Wrapping Up 2025: Lt. Griffin "The Eraser" from Operation: Monster Force by Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction

 

   I'm still wrapping up 2025 purchases since the end of the year is usually just absolutely packed and the first month of a new year is usually a pretty slow time for new toys. Today I'm checking out a figure I was incredibly excited for from Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's Operation: Monster Force: Lt. Merrick Griffin, known "The Eraser," a descendant of the original Invisible Man, Griffin (Jack Griffin in the James Whale's 1933 film). The backstory for this guy is incredibly cool: In their inheritance from their grandmother, Merrick Griffin and his two siblings received a journal belonging to their ancestor, Dr. Griffin, the original Invisible Man. The siblings soon disappeared with Merrick's brother being murdered and his sister never being seen again. Merrick set off on a crime spree using his new powers of invisibility but was apprehended by MII-6 and forced into a role as an assassin. Injected with a neurotoxin that will kill him if he doesn't receive a regular suppressant from the British government, the Eraser can infiltrate the most secure locations and eliminate the most sensitive targets. Unfortunately, he's disappeared from sight as of late, though a string of murders targeting museum curators, antiquities dealers, and other persons of note in the fields of archaeology and such seem to suspiciously point to Griffin. It's likely he's now working for the Forgotten King, which is bad news as any one can see. This figure has so much going for it, though I do have to admit that there are some weird quality control errors here that, while fixable, did kill my excitement a bit. Ready to check out this cool new take on the classic horror icon? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 1/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips w/ vertical hinged pegs, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, lateral pectoral hinges, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, hinged neck, and a balljointed head. 

Accessories: 2 swappable portraits and necks, vest, nametag, knife, sheath, Beretta pistol, holster, radio, 16 swappable hands, 2 wrist wraps, 2 glove cuffs, rifle w/ magazine, submachine gun w/ 2 magazines and suppressor, Walther PPK, shoulder holster, large vest pouch, chemlights, 2 vest patches, 3 firing effects, smoke effect, and display stand. 

Non-Scalper Price: $37 - $40 dollars

The Positives:

* Let's start by looking at Merrick Griffin without his vest. He uses most of the same body as Declan Van Helsing but his design makes him appear completely different. While at first you might think he's wearing black and grey urban camouflage, it turns out that he's really wearing what looks like a nano suit of some sort, similar to Adrian Griffin in Leigh Whannell's 2020 film. Not only can Griffin become invisible but so can his gear. That's a frightening prospect! The design is very cool with an incredible paintjob and print that makes the suit look like it's moving and shifting when you're looking at it. The black and red highlights of his gear really look nice against the almost stone-like grey of his main outfit. 

* You can't beat the classics so Merrick is still sporting bandages wrapped around his head to give his head some shape. His eyes are visible, though. Well, invisible. Look inside and you can see that the portrait is translucent within. This is really nicely done and such a cool effect. I'm absolutely loving this, especially with the paint wash and detail on the bandages. 

* Griffin comes with a second portrait and an additional neck that show off his invisible form. Yes, there's a sculpted portrait, but it's molded in clear plastic. This has been a traditional inclusion with many Invisible Man based action figures (though you could just pop off the head and neck, too, and he'd still be invisible. It's a cool extra, though, and while I had a bit of trouble getting it on (more on that in a minute), once I got it on it made for a cool alternate look. There are actually three other translucent variants that were exclusives: Purple, smoke grey, and completely clear, so those are available on the secondary market if you want to track them down.

* These goggles are excellent! I love how well they fit and the red lenses in them. Very tactical and yet a throwback to the Universal Monsters Invisible Man.

* Griffin's sleeves are rolled up a bit, allowing us to see right through his forearms. Yes, you can see the nothingness between his gloves (which have an additional "cuff" piece) and his sleeve. That's a nifty little detail that could easily have been left off by giving him long sleeves, but I love that it's here. 

* He does have wraps for his forearms, too. Again, it looks cool and is a neat throwback to the character's classic look. Just pop off the wrists and throw these on. Very neat looking!

* Here's a shot of Lt. Griffin from the rear so you can see the nano-suit pattern that extends all over his suit, down to his legs and on each sleeve. Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction do not feel like they're skimping on these guys at all, and that's definitely true for the paint applications. They're very impressive all over.

* Griffin's belt isn't removable, nor is his holster. They're reused piece but the paintwork is sharp with silver details on the carabiners and red for the shotgun shells, or whatever ammunition that's meant to be. He's also sporting cool kneepads

* I do have a weird QC issue with Griffin, which I'll address in a minute, but overall I do like the articulation scheme of this line. The range of motion on most joints is quite good and the figures feel sturdy and well made. The joints are pinless, the plastic feels neither too brittle nor overly rubbery, and the articulation is largely nice and smooth. Some of the joints were a bit stuff at first bit a little gentle posing loosened them up quite nicely. This guy is really a lot of fun to pose, especially due to his variety of looks and different weapons. 

* Griffin comes with sixteen swappable hands, which is a crazy amount! The first eight are wearing tactical gloves and feature a pair of stand grips, a pair of fists, a pair of pistol grips, and a pair of open, relaxed hands. I didn't have any trouble swapping these out and the red paint hits on the knuckles look excellent.

* The next eight are "invisible" hands! There is a pair of fists, a pair of pistol grips, a pair of standard grips, and a pair of flat hands. Remove the wraps from Griffin's forearms and pop these on and you have a new, cool look for him. 

