If we’re talking Dracula in the Marvel Universe, I’m really more of a Gene Colan Dracula fan, but I have to admit this modern take with his pale skin and bright red armor is pretty darn toyetic. Let’s take a look at the Marvel Legends Dracula!
The artwork on the box is quite nice and sells Dracula’s imperious nature well.
Dracula comes with a sword, two fists, two heads, a right grip hand, a left clawed hand, and the arm for Blackheart with an alternate pointing hand.
The sword has some sharp edges and is cast in a slightly metallic plastic. Unfortunately for me and how I usually light figures for photography, it’s a little bit translucent when a light is behind it. It could use a metallic paint job.
The hands swap easily and stay on well and continue the intricate spikey armor design. All the hands hinge in/out except the grip hand which hinges up/down so he can kind of point his sword. I think I might have preferred two clawed hands in place of one of the fists. Drac seems like more of scratch and claw kinda guy than a puncher.
The Blackheart arm looks cool, I’m looking forward to finishing him. The funny thing I noticed is that the alternate hand fits on Dracula easily.
My favorite accessory by far is the alternate heads. The serious one is ultra-serious and fits Dracula’s aristocratic dismissive vibe perfectly and the fangs out version means business. I’m so glad they gave Dracula the two options so he does have the fangs, but doesn’t have to always be screaming. The ponytails on both are different and swivel. The faceprint is nice as it darkens him around the eyes subtly and gives the pupils a glow effect. There is also a subtle shading to the skin of the face that adds some realism.
I really like the sculpting on this guy, all the armor has such great crusty texture and spiky goodness. The tattered and cloth textured cape also evokes a bit of a bat shape. He’s a great match for a bunch of artwork I’ve seen for this modern version and looks like mostly new parts to me. I really like how the ponytail for the snarling face is fuller and bigger so it looks more in motion. I also like that he’s just a smidge bigger than the average Legends figure, not a towering monster, just a bit more imposing.
Articulation is decent. I like the double knees and the swivel/hinge elbows do get more than 90 degree bend (which is good considering the armored forearms and puffy sleeves), but the mid torso wobble doesn’t get much wobble. The barbell ball and socket neck has decent up and down, but great tilt. At first glance it looked like we might have missed the boot cut on this figure, but the ankle swivels at the calf and foot and the armor hides it nicely.
Paint is okay with mostly appropriately colored plastics and the designs on Dracula’s sides are cleanly done and the plastic quality is mostly matte. He could really use a dark wash to bring out that armor detail and some metallic paint on the chain.
Overall I’m really pleased with this figure. It’s just a striking armored look and the pale face and hair contrasts nicely. It’s not my Dracula for sure, but the red armor kind of recalls the red armor in the prologue from the Gary Oldman Dracula film and the pale skin and hair recalls Oldman’s old Dracula look later in the film. It’s really smart of Dracula to armor up that chest, and the tights give him a bit of a super hero vibe to fit in more with the Marvel Universe. It feels like this Dracula would be a good match for the more Snipes-inspired Blade. I could still really go for a classic Gene Colan style Dracula and Blade with his crazy green shades.
