I've reviewed multiple versions of Count Dracula lately! Christopher Lee, Marvel, and the Operation: Monster Force Dracula. Plus, with Robert Eggers' Nosferatu just released; we're in need of a Van Helsing more than ever! I've had Declan Van Helsing from Operation: Force for well over a month now and I think he's one of the strongest figures in the first series. While Count Dracula was a cool figure, he was a bit light on accessories for being a $37 dollar figure. Most of the other figures in series one are loaded with accessories and Declan Van Helsing definitely delivers a modern military action figure with loads of gear for fighting vampires, zombies, mummies, werewolves, and anything else that comes his way. Declan is a descendent of Abraham Van Helsing and the man who is called to help fight against the Forgotten King, the main villain of the story. It's Declan's decision to, against the wishes of his family, release Dracula from Vault 13 to combat the Forgotten King. Declan's the main hero of the line and a great example of the really cool gear and weapons this line is capable of producing. Let's check out Declan Van Helsing after the break...
Height: 6 1/4ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips w/ vertical hinged pegs, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, lateral pectoral hinges, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, hinged neck, and a balljointed head.
Accessories: Vest, armored plate, knife, sheath, 2 thigh straps, Beretta pistol, holster, quiver, radio, radio pouch, handset, flash grenades, 16 swappable hands, rifle, short magazine, long magazine, crossbow, Walther PPK, 2 large vest pouches, 2 small vest pouches, grenade cluster, 3 firing effects, smoke effect, and display stand.
Non-Scalper Price: $37 dollars
* Let's start with the basic figure. Underneath his vest and gear, Declan Van Helsing is still a pretty interesting figure. He's wearing a blue commando sweater, kind of similar to the Action Force figures. His sleeves are rolled up a bit (to show off his sweet tats) and he's sporting brown trousers with lots of sculpted wrinkles and some drybrush effects to add a bit of depth to the sculpt. Size-wise, Declan is really similar to a G.I. Joe: Classified Series figure. The height and build is really similar, though design wise the Operation: Monster Force figures remind me more of Action Force.
|
* Declan's sporting short hair with a little gray at the temples (something I'm quite familiar with), a serious looking face, and a large scar running down the right side of his face. The portrait is pretty good with solid paintwork, even including extra details for the scar and stubble.
* The belt doesn't seem to be removable but is a separate piece with lots of little gear and doodads on it. There are some extra shotgun shells, four pouches, and some carabiners or clips hanging on the right side. The details are really sharp with lots of paint applications for each element.
* It's tough to make out exactly what they are, but Van Helsing has some pretty sick sleeves. He's all about the tattoos.
* The belt doesn't seem to be removable but is a separate piece with lots of little gear and doodads on it. There are some extra shotgun shells, four pouches, and some carabiners or clips hanging on the right side. The details are really sharp with lots of paint applications for each element.
* It's tough to make out exactly what they are, but Van Helsing has some pretty sick sleeves. He's all about the tattoos.
* Declan Van Helsing comes with a ton of hands. How many? 16 overall. Yikes! That's a lot of hands! Eight of them are ungloved, standard human hands. You get trigger fingers, fists, standard grips, and open hands with relaxed fingers. The pegs are sturdy and everything swapped easily.
* The second set of 8 hands are sporting gloves. No one wants zombie guts on their hands while in the middle of a mission. I assume they're fairly bite proof for errant vampire, things, too. You get the same mix of hands as above: Relaxed, open hands, fists, trigger fingers, and grips.
* While there are quite a few unique pieces and weapons in this series I get the feeling that we'll see lots of reused base bodies with different vests. In the first series Declan shares the same torso, upper arms, and upper thighs as the Delta Red soldiers. He also shares the same vest with the different Delta Red Troops, though they're painted a bit different. The vest is easy to put on and take off and has some nice black and grey camo printing on the main body with green straps and silver clasps. There are five holes on the vest for attaching different pieces of gear. It's easy to attach and stuff stays on well. The pegs are pretty sturdy and have a hexagonal shape that helps them attach easily with a twist and a bit of wiggling. The fifth hole is covered up here by a simple flat piece across the chest that looks like it might be an armored plate. It's camouflaged, too.
* This first set of pouches is actually one piece with multiple paint applications. You've got multiple pouches, shotgun shells in loops, a small multitool, and two working pockets for magazines.
* The magazines fit right in!
* The second larger pouch (that, again, is one large piece) has what looks like a tourniquet kit ("TQ"), scissors, some additional magazines, and maybe a flashlight or small suppressor (all non-removable). There's also a small built-in holster.
