31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: Tower of Fear from Mezco's Monsters: 5 Points by Mezco

 

   Today I'm really excited to check out the Mezco's Monsters Tower of Fear, a very classic feeling monster playset that was released earlier this year as part of Mezco's 5 Points. I've had this set in hand for about 5 months now and it's certainly a very unique and cool set. If you're not familiar with Mezco's 5 Points, they're essentially retro action (ReAction) styled action figures with better, more modern sculpts. This set is really quite neat and there's a lot I love about it, including the incredible art on the box (which is almost 2 feet tall). The figures are all top tier and blow away pretty much every other retro styled figure out of the water. They're much more in the vein of the now vintage McFarlane's Monsters than the ReAction figures released by Funko or Super7. If I were reviewing this set on the basis of the figures alone they would all receive the highest marks. They're not the Universal Monsters but when you have Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, a Werewolf, the Mummy, and a Sea Creature all in one place at one time, who do you think of?

   So, the figures are great, but what about the Tower of Fear itself? A lot of people who have purchased it and reviewed it seem to be surprised that the playset and the various elements like the coffin, sarcophagus, and lab equipment, are all made from cardboard. I knew the playset was cardboard though I didn't realize that the stuff like the coffin and sarcophagus were cardboard as well. I read back at some of the press releases and advertisement pages on multiple sites and I do agree that it wasn't always clear that the set was cardboard. Now, the set originally retailed for around $95 dollars, so getting five retro action figures and a full plastic playset for that price does seem to be a bit of a stretch, but I guess it was possible. There's still a lot of spooky fun to be had here, though, particularly if you go in with managed expectations. Want to check out Mezco's take on five of the main monsters? Then join me after the break...

The Facts: Sea Creature

Height: 3 5/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head.

Accessories: 2 seaweed strands, fossilized skull, and display stand.

The Facts: Werewolf

Height: 3 5/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel neck.

Accessories: Skull, 2 bones, and display stand.

The Facts: Dracula

Height: 3 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel neck.

Accessories: Bat creature mask, display stand, and 2 piece coffin.

The Facts: Frankenstein's Monster

Height: 4 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head.

Accessories: Top of head, brick and chain, display stand, 2 lab equipment consoles, 2 electrode attachments, 1 lab table, and 1 bendable cord. 

The Facts: The Mummy

Height: 3 5/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel thighs, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head.

Accessories: 2 canopic jars, cobra, necklace, scroll, 2 piece sarcophagus, and display stand.

The Facts: Tower of Fear

Dimensions: 18 inches tall, 14 1/2 inches wide, 10 1/2 inches deep.

Accessories: Everything listed with the monsters above (plus the figures), 4 plastic cobweb fasteners, balcony, staircase, balcony, and 2 columns.

Non-Scalper Price: $85- $95 dollars

The Positives:

* Let's start by checking out the Sea Creature. No, this guy isn't officially the Gill-Man or anything, but, c'mon, Sea Creature? I smell what you've got brewing in your cauldron, Mezco! This is a really nice figure. I actually have the Mezco 5 Points Pink Skulls as they came packaged with a Gomez figure I picked up at a toy shop one time, so I kind of knew what to expect here. These are some very high quality figures! Yeah, the articulation is limited, but the sculpt, paintwork, and plastic quality are top notch. He reminds me a bit of a Deep One from the Lovecraft stories (at least how they're popularly portrayed) with a very unhuman and fish-like head. His body is wonderfully scaly and the almost metallic bluish-green color reminds looks just a bit wet with a nice sheen to it. Up-close it looks like the body of an insect when you look at a beetle or something.

* The Sea Creature from the Black Lagoon has wonderfully yellow eyes and some tiny but sharp teeth. I love how his head is just so unusual looking and juts out from his body at an unhuman angle. He's quite an interesting take on the character. 

* Here's a shot from behind so you can see the creature's fins, more of his scaly skin, and the rather cool textured sides that seem to sit between his scales. It's an interesting design that really puts a unique stamp on this guy.

* Take a gander at the Sea Creature's claws, too. Those are pretty nasty!

* This set has some really cool accessories for each figure. Mezco did a nice job with everything included here. First up is a pretty long strand of seaweed for the Sea Creature. It fits over his head, rests on his arm, and just looks pretty cool, like he's just wandered out of the briny depths. 

* The second piece of seaweed is a bit smaller and just fits over one of his arms. Not as big as the other, but combine them together and he's really looking murky. 

* There's also a fossilized skull of another Sea Creature. It's a neat little prop to have around in your diorama. 

* The Wolfman is my favorite of the Universal Monsters and I'm just a real fan of werewolves in general. This guy is great! He's not out of place here or anything but he does seem like a bit more of a character than the other guys in the set. I think it's the blue suit. It just really livens him up, don't you think? He just looks so darn dapper, even with it ripped open. The color is excellent and really makes this guy pop in the display. 