* The vest kind of completes the look, though it does cover up the cool nano-suit. Still, it seems like the suit is able to extend Griffin's optic field around all of his gear, rendering it invisible as well. The vest is easy to  take on and off and has five holes for attaching different pieces of gear. The pegs are pretty sturdy and have a hexagonal shape that helps them attach easily with a twist and a bit of wiggling. I had a pretty easy time with Griffin's vest and adding and removing parts. 

* There's a large set of pouches that can attach to the two ports at the bottom of Griffin's vest that has a tourniquet kit ("TQ"), scissors, some additional magazines, and maybe a flashlight or small suppressor (all non-removable). There's also a small built-in holster for his Walther PPK. It's the same as the piece that also comes with Van Helsing, though the red and black color scheme is more eye-catching in my opinion. 

* Here is Griffin's vest loaded with extras. He's got a radio handset, a name plate with "Eraser" and a Union Jack, a unit patch of some sort, a little patch that says "You can't kill what you can't see," and a set of purple chemlights. Everything popped on and off easily but, word to the wise: You'll have an easier time swapping these out if you take off the vest and attach parts, then put the vest back on the figure.

* Gridiron Studios is handling the accessories for this line, so you know you're getting some great designs. This is their CQB version of an AR styled rifle. It's also suppressed, perfect for the Eraser to get in, get close, and take out his targets efficiently. The sculpt is phenomenal and there's a great drybrush effect that really brings out every detail.  

 

* Two magazines are included (both with painted rounds in the magazine) and the suppressor on the front is removable. Just perfection right here.

* Griffin's second weapon is a Tavor styled bullpup rifle with a grenade launcher. This thing is a beauty! It looks to be a take on the Israeli GTAR-21 with the longer barrel. 

* Of course, the magazine is removable here, too.

* Griffin's third firearm is the Beretta M9. I don't know why everyone carries a Beretta M9 in the Operation: Monster Force universe but it's a nice looking pistol. A reliable one, too.

* The Beretta fits beautifully into the holster on Griffin's right hip. 

* There's also an additional holster that can be attached to Griffin's vest. Now, granted, his leg holster is not removable unless you cut it or disassemble the leg or something, so you'll have an empty thigh holster if you use this, but it's still a nice option to have if he borrows a gun from someone else. 

* He also comes with a Walther PPK. I'd never imagined I'd have so many accurate 1/12th scaled Walther PPKs (PP7 for all my GoldenEye 007 fans out there!) but Monster Force seems to love this one, too. Excellent sculpt. 

* The Walther fits snugly into this little holster on the set of vest pouches I showed off earlier. 

* There's also a shoulder harness for Griffin that looks quite cool. You can have him use it without the vest to just tote the Walther PPK or you can use with with the vest and the standard set of pouches and patches. It looks pretty slick. I'm sure it's probably going to be reused with one of the upcoming spy figures, right?

* Lastly, Griffin has a knife and sheath for some super quiet kills. Great sculpts, impressive paint for such a small accessory, and you can attach it to the front or back of the vest.

* Like most other figures in the line, the display base has a large footprint to keep the figure standing, two pegs, and the character's name in red lettering. 

* You can also pop it up on it's side for an awesome looking tombstone display piece.

* The Operation: Monster Force figures each come in a five panel box with an opening front flap (and a magnet to keep the flap closed). On the back of the flap is a pretty cool comic unique to the character. I love that Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction are doing this as it really brings the line and the characters to life. 

The Negatives:

* OK, so remember how I said I has some problems? Don't worry, Griffin isn't broken, but the top of his shoulder on the torso is molded a bit high, so the arm falls out of the socket. I used some heat to mostly fix it, though sometimes it does pop out. I'm glad there's no breakage but it still was a bit annoying. 

* The alternate "invisible" head had a socket on the neck that was just too small for the balljoint in the neck. I had to use some heat and a small tool I have to reshape it until it would stay on. That's an odd QC problem, so check your figure if you can't get it to go on easily. Both problems were fairly easy fixes and the plastic/ figure seems to be quite durable, so I'm as upset about them as I might have otherwise been. 

   This guy might be my favorite out of the entire line. The Invisible Man is my second favorite of the Universal Monsters and I love this updated, tactical take on the character. I don't know the Donner Party is pretty darn amazing, though. That being said, I am a bit conflicted on this figure. In terms of the design, paint, sculpt, and accessories, this guy is one of my favorites of the year. While nothing was "broken" on my figure, I still don't like that I had to use heat to make the fixes I did. I wasn't just straightening a warped piece; I was literally fixing the figure. Still, I guess it's a testament to the design and quality of these figures that there was no breakage and the issues were easily fixed with just a bit of heat and shaping. Now, with everything fixed, I have no complaints. Lt. Griffin is loaded with stuff and just floors me in every other way. The QC marks do make me give him a bit of a ding, though, leaving him with a Great rating. This is the first real issue I've had with the line and hopefully it was just a fluke. Has anyone else had any issues with these figures? I'd be curious to hear if you have.


This is the first figure of Lt. Merrick Griffin, AKA  The Eraser, that I've reviewed. It's not the first figure of the Invisible Man, particularly of Jack Griffin, that I've reviewed. For more of the Invisible Man check out the following: I've also reviewed NECA's The Invisible Man (Glow in the Dark), Dr. Jack Griffin (Kemp House), and the Toony Terrors The Invisible Man, the Funko ReAction Invisible Man, the Monster in My Pocket Invisible Man, and the Jada Toys Invisible Man.

For more Operation: Monster Force reviews check out the following:

Count Dracula
Declan Van Helsing

Doctor Caligari

The Donner Party
The Forgotten King

Halloween Boy