Anton Phibes
Super Freak
As if there weren't enough quality issues with the Mummy PF, my buddy got his in the other day. It was a really early number. He invited me over to see it. The paint apps. for the sarcophagus were really terrible in areas. Some of the blue triangle heiroglyphics were left unpainted. Slops of gold paint in areas. Now for the real shocker: Finger prints were visible on the bottom piece of the sarcophagus where the lid joins. F-I-N-G-E-R-P-R-I-N-T-S!!! I couldn't believe it. I didn't point these questionable areas out to him, because I didn't want him to think I was ragging on his Mummy...but man, they were bad! I wonder if those fingerprints were actually in the molding of the item, or just in the paint. Either way is bad...but if its only paint, it could be fixed with some skill. Of course, his nose had issues too. Some lumps (intentional sculpt?) and rubbed paint. He seemed happy to have gotten one at all, but I left feeling bad for him because the item had qaulity issues in my humble opinion. I sincerely doubt that there are actually 350 of these that are "sound", unless SSC made a huge percentage of overproduction for this contingency.
While I am impressed with the general appearance and "wow factor" of the Mummy PF, and I think it will probably be the high point of the collection of Universal Monsters PF series.....it is also going to be the most fragile and scarce of the lot. I can see this piece being subject to paint loss over the years, even with the utmost care going into keeping it safe, simply because of how it is engineered with so many painted surfaces touching one another without any felt or cushioning.
Here's a tip...for those of you who bought one. I have a thin strip of the paper like packing foam folded into a couple of "pillows" that I stick behind "Im Ho Tep" at his magnetic contact points. Might help to keep paint loss down. I am really glad mine came in looking as good as it did. A retailer friend of mine also had one at his display area in the "flea" market. His nose was painted an entirely different color than mine. Light gray tone. His fingers were missing some paint, and the urn was scuffed like Bannister's. This could truly be one of SSC's more serious quality control issues. I recommend anyone who is going to send their questionable Mummy back for a replacement do so quickly. One just sold on Ebay for $450.
While I am impressed with the general appearance and "wow factor" of the Mummy PF, and I think it will probably be the high point of the collection of Universal Monsters PF series.....it is also going to be the most fragile and scarce of the lot. I can see this piece being subject to paint loss over the years, even with the utmost care going into keeping it safe, simply because of how it is engineered with so many painted surfaces touching one another without any felt or cushioning.
Here's a tip...for those of you who bought one. I have a thin strip of the paper like packing foam folded into a couple of "pillows" that I stick behind "Im Ho Tep" at his magnetic contact points. Might help to keep paint loss down. I am really glad mine came in looking as good as it did. A retailer friend of mine also had one at his display area in the "flea" market. His nose was painted an entirely different color than mine. Light gray tone. His fingers were missing some paint, and the urn was scuffed like Bannister's. This could truly be one of SSC's more serious quality control issues. I recommend anyone who is going to send their questionable Mummy back for a replacement do so quickly. One just sold on Ebay for $450.