Packaging: Sideshow Toys has a wide open window box which clearly shows it all!! The all-reddish type of Silent Film Noir look of this box is meant to inspire the nostalgia of the silent movie era. The back of the box also has the most long-winded blow-by-blow description of the actual movie, including verbatim dialogue. After reading the description, I felt like I had already seen the movie! The space could have been used better if only a brief synopsis of the movie had been provided, and a list of the filmography of Lon Chaney along with any highlights of his career. Lon Chaney was the biggest film star of his era.
Headsculpt: This face would be a good member of a Zombie Squad; Vampire Legion, or a Monty Python skit! The face is so crazy it borders on funny. The headsculpt is very good in capturing the Lon Chaney look of insanity!
Articulation: A fully articulated Dragon-style body. The only negative is the hands. The fingers are just loose bits of rubber, and when I tried to put a rifle in Lon's hands the fingers all bent into each other, so I had to use tweezers in order to put them in a grasping position. For some reason, Sideshow gives every figure the soft hands that made their Frankenstein model look so realistic. However, those ultra-soft hands can be hard to use for holding or gripping gear or weapons.
Outfit & Gear: Lon Chaney brings his Funeral Director type suit, with the silver flaps under his arms. These are sewn in a very restricting manner, so that he can hardly move when you take Lon out of the box. I cut a few strings off and loosened him up a bit for more movement. This action figure reminds me of The Tall Man from the Phantasm movies. The only gear Lon brings is the lantern, which is nicely sculpted with an amber plastic inside to make it look as if it were lit. Also included is a stand, which has space for one foot and is similar to those Dragon cheapie foot stands.
Price: The MSRP is $40.00 plus shipping from Sideshow Collectibles. They are also available from various online dealers Once the figure is out of stock and out of production, the price may rise because it is going to be harder to find.
Overall: Interesting face, great clothes, but the hands for this fiend could be better.
Grade: A
