Monday, January 13, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Frankenstein from Toony Terrors by NECA

 

   I picked up the entire series of the Universal Monsters Toony Terrors and I'm making my way through them, following up the Wolf Man with Frankenstein. Or Frankenstein's monster. Or just the Monster or the Creature. I received two of the Toony Terrors as Christmas gifts from my parents, Frankenstein and the Mummy, so it was a very Karloff Christmas at my house. Ready for an animated take on the classic First Monster of cinema? Then join me after the break...

 



The Facts:

Height: 6 inches inches

Articulation: Balljointed ankles, swivel shoulders, swivel wrists, and a balljointed neck.

Accessories: None

Non-Scalper Price: $15- $17 dollars










The Positives:

* How did NECA translate Frankenstein's monster into an animated form? By simplifying his outfit, emphasizing his lanky figure and his slouch, and keeping his scars present but minimal. He really looks quite good! His build is slim with wider shoulders at the top, giving him the proportions of an upside down trapezoid. His jacket looks a size to small for him (maybe two!), which definitely emphasizes the gangly nature of his limbs. His neck also just out of his torso at a more severe angle, giving him a bit of a slouched look. His posture definitely isn't the healthiest but it works for Frankie. 






* The headsculpt is really excellent and does a great job of capturing the sunken cheeks, heavy brow, and sleepy eyes of Karloff's monster. Looking at this portrait, though, I'm also reminded of Jerry's two-face girlfriend, Gwen, from the episode "The Strike" (the Festivus episode). I think Frankenstein will look this way in any lighting, though. 






* He's not as grotesque as the film version but he still has his neck bolts and a scar around his neck, simply stapled together. That's pretty tame stuff for a movie but if this was on an animated 1980s or early 1990s Saturday morning cartoon? Nightmare fuel!






* Frankenstein also has stitches on his wrists. The right wrist has a standard stitched or stapled look while the right arm is a bit simpler with a mark of some sort. I'm quite sure what it's meant to be, actually. His fingers are really long and definitely give his his different poses a bit more life. 







* The Toony Terrors figures are really designed to just be stood around like a mini statue or collectible figures from the late 1990s/ early 2000s, but most of them do have a bit of articulation to them. Frankenstein has a bit of movement with swivel shoulders, swivel wrists, and a balljointed head, you definitely can get try a couple different poses on him. He has balljointed ankles, which is a bit odd. I assume it's meant to help let you find the proper position to stay standing upright. If you have a kid who likes the Universal Monsters, I could honestly see this being a pretty solid toy as he feels fairly sturdy without any brittle or fragile parts. 



The Negatives:

* I'm still just not wild about balljointed ankles for a figure with no knee, thigh, or hip articulation. Why? There aren't multiple ways to pose him and still keep him standing upright, so I'm not sure what the point is. I know sometimes articulation points like this are designed simply to allow separately molded pieces a better connection point, so maybe that's it? Personally, I think his boots should have been a bit larger and more exaggerated, too. That seems like a very "animated" style choice that was missed.



   I really do like NECA's Toony Terrors. They're fun and definitely make for neat collectibles when they hit a property you really like. This year I think I picked up more of them than I ever have as I grabbed all four Universal Monsters and Vincent Price. Frankenstein is a solid collectible figure with a cool aesthetic and a great portrait. I really do like his headsculpt! The boots definitely should have been a bit bigger, though, and I still think NECA needs to include stands with all of these. While Frankenstein can stand on his own fairly well, a stand would still have been a good extra. He's a Good and a 1/2 figure and a vital part of the crew if you're building your own animated Dangerous Nights Crew of the Universal Monsters. 


Looking for more of Frankenstein/ The Frankenstein Monster? Then check out Castle Frankenstein for a laboratory full of monstrous reviews!

2 comments:

  1. Toony Terrors have a brilliant design and are so much fun. I keep wanting to get more but not really into horror. I did get Sam from Trick or Treat.

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    1. They definitely haven't done many non-horror ones. Maybe the Alf figures based on the cartoon? Those were similar in style but weren't called Toony Terrors. The Back to the Future animated figures were similar as well.

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