Prepare for the Wolf Man: The Wolf Man from Toony Terrors by NECA

 

   We're less than a week from the opening of the new film Wolf Man, a reimagining of the classic character. From everything I've seen (I've been trying to stay very spoiler free) we are definitely in for a different take on the story rather than a remake of the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. film. I'm actually really excited for the movie and, to help find an outlet for that excitement, I'm reviewing a few different Wolf Man figures throughout January. While the Crypt Club 4-pack and this Toony Terrors version of the Wolf Man are new releases (though both from the very end of 2024), I've got some older stuff that will be showing up, too. NECA's Toony Terrors are a fun range of figures that I really cherry pick. I don't buy or like all of the characters or films they draw from, but I've found most of the ones I've picked up to be real winners. I received the Mummy and Frankenstein for Christmas but last weekend I was at a large mall that had an FYE and found Dracula and the Wolf Man. Let me tell you, I have no idea what FYE's business model is or what they're smoking but these guys were priced at $22.99. That's really high! Fortunately they were having a buy one, get one half off sale, so I ended up paying around retail price and had the opportunity to select from multiple figures for the best paintjob. They had a lot of figures in stock, but FYE was charging $40 bucks for a standard Star Wars: Black Series, Marvel Legends, or Jada Street Fighter figure. Insane. I'm not sure what their marketing strategy is as they have a massive clearance section of unsold figures, some cheaper and some more. Anyways, I just wanted to complain, even though it worked out to standard retail for the two Toony Terrors I received. Let's run with the Wolf Man after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 4 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Balljointed calves, swivel shoulders, swivel wrists, and a balljointed neck.

Accessories: None

Non-Scalper Price: $15- $17 dollars

NOTE: I have a stand pictures with the Wolf Man. This is not included with the figure! It's a DC Collectibles stand I had in my box of stands which fits him perfectly. 

The Positives:

* If the Universal Monsters had starred in a 1980s or early 1990s cartoon do you think the Wolf Man would have looked like this? I can see it. He's not as exaggerated as some figures in the line but I do like his cartoonish aesthetic. He's wearing the classic Larry Talbot outfit with lighter brown pants and a dark green button-up shirt. His clothes aren't all ripped up, which is true to the film, and definitely seems like something a hypothetical Wolf Man cartoon would have kept as well. Simpler and easier to animate. The buttons on the shirt look like they're being stretched a bit since the Wolf Man is a bit bulkier than Larry. I know what that's like, Wolf Man. I have a few shirts that bulge around my stomach as well.

* This headsculpt is great. Maybe just a tad too scary for a Saturday Morning cartoon but still a knockout of a portrait. There are hundreds of werewolves out there, sure, but there's something special about the Jack Pierce makeup for Lon Chaney's Wolf Man. It really emphasized the hybrid of wolf and man, preserving an element of humanity which makes him all the more terrifying. The eyes and fangs are great, the ears look spot on (just a bit exaggerated), and the hair? What can I say? It's perfect. Awwwooo!!

* He's sporting some furry hands with long, exaggerated fingers and sharp black nails. He's definitely ready to go out and about on a midnight stroll under the full moon.

* The feet are really good, too. More exaggerated than the actual film version as this is a toon version, not a direct recreation of the movie look. His feet definitely look very canine here, giving him some extra spring in his step. 

* The Toony Terrors are really designed to just be stood around but some do have a bit of articulation to them. That's the case for the Wolf Man, here. With swivel shoulders, swivel wrists, and a balljoitned head you definitely can get some poses out of him. The balljointed shins/ calves/whatever are mostly to keep him from standing. If you have a little one who likes the Universal Monsters, I could honestly see this being a pretty solid toy as he feels really sturdy and solid.

The Negatives:

* It is possible to stand the Wolf Man upright on his arched, lupine feet but, darn, is it hard. He's also going to tip over with any shake or knock against a shelf. Why did NECA not include a stand here? I know not every figure does but when the figure is mostly pre-posed it seems just cheap to not include one. Dracula comes with a stand, as have other Toony Terrors figures, so including a stand isn't unheard of. I grabbed a DC Collectibles stand and it's working just fine.

   I really like the Toony Terror aesthetic quite a bit. They're reasonably priced, fun, colorful, and it's fun to have a wide variety of horror greats in one style. The Wolf Man is (obviously) my favorite of the Universal Monsters and I was really excited for this guy. I love his pose and that headsculpt. It's fantastic. My only issue is the lack of a stand. When you have pre-posed figure who can't competently stand on their own you really just have to offer one. Easy remedy but he should have included one. He's a Good and a 1/2 figure and a meet take on the Wolf Man that's different from most others that have come before. 



   For more of Lawrence/ Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, I've also reviewed NECA's Wolf Man and the Wolf Man from Crypt Club 4-Pack, the Funko ReAction Wolf Man, Jada Toys' The Wolf Man, the Real Ghostbusters Wolfman Monster, NECA's Raphael as the Wolfman, the McFarlane's Monsters Werewolf Playset, the Imaginext Wolfman, the Werewolf from Mezco's Tower of Fear, Mezco's 2010 Wolfman, Luke Talbot (the Wolfman) from Monster Force, and the Wolf Man dog toy from Fetch for Pets.

For more Toony Terrors check out the following:

Ash

Elvira 

Freddy Krueger

The Grady Twins
Jason Voorhees
Leatherface
Michael Myers  

Sam
Vincent Price