Action Figure Review: Ardath Bey from Universal Monsters/ Classic Monsters by NECA

   While Imhotep wrapped in his bandages is the more iconic look for the titular mummy in the 1932 Universal Studios film The Mummy, it's definitely not the way Boris Karloff appears throughout most of the film. Instead, we mostly see the resurrected Imhotep in the guise of Ardath Bey, a Turkish historian with a tremendous knowledge of ancient Egypt. Ardath Bey has definitely been one of my most wanted Universal Monsters figures after NECA has completed the main roster of the usual suspects and it's nice to see they're continuing. The Invisible Man in his robe/ smoking jacket is set to show up any day now and at Toy Fair 2025 last week NECA also showed the Masque of the Red Death Phantom and the Metaluna Mutant. I'm still hoping for Henry Hull from Werewolf of London, Countess Marya Zaleska from Dracula's Daughter, Rondo Hatton as the Creeper, Bela Lugosi as Ygor, Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein, Abbott & Costello, Kharis, and Acquanetta from the Wild Woman/ Jungle Woman series, so this line, but the Toy Fair showing was a nice start. Ready for NECA's newest figure based on the legendary Boris Karloff? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 7 3/8ths inches

Articulation: Balljointed ankles, swivel shins, balljointed waist, balljointed midtorso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, barbell jointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 7 interchangeable hands, 3 portraits w/ necks, scroll of Thoth, knife, cane, and lamp.

Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars

The Packaging:

* NECA has really nice packaging design for their Ultimates figures and I adore the movie poster styled packaging on the Classic Monsters and Universal Monsters figures. I actually cut off the flap and decorate the walls of my study with them. This one is really nice and effectively shows off Imhotep's Ardath Bey disguise.

The Positives:

* Maybe you've already heard other folks talk about this figure, but, yes, Ardath Bey is a "salt shaker" figure. If you're not familiar with the term, it means that his robed lower body is essentially a solid piece, empty, motionless, and shaped a bit like a salt or pepper shaker. I seem to recall first hearing the term back in the old Toy Fare magazine days in reference to Star Wars: POTF 2 figures like the Emperor's Royal Guard. That being said, NECA certainly nailed the look of Ardath Bey. Scroll through the pictures on this site and you'll find that Karloff's robe really was this color (not sure about the lime green shirt, though). The robe looks good, much better than a soft goods robe would look in this scale, I would think, and there's a dark wash that tones the colors down a bit. He blends in nicely with the rest of the Universal Monsters and Classic Monsters crew while still standing out from the dominating black, white, and grey palette. 

* In most of my reviews of NECA's Universal Monsters, I always state that the portraits are the best part. Well, that's true here, too, and that's definitely a praise. Ardath Bey comes with three portraits and they're all incredible good and very, very different. This is the standard one and it's a great Karloff likeness, showing off his hypnotic eyes in this role. The paintwork is great here, especially for the eyes, and his mouth really captures the look of Karloff's in this film. He's also sporting a fez and it's very nicely done.

* The second portrait is based on about... oh, one second of the film. It's pretty memorable, though. When Helen Grosvenor, either a descendant or reincarnation of Imhotep's ancient love Anck-es-en-Amon (played by Zita Johann), realizes Imhotep plans to kill her and resurrect her, she calls out to Isis while in the presence of a statue of the deity. As Isis destroys the scroll of Thoth, Imhotep begins to quickly decompose. This is the middle stage with very dark, wrinkled skin, quite like his mummified appearance from the beginning of the film. The detail on the face is awesome. It's a very creepy look. 

* The third portrait shows Imhotep nearly decayed away, right before tumbles over and shatters into dust and bone fragments (it's another second of footage). I really like this skeletal face; it's just so wonderfully gruesome. I mean, I feel like most folks want want to display Ardath Bey with the Karloff head, but this one is just so cool that I'm tempted to use it instead. Maybe I finally need to order some of those weird NECA alternate head stands? Also, NECA: You need to go ahead and make Helen in her priestess of Isis outfit from the end of the film. It gives us someone to pose Ardath Bey with and she'd make a gorgeous figure. Throw in a statue of Isis with her!

