out of this figure but is offering a waiting list.

Returning to their Classic Universal Monsters roots, Sideshow has announced that they will be releasing a Premium Format Mummy and Sarcophagus figure. This will be another of their ¼ scale figures that look terrific but are a bit pricey.

Sideshow and Electric Tiki are also offering a Herman Munster maquette in what they are calling their "Tuned Up Television" series. This figure stands about 13 inches on its base. It is hand cast in high quality polystone and hand painted. Each piece comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity. This one goes for $149.99. There is also a black and white version available for the same price and limited to just 100 pieces. These are slated for the third quarter of this year.

Fans of both Freddy and Jason may be interested in something called "Killer Trivia". This Trivial Pursuit type game features a Friday The Thirteenth trivia game with over 500 questions pertaining to the popular film series and also A Nightmare On Elm Street trivia game featuring over 500 questions about that film series. Fans of these films can have a lot of fun recounting the ways that various victims of each series met their gruesome end.

Last but certainly not least this month is some great offerings by Hawthorne Village. They have announced the release of what they are calling "Village Of Horror Classics." This set features the Camp Crystal Lake Cabin from the Friday The Thirteenth films, The Hewitt House from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and the famous house at 842 Elm Street from the A Nightmare On Elm Street series. These houses light up and feature figures of each of the killer icons from the films. These houses run $59.95 each plus $7.99 for shipping and are available here.

Fans of the Classic Universal Monsters need not feel left out by Hawthorne Village though. Hawthorne has put together what looks to be a fascinating set featuring Frankenstein's Castle, Count Dracula's Castle, The Mummy's Tomb and the Creature's Black Lagoon. These also run $59.95 plus $7.99 for shipping.

Rounding out the Halloween village offerings by Hawthorne is a set featuring The Munsters! The first of the houses is 1313 Mockingbird Lane, the famous house of the Munsters. Subsequent houses include "Lily's Inn", "Grandpa's Touch Of Transylvania Hotel" and "The Drive-In" which features the Munster's Koach. I know this is going to run into a real expense, but I expect that I'll subscribe to all three different villages and figure out where I'm going to put them once I get them all.

(From April 2006)

Collectors of modern horror film figures will have a number of collectibles to choose from in the upcoming year. Sideshow Collectibles will be once again going to the well to release yet another Jason figure from one of the Friday The Thirteenth film series. This entry is the 12-inch Jason figure from Friday The Thirteenth Part IV: The Final Chapter. This version of Jason has accessories, which include a machete, hacksaw, removable hockey mask and a Pamela Voorhees tombstone. In all honesty, I’m not enamored over this one at all and really don’t see the need to spend $45 on this one if you already have some of the other Sideshow Jasons.

Neca has a full slate of horror collectibles due out between now and the summer. Some of these items include Series 3 of their Cult Classics figures which include Bubba Ho Tep from the film of the same name, the original Dawn Of The Dead’s Flyboy, the Endoskeleton from Terminator 2 and Die Hard’s John McLane figure.

This will of course be followed by Cult Classics Series 4 figures which will include a much anticipated Shaun Of The Dead figure, the Plaid Zombie from Dawn Of The Dead, Bruce Campbell as an older Elvis from the film Bubba Ho Tep and yet another Chucky figure. Neca is also releasing a "Bloody Showdown" Action Figure 3 Pack featuring new versions of Baby, Spaulding, and Otis from the extremely popular Rob Zombie film The Devil’s Rejects. Look for this three-figure set to fly off the shelves when it comes out!

Fans of the Classic Universal Monsters finally have something to look forward to! Dark Horse Comics has announced that they are resurrecting the classic monsters in upcoming novels that will start hitting the streets in March. Be sure to look for a new Creature From The Black Lagoon novel titled Time’s Black Lagoon, a Dracula novel titled Asylum; and a Wolf Man novel titled Hunter’s Moon. No telling if any of these will be nearly as good as Jeff Rovin’s Return Of The Wolf Man that was released back in October of 1998 which is out of print and still commands a hefty price for a used copy. Personally, this is one of my favorite novels, written with great skill and care for our old favorites.

(From February 2006)

Well, the new year is already upon us and so far I can’t really say that the future looks bright for classic monsters collectors thus far.

Sideshow continues to go the high end collectibles route with ¼ scale figures that fall in the $250 price range, a far cry from the economical 7-inch figures which launched the company just a few years back. Majestic Studios, the company that brought us the awesome looking 12-inch Hammer Dracula figure have been promising to release a Vincent Price Doctor Phibes figure since 2004 but still no firm details about it’s release have been announced. Hopefully, with the New York Toy Fair later this month, some new revelations of cool horror collectibles will be announced.

One interesting but very hard to find item coming out is a 12-inch Blade figure, based on the famous horror film character portrayed by Wesley Snipes. This figure comes only with a box set of the three Blade films in DVD format. Now for the bad news: This item is a "Japan-only" release, although you will be able to find it online if you look hard enough. Trust me, this one is going to be one hot ‘lil monster! 

Fans of the old Marvel comics monsters series (like me) will be thrilled to learn that Toy Biz has announced that they will be releasing a Marvel Legends Box Set featuring the monsters from the following comics: The Tomb Of Dracula, Monsters Unleashed Frankenstein, Werewolf By Night, and Tales Of The Zombie. Having long been a fan of the Gene Colan/Marv Wolfman Tomb Of Dracula, you can bet this boxed set will be in my hands as soon as it is released. This was showcased at the UK Toy Fair to a great reception.

(From November 2005)

Well, gang, another Halloween has passed but it’s not time to put away those wonderful memories of the famous monsters of filmland just yet. Here’s what the collectibles manufacturers have in store for you in the coming future.

Majestic Studios will be launching their line of 12-inch Dark Shadows figures with two different versions of Barnabus Collins along with a Quentin figure. The first is a figure that comes in clothing from the late 1700’s and the second is the same figure in his more familiar 1900’s clothing. While the sculpt looks very accurate (this is the same company that came out with the Hammer Dracula figure late last year), the prototype I saw just looked like it was swimming in the 1700’s clothing.

One of the major problems doll makers have had to overcome (yes, I said doll makers…I know that they like to call them "action figures" but face it guys, these are dolls with monsters’ faces) is the fact that so many times the clothing just does not look right on the figure. The modern day Barnabus figure looked fine so I’m hoping that this is something that will be rectified. The figures’ release date has just been pushed back but I’d bet you can expect to see this in the very early part of 2006. The suggested retail price is $39.99.

For those of you with deep pockets, Sideshow Collectibles is offering a great looking 1:1 scale bust of Boris Karloff as Ardeth Bey from the Universal classic The Mummy in the first of what they promise will be a new line of full size classic monster busts. The good news is that this bust looks spectacular and captures the likeness of Karloff The Uncanny exactly. Many sculptors have had success with the Karloff likeness, as does sculptor Mike Hill in this case.

It will be interesting to see how well the Bela Lugosi Dracula will look when it is eventually released, as sculptors attempting to capture the likeness of Lugosi have been far less successful. The bad news for the average Universal Monster collector is that the suggested retail price on this full size bust is a whopping $550. Make sure the housekeeper is careful when dusting this beauty!

For those of you with even deeper pockets, Sideshow Collectibles is offering another life-size bust, this one being of the Lord Of Darkness character from the film Legend. This bust was sculpted by Miles Teves, who designed the character’s final film appearance while serving as the lead concept illustrator for the film. This horned bust goes for $899 but Sideshow is generously offering three "Flexpay" payments of about $299.66 each. If this keeps up, they’re going to have to start offering mortgages! Jeez, I really miss the days of the $9.99 action figures!

(From September 2005)

(From July 2005)

Sure do miss the days of talking about all the new Universal Monsters items streaming out of Sideshow and the Polar Lights re-issues of the classic Aurora model kits. We’ve got a few new figures to spotlight this month as well as some beautiful prints that are "must-haves" for anyone who considers themselves a Creature From The Black Lagoon collector.

Actually it’s really DiFate, as in Hugo Award winning science fiction artist Vincent DiFate. Chances are if you’ve ever browsed the Sci-Fi section of your local book store, you probably have seen his artwork. Vincent has won just about every award imaginable for his artwork in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. Through some incredible stroke of good luck (or insanity on Vincent’s part), DiFate has become the program cover artist for our own Monster-Mania Conventions since our beginning just three years ago.

In that time he has produced two paintings featuring the Creature Of The Black Lagoon, the first of which won the Rondo Award for best cover of a publication or program in 2003. The demand for prints of this cover painting were so great that he decided to issue high quality limited prints of not only the two Creature From The Black Lagoon paintings, but also one celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the She Creature film.

DiFate’s first Creature print celebrates the Fiftieth Anniversary Of The Creature and features the Gill Man carrying Kay Lawrence who was played by Julie Adams in the film. The vibrant colors grab you like a claw out of the water and pull you into the painting. This 16" x 20" print is available signed and numbered by the artist in a limited run of only 1000 pieces and is available for just $35. DiFate also offers a limited number of prints that are actually signed by Ben Chapman and Julie Adams for just $60. This is the print that won the Rondo Award.

The second Creature print was used for the program cover of our second Monster-Mania Convention and is titled Above And Below. This print features both men that played the Creature in the first film, Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning under water. Again, this print is available signed by the artist for just $35 or signed by both Chapman and Browning for just $60.

The Fiftieth Anniversary of the She Creature features Paul Blaisdell’s amazing She- Creature costume, which is probably my favorite of all the horror film costumes. Vincent DiFate does Blaisdell justice with his absolutely stunning print. This print is available for $35 not only signed by the artist but also by Bob Burns who was Blaisdell’s friend and collaborator. To purchase these prints, go to the official Website of Vincent DiFate.

