[TAO's Note: As soon I as knew what a mummy was, I spent about 90% of my youth thinking about them, just like any other kid. There was always the fear that one might come stumbling up behind you, moaning about the afterlife or some such. Well, it's time to start fearing mummies once again, because Wes is here to tell you all about this Universal Monsters figure, the Mummy. Enjoy!]  

Name: The Mummy
Line: Universal Monsters, Series 1
Manufacturer: Toy Island
Released: 2007
Price: Retail: $10 ($7.98 at KB Toys); Online: $10.95+
Scale: 7.00 in.
Accessories: Display base and backdrop; Frankenstein BAF right leg
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$10.95

     Admittedly, I haven't seen the original film with Boris Karloff, so I'm relying on Google Image Search results to judge the accuracy of the likeness. However, it wouldn't be entirely fair to be rigid in this respect, since -- because Toy Island didn't license the iconic actors' likenesses -- this is only supposed to approximate the look of the film's resurrected Imhotep. And as far as I can tell, it does that fairly well! The face recalls Karloff's likeness and is appropriately shriveled -- there's even that ridge over the nose -- though the hair doesn't look quite as matted and untouched (I'm guessing this particular mummy was entombed with a comb among his personal effects). That's almost it for character-specific features on this mummy, though it's worth noting that the right hand sports the ring that Karloff wears in the film.
     As for the body, you get a great-looking mummy sculpt. The bandages are fantastic, with an uneven look to the wrapping and lots of torn, frayed strips hanging from various points. The Mummy's body proportions do seem unrealistic -- it's expected that he'd be skinny, but everything below the neck looks a touch too long -- but the overall look of the sculpt is still fairly decent.

Sculpt Score: 8 / 10

     It's a relatively simple paint job, but is nevertheless incredibly impressive. Since the Mummy's body is cast in an off-white color, the bulk of the work is handled by a heavy brown wash that really makes the highly detailed body sculpt pop. It does seem heavier on the arms and below the waist than on the torso itself, but not jarringly so -- and any customizer out there could easily rectify the problem if it bothered him/her. The only more noticeable problems with the body's paint are a weird splash of yellow on the upper right thigh and the fact that paint seems to chip off of the shoulder and hip hinges fairly easily. It doesn't affect the look much (I wouldn't have minded if the hinges hadn't been painted at all), but be aware that it happens.
     The face and hands are a little less impressive, since they're cast in white and painted almost entirely grey, but with imperfect coverage so that white lines remain on areas of the sculpt. I'd have preferred it if these parts had been done in the same off-white color as the body -- or at least in a lighter shade of grey, as the contrast here is pretty drastic --  but maybe this is more accurate to Imhotep's appearance in some colorized artwork. In any case, it doesn't look that bad at all. The eyes, however, do detract from the face slightly, as they have a clearly human and almost bored look to them... which kinda make this Imhotep look like a very tall, thin guy in a really good mummy costume at a really dull Halloween party. Even though he'd be sure to place in the costume party with this getup, clear contacts or something else to really deaden his eyes would make him a shoo-in for first prize.
     Did I mention the ring is painted as well? It's easy to overlook that detail -- I certainly almost forgot about it -- but it looks great.

Paint Score: 9 / 10

     Most articulated mummy ever? I'm not sure, but the lack of a few joints are all that hold him back from perfection for me. A ball-jointed neck would be preferable, but the swivel neck isn't abominable here -- he is a mummy, after all, and those guys aren't really very limber. That said, the nature of the sculpt means that it swivels at a slight angle, such that turning his head to either side leaves his head slightly cocked as well. As such, and owing to the "lifelike" but dull eyes, Imhotep almost looks like he's wondering when the blasted party will be over or thinking about the mountain of laundry he needs to do when he gets home. And, of course, swivel biceps would be ideal.
     Problems with the existing articulation: the ankle hinges don't allow for much movement, and for some reason it's very difficult to pose him in varied stances while keeping his feet flat on the ground. That could be intentional -- with his feet at angles, he does look like he's shambling forward -- but it's still not ideal. Also, perhaps owing to chipped paint or whatever caused that yellow smudge, his right thigh swivel has a tendency to stick... even though I've had and been posing this figure for almost a year. I haven't managed to twist it off yet, and (like some DC Direct figures) it seems like the thigh piece could be tight enough around the ball that the leg will remain attached fairly securely even if I do, but you obviously don't want to worry that you're going to break a figure every time you pick it up!

Articulation Score: 8 / 10

     Who wouldn't like a relatively good-looking, well-articulated mummy figure? The somewhat imperfect likeness might make him a bit less fun for hardcore fans of the original Universal film, but everyone else will have a great time with this guy. While it's not as extensive as I'd like, there's more than enough articulation here to make posing fun, and the sticking point detracts very little from that. If the display angle is your thing, the Mummy comes with a cool-looking movie poster stand that adds a little something beyond the simple text and logos that adorn most figure bases. A sarcophagus or similar base or accessory might've added to his play and display value even more, but this mummy's wandered too far from the tomb for any of those.
     But although the Mummy lacks any accessories proper, there's something extra for you zany folks who just love building BAFs: Frankenstein's right leg! Admittedly, I can't say that assembling ol' Frankie has been enjoyable for me -- it's been a year and I still haven't been able to acquire his freaking left leg (and I'm not paying $20 + shipping on eBay to get the figure with the final piece) -- but you might have more fun with it if you like the challenge of assembling BAF limbs from exceedingly hard-to-find action figure waves. (DCUC collectors, take note!)

Fun Score: 9 / 10

      I believe the Mummy retailed for about $10 when he first came out, and you can still find him online for close to that price since he was one of the less popular figures from the wave.  That's an okay value for a relatively great-looking 7" figure with great (but not excellent) articulation, a cool base, and a (potentially worthless) BAF piece... but there's probably other stuff you'd enjoy more unless you're a big fan of monsters or mummies or the sculpt of this particular figure. Back when KB Toys was still around, however, this line was there in abundance for $7.98. Even that price didn't make me jump on the figure, but he's definitely worth that and I kinda wish I had now (if only because I could've gotten a Wolfman and completed the darned Frankenstein BAF). Instead, I waited until the closing days of KB and snagged Imhotep for under $5, and he's absolutely worth that (I'm scoring him based on the $10 price; at $5 he'd easily get a 10) -- so if you find him for that price, buy him even if you hate mummies and things that go oooOOOOOOOAAAAAaaaaargh in the night. If nothing else, you can pretend he's some dastardly no-goodnick just moments before having his evil scheme foiled by a meddlesome group of kids and a giant pot-smoking dog.

Value Score: 7 / 10

8 / 10 - Not an exact Karloff likeness (nor is it intended to be); hair looks a bit too kempt; has Karloff Mummy's ring; bandages look fantastic; proportions are a tad off.

9 / 10 - Wash on bandages really highlights sculpting detail; wash on torso is slightly lighter; paint chips at shoulder and hip joints; grey color of face and hands contrast with off-white of body; eyes look dull but too lively for a dead man; ring looks great.

8 / 10 - Great amount of articulation; swivel neck could be better; bicep swivels would be nice; ankle hinges are limited; hard to keep feet flat on ground in poses; right thigh swivel sticks.

9 / 10 - Articulated mummies are win; includes a cool poster display stand; no other accessories; Frankenstein leg could add to fun if you like agonizing over incomplete BAFs.

7 / 10 - $10 isn't a bad price for a great-looking and fairly well-articulated (but not amazing) 7" figure; at lower prices, value obviously goes up.

82 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

-Wes

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