* Eyes? Glowing gold. Teeth? Sharp and menacing. Mouth? In a snarl. Ears? Alert and pointy. Nose? Cold and wet. Hair? Perfect. 

Awoooohoooo!!!

* The werewolf has wolfed out so much that his jacket no longer fits! "Fat wolf in a little coat. Fat wolf in a little coat."

   He's got rips and tears in other places, too, mostly on his arms. 

* I love how his feet are nice and lupine with curved hocks. He's also sporting some wicked looking nails. 

* The werewolf comes with a few bits and pieces left over from one of his victims: A skull, a tibia, and a fibula. They've clearly been gnawed a bit and they look pretty darn grotesque, don't you think?

* Now this guy isn't just a vampire; he's Dracula! He's a rather different looking Dracula, though. He definitely is more Vlad the Impaler than Bela Lugosi, but I love getting some different looks for characters like this. His limbs seem somewhat elongated, kind of like Graf Orlak from Nosferatu, and his fingers are certainly long and pointy. His skin has a very unhealthy pallor to it as well. The coat is quite unique. Stylish, but very authoritarian. 

* Dracula looks like a blend of Graf Orlok and pictures of Vlad the Impaler, particularly his hair style. 

* His coat has some nice paintwork on it, particularly with some great dry brushing on all sides to add some depth and age to it. 

* Mezco's Dracula can change into a bat! This is crazy looking and reminds me of something from Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula. The bat transformation is a piece that slides over Dracula's head and torso, kind of like the monster suits for the bad guys in the vintage Swamp Thing toyline. 

* We watched the Hugh Jackman Van Helsing film a month or two ago, a film I hadn't seen in around 20 years, and this take on Dracula reminds me a little bit of the Dracula from that film as he also transforms into a massive bat creature. 

* The wings add some bulk to the figure and they look a bit ragged and beaten up. I guess Van Helsing has gotten a few good hits in on this guy so far. 

* Dracula comes with a coffin. Now, let me state that it is cardboard, but it's a sturdier cardboard, maybe laminated? It's not just a super cheap material. It feels more like something you'd use in a high quality boardgame, if that makes sense. The woodgrain art is nice on this piece and there is printing on all sides. The lid comes off and on easily and Drac can easily hang out inside. 

* Next up is Frankenstein's Monster, or just Frankenstein, as that's completely an appropriate name for him, too. The Monster reminds me a lot of the old McFarlane Monsters Frankenstein figure but with the outfit Boris Karloff wore in Son of Frankenstein. I love the furry vest and the long exaggerated limbs. 

* The portrait is wonderful. I love the ghastly green skin, the plethora of stitches, and the deep, sunken eyes. 

* Also like the vintage McFarlane's Monsters Frankenstein figure which I mentioned earlier, the top of this guy's head is also removable to reveal his brain. The brain isn't removable (the Mcfarlane's Monsters Monster has a removable brain) but the sculpt and paintwork here is pretty well done.

* Here's a shot from the back so you can see the Monster's furry shirt better and the ports on the back and sides of his neck. These are so you can hook him up to the machinery (which I'll get too shortly). 

* Check out those long, creepy fingers and hands riddled with bolts and stitches. This guy is wild!

* To help keep him in place so he doesn't go wandering off Mezco gave the Frankenstein Monster a big ol' block of cement which can be chained to his foot. Or maybe it's a stone from the wall that he simply yanked out, just carrying the chain with him. Frankie's typically built like an ox. 

* Some of Dr. Frankenstein's lab equipment is still hanging around and it's here for you to utilize. It's made from a shiny, waxy or laminated cardboard and it has a lot of color and some cool graphics on it. There are two consoles with electrodes sticking out the top (they're cardboard also and slide into the back of the consoles). They're different from what's shown on the box and the advertising images, but they're still similar enough that you probably won't mind. 

* There is a bendable wire that can plug into multiple places on the consoles to attach to any of the nodes on the Monster's body. Oddly enough, there is only one wire (which seems to be a problem with every set, not just mine). It's a cool feature, though.

* Last up is the Mummy. Interestingly, there are places in the castle that seem to be tailored to all of the monsters except the Mummy. I wonder how he got here? He's an awesome looking figure with some incredibly detailed bandages, though they're not perfect; there are many patches of his ancient and moldy skin showing through. Is this Imhotep, Kharis, or some other ancient and cursed being? I love the emaciated body design here; he definitely looks unhealthy and overly skinny, as a mummy should be.

* The face is pretty cool, showing through openings in the bandages. The wash on the figure and the bandages really brings out the detail and adds to the feel of this guy being something of a relic.