Universal Monster fans will be happy to know that Sideshow has decided to issue a Silver Screen version of the 12-inch Hunchback Of Notre Dame figure. This 12-inch doll will be issued in a run of only 500 pieces and retails at Sideshow for $45 with a limit of 2 pieces per household. It’s their black and white version of the color figure that was released a short time ago.

Sideshow has also gone to the well once again for new Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger figures. This Jason is the one as seen in the film Friday The 13^th Part 9: Jason Goes To Hell. This time the Jason figure features a new face sculpt featuring the hockey mask buried deep within the skin of his face and has rooted hair. Some cool accessories include Jason’s black heart and a copy of the Necronomicon, just in case you want to raise a little hell of your own. This is limited to a run of 666 and retails for $45. This is expected to ship in the 4^th quarter of this year.

Also scheduled for a Fourth quarter release this year is the 18-inch Demon Freddy figure features Robert Englund as he was seen in Freddy Vs. Jason featuring the demonic look he had in parts of the film. This ¼ scale figure retails for $225 and is limited to a run of just 400 pieces.

(From April 2005)

TOY FAIR NEWS

Sorry about missing last month’s issue, sometimes life intervenes with fun. Anyway, we’re back this month with loads of exciting news resulting from the recent Toy Fair. NECA toys apparently has decided to become a major player in the horror toy field, with lots of exciting announcements made for this coming year. Most of their news features licenses with the modern horror film realm. First up is their second CROW boxed set featuring the rooftop scene of Eric Draven facing off against Top Dollar. This will be the first time that the character of Top Dollar has been made into an action figure.
Neca continues with the boxed set idea and will be featuring a set that includes Pamela Voorhees from the first film and Jason from Friday The 13^th Part 2. This set also includes the unforgettable shrine to Mrs. Voorhees from the second film.

The big news from Neca is the release of their larger, 18-inch figures. Included in this year’s lineup will be a 19-inch Jason figure that includes a removable mask and other accessories; a motion activated Captain Spalding from The House Of 1000 Corpses and the Endoskeleton from Terminator 2. There are also plans for a motion activated Robocop figure later in the year.

Neca has also announced the lineup of their Cult Classics Series 2 figures, which will include Frank The Bunny from Donnie Darko, Freddy Krueger from New Nightmare, the Tall Man from Phantasm, and Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Horror collectibles fans will be happy to know that there is a new player on the block. SOTA TOYS. Sota is coming out strong with an 18-inch figure of the Lord Of Darkness from Ridley Scott’s film Legend.

McFarlane has announced part of the Movie Maniacs Series 8 lineup, which will feature figures from the film Bram Stoker’s Dracula. So far confirmed figures in that lineup will include the bat and wolf versions of the vampire. 

(From February 2005)

HUNCHBACK OUT AND ABOUT

Sideshow’s much-anticipated Hunchback Of Notre Dame 12-inch figure has escaped the bell tower and is now on the shelves of your local or online collectibles store. I’ve always been a sucker for the Lon Chaney film and Sideshow’s Matt Falls did a quite respectable job with his sculpt of the Man Of A Thousand Faces in one of his most popular roles.

This figure comes with a crown, scepter and cape, complete for your own Pope Of Fool’s procession. Limited to a run of just 2000 pieces, I have a hunch this figure might soon be a bit hard to find.

NEW NIGHTMARE FREDDY

Continuing their line of Modern Classic Monsters, Sideshow has just released a 12-inch Freddy Krueger figure from the film Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. This is the re-imagined version of Freddy Krueger and Sideshow did a fantastic job with this representation.

This Freddy comes with an all-new outfit with a long coat featuring the famous red and green stripes for the inside lining. He also comes with the redesigned biomechanical bladed right hand. This is a very good representation of what is one of Robert Englund’s favorite Nightmare On Elm Street films.

(From January 2005)

Well, the year comes to a close with the release of one of the most anticipated figures that I can remember in a long time. Product Enterprise has finally released the 12-inch Hammer Dracula figure and it is certainly well worth the long wait! The sculpt is a dead-on (or would that be "undead-on") likeness of Christopher Lee as Bram Stoker’s celebrated vampire. Though Christopher Lee apparently has not authorized this figure, make no mistake, it’s him. I just can’t rave about this one enough.

Limited to a run of only 3500 pieces, this figure comes with accessories that include Jonathan Harker’s diary, a flaming candlestick and a crucifix (presumably to keep him trapped in the box). Speaking of the box, my only disappointment at all with this figure is the rather pedestrian box that it comes in. Rather than featuring any number of the posters that came out for the first Hammer Dracula film, Product Enterprise chose to go with an all black box that features the new red letter "H" logo that represents Hammer films currently.

Quite a few online dealers are charging as much as $57 for this figure, but we’re selling it at the original suggested price of $49.99 at Monstermania. Hopefully this will be the first of a long line of great Hammer figures offered by Product Enterprises. They certainly hit the stake on the head with this one!

‘Cause if you do, chances are the Zuni Warrior figure from the TV film Trilogy Of Terror is lurking there. December sure proved to be an eventful month with the release of both the Hammer Dracula figure and this life sized 13-inch Zuni Warrior. Another great sculpt and fantastic looking figure! The Zuni Warrior comes with a feathered spear, warrior skirt and protective charm.

Unlike the Hammer Dracula, the Zuni Warrior comes in quite an attractive box that is made to resemble the shipping crate that contained the doll in the Dan Curtis production. Best news for fans is that this full sized figure is a real bargain with a MSRP of $40 and many online dealers selling it even cheaper ($35 at Monstermania). Just remember to keep the protective charm on the doll, you remember what happened to Karen Black when she removed it! Another solid entry in the outstanding toy lineup of 2004.

THE RETURN OF THE MAD MONSTERS

Remember the Mego Mad Monster figures that were released in the Seventies? Well, Classic TV Toys does. They have released reproductions of The Dreadful Dracula, The Monster Frankenstein, The Human Wolfman and The Horrible Mummy. The new reproductions do have some differences when compared to the original figures but overall they did a wonderful job recreating the look and feel of the Mego monsters.

The new reproductions feature Glow-In-The-Dark eyes and hands. Though they are much less detailed compared to the much more sophisticated modern action figure releases of Sideshow, Neca and McFarlane Toys, Monster Kids certainly hold a special place in their hearts for the original series.

At that time Mego also made superhero figures in the same size and style so I’m sure there were many Spiderman versus Dracula battles going on in the rec rooms and basements of many homes in the Seventies. The only drawback with these figures is the price. MSRP is $15 per figure, which is a bit steep when compared to the inexpensive highly detailed figures offered by the manufacturers of the more modern figures.

Still, there is definitely a market for these figures. Mad Monsters Series Two, scheduled for release in April 2005 features four more figures: The Demonic Devil, The Salem Witch, The Gruesome Ghost and The Grim Reaper.

(From December 2004)

Hi, everyone! So sorry for missing you last month, a new marriage will kind of do that sometimes but we’ve got some catching up to do to close out the year. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and we’ll see you back here again next month as we start listing the upcoming conventions as well!

Actually not a lot for the classic horror fan but Sideshow has announced that they are releasing ¼ scale London After Midnight figure sculpted by Oluf W. Hartvigson. The sculpt looks accurate and this is one of my favorite figures in the 12-inch line of classic monsters but I still have a hard time shelling out $225 for a figure. Classic horror fans with deep pockets will find this an attractive figure and it is limited to a run of 100 pieces, which a scheduled shipping date of the first quarter of 2005. Call me a sentimentalist, but I miss the days of the $7 action figures.

 Sideshow also is releasing a Frank Black action figure in their X-Files line which may interest the devoted fans of the Millennium television series. This 12-inch figure will be released in the first quarter of 2005 and will cost $45. Frank Black has over 30 points of articulation, and includes a Webley revolver, old school .45 & holster, pager, cell phone, flashlight, Millennium case file w/ photos, and an X-Files 12" figure display base.

NECA NEWS

Fans of modern horror will be excited about a number of the offerings over at Neca headquarters. Scheduled for a Feb. 05 release is a series of action figures based upon the upcoming Rob Zombie film, The Devil’s Rejects, which is the sequel to last year’s House Of 1,000 Corpses. The assortment includes Dr. Satan, All American Spaulding, Corpses Otis, Tiny, Baby, and Rejects Otis. Neca is also releasing an 18-inch talking Captain Splading at the same time. 

(From October 2004)

Hi, everyone! So sorry for missing you for the last two issues; running Monster-Mania Con 2 was all consuming but I’ve finally gotten enough rest and free time to turn my attention back to the collecting end of things. Lots to catch up on this month so here goes:

DEPARTMENT 56 UNIVERSAL MONSTERS

If you’re a person who enjoys setting up those porcelain villages for Halloween and Christmas, Department 56 has some really cool Classic Universal Monsters sets that I highly recommend. Introduced initially in Spring of this year, they have issued a Frankenstein figure along with an illuminated windmill.

Joining Frankie is a great looking Wolf Man set that includes the Wolf Man figure, illuminated wagon, graveyard base and moon background.

Also new this year is the Phantom Of The Organ which features a seat animated Phantom that plays creepy organ music.

These figures all join the line that was started last year with the now retired Dracula’s Castle set that included a Bela Lugosi Dracula figure along with the illuminated Dracula’s Castle. These sets average between $50-65 and are very nicely done.

Many of you probably know this info already but there are a number of new Sideshow figures that have been announced since our last column. First up is the ¼ scale mixed media Phantom Of The Opera figure that was sculpted by Matt Falls. The figure looks very good and despite it’s $225 MSRP, I’m very tempted to add this one to my collection. Limited to a run of just 750 pieces, this one is due out by March of 2005.

