X-Plus models

[Hepcat]

It's Facebook.

Ah! Well, no need. 

Yes. None at all.

[darkmonkeygod]

Any Wolfman shots, Shannon?

Not that I saw. Just the prototypes of the Gill Man from Creature ('54), The Monster from Frankenstein ('31) and a the painted buildups of Dracula ('31), the Mummy, and the Bride.

[darkmonkeygod]

X-Plus is set up at the 2024 Shizuoka Hobby Show Showcase and have released some photos... I think Anton is gonna be happy:

First image of the Monster painted up.

And here are some great images of the Mummy kit, soon to be up for pre-order:

The Mummy's Tomb

[Anton Phibes]

Well, that's cinched it for me. I guess I am going to collect this line. Chaney girth and likeness there, and its nice!

[darkmonkeygod]

Well, that's cinched it for me. I guess I am going to collect this line. Chaney girth and likeness there, and its nice!

There's the ringing endorsement I was waiting for!

The exclusive versions have proven difficult for me to find at pre-order and so far at least in the case of the Creature, after shipping as well. Please lemme know if you happen upon anyone selling them (particularly at pre-order price).

[Anton Phibes]

Exclusive? You mean the backdrop they offer?

[Mike Scott]

Exclusive? You mean the backdrop they offer?

Backdrop?

[darkmonkeygod]

Exclusive? You mean the backdrop they offer?

No. I would swear I've posted about the alternate portrait heads on here but I'm not finding it so here's the ad for the Creature:

I think the Bride's is the wrapped head, though it's possible her table is exclusive as well. Dunno about the Dracula, as I suspect the glow version would be it's own wide-release retail item. You can see both of those in these photos (though they are small).

It's my understanding there will be exclusive versions of each. I suspect there will also be glow versions, which is why the Dracula is a little surprising, as you'd think they'd wait year before a re-release and give the stock at retail the opportunity to sell down.


Edit: in looking further into it, I think the Dracula exclusive may be the inclusion of the look from the play / his walkabout in London.

The Bride (pretty sure it's just the wrapped portrait that's the exclusive):

And here's another look at 'ole Gill:

[Anton Phibes]

great. what are they exclusive to? I hate that crap.

[darkmonkeygod]

great. what are they exclusive to? I hate that crap.

Well, as yet that's my quandary. IF they were available for pre-order into the States, I missed it. I *suspect* they are exclusive to X-Plus and aren't available at wholesale, but I've not been able to confirm that. The exclusive version of Creature was released, I saw it for sale for a time on Japanese websites, but with shipping adding $40 to the price, the cost was pushed up to $100 USD, which is both beyond my means and my interest.  

[darkmonkeygod]

X-Plus put on quite a showing at Wonderfest 2024 in Chiba, Japan, including what I believe is the first look at the first charater in their new Universal Monsters sofubi (soft vinyl) figure line: Frankenstein's Monster! Wild to me that, finally, we're getting licensed Uni Monsters traditional sofubi toys after all these decades. Images taken from X-Plus' various social channels and hosted for posterity. Also, sculptor Masataka Yoshio posted a few of his sketches for Dracula in celebration of the kits release.

[Mike Scott]

X-Plus put on quite a showing at Wonderfest 2024

Their kits sure have elaborate bases! Love the mist on the WM kit!

[MrDark1]

What a great line up of Classic Monsters!

Luv the Metropolis figures too!  Not since the original Auroras have I had such a collectors fever for models.

Anymore pics on the toon-ish Frankenstein model, or other figures from this style figure? 

[Anton Phibes]

The "Exclusive Variant" FOMO crap, and my lack of space, has caused me to make no purchases of these at this time. Despite their being lovely, and an amazing set of kits, I just can't do the "games". I just want to buy the top of the line edition, pay my cash, and go home. Not  the ridiculous "if you enter a lottery, stand on one foot and bark like a sea lion, and attend a convention halfway across the globe, we will give you the privilege of being able to buy the best version. Only if you are wearing a pink tutu though".  Never played that game. never will. Still managed to survive and have oodles of monster goodies.

Shannon, if you can help someone sort through this, and figure out how many editions exist (backdrop edition, extra head edition, etc....) folks here might wanna know so they can figure out what to get. Also how to get it.

[darkmonkeygod]

The "Exclusive Variant" FOMO crap, and my lack of space, has caused me to make no purchases of these at this time.

Shannon, if you can help someone sort through this, and figure out how many editions exist (backdrop edition, extra head edition, etc....) folks here might wanna know so they can figure out what to get. Also how to get it.

We may all in luck! I was speaking with one of the two US distributors of these kits tonight and he believes X-Plus has done away with the "Exclusive" versions entirely, as you aren't the only on frustrated by any sort of "chase". He said the Dracula shipping now includes both versions of the chest-piece, and that the Bride is now going to ship with both portraits (the wrapped head being the secondary) and that there will be no exclusives, that all kids will include the extras - essentially meaning what would have been the exclusive will now be the only edition and it won't be exclusive, it has become the standard edition.

This means that, of the Universal kits, only the Revenge of the Creature kit has a variant.

Seems like a win for all of us that don't want to double dip or chase a variant. That make any of it more palatable?