Back in January I reviewed the John Wayne “The Duke” action figure from Kaustic Plastik and Infinite Statue, and was very impressed with the quality and verisimilitude of the sixth-scale figure. I’ve been very much looking forward to seeing more from these Italian companies, and recently they started fulfilling their preorders for their Frankenstein Monster from Universal Monsters’ Frankenstein. They sent me out the regular version of the figure, along with the diorama of Dr. Frankenstein’s castle wall from the deluxe version.
What Is the Frankenstein 1/6 Action Figure?
The Frankenstein 1/6 figure is a poseable and collectible PVC and fabric figure approximately 12.6″ in height. It is currently available to purchase, and like the John Wayne figure I reviewed, comes in three versions: Regular, Deluxe, and Exclusive. The Regular version comes with just the figure and stand, while the Deluxe adds a wood chair and castle wall diorama. The Exclusive version contains everything from the Deluxe, but also adds in a castle cell door. There were only 1200 pieces total of all three versions created.
On the Kaustic Plastik website, the Regular and Deluxe versions are sold out, with only the Exclusive version is still available to purchase, at a list price of 675 Euro. If you’re looking for the Regular or Deluxe versions, priced at 310 Euro and 450 Euro respectively, Kaustic Plastik has a list of retail partners worldwide that you can check for availability.
The figure was created by the Kaustic Plastik team, in association with Infinite Statue and SD Toys. You can see the credits on a card included in the box:
All version of the figure have the following features:
- 1 head with rollable eyes with Frankenstein’s Monster Likeness from 1931 movie
- 1 body with special knee articulation
- 10 hands
- 1 black jacket (weathered)
- 1 black pants (weathered)
- 1 black shirt
- 1 pair of black boots (magnetic)
- 1 chain and handcuffs
- 1 magnetic stand
Frankenstein 1/6 Action Figure – Unboxing
Both the Frankenstein action figure and the castle wall diorama came in their own sturdy shipping boxes, protecting both the product boxes and their contents on their long shipping journey from Shenzhen, China. The box for the action figure has a decorative sleeve over the actual box, with a photograph of the figure on the sleeve recreating a classic image from the 1931 Frankenstein.
The back of the box has a description of the 1931 film, as well as a message from Kaustic Plastik as to the creation of the figure.
Removing the figure tray from the box reveals a beautiful bit of artwork by Giada Giusti:
The figure tray itself contains the Frankenstein’s monster figure, 8 additional hands, the figure stand, and a couple of accessories.
The stand has a faux stone floor print on the base, as well as a nameplate that has the same look as the that of the poster for the 1931 Frankenstein. The stand is magnetic, which works amazingly well for displaying the figure. As I’d also mentioned in my John Wayne review, this is a feature that I’d love to see employed by all companies that produce sixth-scale figures, but I’m at least grateful that Kaustic Plastic has this as a standard feature of their releases.
Within the box, there is a card containing a Giada Giusti portrait of Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster:
On another card are instructions on how to change the position of the figure’s eyes using the included tool:
The figure comes with 8 interchangeable hands in addition to the pair already on Frankenstein’s monster:
As you can see, these hands also contain a substantial part of the forearm. This allows a much easier way to change out the hands, as you’re slotting them onto a thicker peg in the upper part of the forearm, rather than dealing with delicate wrist pegs like in so many other sixth-scale figures.
The Frankenstein action figure only comes with one accessory, a set of manacles with a chain. The manacles can be opened by pulling out a pin, and then pulling open the manacles. A word of caution: the pins are pretty small, so be careful you don’t accidentally drop one into the carpet like I did. The good news? The manacles will still securely close even without the pin. The even better news? I finally found the pin again!
Frankenstein 1/6 Action Figure – The Figure
There is a lot of amazing attention to detail with the Frankenstein action figure. But it all starts with the character’s likeness. And Kaustic Plastic knocked it out of the park with their sculpt and paint work. One look, and the face immediately reads as Boris Karloff”s Frankenstein monster.