Joining the ¼ scale assortment is Jason from Freddy Vs. Jason which is sculpted by Brian Dooley. Sideshow has not yet announced just what the limited run for this figure will be, but it is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2005 but it has a MSRP of $275. Can’t say I’m particularly thrilled with the look of this one.

Sideshow has also announced a number of new 12-inch figures. Following the lead of Neca, Sideshow will release a pre-burned Freddy Krueger figure. Limited to a run of 750 pieces, this figure is scheduled for a first quarter 2005 release. I do have to say that I was much more impressed with the Neca pre-burned Freddy. I’m just not overly impressed with the likeness of the Sideshow piece.

Universal fans will be pleased to know that Sideshow is releasing an Invisible Man 12-inch figure in the second quarter of 2005. Again, limited to a run of only 750 pieces, this costumed figure comes complete with jacket, trench coat, muffler, fedora, medical bag and removable nose. Problem is, if you completely undress this figure, you’ll never find it again.

Most recently the great looking Ardeth Bey figure was released and has already sold out at Sideshow but it is still obtainable from a number of online collectible stores.

Many fans are still anticipating the long awaited Hammer Dracula figure soon to be released by Product Enterprise. After much delay, we are anticipating a release sometime this Fall. The sculpt looks like a dead-on accurate sculpt of Christopher Lee who apparently has not approved the figure’s release. Time will tell what happens here.

(From August 2004)

JAKKS UNIVERSAL MONSTERS SERIES 2

The ever-surprising news out of Jakks Pacific is that they have released the Classic Universal Monsters Series 2. Originally this series was supposed to contain a Creature From The Black Lagoon figure as well as a Bela Lugosi Frankenstein frozen in a block of ice, but low and behold, Series Two comes out without any fanfare and it is comprised of Silver Screen Editions of the Series One figures, which were Frankenstein (from The Bride Of Frankenstein), Wolf Man and Dracula.

Odd thing about this set is that while Jakks painted the figures in tones of silver, gray and black, they neglected to change the color of the inside of Count Dracula’s cape, which they still left a bright red. While the packaging of Series Two is much better, adding a "Try This" feature that makes the moon rise on the background of the Wolf Man figure and causes Frankenstein to raise his chained arms, it’s obvious that Jakks has given up the ghost as far as the classic Universal Monsters figures go. Hopefully one of these days a toy company will come along that will treat the Universal Monsters with the respect they most certainly deserve.

If you don’t have or couldn’t find Series One of this set, or if you are a completist that won’t mind the flaw in Dracula’s cape coloring, I’d still recommend picking this set up. Jakks definitely tried to put the "fun" back in the Universal Monster toys and I still can’t help but think that this line certainly had a future if only Jakks had had a bit more confidence in their own product and hyped it just a bit. The MSRP on these were a bit high at $14.99, but if Jakks could have possibly repackaged them and put them out at an MSRP of $9.99, I think it would have made all the difference in the world.

THE NIGHT HE CAME HOME…

Neca Toys has just announced an upcoming line of Halloween figures that includes a Donald Pleasance Doctor Loomis figure. Their Deluxe boxed set features a diorama that spans over 17 inches and includes a Michael Myers figure facing an armed Doctor Loomis. The set also includes a light up jack-o-latern on the porch and yard of the Myers home. The diorama allows each figure to be posed separately or together. This set should certainly find its way into the homes of any fan of the Halloween film series. I’ll definitely be adding this to my toy shelves!

SIDESHOW’S NEWEST RELEASES

Sideshow Collectibles (remember when they were just "toys"?) has just released the Thomas Hewitt as Leatherface figure from last year’s remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I must say that I’m quite impressed with this one. Limited to a run of only 6500, this has quickly sold out at Sideshow but is readily available at other online collectibles websites.

Sideshow’s MSRP is a pricey $45 but we are selling this at just $40 at Monster-Mania. The figure comes with the traditional blood stained chainsaw but also includes a replica of the axe used in the film and comes with a rather impressive looking base.

SPRINGWOOD SLASHER

Just a reminder that Neca Toys has announced a pretty cool exclusive figure that they will feature at three conventions this year. Called "The Springwood Slasher", this is an action figure features a sculpt of the unburned Freddy Krueger. Fans of the Nightmare On Elm Street film know that a group of parents trapped the child killer Freddy Krueger in a basement and burned him alive, after which the nightmares really began. This figure comes with the pre-burned face and hands of Freddy but also has interchangeable burned head and hands. The figure also comes with the rag doll that was shown in the opening scene of last year’s box office hit Freddy Vs. Jason. So far Neca plans to only make this figure available to fans at three different conventions. They are:
San Diego Comicon
Wizard Chicago
Monster-Mania Cherry Hill NJ

(From June 2004)

Not really much to report this month but there is some very exciting news out of Neca Toys. Neca Toys has just announced a pretty cool exclusive figure that they will feature at three conventions this year. Called "The Springwood Slasher", this is an action figure features a sculpt of the unburned Freddy Krueger. Fans of the Nightmare On Elm Street film know that a group of parents trapped the child killer Freddy Krueger in a basement and burned him alive, after which the nightmares really began. This figure comes with the pre-burned face and hands of Freddy but also has interchangeable burned head and hands. The figure also comes with the rag doll that was shown in the opening scene of last year’s box office hit Freddy Vs. Jason. So far Neca plans to only make this figure available to fans at three different conventions. They are:
San Diego Comicon
Wizard Chicago
Monster-Mania Cherry Hill NJ

(From April 2004)

Well, last month just a day or two after publishing the Collector’s Crypt column, I received a phone call from Jakks Pacific domestic toy distributor and was told that I has the opportunity to purchase part of a large order that was cancelled by one of the big domestic retailers. Thrilled to death (or somewhat close to that), I ordered both Series One and Series Two and dashed off a quick update to the column and persuaded our Fearless Editor to post the news as quickly as he could. Now, a month later, in the continuing quest of the monster version of "Where’s Waldo" I’m at a loss to explain just what is going on with the Jakks figures. The figures have been removed from the Amazon website, which can only lead me to believe that they were the company that cancelled the order but I have seen neither "Hyde" nor hair of the order that I was expecting to receive weeks ago. Universal Monster fans can only hope that someday a company will come along that will do our favorite monsters proud in a line of action figures. One can only lament the decision by Sideshow to abandon their line of Universal action figures.

Our friends at Sideshow Collectibles have announced that some more additions to their line of ¼ scale figures. Due out in Sept/Oct is an 18" Freddy Krueger from his latest appearance in Freddy Vs. Jason. It is described as a highly detailed, semi articulated figure that has polystone head and hands, film-authentic costume, flocked removable fedora, and a gloved right hand made with real leather, copper plates and metal blades. This bad boy looks good but comes with the ¼ scale hefty price tag of $225.

Also scheduled for a Sept/Oct release is a 12-inch Jason Voorhees figure from Friday The 13th Part 2, before Jason took up playing hockey. This Jason comes complete with a sack cloth to cover his head (I’ll be good and avoid all the put a bag on their head jokes), pitch-fork, pitch-axe and a machete (all the tools you need for a good massacre). Under the bag the figure has the typical misshapen head that is now familiar with Mrs. Voorhees’ son.

Sideshow also has the license for the Hellboy line, with three different 12-inch Hellboy figures available. They include Hellboy himself, who comes with detailed authentic film costume, belt complete with BPRD logo buckle, pouches, revolver holster, horseshoe and cross with rosary beads along with a base that sports the Hellboy logo.

The second figure in the line is Abe Sapien, who comes with wet suit, utility belt including the BPRD logo buckle, multiple pouches and a map case. The figure includes two interchangeable heads and display stand. The third figure in the line is the supernatural and spectral Kroenen figure that comes in detailed armor, and has two removable masks. He comes with weapons, which include knives and double-bladed baton-swords and sheaths.

(From March 2004)

NEW SIDESHOW REVEALED

Well, Sideshow Collectibles hit the Toy Fair in New York last month and unveiled a few 12-inch action figures that should make the Universal Monster lovers out there smile. Already announced was the Fredric March Mr. Hyde but joining him this year will be a Boris Karloff Ardeth Bey and Lon Chaney as The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Also Sideshow is continuing in their line of quarter scale sculpture with a Bela Lugosi Dracula.

The Mr. Hyde figure is limited to a run of 2000 and for some reason carries a MSRP of $45, $5 more than the usual price of the 12-inch figures (though websites other than Sideshow are selling it cheaper). The Hyde figure comes with costume, cane and base and is due out later this month. The sculpt look pretty impressive. This is one I’m really looking forward to.

Both the Ardeth Bey and Hunchback Of Notre Dame figures carry a MSRP of $40 and again, the sculpts look very accurate. Ardeth is limited to a run of 2000 and comes with a mummy scroll, sacrificial knife, and a 12-inch figure display stand. This figure is due out in July/August. The Hunchback, also limited to a run of 2000 is due out Sept/Oct. and comes with a crown, scepter, cape and 12 inch figure display stand.

Just last month the quarter scale Boris Karloff Frankenstein sculpture hit the streets and I have to say, it’s quite impressive in person. Constructed of a semi-posable wire armature and very accurate clothing. Still, a bit pricey at $225, but again, available cheaper at other websites online.

Recently Sideshow announced the release of the quarter scale Bela Lugosi as Dracula figure, which is limited to a run of 1100. In my opinion, Sideshow just didn’t hit the mark with the head sculpt of Bela. Bela seems to have one of those hard to capture accurately looks. While the sculpt for this figure resembles Lugosi, it’s just not dead-on accurate enough for me to warrant the $225 MSRP. Hopefully some changes will be made from the prototype to help this situation.

