As most horror movie fans will tell you, there are very few horror movies that are as iconic as the original Universal Studios Monster movies. These are the movies that really started it all, introducing the world to the creatures that would haunt our nightmares for generations like Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. These stories have been retold and remade time and time again, but few of these retellings will ever hold a candle to the original films that introduced us all to these monstrosities. The crew at Diamond Select Toys recently released their all new wave of figures based on these legendary horror icons with the latest series of their Universal Monsters Select figures! The latest wave of figures includes The Creature from ‘The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Frankenstein’s Monster from ‘Son of Frankenstein’. and Diamond Select’s first ever original character design for this line that has never been seen in a Universal Studios monsters film, Van Helsing!

Today we’re taking a look at DST’s Universal Monsters Select Frankenstein‘s Monster based on his appearance in the classic 1939 film ‘Son of Frankenstein’! This figure is HUGE! This figure is in 7” scale, but because of the character’s height in comparison to other characters in the series, he stands at a whopping 9” tall! He comes packed in the standard ‘Select’ figure packaging, comprised of a large plastic clamshell and heavy duty cardboard backer that extends around the front of the package to showcase the figure. This particular figure sports 16 points of articulation in total all throughout his large and bulky self. This isn’t the first time that Diamond Select has released the Frankenstein Monster in their Universal monsters Select line, but this is the first time that they’ve released the version from ‘Son of Frankenstein’ with his particularly unique look.

The ‘Son of Frankenstein’ monster was sculpted by the always amazing Jean St. Jean, which as per usualy means it looks fantastic and perfectly captures this iconic monster of the silver screen. The head sculpt here is unmistakably Boris Karloff, and arguably one of the best looking head sculpts of him to boot! It’s just really spot on when you see it in person. The costume that the Frankenstein Monster wears in ‘Son of Frankenstein’ also made the jump to plastic form pretty well too, looking entirely screen accurate.

The one (and, really, ONLY) downside to this figure, is that ghastly furry looking vest that makes up his entire upper torso! Of course, DST followed the screen look of the character for complete accuracy, but the vest runs a bit long past the characters leg joints and really inhibits the articulation on him. His legs will spread a bit wide for some decent poses, but they don’t have nearly as much range as they’ve been articulated for. It’s another case of ‘accurate sculpt vs. articulation’, and as per usual articulation loses out. Still, the articulation AND sculpt on this bad boy are both really well done in their own rights! Other than his leg movement, the articulation on this guy has really solid range, with his arms able to reach high above his head to wave other arms at you in a threatening manner! Also, one of my personal guilty pleasures here are that he has ankle-rockers! They make all the difference in the world when trying to stand or balance a larger top heavy figure, so their inclusion is a huge plus!

The Frankenstein Monster from ‘Son of Frankenstein’ comes packed with a display stand that features what looks like a rocky laboratory floor with a removable control panel, as well as an additional arm (which for those of you that know the film, originally belonged to Inspector Krogh!). The display stand itself is really well designed and works great for this figure. There was a lot of attention to detail on the removable control panel and it really shows in the sculpt here. The loose arm accessory is a really nice touch for fans of this classic film, and it fits right into the Monster’s open hand as if he just ripped it offhimself!

Overall, Diamond Select Toys Universal Monsters Select ‘Son of Frankenstein’ figure is a great piece, and definitely worth picking up. Don’t let the minor leg articulation limitation dissuade you, because this figure is truly a beast and would make a great addition to any classic horror fans collection! The sculpt is extraordinary, the articulation is solid overall, and he is just HUGE compared to so many other figures! It’d be foolish to pass on this great piece. Don’t forget to check out our reviews of his case mates, ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon’ and ‘Van Helsing’!

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