Remakes can divide horror fans like nothing else. If it’s too true to the original, it will alienate those seeking something different. If it strays too far from the original, it takes purists out of the game. It’s hard to argue that one of the biggest problem with the remake trend of today, is that the films being remade are still entirely too fresh in the minds of horror fans. If you’re going to remake a horror film, what better way to do it then peek back nearly 70 years in the past and bring a classic back to life. Though the trailers look impressive, it’s still a little too eary to tell what the future may hold in the eyes of fans when it comes to the upcoming (Feb 12) remake of 1941′s “The Wolf Man”. One thing has been certain from the point of the first image leak. The look of the transformed tragic character of Larry Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) in all of his moon howling glory has pleased most fans of the original film. The look maintains a lot of familiarities with the original, yet adds a little more realism that could not be achieved 70 years ago when Lon Chaney Jr. performed under the make up in his break out role.
Not only have fans been able to drool over this new look in screenshots, trailers and clips. Mezco offered up a chance to observe Talbot from all angles with their anticipated figure of The Wolf Man. Offered up in two 7 inch variations (with a 12 inch on the way), you can choose to own The Wolf Man in clean form, or the bloody variant which is only available at Blockbuster stores and featured in this review.
The blood soaked figure stands at a 7 inches tall and his a hulking piece of
plastic. The figure itself is a little on the heavy side compared to other figures of the same type. The articulation is limited to a ball jointed head, swivel waist, some minor shoulder movement, elbows and wrists that turn, upper leg turns a little, and the lower leg can be adjusted. Though limited, you can still achieve about any possible pose you would likely find yourself wanting to display The Wolf Man in. The sculpt is most impressive and Talbot can be displayed as if he were lurking, or on the attack. The bulkiness of the figure can often make it a little hard to stand, but with a little experimenting with the legs, it can be done.
Mezco continues to up the ante when it comes to their paint applications. The last few Mezco releases have been stellar in the paint department and The Wolf Man is absolutely no exception. Various shades of brown can be spotted in the painted fur on the head and body. The variations make the hair look as real as it possibly could on a molded figure. The attire appears dirty and worn, and in the case of the Blockbuster variant, very bloody. The blood looks fresh and as if it is soaking into the white shirt. Bright red blood can be seen on the teeth, lips and chin hair, as well as on his hands.
The Wolf Man also dons a rubbery vest, which could be removed rather easily if you should choose to do so for whatever reason. Also packaged with this figure is Larry Talbot’s signature werewolf walking stick. Though the figure cannot hold it, and doesn’t need, it’s a nice little perk to have it included with the figure.
With the jury still out on 2010′s Wolf Man for a few more days, it’s hard to deny that the look of The Wolf Man alone makes the film look promising. Tack that on with a stellar cast and hopefully we’ll be given a film that won’t fail. Either way, we’ve been given a figure to add to our collections that passes on just about every level.
Be sure to check out the massive image gallery below. For more information on Mezco, check out http://www.mezcotoyz.com. To browse our other figure and horror merchandise reviews and previews click HERE.
I had fun taking these pics. I hopped out at 6:30 this morning with a leftover tube of fake blood from Halloween and took advantage of a fresh snowfall.
I really love the classic design come back to life both in the big screen as in the toy world.
the sculpture of this figure looks amazing! i´ll be sureto get one.
thanks for the review Tony! another good one!
Thanks dude. I highly recommend it. I’m not sure what it’s running in most stores. I do know that I saw the clean version at Hastings for 16.99 whereas the bloody exclusive was 14.99 at Blockbuster. The bloody version is a better looking figure in my opinion.
I really want this! I can’t wait for the movie this weekend. It looks good. Does anyone know if there is a classic wolf man figure available. Preferably an affordable one.
There are classic Wolf Man figures out there. It just really depends on how much you want to pay. There is a gorgeous Universal Studios Classic Monsters Wolf Man figure with a base. It’s black and white and looks incredible. It’s rather costly though. There is a Sideshow Wolf Man that actually isn’t as expensive as most Sideshow products. Yet there is another Sideshow Wolfman that can break the bank. The best one for the buck is probably the 7 inch Sideshow Wolfman. It’s pretty nice and can be affordable. It would be much better if it was painted in black and white though.
I was on the verge of asking if anyone knew of any classic wolf man figures that were worth checking out as well. You beat me to it. Thanks for the info MOTUlock. I’m going to look into the 7 inch sideshow figure. Your name is a Masters of the Universe Reference I assume? lol
Awesome pics, Tony! Nice job with the blood in the snow. I’ll be checking this movie out this weekend.
I’m pretty happy with this figure, and I really look forward to this flick. I truly hope we see a rebirth of the classic Universal Monsters with this flick. They’ve been out of the limelight for too long! Great review, Tony!
Oh, BTW, another cheap alternative for a classic Wolf-Man figure is the Toy Island release from a couple of years back. He still sells relatively cheap. Not as detailed as the Sideshow releases, but not too shabby.
I’m seriously considering the cheaper Side Show 7 inch figure. I’d love to have the Silver Screen Edition but it’s pricey
I love that you capture every angle on these figures Tony. Great pictures.
I was outside at 6:30 AM crouching down in the snow around my home in the bushes. The snow on the ground was covered in fake blood and I was flashing a camera. That’s a recipe for a potential arrest/questioning if I’ve ever seen one! :p Glad you guys enjoy the reviews!
Pictures are incredible Tony. Incredibly jealous that you were out playing in the snow with that bad boy. Can’t get over how awesome the blood looks too.
lol. Thanks Mike. I was very happy with how the blood turned out. I enjoy taking figure pics in the snow.
Someone on a forum that I frequent pointed out that the attire on The Wolf Man looks like Han Solo. I hadn’t really thought about it, but I can definitely see it!
Well…Han DID hang out with a giant, hairy dude quite a bit. Maybe he just felt at home when he was palling around with a Wookiee!
That’s a good point. Maybe he just ran into some of that TMNT ooze or something.
lol @ “Palling around”. I actually haven’t heard that term since the most recent presidential election
Nice, this is the only Wolfie from the new movie I have so far, thought I would wait for the clean one. Couldn’t pass when I saw this though.
I think this one looks much better than the clean one.
Wow I’m not even a figure collector but those pics make me want that. The bloody snow was a great touch for review pictures.
How can everyone say that the ’41 was better? 1) The Wolfman in this film actually looks like a man and a wolf, the one in the ’41 film looks like a man and a dog 2) The setting looked 100x better in this film 3) The Wolfman in the 1941 film was a bitch and died from his dad beating him to death, in this film he was shot, beat badly by another wolfman, and had a spear thrown in him.
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