Sideshow hasn’t forgotten its recent success with the modern horror figures, with the announcement of the release of Thomas Hewitt as Leatherface from last year’s remake. This figure comes with the higher $45 MSRP and is scheduled for a June/July release. Sideshow is also expanding their licenses to include the new Van Helsing film, characters from the upcoming Hellboy film and Mulder and Scully from The X-Files.

WHERE’S THE JAKKS?

That’s the question a lot of people are asking. Apparently Jakks Pacific has decided not to produce or distribute the first series of Classic Universal Monsters domestically despite earlier promising to do so (and taking wholesale orders for them!). What this means is that they are only available as FOB Hong Kong.

Just one day after publishing the latest article, I received an important call from Jakks Pacific.  Seems that one of the larger retailers who had placed an order for the Classic Universal Monsters Series One and Two had cancelled their order.  Jakks has offered me the opportunity to get these figures, which we are now offering for Pre-Order at www.monstermania.net   We’re expecting to get Series One hopefully late in the second week of March.As explained in this month’s column, Jakks Pacific had made the Classic Universal Monsters available only via FOB Hong Kong, which meant that only orders of large quantities would be made to order and shipped directly from Hong Kong.  This essentially meant that generally only large retailers such as Toys R Us or Target could afford these large quantities.  With the now recent disinterest in the classic monster lines by one of these larger retailers, it may mean that these figures will prove still harder to find in the future.  If you are a person who is interested in getting these figures, my best recommendation is to grab them while you can.

(From February 2004)

GET HAMMERED—THE SEQUEL

Not quite sure how this works, but apparently 12-inch Hammer Horror Dracula figure is not licensed by Christopher Lee. I received an email from the Christopher Lee Website with the heading "Copyright Infringement" that went on to tell me that I was "adverting a Hammer Dracula figure and commercializing it by using Christopher Lee's name. You are not allow to do that. The figure is authorized by Hammer but unauthorized by Christopher. If you have any doubts, please get in touch with your distributor." Needless to say we immediately removed the words "Christopher Lee" from the website and we are now listing the Dracula figure simply as the "Hammer Horror Dracula."

I’m not exactly familiar with how the whole legal end of the copyright laws go, but it sure looks like Christopher Lee to me. Apparently whether it carries his name or not, fan interest is very high. My advice to people who are considering picking up this lil sucker is not to wait to place your Pre-orders, as I would not be the least bit surprised if the lack of a Christopher Lee license for this item eventually has some repercussions on its availability further down the line. Completely a guess on my part. As to whether or not it looks like Mr. Lee, we’ll post a close-up photo here and let you be the judge.

JAKKS CLASSIC MONSTERS SERIES ONE IS OUT

Well, I’m happy to say that I received our first shipment (of many) of the Jakks Universal Classic Monsters this week and I’m really much more impressed with the toys seeing them first hand, rather than just viewing the prototype photos. Though a bit price at a MSRP of $14.99, I definitely think that these are items that are both great for the Universal Monsters collector and kids. Each figure comes packed in a sturdy cardboard box with cellophane windows on three sides.

(From January 2004)

No, I’m not recommending that you really, really enjoy yourself this New Year’s Eve, I’m talking about the upcoming release of the Hammer Horror Christopher Lee 12-inch Dracula figure by Product Enterprises. Overall from just the few photos I’ve seen, I’m quite impressed with the head sculpt of a snarling Christopher Lee. This is the first of what promises to be a series of 12-inch figures in the Hammer Horror Collection. The figure comes packaged in the folding gate box that Sideshow has just about made the standard of the industry and features the half sheet of the first classic Lee Dracula 1958 film (Dracula in the UK, Horror Of Dracula in the US). The figure comes with Jonathan Harker’s diary and a candlestick (I guess even Dracula needs a little light in the dark).

Being the real "HammerHead" that I am, you just know we’re already taking orders for this at Monster-Mania. The figure is sadly limited to a run of only 3500, so this little sucker may quickly become hard to find. The manufacturer suggested price tag is a bit higher than I would like at $49.99 but for a Christopher Lee Dracula, I’ll pay the price. Can’t say that I’d do the same for another figure in this line, but for a Christopher Lee Dracula that looks this good, I’d make an exception. Release date for Drac is scheduled for May 2004, but you know how release dates can be.

Still no photos available of the action figures that will be released for the upcoming Universal film Van Helsing from Jakks Pacific but I do know that they are slated for a March 10^th, 2004 for the 5-inch figures and April 10^th for the 12-inch series release. The 5-inch figures have an MSRP of $5.29 each and the 12-inchers go for $19.99, which only goes to prove that you can sell a 12-inch figure for under twenty bucks and still make a profit. Jakks will be releasing their highly anticipated Classic Monsters series at the end of this month and have already announced plans for a series two.

Jakks seems to be taking their classic monsters line very seriously and have plans for a Bela Lugosi Frankenstein frozen in ice and a Lon Chaney Jr. Frankenstein figure being hit by lightning. Seems that they’ve done their homework. MSRP on series one of the Classic Monsters is $14.99 with an anticipated release on Jan.25, 2004. 2004 is looking like it may be another great year for monster collectors!

(From November 2003)

UNIIVERSAL MONSTERS TOYS

In case you haven’t already heard by now, Jakks Pacific Toys has released the much anticipated photographs of their upcoming Universal Monsters action figures lineup that will be hitting the streets sometime in January/Feb 2004. They are slated to retail for $14.99 each with a second wave of figures due to follow in the Spring of 2004.

Preliminary reaction from monster fans has been mixed. The sculpts are not nearly as accurate a depiction of the actors who played the characters. The Dracula figure particularly doesn’t resemble Bela Lugosi nearly as well as the Sideshow action figure did, but once you get over the disappointment of the likenesses, I think you’ll find that this is a fun set of action figures, particularly for kids. My favorite of the first four would have to be our lovable Gill-Man. The set features Frankenstein bound in the dungeon chair, a Larry Talbot/Wolf man figure that comes with interchangeable parts to transform from human to werewolf form, Dracula who comes complete with his coffin (a very nice touch!) and The Creature From The Black Lagoon.

Not to be outdone, Sideshow surprised many (including myself) by announcing more Universal Monsters 12-inch figures. They have released photos of an absolutely stunning Frederick March as Doctor Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Limited to a run of only 2000, I have to say that this may be my favorite of all the Sideshow 12-inch offerings. Slated for a Feb/March 2004 release, the figure comes with a film-accurate monster portrait, costume and cane. I can’t wait to see this one in person!

Continuing with their modern monsters, Sideshow will be releasing a Leatherface figure from the most recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Sideshow has done extremely well with their lineup of modern monsters, which has rejuvenated new blood into the Sideshow Collectibles Monster division.

Another nice addition to the Sideshow lineup is a 12-inch Vlad The Impaler figure that accurately depicts the 15^th Century Romanian Prince most directly associated with the Dracula legend. This is scheduled to ship in March/April 2004 and makes a nice addition to the Dracula line of the Universal Monsters offered by Sideshow. 

Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of ARMY OF DARKNESS comes a statue based upon the art for the film’s one sheet poster. Sculpted by Gabriel Marquez, this one foot tall statue features Bruce Campbell as the perpetually set upon Ash complete with chainsaw in hand (actually chainsaw ON hand is more accurate). The highly detailed base features the beautiful maiden from the film as well an attacking deadite warrior, three mini-Ashes attacking with cutlery, and car wreckage. This piece is very nicely done, the face sculpts are very accurate (without a doubt one of the best sculpts of Ash that I’ve seen yet) and it is limited to a run of only 1993 (the year of the film’s release). Save your pennies up, this baby goes for $250.

JEEPERS CREEPERS

A company called Factory X is releasing some notable collectibles for fans of the Jeepers Creepers 2 film. They are offering a statue that towers at a 17-inch tall height featuring the Creeper with a 14-inch wingspan perched upon his cross, ready to attack. This piece is limited to only 1000 and retails at $179.99. Factory X is also offering 2 different Jeepers Creepers 2 waterglobes. The first features the Creeper in his human form and retails for $49.95. The second features the Creeper on the cross with wings spread as seven menacing talons grip the globe from the outside. This globe retails at $69.95.

AMC MONSTERFEST FIGURES

Scheduled for a January ‘04 release, these Japanese imports certainly look like they’ll wind up on my shelf. The first is the She Creature from the 1956 film of the same name. I’ve always been hypnotized by the work of Paul Blasdell on the costume for this monster and this toy certainly does not disappoint.

The second figure is "Marty-the three eyed monster" from the 1956 Roger Corman film Day The World Ended. Both figures are limited to a run of only 1000 and look very well done. They retail for $39.99 each. Because these are imports they may be a bit hard to find., but well worth the search. I know we’ll be carrying these for sure at Monster-Mania!

PUPPET MASTERS

Funko, the company that first brought you the Wacky Wobbler lines have just come out with a great new line of Handy Dandy Universal Monster puppets. The first two in the series is the Frankenstein Monster and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The heads are plastic attached to a silk screened cloth body. These have instantly become popular with fans of the Universal Monsters and retail for about $8. Next up should be Dracula and The Bride Of Frankenstein. Definitely a fun toy worth picking up for the price!

(From September 2003)

GIMME SOME SUGAR, BABY

Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of Army Of Darkness comes a statue based upon the art for the film’s one sheet poster. Sculpted by Gabriel Marquez, this one foot tall statue features Bruce Campbell as the perpetually set upon Ash complete with chainsaw in hand (actually chainsaw ON hand is more accurate).

