They're Here! Majestic Toys Dark Shadows figures are out!

[CyrusL]

A day to remember! My three (one of each) Dark Shadows 12" Collector's Figures were on my porch when I got home yesterday. Each box is different. The "present day" (funny since it's the 1967 incarnation, but whatever) Barnabas has the big fang-baring close-up    (which Mr. Frid probably dislikes, but it's classic) on the front. The top has him clutching the cane in a profile view. The back is the classic pose before the portrait, with three smaller photos and text, They are of old Barnabas, another  fanged shot and a blue washed shot of Bar sitting up in a coffin. Box #2 variation has the close-up reduced with the 1795 red-vest photo (as on the Almanac cover) on the right. The top has the image from the 1795 "Old House" shoot, and on the back, the pose before the portrait in blue, with three smaller photos, old Barn again, another Old house shot of Barn and a shot of the Old House by itself.  The Quentin box has a nice recognizable shot of Quentin on the left with the fanged Barnabas over his shoulder. The top is a nice profile shot from 1897, and the back has a medium shot of him holding the pistol, one color and one b&w shot taken in the drawing room, and one shot of the werewolf. 
        I actually like the figures themselves overall. I'm sure there will be some quibbling but you can definitely tell who they are supposed to be. The shape of the faces, down to the contours of the head, shape of the nose, etc., are pretty darn good. They really shine on profile or 3/4 profile. The costumes look pretty good as well, although its always hard to pefectly tailor something the size of a Ken doll. I haven't taken one out yet, but they look like the are styled to recognizable series costumes. Both of the Barnabas figures as you may know come with two interchangeable heads, as well as an extra set of hands (for gripping) and the trademark cane.  I would say that the way they are displayed in the box, the hands especially look like parts from Dr. Lang's experiment.  Overall, a very appreciated attention to detail. The figures also include stands with the DS logo.
      I suppose sometime later this weekend, I'll carefully take one out. Maybe I'll set Barnabas on a table top with my Lugosi Dracula and Drusilla from Buffy, both from Sideshow and the Hasbro Lon Chaney, Jr. Son of Dracula and let them have a "vampyre summit."    I feel like I'm 8 years old again with my GI Joes. I have to admit, I would have loved these when I was a kid watching the show.
      I really appreciate that Majestic has taken the time to do such a good job with our favorites. This kind of thing was our daydream as a kid. Now, I can daydream of who they may add next.

Michael  (who is one happy monkey today )  

[Barnabas'sBride]

I really appreciate that Majestic has taken the time to do such a good job with our favorites. This kind of thing was our daydream as a kid. Now, I can daydream of who they may add next.

Michael  (who is one happy monkey today )  

I know the feeling, even though I'm only 22. I've always loved 12 inch figures but I never dreamed I would have them from my favorite shows, etc.... I wouldn't know what to do without Majestic and Sideshow. They're giving me the figure collection of my dreams.

As far as the figures themselves, they're very nice. I haven't opened mine, either, but that's because I'm going to be painting the room that  I'll display them in and I already have quite a few figures that I'm going to have to move so that I can get my furniture out of the way. They're safer in the box for now. But once I get my room done, I'll open them and display them like I've done with my Buffy figures and my Dracula and several others.

I can't believe how many headsculpts they actually come with, as well as extra hands. That was really a cool thing for the company to do. Quentin was the one I was unsure of sculpt wise, but he looks better in person than in the photos released of him. I just wish they would've added accessories, like his victrola and the candlestick phone. His outfit looks to be well done. He makes a very handsome figure.

All 3 Barnabas sculpts are impressive. His eyes could've been a bit darker, but that's such a small nitpick and it doesn't detract from the sculpt at all. Can't say anything about the clothes because since I haven't taken them out of the box. The cloak and cape are closed up so the view of the outfits underneath is obsecured on both figures. I've seen pictures though and they looked good, so I'm not worried. The cloak on the 1795 figure looks neat. That one's my favorite of the two, mainly because of the period clothing.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the figures and I'm incredibly happy that I finally got them. I remember hearing about them in August of 2004 and going nuts over the news.... Anyway, I can't recommend these enough to fans of DS. And I'll be waiting to find out who will be in series 2. I'm expecting Angelique for sure. I would personally like Josette and Willie next, but I'll end up with a large display of DS figure either way.

[PennyDreadful]

 As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "LUCKY!!!"

 Wicked Collectibles shipped mine a week ago so they should be here soon!  Can't wait!

 I haven't seen the Dr. Phibes figure yet, but I may pick him up eventually.

[TERRY308]

I'm with PennyDreadful...mine should be here any day now.  I can't wait.  I ordered the 1700's Barnabas and Quentin, I'll probably be ordering 1900's Barnabas real soon.  If they're as good as Cyrusl says, I hope they come out with more...Angelique...Julia...the Collins Clan..Willie...

[JosettesMusicBox]

These are starting to show up for sale on eBay.

