Dust off Your Shelves Looks Like The Bela Lugosi Bust is shipping!

This was Posted over at the Classic Horror Film Board.

New Lugosi as Dracula 1:1 Bust Coming!

Mine just shipped from Sideshow, I'll offer my take on it once it arrives.
Jim Clatterbaugh
Editor/Publisher MFTV
www.monstersfromthevault.com

Looks like I will have to Pay off my Flexpay early again.

So how many of you here have flexpays left? And how many are going to get Bela Early? I hope that by the second week in Nov. I can get him early as I don't want to screw up getting my Mummy figure, which would come out of my paycheck This Tue. I thought I had ordered it flexpay but did not and the whole amount is due. So I have to sit on that money until the second week. Would be my luck that I would miss out on the Mummy by Paying for Bela a Week early.Drats!

Universalrocks said:

So how many of you here have flexpays left? And how many are going to get Bela Early? I hope that by the second week in Nov. I can get him early as I don't want to screw up getting my Mummy figure, which would come out of my paycheck This Tue. I thought I had ordered it flexpay but did not and the whole amount is due. So I have to sit on that money until the second week. Would be my luck that I would miss out on the Mummy by Paying for Bela a Week early.Drats!

Click to expand...

If all goes according to my "master scheme" I may have mine...tomorrow!!! I'll have to let you know. Right here. In this very thread. If all doesn't go according to my master scheme...well, let's just say you'll know that too.

I love Master schemes! Yes Please let me, know a small review would be nice.

Okay...I just got him in. Around 6:30 here. Here is a quick review of likes and dislikes.

1. Likes: It is Bela. We definitely do not need a cape an or a medallion. It's awesome as is. The additon of the other items may make it look tacky in fact. But that's just my take.

2. The Box. It comes in just a plain cardboard box with a sticker on it. Pics to follow. To me this is much desired as I get tired of caring if the box is arrives nice and sound or not. If the box gets dinged up this way, no one is going to give a rat's behind because its just a box. Nothing special. If it keeps prices lower I am all for it too. Because I'm cheap.

3. Paint and expression are great to me.

4. New Sideshow bound catalog comes with it.

What I don't like:

1. It TOWERS above the Ardeth Bey 1:1 Bust. This thing is colossal. Pics to follow shortly. It's more bang for the buck to be sure. But it's not in scale with Ardeth. That's my only gripe.

Pics to follow! Pics to follow! Just wait!!!

Good Information. Im glad about the box, this means I won't have to store any more boxes. And if it keeps the costs down Im all for that too. Im also sorry to hear that he is not in scale with Ardeth Bey. Can't Wait to see the Pics.

Okay, after the adrenaline rush subsided, I took the pics. Upon close examination I noticed some quality issues. Here we go: Dracula was evidently rode hard and put away wet to meet his "dead"line. Some of the wrapping (foam wrap) stuck to the hair paint apps. An easy fix. Use Apple Barrell flat water based black paint if you run into this little problem. Then ther is another potential problem. it looks like just above the lip of mine theri is some scuffing. Either that or some seriously unsmooth shadowing. Probably can be fixed by mixing a lite wash and rubbing in with a swab. Look at the pics and draw your conclusions fellow Universal Freaks. I know one thing...I needs me a bigger house if this keeps up.

More.....

one more to look at. Not too good with getting these pics to load. Kinda small.

Does he have no lower eyelashes at all or are they painted on? I do like the paint job on the prototype better since it is more subtle, he does seem a bit dark in your the pics. Im sure its just your pics, and not saying you are a bad photographer. Ardeth Bey bust looks Great but when I take pics of it they don't due the piece justice. Im sure in person the paint job is perfect. When someone posted pics of Ardeth before I got mine I thought man we have been ripped off, but when he arrived and I saw him in person it was perfectly fine. I can not wait to get mine, this piece is so cool you are a lucky man

Universalrocks said:

Does he have no lower eyelashes at all or are they painted on? I do like the paint job on the prototype better since it is more subtle, he does seem a bit dark in your the pics. Im sure its just your pics, and not saying you are a bad photographer. Ardeth Bey bust looks Great but when I take pics of it they don't due the piece justice. Im sure in person the paint job is perfect. When someone posted pics of Ardeth before I got mine I thought man we have been ripped off, but when he arrived and I saw him in person it was perfectly fine.

Click to expand...

Well, first of all it's okay...I am a hideous photographer. I am aware of this and it will be an albatross around my neck until the day I die. So, no worries there.

The lower eyelashes are painted on. But they look good. I think if the lower eyelashes were actual artificial eyelashes he might've looked like "Drag"-ula with those red lips! LOL!