The highly detailed base features the beautiful maiden from the film as well an attacking deadite warrior, three mini-Ashes attacking with cutlery, and car wreckage. This piece is very nicely done, the face sculpts are very accurate (without a doubt one of the best sculpts of Ash that I’ve seen yet) and it is limited to a run of only 1993 (the year of the film’s release). Save your pennies up, this baby goes for $250.

JEEPERS CREEPERS

A company called Factory X is releasing some notable collectibles for fans of the Jeepers Creepers 2 film. They are offering a statue that towers at a 17-inch tall height featuring the Creeper with a 14-inch wingspan perched upon his cross, ready to attack. This piece is limited to only 1000 and retails at $179.99. Factory X is also offering 2 different Jeepers Creepers 2 waterglobes. The first features the Creeper in his human form and retails for $49.95. The second features the Creeper on the cross with wings spread as seven menacing talons grip the globe from the outside. This globe retails at $69.95.

AMC MONSTERFEST FIGURES

Scheduled for a January ‘04 release, these Japanese imports certainly look like they’ll wind up on my shelf. The first is the She-Creature from the 1956 film of the same name. I’ve always been hypnotized by the work of Paul Blasdell on the costume for this monster and this toy certainly does not disappoint. The second figure is "Marty-the three eyed monster" from the 1956 Roger Corman film Day The World Ended. Both figures are limited to a run of only 1000 and look very well done. They retail for $39.99 each. Because these are imports they may be a bit hard to find., but well worth the search. I know we’ll be carrying these for sure at Monster-Mania!

PUPPET MASTERS

Funko, the company that first brought you the Wacky Wobbler lines have just come out with a great new line of Handy Dandy Universal Monster puppets. The first two in the series is the Frankenstein Monster and The Creature From The Black Lagoon.

The heads are plastic attached to a silk screened cloth body. These have instantly become popular with fans of the Universal Monsters and retail for about $8. Next up should be Dracula and The Bride Of Frankenstein. Definitely a fun toy worth picking up for the price!

(From August 2003)

Well Sideshow Collectibles finally released photos of their upcoming 12-inch Creature From The Black Lagoon figure on their website and at the San Diego Comic Con last month. As expected, the doll comes with a rubber wet suit. Sideshow states "the construction of the wet-suit is nearly identical to the original, with separate upper and lower portions.

The body section wet-suit will cover nearly all visible joint lines and stretch to allow for a strong range of posing options. The Creature will also include a fossilized "Creature" hand in 1/6th scale, as well as a support base with The Creature from the Black Lagoon film logo."

Early reviews of the head sculpt are mixed. With the long delay in releasing photos of the prototype, speculation ran rampant, but most collectors’ fears were quelled with the release of the photos. Overall early opinion has been mixed, with the most common complaint being the head sculpt, but I’m sure that the Creature fan will definitely want to add this to his collection.

Please be aware though that Sideshow’s price for this figure is $45, $5 higher than their regular price for the 12-inch line of monsters.

Also unveiled at San Diego Comic Con was the new ¼ scale Karloff Frankenstein Monster. Sideshow once again goes to the Karloff Frankenstein well and pulls out their second of the ¼ scale line of monsters, the first being the Vampyre (Nosferatu). This piece has a posable wire armature inside its body and is slated for an early 2004 release but the price tag on this lil monster is a bit hefty, in the $200 and up range. A bit pricey for what is essentially an 18-inch doll but the likeness looks very good.

RAISIN’ HELL….AGAIN!

Neca has announced that the figures in what will be the second of the very successful Hellraiser line of figures. Series One sold out much quicker than almost anyone had predicted and Neca has wasted no time to cash in on the opportunity. Series two will include the following figures: a second version of Pinhead, Butterball (no, NOT the turkey, sheessshhh!), Skinless Julia (I’m sure you are waiting for a Skinless Frank joke here), Angelique, fire breathing Barbie (nope, I’m not going there!), and Surgeon. Once again Neca has come up with a great idea for the base.

This time the bases put together form the Pillar Of Souls, which was featured in Hellraiser 3: Hell On Earth. Many people were disappointed that there is not a Dr. Channard figure in this series, but I’m sure he’ll find his way into Series 3. All in all, a very solid follow up to the first series and another that will sell out fairly quickly, I’m sure.

(From July 2003)

Our good friend Adam Chiet of Chiet Designs has come up with another great addition to his line of 28-inch Monster Figures. This one features Henry Hull as The Werewolf Of London. In a major step for Chiet Designs, Adam has teamed up with Cortland Hull of the Witches Dungeon and Silver Screen Museum and Archive to present this fully authorized figure.

Those of you who have seen Adam’s astounding figures at the most recent Monster Bash can attest to their incredible look and the outstanding detail that each of these hand-made figures have. Pictures just don’t do them justice. If you haven’t already seen them in person, be sure to look up Chiet Designs at the upcoming Monster-Mania Con and Chiller Theatre Con this coming fall.

The Henry Hull piece will be limited to just 100 figures and each doll comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by both Adam and also Cortland Hull. In a great opportunity to not only get a true authentic collectible, you can also help educate others about the films and history of the Silver Screen as $10 of each of the purchases goes toward the Silver Screen Museum and Archive. You can visit Chiet Designs at http://www.chietdesign.com/ Congratulations, Adam on a job very well done!

Early interest in the upcoming line of Sideshow Collectibles’ Modern Horror Classic figures seems to be really booming! We’ve received lots of Pre-Orders for the Freddy Krueger, Jason and Leatherface 12-inch figures. Not to be left out, Michael Myers has just joined the fray. Sideshow has just released photos of the prototype of the killer from the Halloween series and this, too, looks to be a winner. The Michael Myers doll’s accessories really please me. They include a bloody butcher knife, a pair of eyeglasses, a white sheet (to recreate one of my favorite parts of the film) and a display base.

Limited to a run of 7500, hopefully this line can renew interest in Sideshow Collectibles and curb the trend of poor sales of their monster line. Of course, if Sideshow turns around and offers these figures at half price just a few weeks after their release, it could spell disaster for the future of Sideshow Monster figures as it’s looking more and more like the Creature From The Black Lagoon figure will be the last in their lineup of Universal Monsters.

Majestic Studios is once again promising (or is that threatening?) to release their 12-inch Return Of The Fly doll, that they debuted at the NY Toy Fair two years ago, as part of their Film Freak Figures. They’ve retooled the sculpt a bit, making the head of the fly a tad smaller and thus more true to scale.

Personally this is one figure I have high hopes for but we’ll wait and see what the finished product looks like. Keep your fingers crossed kiddies! Along with The Return Of The Fly, Majestic has plans to release The Creeper figure from the film Jeepers Creepers. I’d consider a name change for the line though, "Film Freak Figures" just doesn’t do it for me. Plans are to release both of these figures in August.

(From June 2003)

UNIVERSAL MONSTERS POSTERS

Three new Universal Monsters posters have just hit the streets and they are really quite impressive. The three featured monsters are Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and The Mummy. Each poster features a large image of the individual monster along with either three or four smaller images. Of the three, my favorite by far is The Wolf Man one, perhaps the best Wolf Man poster I’ve ever seen.

While both Frankenstein and The Mummy have had some spectacular poster art released in the past, it always seemed that so much more could have been done with The Wolf Man. Finally I now have a Wolf Man poster that I can proudly hang alongside the others. The posters measure 23.5 inches by 35.5 inches and have sold extremely well already from our Website. I’m not sure just how long these posters will remain in print, so I would strongly suggest picking them up soon.

Both The Mole Man and Werewolf Of London figures are now shipping from Sideshow Collectibles. The runs on each of these have been reduced to just 1500 each, so I don’t expect that these will wind up for sale around the web at the heavily discounted $20 price that some of the previously released figures are now selling for. The Mummy figure is also another of the more recent Sideshow releases that I don’t expect to see heavily discounted any time soon. Both of these latest editions look good and should nicely round out the Universal Monster collections of the fans of this line.

With no other Universal Monsters figures announced after the Creature From The Black Lagoon, these two figures may be part of the last offerings in the Sideshow Universal Monsters catalog. Don’t wait much longer to order these, with the limited run of 1500, I don’t expect that they’ll be around for very long.

Neca is continuing to add to their upcoming line of modern horror collectibles and is quickly picking up where Sideshow has left off. The Hell Raiser action figure line is widely popular and Neca has just announced that they will release an 18-inch Jason Voorhees figure with motion-activated sound. This is the deteriorated Jason from the later films in the series and comes with a removable hockey mask.

The sculpt features a detailed look at the shoulder blades and spine of the camp ground slasher. Neca will also be releasing a limited edition statue of essentially the same Jason sculpt.

(From May 2003)

SIDESHOW FIRE SALE

Like the Frankenstein monster trapped in the burning windmill, Sideshow Toys is frantically reducing prices on many of the Universal Monsters 12-inch line of figures. They are unloading the following figures at just $20, half of their original MSRP price:

Bela Gypsy, Dwight Frye Renfield, Bela Lugosi Silver Screen Dracula, Boris Karloff Silver Screen Frankenstein, Silver Screen Phantom Of The Opera, Silver Screen London After Midnight, Silver Screen Wolf Man, Dwight Frye Fritz, Lon Chaney Jr. Larry Talbot, the Glenn Strange, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi Frankensteins, Karloff Son Of Frankenstein and Phantom Of The Red Death. At these drastically reduced prices, especially for such new figures as the Son Of Frankenstein and Red Death Phantom, along with the drastic reduction in the quantity of The Mole Man and Werewolf Of London figures, one can only assume that the forthcoming Creature From The Black Lagoon may well be the swan song for the Sideshow line of Universal Monsters.