* Here's a shot from the back so you can check out how cool this guy is. Seriously, I'm impressed by this guy.

* The Mummy has some great accessories. First up is a Usekh collar that fits around the Mummy's neck. This guy must have been a pharaoh or at least someone who was deemed deserving of this honor. It's pretty nice with some great coloring and details.

* Next up is a not really a cobra but, according to Mezco, a uraeus. It's a statue of an upright cobra that was once a man. Wait, no that's not right. It's an upright statue of a cobra that was a symbol of royalty. You could use it as a cobra, though, or you could use it as some sort of statue or artifact that Cobra Commander comes around. Heck, have Indiana Jones either seek it or try to flee from it. It's versatile.

* Two canopic jars are included and they're pretty impressive looking with excellent detail and a nice amount of paint work. The jackal headed jar that represents Duamutef is on the left and would hold the stomach. The jar with Qebehsenuef, a falcon headed god, is on the right. It's probably holding the intestines. Note: Stomach and intestines are sold separately. 

* Is this meant to be the Scroll of Thoth or just another cursed scroll residing with the Mummy? It's all one sculpted piece but it looks pretty neat with the scroll unrolled in the middle to show off the hieroglyphics. 

* Like Dracula's coffin, the Mummy's sarcophagus is also made from sturdier, waxy cardboard. It holds the Mummy nicely and stands out in the display due to its bright colors.

* How's the articulation on these? Well, they're part of Mezco's 5 Points line, so you get five points of articulation with each figure. These guys are about as articulated as your average vintage Kenner Star wars figure though their poses are somewhat more dynamic. They're really nicely made from a very sturdy plastic and I think they'd actually be able to withstand a lot of play. 

* Each figure also comes with a clear plastic disc stand. These hold the figures nicely and keep them standing safely. You really need them for the Wolfman and the Mummy as their poses cause them to not stand on their own quite so well. They look good, though, an allow you to put these guys on the multilevel playset without worrying about them tumbling over. 

* The figures are all excellent, so let's now turn our attention to the Tower of Fear playset. As I mentioned in the introduction, this is a cardboard playset. I was aware of that but it seems like a fair number of folks who picked this set up and reviewed it were not. It definitely has the look and feel of something from the 1970s or early 1980s. The design is quite nice, though it does differ from the promotional art and the box itself. This side has three floors supported by two large columns. 

* The bottom layer has a doorway that goes through to the other side of the playset, a skeleton left chained to the wall, and a stream of water running through a culvert. Thee are some nasty looking tentacles reaching their way out of the water, too, so be careful. The Sea Creature seems pretty happy down here. 

* The staircase can be moved around and placed on the edge of the set or slid into the bottom floor so it rises up through the hole in the second floor. There's something pretty creepy peeking out from the bottom of the stairs. 

* The other side of the staircase has a skeleton hung up on some sort of hoist and another lit torch.

* The second level has a really cool portrait of Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula along with a candelabra and a window looking out the back of the playset.

* The top floor has a wooden floor and lot lab equipment printed on the walls. The consoles for Frankenstein fit in perfectly here. 

* The rear side is quite different from the original images shown in advertisements and on the box. There's only one full usable level (the bottom) but there is an entrance, windows, a rather odd balcony, and something peaking out of a while in the wall.

* To help keep the playset together and standing upright there are four plastic cobwebs that clip onto the walls and floors. These could have just been basic black or clear clips but I love that Mezco made the cobwebs. It's a cool touch for sure.

The Negatives:

* As I've mentioned a few times now, the Tower of Fear itself does not fully match either the images listed when the item went up for preorder nor the package itself. Even the image from the package differs from both the official pictures and the toy. That's a bit frustrating, especially when trying to put this thing together or determining that you have everything. I actually sent Mezco customer service an email asking for guidance on the instructions and about one or two parts that seem to be missing. Mezco's customer service did respond back: "Thanks for reaching out, there was a production issue with that piece. At this time we recommend reaching out to your retailer for more information." 

   I purchased it through Amazon so I reached out to them. Unless I wanted a straight up return, I was directed back to Mezco's customer service email. I checked in with them again and never got a reply.

* The sales art, the box, and the instructions all show that there is a lab table to put the Frankenstein Monster on. We get the base for the table but no table itself. That doesn't do me much g

good, does it?

* At first I thought this was the lab table but it's not. This is supposed to be a balcony or ledge of sorts. On the box and in the promotional images this is displayed as hanging off the side of the 3rd floor, perhaps like a ledge stretching out of a parapet of the tower or something. In this set there is some double sided tape stuck to the bottom but nowhere to place it according to the box. or directions. 

* The balcony is another pretty big change from the promotional photos and the packaging. There's no cool window behind it and it's absurdly deep. It doesn't look like a balcony. It's like the Wolfman is hiding in a planter box or something. 