The scuffed upper lip was easily blended in with a wash consisting of apple barrel flesh and graphite. Easy fix. However, and Sideshow if you are listening Heed the words of Anton Phibes...when someone pays big $$$ (or in my case barters their craft till the end of time to get other people to cover the bills we make by buying your wares)...they do not expect to have to do any "fixes."

It was no big deal for me to fix the minor boo-boos Dracula had. Because I have done a ton of garage kits for myself and others. But someone who doesn't work with models or custom figures would probably have had a cow if they saw what I saw after a closer exam. I'm not complaining... because I love your stuff. I just want to make sure you stay wealthy and in business until I croak.

Are you and I the only folks who are loving this thing? By the way...I got #55 of 250. This thing is ridiculously heavy though. 31 lbs!!!! I'll have a hernia if I ever move this thing once I get past 60!

I'm gonna go stare at him now.

I guess we are the only ones loving Bela at the moment. But im sure the others will chime in as soon as they see you have posted some pics. Im sure some others will recieve theirs soon, and some like me still have 2 more flexpays to go. But if all goes well like I said before maybe I can pay him Off early and put him in his place of Honor in my Collection. Nice save on the Paint Damage by the way.

Universalrocks said:

I do like the paint job on the prototype better since it is more subtle, he does seem a bit dark in your the pics.

Click to expand...

No disrespect intended, but I feel exactly the opposite. The paint job on the prototype was excellent, but the shadows and coloring in the face were too subtle looking for Dracula in my opinion. I had my paints and pastels ready to enhance him because I thought he would come in looking more like the prototype, but after seeing these pics, I don't know if I feel inclined to enhance him anymore (maybe I'll add a little more coloring under the eyes and in the temple area). Remember that Dracula is most remembered in dramatic and dark lighting, so you need the darker tones to convey the mood of the movie. Just my opinion of course.

For a prepaint, this bust is really beautiful!!

Anton Phibes said:

This thing is ridiculously heavy though. 31 lbs!!!! I'll have a hernia if I ever move this thing once I get past 60!

Click to expand...

Good, I would feel like I'm really getting ripped off if it were not real heavy.

Thanks for the review and pics Phibes !!

Awesome, I just can't get into the bust line. Something creeps me out about them (which in Belas case is the purpose I guess.) I saw a few at SDCC and just, made me feel violated. I don't these people's life sized heads looking at me. Just me though. Anyway, it looks awesome, it'd scare the crap outa me everytime I would come home. No SSE version though?

great pics anton! now i really can't wait to get mine! i certainly hope mine arrives with no problems. unlike you i wouldn't know how to do those touch ups. aside from the occasional black marker i am not artistically inclined nor skillfully crafted for such works.

postorboykelly, that was my first impression when i received my ardeth bey! i was seriously awestruck when i first saw him. creeped me out at first but i got over it. now i have quite a few (and growing) 1:1 busts! these are great art pieces! space killers though.

yeah, i'm anxiously waiting for the SSE version! i was sure it was going to be offered during spooktacular.

I received mine the day after halloween...(just joined the forum today)

I think the sculpt is fantastic... however I'm not sure if I have a bad paint job, or if this is on par with everyone else's

The problem with the paint on mine is really just the dark air brushing around the Drac's right check bone... its like a dark shadow that goes right over his cheek and into the dark shading under his right eye... if there was some way I could tone that down, or erase it a bit.... but as one poster stated before... for the money this thing cost, I shouldn't have to repair anything!

Also I thought I was missing the bottom eyelashes, as shown on the proto on the website... but it appears thats how the final shipping turned out... eyelashes on top only..

Could we see some pics from you guys with out the flash for comparison? I just want to see how the paint is turning out for everyone, so I can make a decesion as to wether to return and exchange or not..

Cursed 1941 said:

I received mine the day after halloween...(just joined the forum today)

I think the sculpt is fantastic... however I'm not sure if I have a bad paint job, or if this is on par with everyone else's
Could we see some pics from you guys with out the flash for comparison? I just want to see how the paint is turning out for everyone, so I can make a decesion as to wether to return and exchange or not..

Click to expand...

Let me charge my batteries up and I will try to take a bigger pic. For some reason unknown to me, I have to take Photoshop and downsize every photo I take before I can post it on here. Sometimes they come out too small to do any good. Gimme a little bit and I'll try it.

Okay, Cursed1941...I am gonna give this another shot. No flash per your request and tried to focus primarily on the face.

Whats really cool about this (from the pictures) is the captured the effortless intensity of Bela's gaze. Its like he's piercing your soul... yet not really trying that hard. He probably could come out looking constipated pretty easily if SS had got it wrong