Action Figure Review: Creature from the Black Lagoon (Monsters of the Silver Screen) from Universal Monsters ReAction by Super7

 

   
   One of the things I really appreciate about my parents is that they've always been incredibly supportive of my hobby. They also love to drive around and go shopping in different areas, so pretty frequently I'll get a call or text from my dad about something he's found that looks new to him. Just a couple weeks ago he called me as he and my mom were at a Walmart and they found some new blind boxed Super7 Universal Monsters ReAction figures. That was a surprise to me as I hadn't heard about this set nor could I find any information about them online at the time. This is a new set of blind boxed Universal Monsters ReAction figures titled "Monsters of the Silver Screen." Why's that? Because they're in a grayscale, which is a very popular alternate color scheme for the Universal crew since, you know, the original films are mostly in black and white. My parents picked up two boxes, but guess what? Both were the Creature! I ended up giving my extra to the cousin of my daughter's best friend, a kid who is definitely at the right age to enjoy the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The other one? He's going into my collection, of course. Ready to check out the Creature, the illustrious star of the silver screen? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 3 3/4ths inches

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

Accessories: None

Year of Release: 2025

Original Retail Price: $15

The Packaging:



* These guys are blind boxed and come in a shipper case of 12. According to the box, each case includes 3 Creatures, 3 Wolf Mans, 2 Frankensteins, 2 Brides, and 2 Mummies. The figure is packaged inside of a plastic bag inside of the sealed cardboard box, so there really isn't a way to tell what you're getting unless you really get into the weeds about weight and shaking the box, knowing the difference the height in Frankenstein makes when shaken compared to the mass of the Wolf Man when rattled. You know, technical stuff.

The Positives:

* This sculpt of the Creature isn't new; I've actually reviewed one version of this sculpt previously during last year's 31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe. Of course, that one was neon while this one is molded in dark grey with just some black paint details on his face. It's a good sculpt with lots of detail on the Creature's body, especially on the bumps on his scales and the plates on his chest. There aren't any paint highlights on the body, but looking at the picture you might believe so just because of the detail of the sculpt and the color grey chosen. It's deceiving in positive way an d really makes the Creature look his best.

* The portrait is quite detailed and looks really good, especially considering this is a faux-retro take on the character. There's not a lot of paintwork here, but the sculpt, plastic color, and minimal paint highlights trick you into think it's more detailed than it is.

* The figure looks good all over. The Gill-man looks incredibly scaly and has some large fins down his back, too. It's quite impressive.

* Since he's a ReAction figure from Super7, you can probably guess that the Creature has pretty basic articulation. He's still nice and durable, though, just like the toys of yesteryear. Super7's ReAction figures just feel better than pretty much any other retro inspired Kenner styled figures on the market. This guy is ready to swim his way into action!

* The Creature doesn't have any accessories but he sure does have some crazy, creepy claws! Check out those bad boys! Built for swimming, built for slashing. 

   I don't love that these are blind-boxed as I'm not likely to spend $15 bucks and risk getting a duplicate. As a one off purchase? Not bad. I actually don't love the black and white aesthetic for my Universal Monsters collectibles (I prefer color) but I've got nothing against it and I certainly see why it's a desirable colorway for these guys. For less than the price of a standard ReAction (they're usually $20 bucks) and the ability to find these at Walmart, this is a pretty Great little figure. The Universal Monsters crew work great in this scale and style and it's fun to amass a spooky little army of these guys in different colors.



  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 NECA Crypt Club 4-Pack w/ the "Scaly and Scary" Creature from the Black Lagoon, 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.

For more Universal Monsters ReAction check out the following:

Bela Lugosi as Dracula
Bela Legosi as Ygor 
Creature from the Black Lagoon (Glow-in-the-Dark Costume Colors)
Lon Chaney as the Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Metaluna Mutant
Mole Man
The Phantom of the Opera as the Masque of the Red Death
Werewolf of London