Super7 Universal Monsters Lon Chaney as The Wolf Man Super7, 2025
Day #2,958: December 31, 2025
Lon Chaney as The Wolf Man It isn't a wolf... it's a werewolf!
Universal Monsters ReAction+ Figure
Item No.: No. 80344 Manufacturer:Super7 Includes:Cane Action Feature:n/a Retail:$20-$25 Availability: October 2025 Other: A fairly modern sculpt for a retro format
Despite being very happy with the Kenner-style Wolf Man from Super7 [FOTD #2,657], professional curiosity and my general need to try these things out had me grab Lon Chaney as The Wolf Man as a ReAction+ Figure. The 2025 ReAction+ Figure from Super7 riffs on 1980s G.I. Joe figures, while the 2018 version was meant to riff on Kenner Star Wars. If you grew up in that era, you know one had five joints and the other had considerably more. Each figure takes a different spin on a very old character, and you can make a pretty compelling reason to buy each one. The previous version's body language feels more like the character - the bent knees, the raised heel, the hands rotated in a menacing "gonna get ya" pose. This one is designed like a G.I. Joe, without many particular flourishes. Some Joe figures did have webbed hands or alternate posed parts, so I think they may have gone a little too conservative here. The body sculpt of the previous version is a bit better, but this one is more fun to play with.
The feet are a little flatter, the hands are a little more Joe-like in that they can hold accessories, and he's even got a backpack hole. It's too big for old Hasbro figures, but it should fit Super7's current crop of gear just fine. It's not an exact match to Hasbro's house style, but the very crisp sculpting of his clothing (as opposed to the softer fur sculpting) looks remarkable and I'm surprised the pants are pressed more crisply than Gung Ho's dress uniform.
Lawrence Talbot feels a lot like the 1980s and 1990s Hasbro Joes - before the hands got a little more rubbery. These paws have pointy claws and feel like they could snap if you aren't careful. It's hard plastic all over, with familiar landmarks like the swivel-grip arms and a swivel (but not pivoting) neck like Hasbro's first couple of years of A Real American Hero.
Unlike the old Joes, his elbow piece is not the same, shared element. It's unique, and has some distinctive wrinkles and folds. It's a nice modern touch, and the kind of thing you want when you're paying $20 or more for one of these guys. There's no reason to share a flat, boring part if you can just make a completely new arm (and have a customer willing to pay for it.)
This figure is colored pretty much the same as the previous release, with a green shirt and blue pants. There's a black belt, simple eyes, a black nose, some light fur, but mostly dark fur. The green shirt is a little bit darker, but they both seem to be drawing from the same style guide. I like the 2025 figure's head sculpt and deco more, with simple little eyes and slightly poofy hair. His hands are very good, but I would've loved to have rotated the wrists a bit. It also would have been great to have pre-bent knees that couldn't be totally straight ever, but I bet a lot of fans wouldn't like that. It gives you options, but when it comes to figure sculpting I think it's important to give some characters a pose that can't be reworked. His heels aren't as high, but he looks like he's wearing high heels. It makes sense functionally, but overall I do like the previous pose a lot better.
If you squint, the face is better than a 1980s figure. The mouth has painted teeth and some black for the void - that's good. He has painted fur that's not glossy - that's a wash. Most figures of that era tended to have quite a shine, but Super7 did make sure his clothing is pretty shiny. It feels pretty real, but not quite a perfect match to a 1980s or 1990s sculpt. It's just a little too perfect, and the paint is just a little too sharp, but anything less would also elicit complaints.
Unlike the Gill Man he's much easier to fit in vehicles. His feet are smaller and his build isn't quite as wide, thanks to the lack of fins or other such enhancements. He slides right in the driver's seat of all vehicles I've tested. He has no real problems holding his cane, but fans of backpacks take note. Super7 did give him a hole for such things, but the pegs on vintage backpacks are too small to stay in there. Other modern Super7 backpacks, like Baron Karza's, will fit.
If you were a Joe kid, you'll want this. The cane is nice, the figure would also have been fine with no accessories. Who wouldn't have wanted a werewolf to plague Cobra or Joe? Remco thought of this back in the day but none of us really bought into that sort of thing. It's funny, the "plays with G.I. Joe" action figures we ignored would probably be greeted with open arms/wallets if we saw something similar in Walmart now. I'd recommend picking this up if you like monster toys, retro toys, or O-ring era figures of any sort.
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