Better get them now, before they are all gone!  Majestic may not make another run of these (we just don't know) and these might just wind up being extremely collectable and very valuable...  Personally, I'd love to see a Josette doll with a mini version of her music box 

[arashi]

Hoiw would you rate these compared to the Sideshow toys? (Those of you who have them) I have the Sideshow 12" dolls of Larry Talbot & Bela the Gypsy from the Wolfman and am quite, quite happy with those.

[CyrusL]

Well, now that I have taken one out of the box, I can tell you a little more. First, a few quibbles. Barnabas's eyes are the wrong color, they are kind of aqua, where they should be brown.  I opened the 1795 Barnabas. What appears to be a white shirt under a red vest is a bit of an illusion. The white shirt is really what we used to call a "dickie." It's just a small piece of cloth that inserts into the top of the vest, not much more than an extended collar. So, as you take it out, the coat opens and you also notice there is no say white shirt or sleeves under the red vest. The shirt cuffs are a piece stitched at the end on the coat. ( I will note Sideshow's Dracula does the same, with a shirt and vest together in a single piece sewn to give the illusion of two articles of clothing, with shirt cuffs at the end of coat sleeves as well.)  On the one hand, I didn't but these to play dress up either, so as long as the "dickie" is tucked in correctly, the illusion is in place. Now as the head are able to come off and be interchanged, that's just what it did as I took it out, kind of rolled off like Chas. Tate's. So, I did have to arrange the collar and tie when I snapped it back. The coat does have the nice detail of those medals we saw Barn The problem with the 1795 cape is that it only snaps in the mid front, so when you pose it, you more or less have to drape it over the shoulders. I made later need to put a little piece of elastic to hold it better. To be honest, the thickness of the material doesn't allow it to drape but so well. Its kind of a felt or flannel feel. I suspect, it will relax more after its out of the box a while. With all that said, however, once I placed it in the stand's grip, and posed it, it doesn't look too bad at all. For right now, I have him on the hall table next to a framed photo of Seaview. One nice thing I found about the package you wouldn't notice until you took it out was, the inner box background has one a photo of a real cemetery often used on the series for establishing shots.
        The question was asked to compare this to Sideshow. Really, at first perusal, you wouldn't notice much difference. The packaging is pretty much the same, the size of the box, the opening flap that reveals the figures behind the clear window. The main difference is that I can't think of any Sideshow's that have interchangeable heads, so you don't have that slightly jarring image of the "floating heads" like something out of "House of Wax," but it does have you from having to buy two of the same figure in the same costume, but different sculpts on the head. Sideshow, for some reason, made for example The Planet of the Apes Taylor astronaut and "slave Taylor" Charlton Heston Taylor's clean shaven, then offered a "special limited edition" with the beard, which is especially odd since 4/5ths of the film he spends with a beard. So, you can make the Barnabas you want, pensive, cursed or aged to suit your mood without having to buy a second "limited edition." The advantage the single head of then Sideshow has is that it won't tumble off when you move it around. I think Sideshow's clothes are a bit better tailored, which as I said previously, is not easy with 12" figures.  I would say my Lugosi's Dracula cape drapes much better since its a softer fabric, and the lining has a satiny feel. So the contrast is a thick flannel-like cape to give the impression of the wool Inverness coat compared to a polyester that drapes like silk and satin. Oddly, although Barnabas's clothes look a little bulkier, admittedly much less so without the cape, the head is in a little better proportion to the body than the Bela Dracula. The nice thing about both is they convey details in the face that well capture the features of the respective actors at the age they were when playing their signature roles.  I agree though that the telephone would have made a nice prop for the Quentin figure, especially as Barnabas has his cane.  Maybe they can make a box of little props like the portraits or a box containing Petofi's hand?
        I would definitely advise to pick these up if you want them to extend the series. I've been wondering, who would be next. Angelique is the most obvious, then Josette. I wouldn't rule out Adam, Chris Jennings or Nicholas Blair due to the fact they might have some appeal to collectors who might otherwise find Dark Shadows peripheral. I know in our hearts we want Willie and Dr. Hoffman, but note that the Sideshow Dwight Frye figures of Fritz and Renfield which great ideas and important supporting characters, sold much less than the comparable Karloff Frankenstein or Lugosi Dracula, and likewise, Larry Talbot wasn't the hit the Wolfman was. So, if you want the more esoteric figures, you have to make an enthusiastic showing for the leads.

Michael  

[Barnabas'sBride]

I would definitely advise to pick these up if you want them to extend the series. I've been wondering, who would be next. Angelique is the most obvious, then Josette. I wouldn't rule out Adam, Chris Jennings or Nicholas Blair due to the fact they might have some appeal to collectors who might otherwise find Dark Shadows peripheral. I know in our hearts we want Willie and Dr. Hoffman, but note that the Sideshow Dwight Frye figures of Fritz and Renfield which great ideas and important supporting characters, sold much less than the comparable Karloff Frankenstein or Lugosi Dracula, and likewise, Larry Talbot wasn't the hit the Wolfman was. So, if you want the more esoteric figures, you have to make an enthusiastic showing for the leads.

