31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: The Metaluna Mutant from Universal Monsters ReAction by Super7

 

   

   I love the Universal Monsters but they're not a particularly colorful bunch. I mean, the movies themselves are black and white, but even when depicted in color they're mostly a pretty muted looking bunch. Thankfully, the Metaluna Mutant adds some bright, bold Techniclor to our Universal Monsters marathon that is this year's installment of 31 Days of Toy Terror! This is the Super7 Universal Monsters ReAction figure which imagines the creature in a Kenner inspired retro action figure style. 

   So... we must ask the question...is the Metaluna Monster considered a Universal Monster and is This Island Earth part of the classic Universal Horror collection? That's an issue of debate. It's a sci-fi film with a vastly different feel from the classic Universal horror pictures released prior to 1961 (The Leech Woman from 1960 is usually considered the last classic Universal horror film) and it wasn't included in the early 1990s Universal Classic Collection home video releases, so a lot of folks say no. 
  

   On the other hand, the film was intended to be scary, or at least thrilling (other films from the classic era clearly were more sci-fi than horror), it was released in 1955 by Universal Studios (the era of the Universal classic horror films), and it's been licensed to appear in multiple Universal Monsters toylines since at least 1994 when Raphael was blended with the Metaluna Mutant for second series of Playmates' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Universal Studios Monsters crossover line. The era and the licensing usage for at least three decades now definitely says to me that Universal Studios considers the Metaluna a Universal Monster (maybe B or C tier), so that convinces me to include him here. Ready to check out the crazy mutant best known for his appearance in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie? Then grab your interocitor and join me after the break...

31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: The Monster from Monster in My Pocket by Matchbox

 

   
   This month Fridays are going to be Franken-Fridays for 31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe! Today I'm starting things off small with a look at the Monster from Matchbox's 1990 Monster in My Pocket toyline. I've always loved these rubbery little minifigures and while I didn't have that many of them as a kid, I've amassed a collection over the years. Based on Victor Frankenstein's Monster (who is commonly and rightfully called Frankenstein) from Mary Shelly's novel Frankenstein, the Monster borrows from multiple depictions of the creation, including very heavily from Boris Karloff's iconic take in the Universal Studios films. This little guy is the first Frankenstein and the first Monster in My Pocket review for 31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe, so let's bring him to life after the break...

31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: Leonardo as The Creature from the Black Lagoon from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Universal Monsters by NECA

 

   This year's theme, "31 Days of Terror Takes the Universe," is absolutely a tribute to the Universal Monsters and the classic Universal horror films of the early 20th century. Along with plenty of toys of the classic monsters you know and love you're also going to see quite a few of NECA's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Universal Monsters figures. These guys have been out for a few years now but somehow I slept on them. I'm sleeping no more, though, and since grabbing some of the newer figures I've managed to pick up the whole series. It's quite fortuitous that NECA has both the TMNT license and the Universe Monsters license and was able to make these happen, though they're not NECA's original idea or anything: Playmates Toys actually released TMNT and Universal Monsters crossover figures back in 1993 and 1994. I wasn't collecting the TMNT any more in 1993 (the only figure I had from that year was Walker, and who knows why?) but I do remember the weirder and weirder variations coming out. The Universal Monsters Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returned for a second series in 1994 and Leo as the Creature from the Black Lagoon was one of the releases. He was the second Leo released, too, as the first series had Leo as the Wolfman (NECA made Raphael the Wolfman, so my favorite turtle meets my favorite of the Universal Monsters). Ready to check out the terror of this swampy, slithery, drippin' dude? Then dive in and join me after the break...

31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: The Wolf Man from Universal Monsters by Jada Toys

 

   Part of the fun of 31 Days of Toy Terror is that I get a chance to review some stuff outside of my normal reviewing habits. Sometimes I review stuff that's way older than this blog while other times I go back to look for things I've skipped or missed. This year you're going to see quite a few figures from Jada Toys' 2021-2022 Universal Monsters toyline. The Wolfman is my favorite of the Universal Monsters and while I was tempted by this figure (and the rest) as they were coming out, I really never saw them in stores. The distribution was weird for the line (something Jada Toys seems to be getting a handle on with their Street Fighter toyline) and I wasn't sure how deep they were willing to go. I sometimes have a weird habit with some toylines where I don't want to jump in if I don't think there's a likely chance that the company is going to go deep enough into the line. Of course, the line didn't last that long (they never even got to the Mummy or the Phantom) but I managed to pick some of these up over the summer and they're really quite cool. Let's take a look at the Wolfman from George Waggner's classic 1941 Universal Studios film after the break...

31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe: Dracula (Transylvania) from Universal Monsters by NECA

 

"I am... Dracula."

"I bid you welcome."

  Welcome to 31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe, the 2024 edition of 31 Days of Toy Terror! This year is the 12th year of 31 Days of Toy Terror so I decided to do something extra special for this  countdown to the spookiest day of the year. This time we're focused on the Universal Monsters! These guys and gals are horror movie royalty and this year we're celebrating them all. To kick off the festivities this year we're starting with a look at NECA's Count Dracula in his Transylvania garb. Count Dracula isn't the first figure from NECA's Universal Monsters series of "Ultimates" figures but he is the first star of the Universal Studios horror films in the era of sound films. While Lon Chaney's Quasimodo and Phantom are typically placed alongside the later Universal Monsters, Bela Lugosi's Dracula is kind of the anchor of the films as a whole. I think he's a fitting subject for our first review, don't you think? 

“Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring.”

Join us after the break...

Action Figure Review: Carl "Doc" Greer from G.I. Joe: Series by Hasbro

 

  I'm on a bit of a G.I. Joe: Classified Series review spree and today I'm checking out Carl "Doc" Greer, the original medic for the G.I. Joe team. Doc was a fairly prominent character in most of the various animated shows over the years and a memorable character in the original Marvel Comics run by Larry Hama. Doc's also often remembered for his death in Trucial Abysmia at the hands of a SAW Viper (hence all the comments at PulseCon about keeping the upcoming SAW Viper figure away from Doc), as he was killed alongside Crankcase, Heavy Metal, and Thunder. In the Classified Series, though? He's back and ready to keep saving lives and rescuing Joes when things get crazy. Doc shipped in the same case as Jinx, Torch, and the Night Creeper and he's been out for a good month or two. Ready to save the day with Doc? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Night Creeper from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

   1988, 1989, and 1990 were some of the best years for action figures in the vintage G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line. I know there are quite a few "fans" who seem to have no memory of any figures past 1983, or 1985, or 1987, but Hasbro was still cranking out some really good figures during those years. It wasn't until 1991 that some of the sub-teams started to get a bit iffy (Eco Warriors and Air Commandos) and the basic figures started to have more neon that didn't fit in with the figures. 1990 has some great concepts and the accessories were incredible, far superior to what had come before. I didn't have all of the 1991 figures (I had eight basics and about half of the Sky Patrol), but Night Creeper was definitely one that I had. These guys seemed awesome. Yeah, they're ninjas, but they're ninja armed with the most high-tech gear available. I love these guys and I'm definitely convinced this is the best version since the original (though I do really like the 2003 version with the SCUBA gear). Ready for a look at the stealthy Night Creeper? Then join me after the break...