The hair is molded to the head, but works well for the figure. It also allows for an almost invisible seam on the back for the magnetic piece that you’ll remove to access the eyes:
Here’s what it looks like when you remove the back of the head:
While there is only one head included with the Frankenstein 1/6 action figure, changing the position of the eyes or head adds a lot of variety to the appearance of the figure.
While the Frankenstein monster in the 1931 film doesn’t exactly have a fancy wardrobe, there’s a great attention to detail with both the different fabrics used and the weathering. Again, it looks very much like the wardrobe worn by Boris Karloff from the movie.
The attention to detail also shows in a unique design element that is structural: the specially articulated knees for the figure. This allows you to display the figure in the same posture that Karloff developed for his version of the Frankenstein’s monster:
Frankenstein 1/6 Action Figure – The Castle Wall 1:6 Diorama
While the included magnetic base is a perfectly nice way to display the Frankenstein figure, a diorama allows you to recreate scenes from the movie.
The castle wall diorama comes in a quite large box, and the weight is equally impressive at roughly 12 pounds. The weight is thanks to the resin, as well as the magnets in the base. The diorama comes in three pieces. The first is the magnetic base, which is also the heaviest of the three pieces:
There is a magnetic nameplate which slots into the front of the base. This nameplate has the same appearance as that of a different classic Frankenstein poster.
Finally, there is the large castle wall, which slots into the top of the base.
Here’s a look at the assembled diorama. As opposed to the figure’s magnetic base with its printed stone floor, the stone here is completely three dimensional.
And here’s a look at the Frankenstein action figure, posed on the castle wall diorama:
The castle wall diorama frames the figure well, without eating up too much shelf space.
Frankenstein 1/6 Action Figure – Posing
Here are a few different poses I put together for the Frankenstein action figure to go along with the base:
And while I’m hardly the first person to think of this, the Frankenstein 1/6 action figure lends itself quite well to black and white photography, to mirror the look of the classic Frankenstein film.
Frankenstein 1/6 Action Figure – Final Thoughts
I’ve always been a fan of Boris Karloff’s portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster, dating back to my childhood watching the old Universal Monsters films on Saturday afternoons. I remember a trip to Universal Studios back in those days, where I got a “make your own” bust of Karloff’s monster that I hand-painted. That bust remained on a shelf in my bedroom all the way until I moved away to college.
There have been many recreations of the 1931 Frankenstein’s monster in action figure form throughout the years. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Kaustic Plastik’s Frankenstein 1/6 Action Figure is the definitive Frankenstein’s monster action figure. Much as with the John Wayne figure I previously reviewed, the artistry and attention to detail is phenomenal. Not only does the sculpting of the figure capture the essence of the monster, but the paint application is flawless. Look closely at the face, and you can see not only the subtle variations in shading, but also the small veins under the skin and in the eyeballs.
I like the thematic magnetic base that comes with the regular version of the figure, but I love the castle wall diorama. It really helps bring Frankenstein’s monster to life, as if he was stepping right off the silver screen. Even though the diorama takes up more precious shelf display space than the standard base, I am definitely displaying the action figure along with the castle wall.
Kaustic Plastik has preorder periods for all their figures, and strictly limited product runs. So with a release as popular to collectors as Frankenstein, it’s unsurprising that both the Regular and Deluxe versions have sold out on their site. If you’re reading this and want to pick up the figure for yourself, hopefully you’ll be able to find one at one of their retail partners. And with some amazing releases from Kaustic Plastik and Infinite Statue on the horizon from franchises like The Crow, Labyrinth, and Conan the Barbarian, you may want to get in on some preorders while they’re still open.
I’m very happy that Kaustic Plastik sent me the Frankenstein 1/6 action figure to review. While I was impressed with the quality and appearance of their John Wayne figure, I’m not really a fan of The Duke. But with my love of the 1931 Frankenstein film, I can truly appreciate all the work and artistry that went into Frankenstein’s monster. It’s definitely a figure that will have a place of prominence on display in my home, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
For more information or to make a purchase, head to the Kaustic Plastik website.
Kaustic Plastik sent a figure and diorama for review, but had no input into this evaluation.
