Attack of the 7-inch 31 Days of Toy Terror: Shredder as Dracula from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters by NECA

 

   Wait! Isn't the theme of this year's festivities "The Incredible Shrinking 31 Days of Toy Terror?"

   Well, yes, but there are absolutely some larger figures I want to review as well. I can't ignore some of the newest, coolest, spookiest stuff coming out right now, can I? Mixed in are going to be come reviews of larger figures. Deal with it!

   NECA has been slowly building the roster of their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters toyline. Very slowly, actually, as the first figures released were back in 2022 and we've only been getting one or two new figures a year since then. Splinter as Van Helsing was released years ago (back in 2022), which seemed like pretty clear evidence that Shredder as Dracula was coming. Well, he's finally arrived. It's been about three years, but we now have an official Shredder as Dracula action figure, something the vintage line didn't have (Playmates released Don as Dracula in 1993). Instead of going with the Shredder wearing a classic Bela Lugosi inspired costume, James Groman has designed an all new look that captures the aesthetics of both the Shredder and Dracula, but also adds in the look of a feudal Japanese warlord. Dracula as a daimyo? Very cool! Interestingly, there are three variants of this figure, all with different color schemes. I'm looking at the standard red and black version (the mainline release) but there is a red version exclusive to Target and a black and gold version exclusive to Walmart. The figure comes with three portraits and each version is displaying a different portrait on the figure in the package. Let's check out the standard version of Shredder as Dracula after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 7 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hinge ankles w/ upper swivel, hinged lower knees, swivel/hinge upper knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, double swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Three portraits, six interchangeable hands, spear, 2 dead rats, turtle skull, jug, and turtle w/ candle.

Non-Scalper Price: $40 dollars

The Positives:

* Shredder as Dracula is a really impressive figure. Black and red almost always looks good and it's perfect for a villain. Or two villains, really. I love Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula as Gary Oldman is incredible in it and his version of Dracula has some incredible costume and makeup designs. His red battle armor is absolutely stunning and while this really isn't very similar to it, there's something about this design that reminds me of it. The mix of a Japanese styled robe with elements of armor and Shredder's classic blades just does the trick. It's elaborate and elegant, like Lugosi's take on the Count. There's a sense of the regality and presence that Lugosi infused into his role. The sculpt and design is just incredible.  

* Looking up close you can see that Shreddula is wearing plate armor under his robe. Instead of an amulet like Lugosi's Dracula wears, Shredder has a crest as part of his armor. He's also sporting a metal belt around his waist. It's going to be fairly tough to jam a stake through this guy's heart!

* I love the armor around Shredder's neck! Remember: In Dracula the heroes must not just drive a stake through the vampire's heart but also sever his head. This would keep his head from being easily severed in combat, wouldn't it? He's also sporting a real chain here that connects his shoulder pads. It's decorative (I assume it's supposed to be connected to his cape in some way) and it really adds to the regal presence of this take on the character.

* Count Dracula Shredder comes with three portraits, all of which are awesome. First up is the standard unmasked portrait. Does it look a little like James Saito? Maybe. Imagine if Universal had made a Japanese version of Dracula while they were making both the English and Spanish versions, and I could see this being what the actor looked like. Slicked back hair, red eyes, greenish skin. He even has the scratches on his face from Splinter! He looks fantastic; both creepy, but also suave. 

* The second portrait might be my favorite as it depicts a helmet that is very much styled after Shredder's kabuto helmet. It's even more elaborate and continues the black and red color scheme. The crest has lots of nicks and scars in it, so it's clearly seen it's share of combat. There's also a mempo, the half-face mask, that looks like a fierce animal. Maybe a wolf? That would make sense as it's one of Dracula's classic forms. The helmet and mempo are not removable but they are separate pieces over a portrait of Drac/ Shred with some intense looking eyes.

* Here's the back of the helmet. Again, there's an impressive level of detail here. What do you call this type of armor? It almost looks woven. It's some very solid work from NECA's team. 

* The third portrait is a kabuto that looks like a bat. Seriously, this is some pretty impressive work. Shredder's eyes are even glowing red underneath. It's a frightening helmet and it's shaped differently from the prior helmet with a more wolf-like mempo. Anyone feeling like this could be an Elseworlds take on Batman, too? It's quite spooky, especially with most of the face underneath blacked out except for the eyes.

