31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: The Wolf Man from Universal Monsters by Jada Toys

 

   Part of the fun of 31 Days of Toy Terror is that I get a chance to review some stuff outside of my normal reviewing habits. Sometimes I review stuff that's way older than this blog while other times I go back to look for things I've skipped or missed. This year you're going to see quite a few figures from Jada Toys' 2021-2022 Universal Monsters toyline. The Wolfman is my favorite of the Universal Monsters and while I was tempted by this figure (and the rest) as they were coming out, I really never saw them in stores. The distribution was weird for the line (something Jada Toys seems to be getting a handle on with their Street Fighter toyline) and I wasn't sure how deep they were willing to go. I sometimes have a weird habit with some toylines where I don't want to jump in if I don't think there's a likely chance that the company is going to go deep enough into the line. Of course, the line didn't last that long (they never even got to the Mummy or the Phantom) but I managed to pick some of these up over the summer and they're really quite cool. Let's take a look at the Wolfman from George Waggner's classic 1941 Universal Studios film after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 /1/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivel, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, and barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 2 portraits, trap, cane, and four swappable hands.

Original Retail Price: $25 dollars

Year of Release: 2022

Comparison:

* I'm not going to do this with every figure in the line but, just for the sake of comparison, here's a shot of Jada's Wolfman with NECA's. Besides the obvious scale differences, it seems clear that Jada was offering a more "comic book" styled appearance where NECA has gone for photo-realism. They're different products at different price points and they're in no way compatible. 

The Positives:

* While this isn't a photorealistic figure of Lon Chaney Jr.'s portrayal of the Wolfman, it isn't a bad looking figure. If you were wanting to pose this guy with your Marvel Legends figures (perhaps as a stand in for a classic Werewolf by Night) or something like the G.I. Joe: Classified Series, this would probably fit pretty well. This guy is one hundred percent a mass market, well articulated action figure that's comparable to those 1/12th scaled lines. His shirt and jeans do have a nice texture to them and there's a good amount of drybrushing on the Wolfman's clothes to keep him from looking too neat and clean. 

* The portraits are also a bit cartoonish or comic inspired, but they're not bad. Especially in hand. These guys look much better in hand than they do in pictures, which makes it a shame that they weren't more widely available at retail. I only ever heard of these hitting at Meijer and maybe some Walgreens' locations, but I never saw any at retail. The sculpt on the hair is really quite impressive (his hair is perfect; aaahhwwwoooo!!!) and the wash on the fur brings out the detail nicely. 

* This is my favorite of the two portraits as it shows poor Larry Talbot snarling at any villagers unlucky enough to get in his way. He looks really intense with great work on his eyes and fangs. 

* While the Wolfman doesn't have his lower legs crooked like a dog's hind leg, he does have some pretty gnarly wolf feet. Long toes with razor sharp claws. Yikes!

* The articulation on these guys isn't bad at all. The joins have visible pins, but that wasn't irregular 3 or 4 years ago and a number of companies still produce figures with them. Everything feels solid and sturdy, like a toy that a child could actually play with and have a good time. I'd say he's as well articulated as most 1/12th scaled figures put out by Mattel, Hasbro, or McFarlane Toys, and he has an especially good range of motion for his head, torso, and waist. 

* The Wolfman has four swappable hands: A pair of clawing hands with the fingers spread out in different poses and a pair of grips. The right hand is a closed grip, oddly enough, while the left hand is an open grip. 

* What do you give a Wolfman who has everything? How about the cane he ultimately gets beaten to death with? That's the ticket. It's a memorable prop from the film and a tragic symbol. It's a nice sculpt and Larry can hold it in his left paw just fine. 

* He also comes with a trap. Yikes! I best know these things from Resident Evil 4 and the vintage Leatherhead action figure, but these wolf traps are placed out in the film to try and catch the Wolfman. It's all plastic but the chain is made of individual links while there's a bit of paint spray to make the trap look old and rusty. Yay! Sharp metal teeth and tetanus. 

* The jaws are hinged, allowing you to trap the Wolfman (or any figure you want, really) in the trap. Poor Wolfman. 

   I really like this Wolfman. He's not the most accurate Wolfman action figure out there, sure (that goes to NECA's Wolfman) but there's something really fun about him. This is absolutely a toy. Sure, it's aimed at collectors, but it absolutely feels like an upgraded toy that you might have played with as a kid. I liked monsters as a kid (I loved the Ghostbusters Wolfman as a kid) and I would have howled at the moon if I had a figure this cool. He seems like a Wolfman figure from a Universal Monsters comic strip or something. He's a Great 1/2 figure and a lot of fun, especially for the price. 




For more of Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, I've also reviewed the Funko ReAction Wolf Man, the Real Ghostbusters Wolfman Monster, the McFarlane's Monsters Werewolf Playset, the Imaginext Wolfman, and Luke Talbot (the Wolfman) from Monster Force.