Figure Review: Nightmare Demon (Now Playing)

This figure comes from SOTA's Now Playing line and it is based off of a scene in An American Werewolf in London, which is one of my favorite horror comedies. I've had this figure for quite some time and I have to say that it definitely stands out in my movie figures collection not only because the characters which the Nightmare Demon figures are based off of are only in one scene in the movie, but also because there hasn't been that many figures based off of the movie to my knowledge. That being said, I'm glad that SOTA was able to make figures based off of the movie even though they didn't make that many.

Onto the review...

Sculpting - 10/10

This figure's sculpt is truly excellent and for the most part, screen accurate. The folds on the clothes are very convincing and the Nazi style uniform looks good with either head. I like the strands in the hair on the wolf head and the scar on the back of the demon head as both factors add a lot to the head sculpts. I also like that both head sculpts have different expressions, which are both unnerving to some degree, but the face anatomy is really well done on both. The wrinkles and ridges are nice little details that you don't really see a whole lot on high quality figures like this. 

                                           

                     
Paint - 9/10

The Nightmare Demon's paint job is, for the most part, flawless. I like the darks on the jacket and pants, which SOTA could've just left blank, but if they did, that would've taken so much away from the figure. The darks don't feel too dark either -- they feel just right. The darks don't get in the way of the textures and details on the clothes -- in fact, the darks enhance those aspects. The teeth and gums on both heads look nice and nasty -- and I like the fact that the eyes aren't traditional eye colors, which helps to make the eyes look more menacing. The only problem I have is that the paint on the belt buckle went onto the belt itself a bit, which isn't the worst thing I've seen on a paint job. I can understand if that was part of the belt's design, but it seems a little off to me in the sense that it looks a little sloppy.

Articulation - 6/10

This figure has about nine points of articulation...

• ball  jointed neck
• ball jointed shoulders
• rotating elbows
• rotating wrists
• rotation on the boots  

This figure has a decent amount of articulation for a movie based figure that came out in the mid 2000s. The waist area is rather stiff, so I'd hate to break the figure in attempt to move it around, so I'm not counting that part for that reason. The figure doesn't have a lot of pose options, so it's more of a display piece than a figure which one could pose and mess around with to pass the time.

                                      

Accessories - 9/10

Other than the demon and wolf heads that are included with this figure as I've pointed out, it also comes with a display base and a knife. SOTA's figures never really fell short in the accessories department, which is certainly a good thing. The only complaint I have is that the paint on the flames on the display base seem a little bland and could've had a little more color added to them to make them look convincing. I think you can connect the bases with the other figures, but I'm not sure because I don't have the other ones.
                          

                              
Overall - 9/10

I would highly recommend this figure to anyone who is a fan of An American Werewolf in London as it is kind of a niche figure. Keep in mind that there are two or three variations of this figure, which I believe all have the same demon head, but they all have different alternate heads and weapons based on the scene in the movie. No matter what version you get, though, I'm sure you'll be happy. If you're looking to pick up this figure, I believe I bought mine at a local convention a couple years ago, so a convention or your local comics shop may work for you. You can always look on eBay or Amazon if you're looking to buy online.