* The back of this helmet is different from the wolf helmet with longer armored bands that slope down a bit differently. It's very cool that NECA didn't just use the same helmet with different faceguards. 

* I don't believe this cape is removable (not without cutting or anything), but it's so nice that there is no reason why you'd want to remove it. It's very much a Dracula cape and that red lining looks so good. 

* Is Shredder covered with blades? Why of course he is! Count Shredula is ready to take on any vampire hunters that come his way. He's got his standard forearm guards with blades plus his bladed pauldrons and the blades that he wears on his left hand. They all look very sharp and definitely capable of drawing blood. Who needs vampire fangs when you have blades like this? Dracula seems like he's received a major upgrade here.

* The legs definitely are a mixture of Shredder with more classic armor, which isn't something we typically see Dracula wearing. He kind of reminds me of Grimsword from NECA's Dungeons & Dragons line below the waist. It's probably that impressive chain mail on his thighs. 

* Six swappable hands are included so you can have this Prince of the Undead do whatever you need him to. He has three pairs of hands that include a tighter grip, a looser grip, and a fist. The right hands are just ghastly green with long, black nails but his left hands also feature the blades I mentioned previously. 

* NECA almost never disappoints when it comes to accessories to accessories, so don't be surprised that Shredder as Dracula comes with some great extras. First up is a spear. It's long, sharp, well painted, and it has a barbed spear-head on one end and a small pointed spear tip on the other. It seems like something the Shredder might carry, sure, but it also reminds me of something you would see Vlad Tepes, AKA Vlad the Impaler, carrying around. Perfect for a Dracula figure dressed in battle armor.

* While NECA's Universal Monsters Dracula came with a wine bottle, this version comes with a bottle with a rope around it, sometimes called a sake flask, if I'm correct. It's kind of cool and feels like something fitting with the feudal styling of the Shredder as Dracula. It is hollow, too, with an open mouth. Don't really put blood in it, though!

* Next up is a turtle with a candle on the back of it's shell. Is it supposed to be a live turtle with a candle or a taxidermied one? Either way, it's pretty odd but definitely seems like something Dracula Shredder might have crawling across his table.  

* Next up are two dead rats. Considering the scar on his face and the fact that Van Helsing is Splinter, I'm guessing that Dracula really has a thing against rats. Here are a couple dead ones. Does he feed off of them, kill them on site, or do they just die in his presence? Spooky!

* Last up is a turtle skull skeleton. Again, what a weird accessory, but it fits in with this line great as just a weird little curio for Oroku Lugosi to have on a shelf somewhere.

* Let's talk about articulation: Yes, it's quite good here in most places. NECA also has really improved the quality of their figures over the past decade, so this guy feels as durable as nearly anything else out there.

The Negatives:

* Unfortunately, the hard plastic robe around Shredder's hips and the pauldrons and design of the shoulders keeps those things a bit restricted. Wide legged poses and dramatic arm movements just aren't in the cards here, sadly. 

   I absolutely love the design of this figure. There's so many cool details, three fantastic portraits with really cool differences, and a handful of really bizarre and disturbing accessories. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters line is really cool for fans of the TMNT and Universal Monsters, but Shredder as Dracula is just a darn cool figure even if you're not a fan of either property. This guy is absolutely a standout release of 2025 who goes great with the rest of this collection or with a general assortment of villainous figures. He's an Epic figure, capturing something cool about both of his inspirations while also being very unique. 



  If you're a fan of Oroku Saki/ The Shredder then check out my reviews of the 2012 TMNT Shredder #2 and Shredder (SDCC 2013 Exclusive), the 2014 movie Shredder, the Turtles of Grayskull Shredder, and NECA's 1990 movie Shredder.    

   Looking for more of Count Dracula? For more reviews check out the NECA Universal Monsters Dracula (Transylvania) and Dracula from the Crypt Club 4-Pack, 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.

For more Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters by NECA check out the following:

April O'Neil as the Bride of Frankenstein

Leonardo as the Creature from the Black Lagoon

Raphael as the Wolf Man