Diamond Select has made some great things with their Creature from the Black Lagoon/ Universal Monsters license. Whether it be Minimates, action figures, bust banks, or this Retro Cloth Creature from the Black Lagoon Figure.
I was a little bit iffy about the retro cloth figures when I first saw that Diamond Select was making them. I was always a big fan of the Mego action figures, even though I have never been able to get my hands on one of them. This guy is the closest thing to a Mego figure that is being made today. Let me tell you, I LOVE it!
This figure is actually from the 3rd series done by DST and the other figure in the series is the Bride of Frankenstein (review coming soon!). Join me as we take a look at the Retro Cloth Creature from the Black Lagoon Figure from Diamond Select Toys. Mego Style!
Packaging
The packaging that you get for this figure is pretty cool. It is in a clamshell style packaging, something similar to what you would get with a NECA figure. There is an added bonus to this packaging, though, you don’t need to use an arm and a leg to open it. Just stick your finger between the two pieces and the seal pops open. The other added bonus to this packaging is that it is resealable. When you are done with the figure, you can just place the figure right back inside. Very cool feature.
The front of the packaging features some other Universal Monsters characters along the left side of the figure and then shows off the figure nicely in the bubble. I love the art of the Creature from the Black Lagoon behind the figure!
On the back of the card both of the figures in the series are showed off (The Creature From the Black Lagoon and The Bride of Frankenstein) and you get a short blurb about the Universal Monsters retro cloth line and how they relate to the MEGO figures.
Very complete packaging with well-done art, completely collector friendly, A+.
Sculpt and Costume
The sculpt for this guy is actually pretty movie accurate. He looks like the big giant fish man that he should. He has a big fish head, big green scaly claws, a scaley plastic breastplate, and fins on the back of this back, arms and legs.
He is something different from a normal action figure because of his costume that he is wearing, but honestly, he is really really cool. DST did a really good job on this figure.
I have read another review of this figure and they mentioned that his costumed didn’t really fit tight enough and didn’t quite look right on the figure. I don’t agree with the statement. I think that the costume fits the figure just fine and looks good with the sculpted areas such as the hands and feet.
The costume is made of the stretchy fabric, so it won’t be affecting the articulation at all.
Paint
I think that the paint of the guy might possibly be the best feature on this figure. He has a variety of greens and brownish colors blended together that actually match up with his costume. BONUS POINTS!
Articulation
He has a swivel neck, allowing for left and right movement of the head. Then he has single joint elbows and knees, which have plenty of articulation for just about any pose you could think of. His wrists come on swivel/hinge joints and his ankles just have hinge joints. His shoulders, torso and hips are all connected by springs inside the body to something. You can actually pull the whole hip-joint away from the body (but it is still connected via the spring). This allows for all of these joints to have virtually unlimited range of motion. I am not sure if this is the way that all of the 70’s MEGO figures were made too, but if someone could shed some light on this in the comments that would be great.
Overall
This is one of the best Creature of the Black Lagoon figures that I have placed my hands on. He is a little bit different from a normal action figure because he is wearing that costume that you may not be accustomed to, but I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed with this guy. If you are looking for something a little different to add to your collection this would be the one.
Maybe you were a MEGO fan when you were growing up? This is the closest thing being made today that you can get your hands on to bring back those old memories!
Ordering Options
UPDATE: eBay is your best bet for finding this figure.
Click this link to: search eBay for this Diamond Select Creature from the Black Lagoon action figure.
This figure was provided for review by the manufacturer.
