The Incredible Shrinking 31 Days of Toy Terror: Captain Heinous (From Uranus) from Monster 500 by Creata

 

   Today I'm not just checking about a spooky smaller figure; I'm also checking out a spooky smaller vehicle! How about a flying saucer? Yes, it seems we have aliens again but today it's not a threat from Mars. Instead, it's Captain Heinous (From Uranus)! If you don't remember Monster 500 (who eventually became Monsters 500, I believe, due to a legal challenge based on the similarly named energy drink), don't be surprised; they didn't last long and seem to have only been sold at select Toys 'R Us stores. I could go on about the history of the line but there's an incredible fan site with everything I could tell you and more! I reviewed one of these guys over 10 years ago and I guess it's time to get to the other one in my collection. Ready for a slimy little alien in a hot rod that is reminiscent of the fabled Savage Mondo Blitzers that were loved by kids and reviled by teachers and the general public? Captain Heinous (From Uranus) was listed as Super Evil on a scale of "Not That Evil" to "Pure Evil" and is known for his "Craftiness." Get it? Crafty. Space craft. The bios for these guys had puns galore. Ready to roll with this extraterrestial? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Dimensions: 1 3/4ths inches tall, 2 inches long.

Articulation: 4 rolling wheels

Accessories: 1 collectible card (not shown)

Year of Release: 2013

Original Retail Price: $5-$6 dollars

The Positives:

* The concept is simple: These are die-cast cars with plastic parts that look like characters in a kart racing video game based on monsters, cryptids, and the like. They're colorful and over-the-top with a lot of character. I remember when my dad and I stumbled upon these a decade ago and he commented that they were reminiscent of Rat Fink and the designs of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.

* Not only does this guy role on his flying saucer inspired racer but he's also just a neat looking alien design. Green with multiple tentacles and eyes is kind of an alien archetype, but that's what this line is dealing in and it looks great. He has a really cool skin texture and each tentacles is bending and curling in a different way. I wouldn't blame you if you mistook him for Cthulhu. 

* The eyes are incredible. The sculpt on the largest eye just looks like it's going to move or pop out or something. I don't know, but Captain Heinous' eye just has that "it" factor which brings the sculpt to life. He's gritting his teeth like a vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, too. Brilliant! I love how he's steering that cart with the little joystick.   

* The engine on this kart is really cool. It looks like a really fancy car engine mixed with a spaceship engine. Swanky! Also, check out those cosmic looking rims. 

* Besides just having wheels, Captain Heinous also has what looks like a device on the bottom of his kart that looks like it could either be a propulsion unit for giving him lift or the housing for a beam so he can abduct other racers. It's really a 

* I don't know where the card for the figure is, but every Monster 500 racer came with  a trading card. The card didn't just have stats like the character's name and motto; there was also a code which you could use to download the Monster 500 Racing app and activate this racer in it. It was a cool feature at the time. I have no idea if it's still around, though.

   How's Captain Heinous (From Uranus)? He's pretty darn cool. I really like these little guys and I wish I had grabbed a few more when they were out, especially the ones that were based on the more classic Universal Monster characters/ archetypes. Other companies apparently took the reins at different points, releasing and re-releasing more figures with different degrees of quality. Still, this guy was a Creata original and a Great and a 1/2 little mini. Was he more expensive than a Hot Wheels car? Yeah, sure. Was he much cooler? You betcha. I might have to probe around and see if I can track down any more of these guys on the aftermarket. 

This is the first figure of Captain Heinous (From Uranus) I have reviewed. For more Monster 500 reviews from Creata, check out the following:
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