Collectible Reviews

The plastic glasses, and tin medallion are adequate as is the wig for a "basic" Austin Powers costume. The teeth are useless other than a photo shoot in costume since you can not drink, eat or even speak with them losely hanging in your mouth. However, overall, these Austin Powers accessories do the job for the reasonable price, even though they definitely do NOT provide the MOJO, baby! (TIP: Buy the "Billy Bob" brand Austin Powers teeth if you want to actually wear them all night with the costume.)

Do you remember tying a bath towel around your neck and jumping on the couch playing G-Force with your little brother? Well, now you can do it without the towel and without ruining the couch. (This matters because we're now the ones buying and cleaning the furniture...) As a confirmed G-Force fan, I have to admit to having the entire run of these action figures, and they're great. The details are terrific, right down to the facial features (they don't have generic action-figure faces--the BotP cast actually looks like themselves. And Keyop is very difficult to get right because of how cartoonish he is in the show--but they did him fine.) The figure is nice and solid in your hands, and when posed, it stands just fine by itself. Seriously, pick this one up. It's a fun trip down nostalgia lane.

The box is adorable but a bit small. My daughter loves the jewelry items it comes with.

The great cultural benefits of the attempt to update the great movie monsters of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man for this year's blockbuster monster romp "Van Helsing" is that we are seeing a revival of the original Universal Monsters as well. You can pick up "Dracula: The Legacy Collection" on DVD, which has the Universal films "Dracula," the even better 1931 Spanish version of "Dracula," "Dracula's Daughter," "Son of Dracula," and "House of Dracula." Then there is this "Classic Monsters Figure: Dracula," that offers Bela Lugosi in his famous role as the vampire count from Transylvania.

Now, for those of you who are thrown by the sight of Lugosi's Dracula in full color, be aware that Jakks Pacific is putting out a Series 2 collection of the Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf Man figures where the characters are preserved in their original glorious black and white (although the inside of Dracula's cape is still blood red). Jakks Pacific is also the same company handling the "Van Helsing" figures, so they are covering both the old and the new. I think there is also an attempt here to provide for the new generation what us old timers remember with the Aurora models of the Universal Monsters. Dracula comes with his box of earth, which is the functional equivalent of a vampire packing his suitcase. There is also a bit of stone arch way from which you can hang his friendly bat. You also get a rat and a candlestick in terms of accessories. The figure is articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles so there are lots of possibilities, although keeping the figure upright is a concern, so watch it.

How is this an educational monster figure? Because it should inspire a new generation of viewers to go check out the original film and perhaps even Bram Stoker's classic novel. Even at the start of the 21st-century everyone should know their movie monster heritage along with its literary antecedents. The Dracula figure is actually the least impressive of the trio, with the figure of the Frankenstein monster clearly the best of the bunch.

Of the three Classic Monsters Figures that Jakks Pacific has put out in conjunction with this year's blockbuster monster romp "Van Helsing," the Frankenstein figure is the best of the original Universal Monsters (the other two are Dracula and the Wolf Man). Of course to be correct this is the Frankenstein monster immortalized by Boris Karloff since Frankenstein would be the mad scientist played by Colin Clive in the original movie. As part of the festivities you can pick up "Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection on DVD," which has not only the original "Frankenstein" but also "Bride of Frankenstein," "Son of Frankenstein, "Ghost of Frankenstein," and "House of Frankenstein."

This scene actually comes from "Bride of Frankenstein," usually considered to be the best of the Universal Frankenstein movies. After the monster is captured he is put in chains in the dungeon of the local jail. The stone seat with the wooden back is one of the most famous sets in monster movie history. You can also show the creature breaking free from his chains. The figure is articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles so there are lots of possibilities, although keeping the figure upright can be a concern.

I consider this to be an education monster figure because it should at least inspire some members of a new generation of viewers to go check out at least the original film and its famous sequel as well as maybe even Mary Shelley's classic novel. Even at the start of the 21st-century everyone should know their movie monster heritage along with its literary antecedents and this Classic Monster Figure can certainly help the young folk along in that regard. For those of you who prefer your Universal Monsters in their original black & white, Jakks has come out with a Series 2 collection that does exactly that with these three figures.

To quote Sir John Talbot, "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." One of the cultural benefits of the attempt to update the great movie monsters of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man for this year's blockbuster monster romp "Van Helsing" is that we are seeing a revival of the original Universal Monsters as well. You can pick up "Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection" on DVD, which has the Universal films "The Wolf Man," "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man," "She-Wolf of London," and "Werewolf of London." Then there is this "Classic Monsters Figure: Wolf Man," that turns poor tragic Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) into an action figure.

This figure is produced by Jakks Pacific Inc., which is the same company handling the "Van Helsing" figures, so they are covering both the old and the new. I think there is also an attempt here to provide for the new generation what us old timers remember with the Aurora models of the Universal Monsters. It looks like Larry Talbot is engaging in a bit of grave robbing on the night of a full moon, which explains the shovel and lantern. The 6" figure is wearing the muted green shirt and brown pants Universal always used for the character and you get to switch the head, hands and feet to turn the Wolf Man back into Larry Talbot, whose face does resemble that of Chaney. You just pop the pieces in and out and then pose him as you desire. The figure is articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles so there are lots of possibilities, although keeping the figure upright is a concern.

How is this figure educational? Because it should inspire a new generation of viewers to go check out the original film and even if there is not a novel behind the Wolf Man as there is with Dracula and Frankenstein, there is still something to be said for knowing our heritage even when the subject is movie monsters. The Frankenstein figure is the best of the bunch, but Wolf Man edges out Dracula to place in this particular monster race. Final Note: This is the Series 1 color figure of the Wolf Man. The Series 2 figures, out in June, will be in black & white for those who prefer their classic Universal monster figures uncolorized.

