Attack of the 7-inch 31 Days of Toy Terror: Bride of Frankenstein (Glow-in-the-Dark) from Universal Monsters by NECA

 

   It's a Friday in October so it's time for a larger toy review than the standard fare for The Incredible Shrinking 31 Days of Toy Terror: How about a visit from the Bride of Frankenstein? NECA released this glow-in-the-dark figure inspired by the classic Remco Mini Monsters as an SDCC 2025 exclusive, so I've had her chilling on the shelf for a good few months waiting for October. NECA has gone beyond the original six figures from the vintage line (Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Phantom of the Opera), offering up their takes on the Invisible Man, Nosferatu, and the Bride of Frankenstein. This figure is largely a repaint of the previously released Bride of Frankenstein but some new touches like the plastic retro inspired cape and the green face really maker her stand out. Ready for a glow in the dark figure that's a real scream? Then let's join the Bride after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 3/4ths inches (7 1/4ths with hair)

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

Accessories: Cape

Non-Scalper Price: $30 dollars

Comparison:

* Here's a quick shot of this Remco inspired Bride (left) with the classic movie inspired Bride of Frankenstein (right). The bodies are the same, as is this shared portrait, though while the movie inspired figure gets a fabric gown, the Remco inspired figure gets a vinyl cape like a vintage Kenner Princess Leia. There's no paint detail or wash on her bandaged body, either; it's pure white. 

The Positives:

* Despite just having a pure white body and the white vinyl cape (which is probably removable but I really didn't want to risk damaging it), the Bride of Frankenstein is a very striking figure. I think it's the green skin that stands out the most, but it's cool to see the bandaged body get more exposure on this figure than when she's wearing the classic robe on the previous figure. There's a lot of detail in the bandages and the white color stands out from pretty much any other Universal Monsters figure NECA has done. 

* I really like this portrait. I don't know what is but that greenish skin (with maybe just a touch of blue) really sets this figure apart. It makes me think of some of the blue zombies in Dawn of the Dead or Miss. Argentina in Beetlejuice. The Elsa Lanchester likeness is still quite good here and the eyes and lips just really pop in relation to the greenish skin. The head is removable at the neckpiece, just like on the standard figure, so theoretically you could swap it to the other body if you felt the need to do some crazy customs. 

* Her hair looks excellent and the sculpt has some incredible texturing to it. While the actual hair was reddish brown with grey highlights, this black and white look is probably what a lot of people think of due to the film being in black and white and this being a pretty recognizable pop culture staple. 

* Here's a closer look at the detailed bandages covering her entire body. Both arms, both legs, front and back. That's a lot of sculpted detail and this figure doesn't hide it at all.

* How's the glow? It's pretty good with an eerie green color. I think it was a missed opportunity to not use glow in the dark paint for the highlights in her hair (or her hands, like one some of the other figures in the line), but the glowing color definitely looks quite ghoulish. I'm really happy with how it appeared in the picture, too.

* The Bride doesn't feel as well articulated as her male counterparts, though I'm not sue that really any joints are missing except for a balljointed waist (she has a mid-torso joint instead). She can take some fun poses.

The Negatives:

* NECA's quality control has improved greatly over the past 10-15 years or so but while I didn't have any breakage here, I did have a lot of trouble with getting the Bride's shoulders and elbows to move. The joints feel a bit rubbery, but also stick. Be very careful posing her as she seems like she could be fragile. The elbow joints also have a fairly low range of motion which, being rubbery and flaky, really bring things down.

   I really love these NECA Universal Monsters subsets based on previous toys though I admit they're for somewhat of a niche audience. This is a cool take on a hypothetical "imaginary" Remco Bride of Frankenstein. She's quite striking visually, though the less than impressive articulation and lack of accessories or extras does bring her down. At $30 dollars you're paying for the rarity of this item and the novelty and that's just not going to be justified for everyone. If you're going with one, you definitely want the classic action figure of the Bride with all of her extras, multiple heads, etc. This one? It's Good but really just for those who absolutely adore the Bride of Frankenstein or who are collecting the series.