Prepare for the Wolf Man: Crypt Club 4-Pack from Universal Monsters by NECA

 

   

   Today I'm very excited to check out the Crypt Club 4-Pack of Universal Monsters from NECA! I preordered this set from NECA's online store back in September with the hope of reviewing it during 31 Days of Toy Terror. The release date changed a couple times; initially the release date was October 2024, then 1st quarter 2025, then it ended up at my door a few days before Christmas. It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. I had hoped to get around to a few Nosferatu reviews in December, though I ended up with all Dracula reviews. Anyone seen Nosferatu yet? My wife and I went a couple days ago and I loved it. She wasn't all that into it but I thought it was incredible. If you're looking for an incredibly well-shot vampire movie that's bleak, oppressive, moody, and absolutely a well-acted gothic story with a vampire who is utterly irredeemable, this should be right up your alley. Now, for January, we've got Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man. It's a new Universal Studios take on the classic character and I'm cautiously optimistic even though I'm not expecting anything traditional. The original The Wolf Man (1941) is probably my top Universal Horror film, but I'm excited to see something different and new as well. Lon Chaney, Jr.'s Wolf Man (directed by George Waggner) will always be here and Benicio Del Toro's The Wolfman (2010, directed by Joe Johnston) is a pretty solid re-make film. I'm glad to have a story I don't know this time around.
   Now, about the Crypt Club 4-pack? These are a tribute to the Burger King Kid's Club toys from 1997. I don't have as much memory or nostalgia for those as some folks seem to, though I do think I had the Wolf Man. I've never been a huge fan of the BK Lounge, so we didn't eat there as much as some other places. Still, these are a fun tribute, if a rather off-beat one. NECA originally offered these last year and early this year as parts of four different crates through Loot Crate (which they purchased in 2019), but this set is more convenient, less expensive, and comes with a red coffin for Dracula. I'm sure some folks who purchased Loot Crates just for these figures might be a bit miffed, but they got their figures early and perhaps a bit cheaper, too. Ready to take a look at this set? Then join me after the break...

The Facts: "Bolts and Volts" Frankenstein

Height: 8 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/ hinge elbows, forearm swivels, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 5 interchangeable hands, 3 portraits, chair base, chair, 2 chains, mug, bowl, and bread.  

The Facts: "Down for the Count" Dracula

Height: 7 1/2 inches

Articulation: Double swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Cape and coffin.

The Facts: The Wolf Man "Cellar Dwellar"

Height: 7 3/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, calve swivels, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Stand. 

The Facts: "Scaly and Scary" Creature from the Black Lagoon

Height: 8 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Double swivel/hinge ankles, Double hinge knees w/ an upper knee swivel, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/ hinge elbows w/ upper and lower swivel, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: None.

Non-Scalper Price: $150

Comparison:

* Just for fun, here's a quick comparison between the Burger King Kid's Club figures and their larger NECA counterparts. The Burger King Frankenstein has a translucent head and hand. There's a lightbulb inside the headrest on the operating table with the Burger King figure which causes the head to light up. Mine doesn't work anymore. Hey, it's been almost 30 years. 

* "Down for the Count" Dracula's smaller fast-food descendant came with a red coffin and had a simple lever that caused him to stand up, popping off the lid. He also had a removable cape. Considering he comes with the coffin and removable cape, I think NECA's Dracula is the most accurate to his Burger King counterpart.

* NECA didn't include the cellar door with their take on The Wolf Man "Cellar Dwellar" but the colors are spot on to Burger King's 1997 promotional toy. The BK Wolf Man functions like Dracula, only instead of popping out of a coffin he pops out of a cellar door. Instead of the door busting off like the coffin lid on Drac, the doors pop open. Perhaps Larry had someone lock him up down in the cellar in anticipation of the full moon? 

* NECA's figure is called "Scaly and Scary" Creature from the Black Lagoon while BK's was the "Scaly Squirter" featuring the Creature from the Black Lagoon. NECA's creature doesn't squirt and they probably didn't want to invite too many inappropriate The Shape of Water jokes, so they (probably wisely) changed the name. 