The great cultural benefits of the attempt to update the great movie monsters of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man for this year's blockbuster monster romp "Van Helsing" is that we are seeing a revival of the original Universal Monsters as well. You can pick up "Dracula: The Legacy Collection" on DVD, which has the Universal films "Dracula," the even better 1931 Spanish version of "Dracula," "Dracula's Daughter," "Son of Dracula," and "House of Dracula." Then there is this "Classic Monsters Figure: Dracula," that offers Bela Lugosi in his famous role as the vampire count from Transylvania.

This is the Series 2 collection of Classic Monsters put out by Jakks Pacific, which has Dracula, the Frankenstein monster and the Wolf Man figures in their original glorious black and white (although the lining of Dracula's cape is still blood red). However, if you want, you can go for the Series 1 figure and have Dracula's face in "living" color. Jakks Pacific is also the same company handling the "Van Helsing" figures, so they are covering both the old and the new. I think there is also an attempt here to provide for the new generation what us old timers remember with the Aurora models of the Universal Monsters.

Dracula comes with his box of earth, which is the functional equivalent of a vampire packing his suitcase. There is also a bit of stone arch way from which you can hang his friendly bat. You also get a rat and a candlestick in terms of accessories. The figure is articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles so there are lots of possibilities, although keeping the figure upright is a concern, so watch it.

I maintain these are educational monster figures because they should inspire a new generation of fans to go check out the original classic Todd Browning film and perhaps even Bram Stoker's original gothic horror novel. Even at the start of the 21st-century everyone should know their movie monster heritage along with its literary antecedents. The Dracula figure is actually the least impressive of the trio, but it is still a solid representation of the world's most famous vampire.

Of the three Classic Monsters Figures that Jakks Pacific has put out in conjunction with this year's blockbuster monster romp "Van Helsing," the Frankenstein figure is the best of the original Universal Monsters (the other two are Dracula and the Wolf Man). Of course to be correct this is the Frankenstein monster immortalized by Boris Karloff since Frankenstein would be the mad scientist played by Colin Clive in the original movie. This Series 2 figure presents the creature in his original black & white, although if you prefer your Universal Monsters colorized you can go back and check out the original Classic Monsters Series figures.

This scene actually comes from "Bride of Frankenstein," usually considered to be the best of the Universal Frankenstein movies. After the monster is captured he is put in chains in the dungeon of the local jail. The stone seat with the wooden back is one of the most famous sets in monster movie history. You can also show the creature breaking free from his chains. The figure is articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles so there are lots of possibilities, although keeping the figure upright can be a concern.

I consider the Frankenstein Monster and the rest of these figures to be educational because they will certainly inspire a new generation of viewers to go check out at least the original film and its famous sequel as well as maybe even Mary Shelley's classic novel. Even at the start of the 21st-century everyone should know their movie monster heritage along with its literary antecedents and this Classic Monster Figure can certainly help the young folk along in that regard. For the main course you can check out the "Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection on DVD," which has not only the original "Frankenstein" but also "Bride of Frankenstein," "Son of Frankenstein, "Ghost of Frankenstein," and "House of Frankenstein."

To quote Sir John Talbot, "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." One of the cultural benefits of the attempt to update the great movie monsters of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man for this year's blockbuster monster romp "Van Helsing" is that we are seeing a revival of the original Universal Monsters as well. You can pick up "Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection" on DVD, which has the Universal films "The Wolf Man," "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man," "She-Wolf of London," and "Werewolf of London." Then there is this "Classic Monsters Figure: Wolf Man," that turns poor tragic Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) into an action figure.

This is the Series 2 black & white figure of the Wolf Man; the original Classic Monsters Series figures were in color. All of the figures are produced by Jakks Pacific Inc., the same company handling the "Van Helsing" figures, so they can take care of all of your monster figures need from the old to the new. I think there is also an attempt here to provide for the new generation what us old timers remember with the Aurora models of the Universal Monsters. It looks like Larry Talbot is engaging in a bit of grave robbing on the night of a full moon, which explains the shovel and lantern. The 6" figure is wearing the muted green shirt and brown pants Universal always used for the character and you get to switch the head, hands and feet to turn the Wolf Man back into Larry Talbot, whose face does resemble that of Chaney. You just pop the pieces in and out and then pose him as you desire. The Wolf Man figure has points of articulation at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles so there are lots of possibilities, although keeping the figure upright is a concern.

I maintain these are educational figures because they will inspire a new generation of viewers to go check out the original film and even if there is not a novel behind the Wolf Man as there is with Dracula and Frankenstein, there is still something to be said for knowing our heritage even when the subject is movie monsters. I think the Frankenstein figure is the best of the Classic Monsters series, but Wolf Man here edges out Dracula to place in this particular monster race.

The Delirium doll is almost too cute to be true, with the childish-looking design style of the mismatched eyes and the oversized head with the smaller body, but that adds to the appeal. The doll has velcro on her hands, which serve to hold her pet fishie, and comes with a wild tuft of multi-colored hair that is very fun to stroke and play with.

The one problem that I had with the doll is that, for $..., it's way too small. I think a larger doll, slightly more huggable, would have been much better in the long run, since eventually my Delirium doll ended up gathering dust along with my other knick-knacks.

Despite its size, however, this is a remarkably cute toy that is a must-have for all Sandman and Delirium fans.