* The pillars second floor can very easily slip down from where it's supposed to catch, causing a sloped surface. The pillars catch nicely on the bottom floor and the 3rd floor, but the second floor is a bit more unstable. 

* Since this set is cardboard it's not going to arrive absolutely perfect. Yes, it's corrugated, but the edges already have a bit of damage. Be careful removing it from the box, assembling it, and transporting it. Having some jagged, uneven floor sections does make it look cooler but it also makes it more vulnerable to damage.

* Three clusters of rocks are included which are supposed to sit in front of the back of the playset. The directions suggest using double sided tape to keep them in place. Well, first of all we don't get double sided tape with them and it's not something I just have around. Second, the tabs are very thick, so there is no way you're going to get these to fold over and stay in place. They'll constantly be bending down.

   I've done a fair bit of complaining about the Tower of Fear itself but I do want to stress that I actually really like this set. First of all, the figures are incredible. If I were ranking the figures themselves, they're easily Epic. The figures are fantastic and some of the best 1/18th scaled figures I own. They're really the highlight of the set and I'm very happy to have them. I'm not sure whether I'll display them on the Tower of Fear, with my McFarlane Monsters, or with my collection of vintage Kenner styled figures like ReAction. 

   I love the art on the tower and on the box.I just like the design of everything here, really. Mezco went for a very specific feel here and they definitely succeeded. The art and packaging are incredible. 
   The tower itself frustrates me. It's not terrible but it's weird how the actual product doesn't match the image on the box or the directions. I can understand some of the promotional and sales picks differing from the final product, but the directions? Having missing parts and stuff that just doesn't function properly is also pretty disappointing. 

   Now the price? Maybe I'm a bit more forgiving than some but I paid $85 for this (the retail seems to be between $85 and $95) and I don't think that's bad at all for five figures and a playset from a company like Mezco who isn't a mass market retailer and stocking these on the shelves at Walmart and Target. The monsters are far superior to most other 1/18th retro styled figures out there and, if  you break the five figures and the Tower of Fear itself down evenly, that comes out to about $14 to $16 a figure. These are quality figures with excellent paint applications and accessories, so I don't think that's too bad. In all honesty, the playset isn't bad and if it were sold for $14-$16 dollars I think quite a few folks would pick it up for displays. 

   All things considered, this is a Great set that's really worth the purchase on the strength of the monsters and the cool box art. It's also one of the longest reviews I've written. I'm not sure how popular Mezco's 5 Points are (I'm seeing a lot of the sets going on clearance) but if they worked out the kinks or just dropped the cardboard playset itself, I'd love to see more Mezco's Monsters in the future. 


Looking for more of the Creature from the Black Lagoon/ Gillman or other Sea Creature inspired by him? I've reviewed plenty of other Gill-Man-like creatures including the Wavecrawler from Hasbro's Kre-O line, the Imaginext Gillman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon from Monster Force, the Gill-Man from the Big Bucket of Monsters, Leonardo as the Creature from the Black Lagoon from NECA, and the Swamp Creature from Lego Monster Fighters.

For more of Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, or other generic werewolves, I've also reviewed the Funko ReAction Wolf Man, the Real Ghostbusters Wolfman Monster, the McFarlane's Monsters Werewolf Playset, the Imaginext Wolfman, Luke Talbot (the Wolfman) from Monster Force, the Playmobil Werewolf & Witch #7309, and the NECA Nightmare Before Christmas Wolfman.

For more Dracula reviews check out the NECA Dracula (Transylvania), the Funko ReAction Dracula, the McFarlane's Monsters Dracula Playset, the Playmobil Take Along Haunted House 9312, the Big Bucket of Monsters Dracula, and Dracula from Monster Force.

If you're a fan of Frankenstein's Monster I've reviewed some other Frankenstein themed items including Funko's ReAction Frankenstein, the Imaginext Frankenstein's Monster, various monsters from the Playmobil Take Along Haunted House and Vampire and Monster set, the Monster in My Pocket The Monster, the mini Frankenstein from Mighty Max Escapes from Skull Dungeon, Frankenstein from Monster Force, and the Real Ghostbusters' Frankenstein Monster. There's also Frankenghost from The Worst, who's the Ghost of Frankenstein('s monster). Check out the Keshi Surprise in Flesh Frankenghost, Teal Frankenghost and the ReAction Frankenghost!

If you're looking for more of the Mummy, specifically Imhotep, I've reviewed the Universal Monsters Select The Mummy, McFarlane Monsters Mummy Playset, the Mummy ReAction figure, the Big Bucket of Monsters Mummy, and the mummy included with the Mighty Max set "Mighty Max Conquers the Palace of Poison."