The Positives:

* "Bolts and Volts" Frankenstein is based on the standard Frankenstein's Monster figure from the original film that NECA released a couple years back. Of course, this Frankenstein (again, I'm calling the Monster Frankenstein from hear on out and I'm linking to Antonia Carlotta's video for justification) gets the color scheme of the Burger King kids club toy. What's that mean? A simple color palette with simple black boots, pants, and shirt and a green jacket. Paint-wise, yes, these are really simple figures. Again, going into these you have to realize that and not really judge them like standard NECA figures. They're tributes. Now, the sculpt is as good as it ever was, though obviously the lack of paint does obscure some of the details.

* The portrait is an excellent likeness to Karloff's likeness in the original film and the iconic makeup by Jack Pierce. Again, it's tough to tell, though, as the head is all translucent green. If you position Frankie in front of a light source you'll get a really cool glow. I'm surprised NECA didn't try to actually get the head to light up, though considering these were originally Loot Crate exclusives it makes sense that they'd be fairly easy "repaints" as the production run of those Crypt Club figures was pretty low I'd suspect.

* The bolts on the Monster's neck still do get a silver paint hit. Burger King didn't give their figure silver bolts, but I'm glad NECA did. "Silver bolts, silver bolts! It's a frightening time in the city."

* The hands are transparent, too. They're all spooky and green, too. Yikes!

* I love the huge boots Frankenstein wears. Those things are just huge and clunky and NECA captured them so well here.

* If you own any of the previous Frankenstein figures from NECA then you pretty much know what to expect. NECA's current 7 inch scaled horror figures aren't built like Hasbro's Marvel Legends or Jada's Street Fighter toys or anything, but they really do have a nice range of motion that flows with the sculpt. Their figures have jumped up in the quality control department over the past decade and now most NECA releases feel as sturdy as about anything else out there. Frankenstein's usually a pretty stilted guy with stiff motions but he can still get a little crazy if you want him to. Put his hands out and have him do the Shake, like he's getting zapped.

* Next up is "Down for the Count" Dracula, reminding us that BK had jokes back in the day. The figure is largely just a simpler version of the NECA Transylvania version of Dracula, though with a generic head rather than one that looks like Bela Lugosi. Bela Lugosi's likeness rights are separate from the Universal Monsters rights and plenty of licensees haven't pursued them. Apparently the BK Lounge just didn't think it was worth it for a kids meal toy. The outfit is spot on, though, and matches the simpler colors of the toy and pretty much any generic vampire costume you've ever seen. 

*  I'm actually still waiting on my glow in the dark Remco inspired Dracula from NECA but I don't believe this figure and that figure share a head. This looks like a completely unique head! It's an excellent generic Dracula. I'm seriously impressed that NECA didn't use a Lugosi head. I wouldn't think that the likeness rights would be more expensive than actually sculpting, tooling, and manufacturing a new head, so I'm assuming NECA did this as a dedication to accuracy. Right on, NECA. NECA didn't threaten me any last year, so I'm Ok with giving them props. 

* Here's a simple shot of the back of the figure so you can see the detail in his coat. He's a very fancy, dapper guy. That's really Lugosi's addition to the character, too, as the novel Dracula wasn't at all. Lugosi really added the genteel aspect to the character so far as I'm aware. 

* Dracula's cape is pretty much the same as the standard movie based figure: A separate soft goods piece with a plastic collar. The collar fits around his neck and shirt collar and stays on with just friction. The material is of a good quality and looks nice draped across Drac's shoulders. 

* Again, the articulation is pretty good and allows for some wonderfully expressive poses, especially with the arms, head, and hands. If you have any of the suited figures like the Phantom of the Opera or Dr. Burke/ The Man in the Beaver Hat, you kind of know what to expect: A decent range of movement with a fairly sturdy feel.  There's some waist movement but no real torso movement. The legs move freely, though, allowing you to pose him more dramatically.

* Next up is my favorite of the Universal Monsters: The Wolf Man! The Wolf Man "Cellar Dwellar," to be precise. I reviewed the 2023 NECA Wolf Man figure this one based on during 2024's 31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe and this guy is a simple repaint. The BK figure gave Larry Talbot a really basic outfit and that's what we've got here. I do want to note that his feet, hands, and neck can all still swap out, so if you want to change this guy from the Wolf Man into Larry Talbot, you can.