* Here's a shot of the back of the robe to show off more of the really nice sculpting and the impressive wash on Ardath Bey's outfit. 

* Seven swappable hands are included, five of which are designed to be Ardath Bey's normal hands. Each right hand comes complete with Imhotep's scarab ring sculpted on it. There's a gesturing right hand that's also great for holding the cane, a right hand for gripping the dagger, a pair of relaxed hands, and a left hand with a light grip to it. Everything swaps very easily with no concern of breakage. The plastic quality of the figure overall really feels quite sturdy.

* The last two are decaying hands to attach when using one of the decaying heads. I like those creepy black fingernails!

* The standard mummified version of Imhotep came with the Scroll of Thoth, but we get one here, too. It does play into the end of the film, so it's a fine accessory to include again. It's paper with a neat print of the scroll. It comes packed flat behind Ardath Bey, so mine wasn't bent or creased or anything. Grab a lighter and you can reenact Isis destroying the scroll, though only one time. (Don't really try that at home, kids!)

* When he needs to see inside of an ancient tomb or a dusty old museum, Ardath Bey can use this snazzy antique lantern. It's pretty nice looking and with his multiple hand options, you're sure to find a way for him to hold it suitably. 

* It's really hard to tell what it is, but this is actually the ceremonial dagger that Imhotep is planning to use to kill Helen Grosvenor before mummifying her and resurrecting her. It actually has a pretty good stone texture but it's really small.

* Last up is the walking stick that Ardath Bey uses. It's just a simple, well made little walking stick. Nothing more much to say about it, I reckon. 

* Let's talk about Ardath Bey's articulation. From the waist up he's really quite good. Since he's wearing robes the articulation is quite different from most other Universal Monsters figures, but there's a very solid range of motion, especially at the waist and neck.

The Negatives:

* Unfortunately, like I mentioned above, below the waist there's not a lot going on. The ankles and shins are articulated, but they don't do a whole lot. Considering how well Hasbro handled something like this with their recent Princess Leia, I expected NECA to come up with something even more impressive. 

* This guy is a bit tough to stand without using a display stand. Why's that? Well, it seems to me that his sandals are a bit sloped and they're very smooth. Nearly anytime I stand him up on his own he slides forward and plops down on his face.

   I'm really glad that NECA is continuing the Universal Monsters releases into 2025 and Ardath Bey is a nice start. He's not my favorite of the Universal Monsters figures but he's still fairly cool. Decent accessories, sure, but the portraits are the real selling points here. The decaying portraits are just incredible. I do wish NECA had figured out a better way to handle the legs as I'm just not a fan of the lack of legs, especially considering this is a pretty decently sized figure. He's a Good and a 1/2 figure and definitely a treat for hardcore Universal Monsters fans. I'm sure some people will skip him, but I'm glad I didn't. Just give him a stand and you're good to go.


If you're looking for more of the Mummy, specifically Imhotep, I've reviewed the Universal Monsters Select The Mummy, the NECA Mummy (Black & White), the Mummy from Pop Mart's Universal Monsters Alliance, the Toony Terrors The Mummy, the McFarlane Monsters Mummy Playset, the Mummy ReAction figure, the Funko POP! Imhotep #1082 and Bedtime Bear as the Mummy #1628, the Big Bucket of Monsters Mummy, the Mummy from Mezco's Tower of Fear, and the mummy included with the Mighty Max set "Mighty Max Conquers the Palace of Poison."

For more Classic Monsters/ Universal Monsters from NECA check out the following:

Classic Monsters 

Count Orlok

Professor Burke

Vincent Price

Hammer House of Horror 

Count Dracula (Horror of Dracula)

Universal Monsters 

Crypt Club 4-Pack

Dracula (Translyvania)

Frankenstein's Monster with Chair

The Invisible Man (Glow in the Dark)
The Mummy (Black & White)
Wolf Man