Today I'm really excited to check out the Mezco's Monsters Tower of Fear, a very classic feeling monster playset that was released earlier this year as part of Mezco's 5 Points. I've had this set in hand for about 5 months now and it's certainly a very unique and cool set. If you're not familiar with Mezco's 5 Points, they're essentially retro action (ReAction) styled action figures with better, more modern sculpts. This set is really quite neat and there's a lot I love about it, including the incredible art on the box (which is almost 2 feet tall). The figures are all top tier and blow away pretty much every other retro styled figure out of the water. They're much more in the vein of the now vintage McFarlane's Monsters than the ReAction figures released by Funko or Super7. If I were reviewing this set on the basis of the figures alone they would all receive the highest marks. They're not the Universal Monsters but when you have Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, a Werewolf, the Mummy, and a Sea Creature all in one place at one time, who do you think of?
So, the figures are great, but what about the Tower of Fear itself? A lot of people who have purchased it and reviewed it seem to be surprised that the playset and the various elements like the coffin, sarcophagus, and lab equipment, are all made from cardboard. I knew the playset was cardboard though I didn't realize that the stuff like the coffin and sarcophagus were cardboard as well. I read back at some of the press releases and advertisement pages on multiple sites and I do agree that it wasn't always clear that the set was cardboard. Now, the set originally retailed for around $95 dollars, so getting five retro action figures and a full plastic playset for that price does seem to be a bit of a stretch, but I guess it was possible. There's still a lot of spooky fun to be had here, though, particularly if you go in with managed expectations. Want to check out Mezco's take on five of the main monsters? Then join me after the break...