* The Wolf Man portrait is the same as one of the portraits included with the previous figure though the paintwork is so different it really did take me a bit to realize that. He looks incredibly different! The eyes are even looking in a different direction, which really threw me off. That and the pattern of the brown fur paint around the face. Those little triangles really change up the look of the face.

* Here's a shot of his incredibly fabulous hair, too. As always, it's perfect. Awwooo!!

* And his hands? Clawed and hairy. I like the different paint colors for the fingers and the hair, too. It's a small touch but it adds a lot. 

Not related, but I think a show called Touched by a Wolf Man would be a really good show. Make it a period piece, maybe set in the early 20th century. Maybe have someone who becomes a werewolf but can control themselves more, so they travel around and help people with their problems, get into different ordeals, travel to Europe and Asia too fight the Axis forces. I'd watch it. 

* Since the Wolf Man was a practical costume, his  feet aren't as extreme and animal-like as many werewolves from later movies. They're something you could conceivably wear. NECA did an admirable job of making them look accurate to the film and not overly exaggerated or anything. Of course, the paintwork is plainer here than on the standard figure, but that's the gimmick of this tribute toy.

*   While NECA includes all of the joints you'd expect on a modern action figure they're still not what I'd call super-poseable. You're not going to have the Wolf Man crouching while punching the ground when he lands like Black Widow or Iron Man or anything. Larry does look fantastic in very realistic poses, though. He seems incredibly sturdy (I haven't had a real NECA QC issue since the first series of the Aliens line back in 2013) and the joints have a great range of motion giving you lots of options when the Wolf Man is stalking his prey in the moonlight or walking through the streets of Soho in the rain. 

* Last, but certainly not least, is the "Scaly and Scary" Creature from the Black Lagoon. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this Creature is based on the standard NECA figure of the character but with the translucent plastic of the vintage BK version. The Burger King Kids' Club figure was a water squirter. This one doesn't do that, though the transparent plastic does nicely mimic the look of the vintage toy. The sculpt is excellent on this guy. Yes, he's missing the detailed paint applications of the basic figure, but anyone can still tell how good the sculpt is. The scaly skin of the creature looks great, giving off the effect that the scales are really overlapping others and that they're quite well armored. 

* The portrait is great. Again, the lack of paint and translucent plastic gives it a very different look from the standard figure, but you can tell it's a quality take on the Gill-man. Those glowing yellow eyes are super spooky, too!

* Here's a side shot to show off the crazy detail on the Creature's fins. They really look impressive and feel kind of sharp. 

* The Gill-man's hands/ claws/ flippers are really nice, too. They're rather thin, so the way the light shines through actually helps to show off some of the unusual details on them. 

* Here's a shot of the legs and feet, too. The translucent green plastic does give the Creature's fins a really nice appearance. 

* The back of the figure is insane! At some point I need to review the standard figure, as I do have him. Still, even with translucent green, this is impressive. It just looks really neat with the different shades coming from the different thicknesses of the plastic. 

* I think it's safe to say that the Creature has the best articulation of the figures in this set. Besides having more joints than anyone else in this set, he's also sporting very well hidden joints that are covered by the scales in most places. Give this guy a "flight" stand (more like a floating stand) and you can really go all out with swimming poses.

* The unique piece included with this set over the individual Loot Crate releases is Dracula's coffin. This is only available in this set, though it is based on the coffin from NECA's Dracula Accessory Set. Of course, now it's cast in red, just like the vintage Burger King accessory. The lid is also quite different. This is a large piece, large enough to hold a 7 and a 1/2 inch figure, so it really adds a lot of value to the set.

* The handles on the sides of the coffin are actually separate pieces and are hinged. That's a pretty neat detail! I'm not sure I'd trust them to be strong enough to lift the coffin by (maybe if it's empty and you have four figures toting it), but they're just a really neat detail. Sure, they're probably more impressive on the "real" Dracula coffin, but they look pretty cool here, too. 

* The front of the coffin is decorated with some gothic art, Dracula's name, and a print with Dracula's eyes peeking through a bat-shaped hole in the front of the coffin. This is actually all raised detail, so I believe it's a completely new piece, perhaps a reworking of the regular piece. The Burger King version actually had a cut-out bad shaped hole for Drac to look at but this one is a print, so you can pose Dracula and the coffin separately and still get the same effect.