It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback this situation, but as I said in an earlier column last year, I thought the collecting public would suddenly become much more discerning when Sideshow raised the MSRP price of the 12-inch figures from $20 to $40. While a collector may have considered shelling out $20 to buy a Fritz or Renfield figure that frankly didn’t resemble Dwight Frye that much, that same collector was much mire likely to give those figures a second and third look before paying double that price. The much anticipated Glenn Strange Frankenstein didn’t exactly hit the mark and the release of the three non Karloff Frankensteins at the higher price was a major disappointment to both the collector and the sales of those figures. At times it seemed that Sideshow made some odd choices, putting out a 12-inch Gypsy Bela figure but not a Bela Lugosi Ygor figure. A Lon Chaney Jr. Son Of Dracula figure would have been a nice addition to the line as well as a Colin Clive Doctor Frankenstein and a Ernest Thesinger Doctor Pretorius. In my heart I still believe the decision to move completely away from the

8-inch action figures to the 12-inch generic body dolls was a mistake. Also the absence of a Series 5 Silver Screen set was notable as the Series 5 color set was quite popular and the figures (Bela Lugosi Dracula, Bela Lugosi Ygor and Phantom Red Death) surely lent themselves to the Silver Screen motif, with the possible exception of the Red Death Phantom. This decision also left the 8-inch Silver Screen collector without a completed set of the Silver Screen Universal Monsters run.

Dealers at the recent Chiller Theatre convention in East Rutherford, NJ this past weekend were already matching or beating the reduced prices of the 12-inch Sideshow figures in order to both be competitive with Sideshow as well as reducing their own overstock of these items. Because Sideshow became not only a wholesaler but also their own retail outlet, many of their loyal vendors are now competing with them and are forced to offer Sideshow’s firesale prices in order to retain their own market share. While Sideshow still makes a considerable profit from selling these figures at the $20 price, vendors are barely breaking even when you factor in the inflated shipping costs that Sideshow charges them. The drastically lowered limited edition runs of The Werewolf Of London and Mole Man (1500 each down from 5000) is in part due to the lack of interest and lower order quantities of the dealers. It considerably hurts the dealers when just a few weeks after releasing the Red Death Phantom Of Opera or Son Of Frankenstein, Sideshow slashes the price in half to their online customers. The obvious result of this is a much more cautious vendor when it comes time to order the next figure in the line.

So what does this all mean to you, the collector? Well, initially great prices on the 12-inch line of Universal figures and a great opportunity to fill in those gaps of figures that you weren’t willing to pay the $40 MSRP for. But, in the long run, for the most part it means less quantity of new figures with the exception of the Creature From The Black Lagoon figure(which still has no prototype photo available) and quite possible the eventual death of the Sideshow Universal line. To be honest I’d love to get a call tomorrow telling me that they have decided to release a new series of 8-inch action figures as well as lowering the MSRP on all forthcoming 12-inch Universal Monsters to $25, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for that phone call. More likely, Sideshow will end the line with the release of the 12-inch Creature From The Black Lagoon or shortly thereafter. I’d still like to see a 12-inch Bela Lugosi Ygor figure before they end their run but I haven’t had any word at all on that happening. The sad thing is, I definitely think that the Sideshow Universal line can be saved with a few changes made and a new approach to the market. Maybe Sideshow should look to hire a consultant to revitalize the monsters one more time?

THE SHAPE

As of the writing of this column, details are sketchy but Sideshow is promising to release a Michael Myers 12-inch figure along with their line of Modern Horror Classics, along with Jason, Leatherface and Freddy Krueger. The Myers figure is slated for an October release, one month after the release of the other three. 

(From April 2003)

X-Plus Toys, already known for some great looking Ray Harryhausen and also Godzilla figures will soon be unleashing their latest license titled the AMC Monsterfest Collection. This series will feature some of the famous monsters from the AIP movie titles. The first three figures come from the films The She-Creature, War Of The Colossal Beast and Day The World Ended. These will be 8-inch vinyl action figures and the MSRP of each figure is $16.99. I’m really looking forward to this line, most especially the She Creature, which is one of my favorite monster costumes in all of horror film history. These are scheduled for a release sometime in May. Knowing the quality of X-Plus’ other releases, I’m sure this set will not disappoint.

Sideshow Toys has recently announced that they are cutting back the limited editions of both the Werewolf Of London 12-inch figure as well as the 12-inch Mole Man. Originally scheduled for a run of 5000 each, the run has been drastically reduced to just 1500 of each figure. I’ll leave it for the gypsies to read the tea leaves on this one but I think the lack of Universal Monsters product at Sideshow’s Toy Fair appearance just about says it all. Sideshow recently started taking Pre-Orders for their Creature From The Black Lagoon figure and the MSRP on that one is listed at $45 but so far Sideshow has not revealed a prototype for the figure. Other on-line dealers offer the figure much cheaper on Pre-Orders, though there is no telling when the actual release date of this will be. Sideshow is saying that it will feature a rubber wet-suit that is identical to the one used for the original costume, with separate upper and lower portions. This wet suit will cover all the doll’s joints but still allow for articulation. The Creature figure also will come with a fossilized "Creature" hand and molded base featuring the movie logo.

CREATURE WALKS THIS WAY

Sideshow is scheduled to release The Creature Walks figure this month, one of the more popular figures to be released by Sideshow in quite some time. Fortunately the demand of Pre-Orders and dealer’s orders kept this Limited Edition run to 5,000.

(From March 2003)

UNIVERSALLY DISAPPOINTING TOY FAIR NEWS

Looks like it’s not going to be a spectacular year for new Universal Monsters figures. Sideshow Toys attended the recent NY Toy Fair and had some of their latest offerings for 2003 but other than the already announced Werewolf Of London, Mole Man and Creature Walks Among Us 12-inch figures, there were just a few new figures announced.

As foretold here last issue, Sideshow will be offering a 12-inch Creature From The Black Lagoon figure but fans were disappointed that there was no prototype available of this at the show. In Sideshow’s defense, they never really promised that they would have a prototype ready, but as word quickly spread throughout the collector’s market about the forthcoming figure, Sideshow decided to make the announcement at the Toy Fair in order to substantiate the rumors. Sadly, there were no other 12-inch Universal Monster figures or action figures announced, but Sideshow will be offering an 18-inch Graf Orlok figure that will be available in June. This color figure has a soft body houses a poseable wire armature that allows for basic re-positioning of the pose to your desired taste. A stonework stand is also included for sturdy support of the figure when on display. This figure is limited to a run of just 700 but comes with a hefty price tag of $150.

As mentioned last month, Sideshow is moving into the modern horror collectibles market with 12-inch versions of Freddy Krueger, Jason and Leatherface. Photos of all three of these prototypes are on the Sideshow website and all three look very accurate. I’m sure fans of the modern horror classics will be very happy with each of these. Each figure is limited to a run of 7500 apiece.

I hate to say it, but it looks like Sideshow’s interest in the Universal Monsters line is waning. After the release of the new Creature From The Black Lagoon figure, it may be time for Sideshow to turn over the Universal Monsters license to someone else who may be more willing to pursue the license more aggressively.

This is not meant as a slight at all to Sideshow, after all, they have provided us with the best Universal Monsters collectibles that I can ever remember and revitalized the interest of collectors in the monsters and films that we all love so dearly. I doubt that we would have ever seen a line of 12-inch Vincent Price figures from Neca if it were not for the success of the Sideshow Universal Monsters line. While I would love to see a 12-inch Bela Lugosi Ygor figure as well as a Colin Clive Doctor Frankenstein (not to mention a new series of action figures), it seems that Sideshow is interested in pursuing other licenses now that they have released the major characters from the Universal universe. We can only thank them for the excellent collectibles that they have already offered us and pick up the new releases.

It may be time for another company to take a shot at the Universal Monster lineup, possibly delving back into the 8-inch action figure category. To be honest, I’ve never really been a big fan of the 12-inch line of dolls though I do think that Sideshow did the best that they could with them. All in all, the 12-inch figures are still dolls and they come with the limitations that dolls have. I’ll take a sculpted action figure over a generic body 12-inch doll any day. Hopefully, the upcoming release of the fully sculpted 12-inch Creature From The Black Lagoon figure will either bode the dawn of fully sculpted 12-inch offerings by Sideshow or serve as their swan song for the Universal Monsters line.

BARGAINS, BARGAINS, BARGAINS

Bargains on Sideshow figures seem to be popping up in local Sun Coast video stores as well as on the Internet. Some of the most recent 12-inch figures such as The Masque Of The Red Death Phantom, Bride Of Frankenstein figures and the Outer Limits series are popping up on the Internet for well below their original $40 price tag. At Monster-Mania we are offering a Blow Out Sale with many of these figures at greatly lowered prices. You can visit the Blow Out Sale here.

(From February 2003)

MISFITS AND MUMMIES AND CREATURES

I thought we’d try something a little bit different this month as we anxiously await the news from this year’s Toy Fair Convention in NY later this month. Along with covering the latest news from the big companies, we’re going to take a visit with an artist who puts hisr heart and soul into his work, which is more a labor of love than a burgeoning business with account execs and wholesale contracts. But first, the news from the biggies.

The Sideshow 12-inch Boris Karloff Mummy was recently released. Finally fans of the bandaged one have a collectible that they can be proud to add to their dungeon walls. The Mummy head sculpt is very well done and the box of course features the beautiful one sheet painting from the original Universal film. This one is light years ahead of the awful Mummy doll that was released by Hasbro some years ago. Definitely one to add to your collection.

