Great pix, Lonnie!
With the exception of the Vampyre, the SSE counterparts hold up surprising well next to their color brothers.
I've said this before, and I still agree with me: I think the main problem with the SEE Vampyre is that the tonal range is too flat. The eyebrows and tufts of hair appear to be very close in value to the low-contrast skin tones. The portrait just lacks punch and, frankly, the figure looks more like a decrepit old man than a vile, loathsome, undead thing. Additionally, the coat is so dark in comparison to the other gray values, it detracts from the sculpt and makes the skin tones seem even duller. On the plus side, the peg supports in the base are a definite plus over the color edition's obtrusive support stand.
I've said this before, too: I still maintain the meticulous color detailing of the original PF Dracula really brings this figure to (un)life. As Poelzig observed, the skin tones may be a bit florid but, the stark contrast of the hair and eyebrows against the skin, the hot-red ribbon and the warm, gold tones of the accessories, are all stand-outs and well-accented against the whites, grays, and blacks of the clothing. I like the figure a lot better in your photos than the pix of the prototype but, the color figure is, IMO, unbeatable.
The comparison of the Frankenstein Monsters is the most intriguing to me. The first thing that stuck me is the difference in painting technique between the two. I always felt the sclera of the PF Monster was much too bloodshot for a patchwork corpse and, I could never understand the green irises. The SSE captures Karloff's faraway gaze much better. And, compared to a simple swipe of airbrushed color, the lips are much more defined on the SSE.
Compare this:
https://www.non-sport-cards.com/images/Monsters/Monsters61.jpg
to this:
https://www.non-sport-cards.com/images/Monsters/Monsters57.jpg
It was also interesting to see how much the paint job on your color PF differs from mine. Mine is much cleaner and more precise, with less bold strokes of the airbrush and smoother, more subtle gradations among colors. For example, on mine, the color doesn't bleed out from the scar on his forehead; the lips are more defined; the shading beneath the eyes is more subtle; and the nose on mine isn't as ... um... brown. Overall the paint on yours appears much more heavy-handed and saturated but, that could be a result of the lighting, etc.
You mentioned the difference in fabric, but there appears to also be an improvement in the tailoring and fit of the jacket on the SEE PF. It seems to hang better on the body with less of a flare at the hips. I noticed the addition of the pronounced weathering effect in the QuickTime™ VR turnaround and, I think it's a bit overdone. It's curious to know, from Creecher's post, that there is a color and SEE version of the distressed accents. Now that's attention to detail! I wonder, though, when in the production run of the color PF did this start? Mine has no such markings. My figure is 316/1100.
I think the boots on my color PF have a very slight application of flocking, as there is definitely some texture present. According to the historians, Karloff wore stock, off-the-shelf workmans boots from the period. I doubt that they would have been made of anything but tough leather.
Well, that's way more than my two cents worth. Lonnie, thanks so much for the time and effort you put into these photos. They were more than worth the wait and I learned a lot. You should copy this post over in the Galleries forum under the "Show Your Shelves" thread. Ask Dave to make it a sticky. It's a great resource for those on the board who may be trying to decide which version to buy.
I dont understand why the pictures at SS are so different from the real thing. I was going to order the silver screem vamp but after seeing it in person a few months ago, there was no way. And I was very disappointed about the differences in the figure. And I just read the post about the 1/4 sclae Jason which has also been "altered". But with the Vampire the faces dont look the same. The eyes are the 1st giveaway. Its so sad when when you buy a "expensive" collectible and when you open it, its total different
Monster:
It appears the pic of the SSE Vampire you posted is a grayscale conversion of the original color prototype. Prototypes will always differ somewhat from the final production pieces. This may be abnormal brain thinking on my part, so take this with a pinch of tanna leaves, but I believe the prototypes are meant to represent the best-case scenario of what the final product should be. The protos are lovingly crafted by Sideshow's finest artisans. But once a proto is approved and enters the production process, the inevitable constraints of mass-production can sometimes necessitate a change of design. For the most part, the final product is an accurate representation of the proto but, on occasion, some do disappoint.