I'm expecting Angelique to be in the second series too. I understand your point about Julia & Willie....but really, Nicholas Blair and Chris don't look any more supernatural than they do, and I think it tends to be about the look when it comes to which figures would have a broader appeal. Without having seen the show, Nicholas Blair looks very ordinary. Nothing about him says "I work for Satan". Chris Jennings would be the same, unless they went with the werewolf features, but we already have that with Quentin. I agree about Adam though. Adam's Frankenstein-ish. You don't really have to have knowledge about the show to see that. I personally wouldn't like to see Adam before characters like Josette, Willie, Victoria, Julia etc....but I could see the point in it. Doesn't mean I wouldn't be disappointed. Most everyone on the show looks normal, and to know about certain characters' supernatural abilities/origins you would have to watch the show, so I'm not sure if Majestic should worry about it one way or another.

Julia, Angelique, Josette and Willie seem like no brainers because of their connections to Barnabas. A ghost Beth (in the white Victorian dress that looked too fancy to be a servant's) would be neat to put with Quentin. Petofi seems like a possibility because he was a villian to Barnabas and Quentin.

 I would love an Elizabeth dressed in the pilot black gown, as well as a Carolyn and a Vicki. There's just so many good characters... The possibilities are endless.

About the heads....yours came off when you opened it? Do they snap back on securely? I'll wish they hadn't bothered with the extra sculpts if the heads aren't secure....The shirt/vest thing doesn't bother me. I suppose they do that so that the figure doesn't end up looking too big/bulky. The cloak is heavy enough, and it isn't like he ever had the coat underneath it off anyway. I wonder if the 1967 version has that as well....

A while back I read somewhere (don't remember where) that Angelique & Julia would make up series 2, but they might have changed that by now.

[CyrusL]

To answer your query, the head (and hands) snap back on pretty easily and securely, again its just that when you replace the head you do have to rearrange the collar and tie. While it is in a way like getting a new GI Joe when I was 8, then again, I won't be putting Barnabas in a scuba outfit and playing "rescue team" in the bath tub anytime soon.
      The reason I suspected Chris Jennings is conceivable is the fact you mentioned, he could be changed into a werewolf in contemporary clothes. As for Nicholas  , the package would be great. Plus he's got the strong connection to Angelique.  Elizabeth, Carolyn and Vickie? I would buy them. (Then again, in the meantime, there's probably a well known fashion doll out there in a 1960's outfit that can fill in, "The part of Carolyn Stoddard will be played by Barbie for this dsplay..") I mean I have about 30 Sideshow Universal monsters in that series and about 14-15 Planet of the Apes, so I'd love it if these did well enough that Majestic does do a dozen or more different figures. But folks, we have to make sure to let them know we want more. Okay, I'm gonna quit before I sound like I'm interning in sales and distribution. Just love my collection. Gotta go, the Hugh Jackman Van Helsing figure just grabbed his crossbow.

Michael  

[arashi]

Wow! Thanks for all the detail!

I will definitely be picking these up soon. As for series 2, I'd love to see Julia and Angelique, as well as Petofi and Aristede. (I can dream right?) I really do hope they make more!

[Barnabas'sBride]

Thanks for letting me know about the heads! That's reassuring. Glad they're pretty secure, because I doubt I'll be changing them around.

I have several Sideshow figures, mine are from Buffy & X-Files. I plan on getting the main Star Wars characters from the original trilogy.... I'm just addicted to 12 inch figures. Majestic will actually get more of my money though if they continue to release DS figures because there are so many characters I would buy without blinking (as long as the figures themselves are good). I'm not a completist, but I wouldn't limit myself as much with DS because I love so many of the characters. And I'm also happy Majestic's going to release figures of the new Battlestar Galactica. I've come to love that show in a very short period of time.

I hope the figures do well enough that we get a few series' of DS characters. With Toyfair being this week, maybe will hear something concerning the future of the line.

[TERRY308]

They are here!!  To me anyway, they look great.  The way that their boxed are great too.

Barnabas and Quentin look great.  I will never take them out of their boxes, but I don't think you have to.

These are a great Valentines present for me.

[michael c]

these sound great...i'm getting jealous.

does anyone know if they will be available at the fest this year?is there a link i can go to for information?

i'd love to see figures of julia,vicki,liz etc...but i wonder if figures of the female characters will read more like "dolls" than "action figures" and be likely to turn off male toy collectors?

[PennyDreadful]

 I received mine today!  They are awesome!  The details are great, and I really like the box images.  These do remind me a lot of the Sideshow 12" figures and they hold up well when compared to the one I have (I only have one of the 12" ones -Mr. Hyde - the rest of my Sideshow figures are the 8" versions of the Universal monsters).

  My one complaint, and it's a minor one, is about Quentin's werewolf head.  They didn't make his nose black and wolfish like in the show.  It just looks like a human nose, which is kinda weird.  Otherwise, I like figures a lot.  Very nice indeed.

[jennifer]

where do you order them?
thanks
jennifer