* Dracula fits inside just fine. Really well. It's quite thrilling to have him pop out of the coffin. He doesn't work like the old toy; the lid on this one is hinged and simply swings open.

 * NECA doesn't usually include stands with their figures these days but the Wolf Man comes with one. He can be tough to stand upright due to his paws being angled a bit, so including it was a good idea.

The Negatives:

* Unfortunately, it's a bit small. Why they didn't include a regular disc stand like they sell by the pack I don't know. Fortunately I had some larger disc stands, so I'm probably going to use those. 

  First, let me say that this is a pretty cool set and I really like it quite a bit. It's colorful, kitschy, and definitely an unusual tribute to the Universal Monsters in the 1990s and a specific fast food promotion (think we'll ever get one for the Jack in the Box toys?). These were neat ideas for the Loot Crate boxes and including them for $34.99 with those crates, plus a few other items, they were a pretty big hit. For $150 for the set, you definitely feel the sting a bit. While these are accurate to the Burger King figures, they're also under accessorized/ unaccessorized, and at about $38 dollars a figure you really notice that on everyone except Dracula. That big coffin is quite cool and feels like it adds some solid value to the figure and the set as a whole.
   Of course, the Loot Crate versions of these figures were each selling individually for about the price of this before this was released and announced. The prices have mostly dropped (the Loot Crate sets have a Ziploc style back with printing and an insert like a classic fast food promo, so they still do have their unique appeal). I'm really glad NECA re-released these, though it would have been nice to at least have some extra hands for the figures. The glow-in-the dark Remco tributes are barebones as well, but at least they're also priced much lower than your standard NECA figure. This set is a welcome addition to the collection but you're paying a bit more for the limited production run. It's a Good set, though, and I'm excited to pose these near their BK counterparts in my Universal Monsters collection. 


   Looking for more of the Creature from the Black Lagoon/ Gillman or other Sea Creatures inspired by him? I've reviewed plenty of other Gill-Man-like creatures including the Funko ReAction Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Creature from the Black Lagoon (Glow-in-the-Dark Costume Colors) from Super7's ReAction series, the Diamond Select Creature from the Black Lagoon, 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, the Sea Creature from Mezco's Tower of Fear, and the Swamp Creature from Lego Monster Fighters.

   Looking for more of Count Dracula? For more reviews check out the NECA Universal Monsters Dracula (Transylvania) and the Hammer Count Dracula (Horror of Dracula) the Funko ReAction Dracula, Super7's ReAction Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Count Dracula from Operation: Monster Force, the McFarlane's Monsters Dracula Playset, Jada Toys' Bela Lugosi as Dracula, the Playmobil Take Along Haunted House 9312, the Big Bucket of Monsters Dracula, the Marvel Legends Series Dracula, Mezco's Tower of Fear, the Wendy's Frosty Bite, and Dracula from the original Playmates Monster Force line.

 If you're a fan of Frankenstein/ Frankenstein's Monster/ the Creature, I've reviewed some other Frankenstein themed items including the Figure Obscura Frankenstein's Creature, NECA's Frankenstein's Monster with Chair, Funko's ReAction Frankenstein, the Sideshow 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, Frankenstein's Monster from Mezco's Tower of Fear, Grumpy Bear as Frankenstein #1627 from Funko, the POP! Movies Frankenstein #1630, the mini Frankenstein from Mighty Max Escapes from Skull Dungeon, Frankenstein from Monster Force, Charlie Franken-Brown from Just Play's Peanuts, 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!

 For more of Lawrence/ Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, I've also reviewed NECA's Wolf Man, the Funko ReAction Wolf Man, Jada Toys' The Wolf Man, the Real Ghostbusters Wolfman Monster, NECA's Raphael as the Wolfman, the McFarlane's Monsters Werewolf Playset, the Imaginext Wolfman, the Werewolf from Mezco's Tower of Fear, Mezco's 2010 Wolfman, Luke Talbot (the Wolfman) from Monster Force, and the Wolf Man dog toy from Fetch for Pets.

For more Universal Monsters from NECA check out the following:

Dracula (Translyvania)

Frankenstein's Monster with Chair

The Invisible Man (Glow in the Dark)
The Mummy (Black & White)
Wolf Man