* I'm going to get to the weapons for Van Helsing shortly but here's his smaller pistol (it looks like a Walther PPK!) in the holster and within easy reach.
* If you want to go more basic, or really add a lot of extra kit, there are two standard green pouches. They each have a painted clasp as well. Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction definitely do not skimp on the paint applications. Every little accessory seems to have very impressive paint applications, even with something as simple as a clasp.
* For keeping in touch with his team or headquarters, Declan Van Helsing has a radio. The radio can fit into the included pouch, which can attach to the vest, and it has a handset. The handset is a separate piece, so you just kind of tuck the wire in, no fear of breakage.
* This rifle is insane. It looks like a standard military assault rifle, like an M4 or XM7, but definitely customized with a modified stock, a forward grip, and even a modified trigger. I love the feel of this weapon, especially the bronze highlights on the body, and the silver bayonet. This thing is ready for killing various monsters, no doubt about it.
* There are two magazines included here. One standard and one a bit longer with some larger silver rounds visible through the magazine. I imagine Van Helsing can swap things out on the fly depending on what he's fighting.
* Declan comes with two pistols, the first of which looks like a Beretta M9. It's a great looking piece. Again, I'm impressed with all of the paint applications like the brass trigger and the brass bolts on the grip.
* Next up is a Walther PPK. I showed this off earlier tucked into one of the pouches on Declan's vest, but here's the full pistol. Nice!
* A knife is always useful and one is included as well. There's a sheath to store in on Van Helsing's vest as well. the blade is quite intricate with a great paint job.
* Two sets of grenades are included. They're solid pieces, so the individual grenades aren't removable, but they can fit on any spots on the vest. The set of three look like flashbangs while the second set are perhaps some sort of smoke or gas grenade or just incendiary grenades.
* Need more storage space? Declan has two thigh straps that each hold any of the gear that attaches to the vest. How cool is that?
* There's also a molded holster for his Beretta that looks great on his right hip.
* Need extra bolts for the crossbow? A magazine of extra bolts is also included and fits easily onto his left hip. The could fit on the vest, too. Your choice.
* Three firing effects and a smoke wisp are included. These look great and fit on either of the pistols. The two larger bursts don't fit in the rifle because of the bayonet, though. The bayonet is as cool as heck, though, so I don't regret it being there.
* Each figure in the series comes with a display stand personalized with their name on it in red letters. There are two pegs and the stand has a decent sized footprint, so it's not going to fall over easily.
* Don't want a stand? Then set it up on its side and it turns into a tombstone! The Operation: Monster Force logo is etched into the stone, along with lots cracks and marring detail.
* The Operation: Monster Force figures come in a five panel box with an opening front flap. On the back of the flap is a pretty cool comic unique to the character. I love this as it gives the figures a welcome touch of the old fashioned storytelling that we used to see on action figure packaging.
* Overall the paint applications are very strong on this line but there are some weird paint rubs on Van Helsing's hands. I think the hands are molded in a darker blue and the paint is showing through.
* The really cool extended magazine for the rifle is a bit loose. You'll need to do the trick where you pit a dab of glue on in and then slide it in and out a bit to keep it from falling out.
This is the first figure of Declan Van Helsing I've reviewed, though I have looked at other Van Helsings. Looking for more of Van Helsing? I've also reviewed the Diamond Select Van Helsing which is a different take on Abraham Van Helsing and the Universal Monsters Alliance Van Helsing (Gabriel, i.e. Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing).
For more Operation: Monster Force check out the following:
Count Dracula
Very generic soldier guy, it's fine but I wouldn't have assumed him to be a Van Helsing just from looking at him. Which reminds me. I wouldn't mind a figure of Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing. I know some people think it's a bad movie and maybe it is but he did look pretty cool in it. So did Kate Beckinsale. :)
ReplyDeleteI want a Van Helsing and Anna Valerious as well. I'd love to see NECA tackle these two, maybe some figures from the 1999 Mummy and Mummy Returns (I'd buy anyone from these films, a Del Toro and Hopkins Wolf Man. Heck, even just Ahmanet from the 2017 The Mummy. It'd be really cool to have some modern Universal Monsters. With so many new movies planned NECA could really do a Universal Monsters Legacy sub-line of the best of the best designs.
DeleteNeat figure. Still haven't opened my Monster Force figures.
ReplyDeleteI haven't purchased the werewolf yet. Might need to soon. I have the three I reviewed here, one Delta red, and two different Sleepwalkers.
Delete