Van Helsing

At some point (who can even remember when, any longer?) NECA announced they had gotten the license to make figures based on the classic Hammer Films horror properties, and would be starting with Christopher Lee as Dracula. Well, the only evidence anything ever came of that is Monkey Boy having it in his collection, but he lives in the future anyway, so that means nothing. And yet, here the "second" release in the line, Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. NECA presents the second in a series of action figures from the legendary Hammer House of Horror! Hammer has produced landmark horror since the 1950s, with the first being Horror of Dracula. The film captured audiences with its mix of vivid color, carnality, and violence. Peter Cushing plays the iconic character Van Helsing, who is sent to destroy Dracula, as played by Christopher Lee. Yes, that's just marketing copy, not biographical information, but come on: you know who Van Helsing is. And if you somehow don't, we have one or two reviews that can tell you. He's an archetype at this point, even if most adaptations change him pretty drastically from the book. He's so central to Horror of Dracula, for instance, that not only is Peter Cushing the only actor billed above the title, he's also listed first in the closing credits. Think about how big a deal you have to be to be billed before Dracula in a Dracula movie! Right out of the box, Van Helsing doesn't seem very interesting. He's wearing his travelling clothes, which means a long coat with a short fur collar, and a scarf around his neck. Not good for sculpted detail, not good for articulation. It's not that Tankman's sculpt is bad, at all, it's just that there isn't a ton to be done with "guy wearing a coat that falls past his knees." Comparing it to the film, the collar should be larger - reaching out closer to the shoulders, coming up higher behind the neck - but it's a fine representation. Between the coat, the scarf, and the hat permanently attached to his head, he looks like he should be carrying a valise and stepping off an old-fashioned carriage or something. Ah, but that's only right out of the box. This figure has a rather unexpected accessory, an entire second chest. And not like the T-1000 had a second chest, this is a full alternate torso that swaps at the waist. It's a bit hard to get the body apart (and later, back together), since the long coat prevents you from getting proper leverage, but when you do, you can trade in a version wearion not a coat, but a vest, and with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. This looks like a much more action-oriented body, ready to kick some undead butt! The vest, unfortunately, is not the proper color. It's a dark burgundy, verging on brown, while in the film the color was lighter than that on the front, and the back was grey or dark beige. Plus, there should be a watch fob hanging from a pocket on the left side. Considering how far NECA typically goes for movie-accuracy, this is a rare misstep. In addition to the millinerized head, we get two more suited to this dynamic version: teh first just shows him without a hat, looking calm and collected, while the second has his brows knit in effort, his mouth open to show his lower teeth, and his hair slightly rumpled, like he's been in a tussle. After all, it's no easy work to drive a stake into a human chest! Without the coat on, Van Helsing gets full use of his articulation. There's a barbell head, balljointed neck, swivel/​hinge shoulders, swivel/hine elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, a balljointed chest (behind the vest, so it can't really do much), balljoint waist, balljoint hips, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge knees, swivel ankles, and swivel/hinge feet. The coat body has all the same joints, of course, but the lower edge of it keeps the legs from doing anything. If all you know Peter Cushing from is Star Wars, you'll be surprised by how active he is in Horror of Dracula, so having all the joints is a good thing. The accessories are appropriate for a vampire hunter: a cross, a small hammer, a bundle of wooden stakes as well as a single loose one, and a pair of candlesticks he can use as in impromptu cross - something that was Cushing's idea, as he didn't think it was realistic he would have an endless supply of crosses on his person, and he'd already left one behind in an earlier scene. He doesn't use any of these things in the one scene where he's got his vest on, but it can still be fun to equip him that way. He's got relaxed and gripping hands in both gloved and bare styles, with either able to use the hammer and stake, but only the gloved hand can hold the candlesticks, which is appropriate. Just as the vest is not fully accurate in either sculpt or paint, the packaging has a strange choice to it, as well. As they often do, NECA based the box art on a poster for the movie the toy represents - in this case, the French poster, though with English text so you don't think you're buying an action figure based on Le Cauchemar de Dracula. But do you notice anything about it? No, not the fact that Chris Raimo squashed the image horizontally so more of it would fit on the box (though that did happen). We're asking you to notice that Van Helsing does not appear in this poster. That dude with the stake? That's not Peter Cushing, that's John Van Eyssen as Jonathan Harker. We might have been able to overlook this, if the image of Harker wasn't repeated on the lid, as well. If using fan art was good enough for the Invisible Man, it would have been good enough for Van Helsing, as well. Peter Cushing probably would have gotten a kick out of this figure: if you didn't know, he was a miniature wargamer, collecting and painting his own toy soldiers, and playing with them on the floor of his house. [RIP Grand Moff Tarkin, you would've loved Warhammer 40K --ed.] Even if you've never seen Horror of Dracula, getting two versions of the character in one (thanks to the swappable chests) makes this a really good set. -- 10/16/25 What art would you have used for the box? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.