My favorite Sideshow collectible in a long time is the full scale Zanti Misfits from what many consider to be the best episode of the Outer Limits. The Zantis were issued as a set, one figure being the Zanti Regent and the other is the Zanti Prisoner. I’ve been waiting all my life it seems for a Zanti Misfit figure ever since I saw the episode on it’s original airing back in 1963 (isn’t that when dinosaurs roamed the earth?) Well, my wait is over and I have to say, it was worth it! The figures look fantastic, the sculpts are very accurate and I just couldn’t be happier! As soon as they arrived, I popped open the box and threw the episode into my DVD player. Sideshow really hit the bullseye with this set! All in all, a good month for Sideshow collectibles.

The much anticipated The Creature Walks figures would be more aptly named The Creature Crawls….backwards. The release date of this figure has been pushed back again but fans of the Gill-Man have other good news on the horizon. I was sworn to secrecy with this but because other vendors have already left the fish…er….cat out of the bag and listed this on their websites for Pre-Orders, it’s safe to say that the word is already out about the latest addition to the Sideshow line-up. The Creature From The Black Lagoon 12-inch figure is slated for an August/September release! This figure will be unlike the other Sideshow 12-inchers because the entire doll will be specifically sculpted rather than just the head and hands. My biggest complaint about the Sideshow 12-inch line was that they used the same basic body for all figures, which meant that your Dwight Frye Fritz figure was just as large as your Glenn Strange Frankenstein Monster. With the Creature, Sideshow will be sculpting the entire body to resemble the Gill-Man. You can expect a hopefully slight increase in price for this one but believe me, this is the one 12-inch figure that will really stand out from the crowd. Some websites are already taking orders. Don’t wait on this one, Pre-Order them wherever you can.

IT’S HAMMER TIME!

Well, someone has finally licensed some Hammer figures and I couldn’t be more jealous! A company called Product Enterprise debuted their upcoming 12-inch Christopher Lee as Dracula figure at the UK Toy Fair this past week and by all accounts it looks great! This figure is scheduled for release later this year as a two-pack along with a Peter Cushing Van Helsing figure. More info on this as it develops!

SATURDAY AFTERNOON MONSTERS

Well, now it’s time to take a look at a small company that has a black heart at its soul and couldn’t be happier about it. Chiet Design is owned and operated by Adam Chiet, a renowned artist and sculptor who has done work for amusement parks among other clients. Chiet Design has just announced the release of Saturday Afternoon Monsters, their line of 28-inch figures depicting new versions of the classic monsters. Each of these dolls is 100% hand made, with simulated hair and fully clothed.

Though I’m a real stickler for authentic looking monsters, I have to say that I’m quite impressed with one figure in particular in this line, The Count. With obviously a dash of Lugosi thrown in for good measure, this figure reminds me a bit of the Dracula puppet in Mad Monster Party. The other two figures in this lineup are Frankenstein and The Wolf Man, but Adam is promising the release of his version of the 1950’s Fly. If you want to support someone who truly loves the monsters, stop by his Website.

(From January 2003)

I’M BAAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKK!

My apologies for missing last month’s column. Seems my computer gets jinxed every year around Thanksgiving. This year a fried motherboard was the culprit. Thankfully, all is well and I’m back at the keyboard. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration!

Well, let’s delve into the recent goings-on in the world of horror movie collectibles. Since the last column, the Phantom Of The Opera Red Death and Son Of Frankenstein 12-inch figures have come out, mainly to great accolades. The sculpts of both figures were very well done, though some feel that Sideshow went to the Frankenstein well one too many time with yet another version of the monster. Still, I really like this entry in the Frankenstein series. How can ya squawk about a monster in a fur coat (well, unless you’re a member of PETA-but I doubt we’d see anyone spraying red paint on this guy’s ensemble). The Son Of Frank figure comes complete with the arm of the Inspector Krogh, who was played so well in the film by Lionel Atwill. The figure from the film that screams to be made is a Bela Lugosi Ygor figure. Clearly the most popular of the Series 5 action figure set, the Ygor character is near and dear to the hearts of many Lugosiphiles.

Sideshow is also releasing another version of the Ash figure from the Army Of Darkness line. This one is called "S-MART ASH" and is only available online directly from Sideshow. Dealers are allowed to purchase these figures from Sideshow, but Sideshow is offering no discount at all. Also, as part of a "web exclusive", Sideshow is offering a S-Mart price marker gun for the first 250 web orders. As predicted, Sideshow is starting to pull away from their wholesalers once more. One can only guess when they will totally become a retailer with only affiliates rather than wholesalers. What that means to you, the consumer, is more of a set price rather some of the discounts that you can receive by purchasing Sideshow product elsewhere on the web.

TIME TO PLAY

Neca continues its venture into horror film collectibles with a number of new products in its Reel Toys division. String lights featuring Jason, Leatherface, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Freddy Kruger are hitting the stores and look great! Word has it that they have signed a license for the Cenobites from the very popular Hellraiser series. First up is a fantastic looking statue of Doug Bradley as Pinhead, the lead cenobite. This fully painted resin statue stands over 15 inches tall and is limited to 1000 pieces. Each kit includes a numbered and Certificate Of Authenticity signed by Doug Bradley and the sculptor, Kyle Windrix. The box for this item is holographically numbered. The pins are made of real metal and the sculpt looks quite good. I know I’ll have to get one of these for my oldest son and I think I want one for my own collection. MSRP on this little biter is $120 and it is due out this coming February. Neca is also releasing those cute little Gremlins, Gizmo and Stripe in plush form (just don’t get them wet!). Each one comes in its own crate. No word yet on when we’ll see the much anticipated Vincent Price Doctor Phibes figure.

(From November 2003)

SIDESHOW SHIPPING

Not really a lot of news this month in regards to the horror collector’s market so I’ll keep this brief as I write this on Halloween night, after just having seen the reconstructed London After Midnight on TCM. Sideshow has begun shipping the Son Of Frankenstein and Masque Of The Red Death 12-inch figures. Sideshow is continuing to offer certain figures at a deep discount to dealers but they are requiring an investment of at least 6 cases per figure. Sideshow also has recently advertised deep discounts on many of their slower moving figures.

Seems to me that the general feeling out in collector land is that people are willing to spend $20-25 per figure, but the $40 price tag on many of the recently released dolls is just to high for many people, more or less as I predicted. I’m sure they will do well with the Masque Of The Red Death and Son Of Frankenstein figures, but people are much less willing to spend the $40 on some of the secondary figures such as Renfield or Fritz. Dealers such as myself are matching or bettering the discounted figures offered by Sideshow. Curiously Sideshow has posted a message on their website warning people not to buy their figures from their wholesale dealers on Ebay.

It appears to me that Sideshow is moving closer and closer to the point of becoming a retail operation, eliminating their dealers completely. First they started the unusual practice of shipping out their retail orders before they ship their wholesale orders to dealers, then they raise the dealer’s cost by cutting back their discounts and now the Ebay warning.

POLAR LIGHTS MODELS

At the recent Chiller Theatre convention, we did very well with some of the latest Polar Lights offerings. We completely sold out of our Land Of The Giants snake diorama model kit as well as both the Johnny Lightning diecast Fifties and Sixties Batmobile model kits. Both of these diecast cast come pre-painted in a very attractive window box that can be used for display once the kit is assembled.

The re-issue of the old Aurora Bat Plane didn’t sell nearly as well, but it’s still a very nice kit to add to your collection if you were ever a fan of the caped crusader. Polar Lights promises more Bat Man related kits such as the Bat Boat and Bat Cycle along with one of the favorite kits of my youth, Spiderman. This kit features Spidey on the banister shooting a web at the fallen Kraven The Hunter. PL will also be re-issuing the Incredible Hulk kit and a Star Trek Enterprise kit as well.

Sadly, no announcements have been made by Polar Lights of any monster kit re-issues. When oh when am I ever going to see that Jekyll and Hyde kit? Is anyone at Polar Lights listening? 

From October 2002)

RAVEN’ ‘BOUT VINNIE

The latest entry into the horror film collectibles field has hit the streets. The 12-inch Vincent Price as Doctor Erasmus Craven figure arrived this past week and I have to say that for being the inaugural figure in a proposed line of Vincent Price dolls and collectibles, I’m fairly impressed. The head sculpt looks dead-on accurate. I showed one of the figures to a friend of mine who has no interest at all in horror movies and she knew immediately that it was Vincent Price, so that’s saying something. The clothes fit fairly well, which is one of my pet peeves about dolls. I know some people prefer to call these 12-inch specimens "figures" but if it looks like a doll and dresses like a doll, it’s a "doll" in my book, though I do use the words "figure" and "doll" interchangeably when talking about these lines of collectibles. Anyway, Neca didn’t do badly when they came out with this one, especially for their first time issuing a figure. The box is collector-friendly, which means you can easily open it without damaging the package. The package is very colorful, though a bit flimsy, certainly not up to the standards that Sideshow has set. The box art features an altered version of the movie one sheet for the film, deleting the heads of Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre from the original poster. No folding gate box cover here, this is the open cellophane window on the front with the one sheet shown on the back.

This is not to say that the doll or package is without flaws. The first thing I noticed was the hands. I hate them. The fingers are extended very wide and the whole hand just appears to be too thin. It looks like Peter Lorre squashed them under a heavy weight. More importantly, many of the boxes I received had smears of flesh colored paint on the inside of the window box, in front of the face of the figure. It’s my best guess that the doll does not sit deep enough back from the cellophane window and that they placed the dolls inside the box while the paint was not yet fully dried.

