WOLFMAN

 

And speaking of the now gone Diamons Select, my very thin relationship with the brand was born from the Universal Monsters, just like with Sideshow. They started releasing toys of the Monsters in a moment were the characters had not much popularity. The line had up and downs, like for example, Dracula; they didnt get the rigths of Lugosi familly soo they had to make a completelly generic Dracula and the same happened with the Bride of Frankenstein but they also had some really amazing pieces, like the Mummy that came with his sarcophagus and the Creature of the Black Lagoon that included Kay Lawrence for display.

Pretty soon those figures started to be more and more rare soo i wasnt able to complete the collection but just recently i found the Wolfman lose but complete and in very good condition. This is the black and white version of the figure and is very rare for me to get this version of the Monsters but given how difficult to get is this figure, i cant complain at all.

This Wolfman is in the same scale as most action figures like McFarlane and NECA and fits perfectly with the rest of the Diamons Monsters and, to my very big surprise, this guy can stand on hiw own!!! I mean, the Wolfman is digitigrade and it dosnt matter the scale, this guy always ALWAYS need a base to stand but this one in particular dont need it and thats a very particular achivement from Diamond Sleect.

Back in 2010 the Diamond Select toys didnt had too much articulation at all, just like NECA. Soo this furry guy only have articulation on his head, waist, shoulders, elbows and wrists. The ehad have a ball joint but the up and down movement is minimum and while the shoulders are also ball jointed and have a much better range, the sculp dont let them move totally up. The elbows have a very basic hinge articulation while the wrists and waist only rotate.

Soo from the waist down he is totally static and maybe thats why he can stand on hiw own soo well because this figure feels extremelly sturdy. Wath we got here is the Wolfman in his classic stalking position, with his back crouched to the front and one leg in front. The sculpt on the shirt and legs is really really good, the wrinkles of the pants flows nicelly with his legs movement and the shirt hangs from his torso in a very natural way.

I love the sculpting on his long fingernails and the stance of his hands looks perfect and his feet are super cute, round with pointy tiny claws like a kitty but the hair sculpt looks realistuc enough. The hair sculpt on his head is good but theres something on the shape of his ehad that i really dislike...he dosnt looks too much like Lon Chaney Wolfman soo i think it was a rigths thing, but the shape of the head isnt rigth at all tough i really like his open mouth and little fangs sculpted.

I seen pictures of the color version of this figure and somehow the face sculpt looks much worse on it, in the black and white the different sculpt is somehow hidden and dosnt looks that much different of the on screen Wolfman. I have to say, i am really imprsed with the color of this figure!!! Yes is black and white but it have a HUGE array of greys in here is stuning!!

Is pretty easy to notice the difference of color between the pants ans shirt, the buttons, the furt and the base, every single element have a different grey that stands out on his own and at the same time looks pretty harmonious as a whole. But also the shirt and pants have a darkery grey wash that gives a much better flow to the wrinkles and the fur also have a different dark wash.

The eyes, fangs and claws are completelly white soo they stand out a lot, but overall, this figures looks pretty natural with this black and white palette.

His only accesory is a base soo yes, he stand on his own perfectly but the base helps keep him in perfect blaance and also help make the display looks better and consist ona  rocky surface and nothing more. The sculpt and grey coloring are really good since the greys used on the base are different to those in the Woflamn soo it looks like a realistic rock texture. Also the base includes a small and dry tree that can be attached at front but it falls pretty easy. But again the black used on this thing make it looks like it was burnt.

Overall, i am impressed by how good looking is the black and white paint and make this figure looks not only elegant but very natural and i like how sturdy it is but the lack of articulation dont give him much options for display and the face looks like a generic random wolf than the actual Chaney Wolfman.

Years later Diamond Slelect released a much better version with a bigger diorama stand as well as more articulations and more screen accurate sculpt but that one is very very rare....and i am still looking for it in a descent price. I regret not colecting this series despite i dont like some of this figures and also the very few i have are colored, soo this Wolfman looks out of place......mmmmm.....i guess my hunt for more Diamond Select figures continue.