KESSLER WOLF

 

Its almost christmas and wath a better way to celebrate than with monsters and horror, really this season is getting some amazing figures that reminds a lot the 23 years old line called Movie Maniacs. That line give us the monsters from the best horror films from the 80s and 90s but while that line died in McFarlane´s hands long time ago, NECA surelly continue the tradition in a really spectacular way.

Just just fresh from the Comicon here it is the Kessler Wolf, the monster from An American Werewolf in London, one of the best and most disturbing and memorable horror and wolfmen movies along side Dog Soldier and The Howling. And this is the best time to release action figures based on this movie since is the 40th anniversary of the film.

This monster is MASIVE....the box that contains him is really huge and feels almost like a vehicle or a playset from a 90s toy line. In scale with all ther NECA figures he reaches the chest area of all other action figures, on all four since standing on two legs he wold be huge. He is articulated on the neck, torso, shoulders, elbows, wrists, half "hands", legs, knes, ankles and half feet. I am not sure of i should call them feet or hands or ankles at all since his legs have a totally different anatomy, lets just call them half the legs?

The articulations are extremelly sturdy and stiff since they need to bear the hevy weigth beast, but they can sotate and move pefectly except in the torso, the midle torso movement is really limited but really, while articulations are fantastic and perfect they are kinda useless. You can put this beast on any possition aside of standing on four since he is a big hound and his back legs are too small to sopport him and the good foolks at NECA fixed this by NOT ADDING A GODMAN BASE...

Even getting a generic base is extremelly difficult since not even Play Arts Kai bases can support the masive weigth of this hound.

He is made with hard plastic except his torso and the middle section in between his shoulders and head, a mane of soft plastic to cover the ball joint on his head. The sculpt is TERRIFIC.... really, the fur texture is extremelly well done as well as his huge head, the small eyes with the evil expression and huge fangs protunding agresivelly out of his mouth.

The paint aplication is just FANTASTIC, just as good as the sculpt. There is an awfull lot of colors here, not just brown. There is different tones of brown to highlight the volume of the fur but there is also black shadows in strategic places and well as blue tones on his face. All this colors mix perfectly and looks incrediblly natural, even his blue feet dosnt looks out of place, they looks really organic.

His orange and brigth eyes, his yellow teeth, his weet gums and lips, the paint job is 100% perfect and looks like a museum replica of the wolf animatronic from the movie.

His only accesory is an extra head that cna be exchanged pretty easy and showcase his open mouth. If the closed mouth looks is already demonic and figthning, his open mouth is even more stuning and nightmarish since his fangs are covered in fresh blood and his tongue and palate have such a realistic texture and color. Really, you can count every single tooth on his mouth and each one is sculpted and painted independently.

I have to say, unlike the Dog Alien and Rino Alien, Kessler Wolf dosnt have too many pose options and feels really static, but i am impresed by the sky high quality on movement, sculpt and paint. There is literally no difference between this and the prototype and that is quiet a feat not many companys accomplish, specially at this range price.

They also released the nigthmare demon wolf from the movie but i am happy just with Kessler, i never dream having action figures from that particular movie. NECA is working on the monster from The Thing too but i am excited to see wath other monsters they release, i am already extremelly tired of Jason´s, Freddy´s, Chucky´s and Pennywise´s.