Still, I highly recommend this figure for those classic monster collectors and Vincent Price fans out there, especially at the average price tag of just $25 on the net. This is the price that the Sideshow figures sold so well at, before they made the jump up to the $40 price range. At $25, I can be more forgiving of the minor flaws in the packaging and credit Neca for a very good first attempt. I eagerly await the next in this line of figures, which Neca promises will be from the film The Abominable Doctor Phibes. Keep in mind, folks that we are firmly planted in the second wave of famous monsters of filmland collectibles and count your blessings. Enjoy it, it has been a long time coming!

"THERE’S SOMETHING OUT THERE"

Also this week the Sideshow 12-inch Gremlin from the classic Richard Matheson penned Twilight Zone episode Nightmare At 20,000 Feet arrived. Tough call on this one, I’d say. After seeing the Vincent Price packaging, I better appreciated the job that Sideshow does and this figure even comes with a doll stand with the Twilight Zone logo on it. The sculpt is extremely accurate, again a spot on likeness of the head of the gremlin that tortured a young William Shatner while tearing up the wing of the airplane. The problem is, I was never really thrilled with the rest of the costume for the monster in the show. Because he crouched over on the wing of a plane that was traveling through clouds and heavy rain, you never really got an extended glimpse of just how plain the costume was.Here, in the box without any precipitation, you realize just how bland the costume was.

While Sideshow accurately depicts the mask and costume of the creature, I just don’t know if I can really recommend this one to anyone but the avid Twilight Zone collector. If it was closer to the $25 price range I’d probably be a bit more willing but at the $35 MSRP (Sideshow lowered the price on this one by $5 off the MSRP of the rest of their latest lines of 12-inch figures), I’d have to think about it.

GOT A LIGHT?

For fans of modern horror, I’ve got something for your next Halloween party. Neca is coming out with string sets of 10 lights, featuring plastic light covers of some of your favorite contemporary monsters. These light sets are similar to the very popular Creature From The Black Lagoon lights that I’ve been selling for years on the website and also at the conventions we go to. Neca’s line of lights includes the goalie masked Jason from the Friday The 13^th film series, Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare On Elm Street films, Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series and even a set of Jack Skeleton lights from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Previously there had been a set of Jason lights that were offered as a promotion for one of the films and that proved to be a very popular collectible. I would expect these sets to sell very well.

I know that this has nothing to do with collectibles, but in case you haven’t already heard, Turner Movie Classics will be offering London After Midnight at 8PM on Halloween night. This isn’t the lost film, but perhaps the closest that we’ll ever get to seeing it. They have painstakingly put together stills from the film using the original script as a basis and even added movement to some degree to the photos, essentially creating a version of the film. Now, I realize this is not of course, an offering of the film in its original state, but personally I’m happy, make that THRILLED to be seeing this in any form. Hats off to TMC for a job very well done!

On a personal note, my oldest son and I are about to embark into the field of horror movie and collectibles conventions, with the first ever such endeavor in the Philadelphia area. Please stop by our Website for full details.

As of press time, we’ve secured a number of classic Universal, Hammer and even some modern stars with some big names as yet to be announced. This is our first time entering into a field that is so widely represented in a number of areas and we thought that it was time to drag Philly and South Jersey into that realm. Special thanks go to Ron Adams of Monster Bash and Kevin Clement of Chiller Theatre for all their advice and mentoring. You guys are the best! 

(From September 2002)

Sideshow has announced more new releases, including two new Outer Limits 12-inch dolls. These are Andro from The Man Who Was Never Born and The Helosian from O.B.I.T. No target release dates have been announced. They have also announced the release of the Werewolf Of London 12-inch figure, scheduled for a March/April 2003 release. 

(From August 2002)

UP ON THE SOAPBOX

Wow, just realized that this is my 30^th issue of this column. Time sure does fly when you having a good time. Lots of news this time around so we’ll start off with the latest info from Sideshow.

Recently Sideshow has changed their pricing policy to dealers which may result in less bargains around the net and in your favorite local store. Sideshow has raised their prices to dealers 10% for anything less than 5 cases of the same figure. For more than 5 cases of the same figure, it will cost an additional 5%. The increase may not sound like very much but consider that a case of 6 dolls that used to cost a dealer $120 will now cost a dealer $144 or $4 more per figure and that is before paying shipping costs that average about $10 per case when shipped here to the East Coast. Now the same figure that used to cost the dealer $20 will now cost the dealer $24 before shipping. Adding in the average of $1.66 for shipping each figure, we’ve now reached a grand total at cost of $25.66 per figure. What particularly hurts the dealer is that even if they have ordered say 10 cases of one figure, if they should decide they need another case or two after the initial order, they still will pay the higher cost of the one additional case, irregardless of how many total cases of the particular figure they may have ordered previously. Initially Sideshow was strictly a wholesale business but in recent years they decided to become a retailer as well, basically competing against their own wholesalers who initially supported their line of products when the first series of action figures came out. Dealers who find themselves competing with Sideshow for the customer that the dealer may have even introduced to Sideshow’s product line have sometimes attempted to sell below Sideshow’s price of $40 per 12-inch doll (at Monster-Mania we currently offer the $40 dolls for just $32 with one set $6 shipping fee no matter how many items you order) in order to retain our own customers.

Now those dealers may find it very hard to offer any type of discount below Sideshow’s MSRP, strictly due to these new increased prices. Sideshow cites the increase in the cost of the plastic used to manufacture these figures as one of the main contributing factor in the dealer price increase. However, this price increase effects only the dealers directly as the MSRP still remains the same. This all translates into either less profit made by the dealers (believe me, a profit of $6.34 on an investment of $25.66 is not very good margin) or higher dealer prices, moving many of the discounted prices closer to Sideshow’s $40 price. I hate to say this, but I can foresee a time somewhere in the future that Sideshow may move out of the entire wholesale business and be the sole source of obtaining their product, other than the affiliate program that they are now offering. With the affiliate program, much like that offered by Amazon some time ago, a person gets a certain small percentage of the sale of a product from Sideshow’s website.

Now, believe me, I don’t expect anyone to greatly sympathize with dealers of monster toys and I’m certainly not trying to say anything negative about Sideshow Toys but what this does mean to you, the collector, is that there will certainly be less bargains of Sideshow product on the net and with less competition from their own wholesale customers, Sideshow will have a bit freer hand to universally dictate the prices of their product. Many customers were turned off by the jump in price of the 12-inch Sideshow dolls from the $25 price to the $40 price point. This recent increase in dealer’s cost, though not nearly as drastic as the previous MSRP jump, will certainly have its effects felt throughout the monster collectibles world. What it means to me as a dealer is that I’ll be less inclined to take a chance on a buying a few cases of a doll such as the Dwight Frye Fritz or the Lon Chaney Jr. Larry Talbot doll or the new double set of the Twilight Zone Eye Of The Beholder figures.

I do try to get at least a case of every new Sideshow 12-inch doll that is in the horror/sci-fi field, mainly so that I can supply my own customers who want to have a complete collection. In the long run, I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually doesn’t reduce the overall amount of Sideshow dolls actually sold. Whereas I believe some people may be willing to pay $32 for a Dwight Frye Fritz doll I think that they would be a bit more reluctant to shell out $40 for one. Time will tell, I guess. I’ll get off my soapbox now and move ahead into the news.

NEW SIDESHOW PRODUCT ANNOUNCED

Sideshow has officially announced the two products I told you about last month, namely the Creature Walks Among Us and Boris Karloff The Mummy 12-inch figures. Each of these dolls will come in the folding gate box featuring the fantastic one sheet artwork for both films. This is the first version in the 12-inch size of the popular Creature From The Black Lagoon figure but many fans are still anticipating the eventual release of the Creature in his original form. Still, I expect this Creature to be a very popular addition to the Universal Monsters Collection offered by Sideshow. The Creature Walks head sculpt by Mat Falls looks great and the figure comes with a gas container and a round boat torch. The Mummy figure, also sculpted by Matt comes with the sacred parchment of life scroll and a limestone box with lid. Both figures are slated for November/December releases.

Also announced recently was the latest additions to the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits lineups. From the classic Richard Matheson penned TZ episode titled The Invaders that starred a non-verbal Agnes Morehead comes a one to one scale size version of the one of the spacemen. Once again, this item was sculpted by Mat Falls (Mat seems to be a very busy guy!) and accurately depicts the rotund little spacemen that Agnes Morehead’s character seemed to find so tormenting. This figure is limited to a run 5,000. Though the original Twilight Zone was one of my very favorite programs and this episode one of the very best of the series, I have to wonder just how popular this collectible is going to be at the $40 price tag. Being the Twilight Zone and Richard Matheson fan that I am, I’ll be adding this to my collection but while fans are willing to pay for a doll that depicts a "Brand Name" actor such as Karloff or Lugosi, I’m anxious to see how an item like this will fare in the market.

The recently revealed Outer Limits figure is from my favorite of all Outer Limits episodes, The Zanti Misfits, featuring loudly buzzing crawling insects with elongated human-like heads. Turns out that these Misfits (from which the rock band The Misfits derived their name) are actually criminals on their planet who were sent to Earth to be destroyed by humans because on their planet the government cannot commit capital punishment. Sideshow has followed in the path of their recently released Eye Of The Beholder figures, offering two Zanti Misfits on one large package that will retail for $70. Personally I just as with the Eye Of The Beholder figures, I would have preferred to have the ability to buy just one of these figures and forego a boxed set of two figures that look pretty much alike.

A number of customers have asked me if they could buy just the doctor figure from the Eye Of The Beholder set, but the doctor and nurse figures come packaged together in one box. Quite a nice package it is, complete with the folding gate box and even doll stands with the Twilight Zone logo for each d