Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Moore Action Collectibles did a series of busts before they went, well, bust, based on the popular series Angel. They did busts for Angel (modern and origin), Spike, Lorne, Cordelia, and Faith. Both Lorne and Spike actually had multiple color variants on the outfits as well.

But when MAC followed the buffalo, Diamond Select Toys stepped in to pick up where they left off. They’ve been producing figures, statues and mini-busts, and have already released 7 of their own in the same scale and style as the previous series. Rather than being based on Angel, these are based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and have included Giles as a Fyarl Demon, D’Hoffryn, one of the Gentlemen, the Judge, Kulak, Oz and Werewolf Oz.

They have just released their eighth, the Uber-Vampire. You’ll remember this guy from the final season, when he was operating as a pawn for Caleb and the First. Following closely behind this bust should be several more, including a couple Buffy’s and a Spike. Packaging - ***1/2
The box has some nice photos of the actual bust, with some very basic info. It does what it needs to do best (keep the bust safe) quite well, and they used the sturdy, solid styrofoam for the inserts, not that damn cheap stuff that ends up all over the place. I’ve been repacking busts as part of my upcoming move, and I’m once again reminded how much I hate that cheap foam.

Sculpting - ***1/2
This work was doen by Gabriel Marquez, and he captured both the look of the Ubervamp AND the style of the other monster mini-busts. There’s excellent detail in the face, particularly around the mouth and teeth, and if you’ve forgotten what an ugly, mean looking vampire was, you’ll remember pretty quick.

The leather tunic looks great, and the undead skin texture works perfectly. Some folks think you need to have an asymmetrical sculpt to look ugly and scary, but the ubervamp proves otherwise.

Paint - ***
The paint isn’t quite as good as the sculpt, although it’s not terrible. Some of the colors are applied with a bit of a heavy hand, particularly around the eyes. But the work on the mouth and teeth is great, and the skin tone looks excellent.

Design - ****
I already mentioned it briefly in the sculpt section, but it’s definitely worth mentioning again - the design and style matches up with the other monster mini-busts perfectly. He’s in scale, and done without arms, in the classic bust style.

The base is also adorned with a symbol that fans will appreciate, and connecting the bases to the characters this way is another nice touch. Although the base isn’t identical to the other bases, the style still matches up.

Value - **1/2
At around $40, he’s a pretty average value on the bust market. You can find him for a few bucks cheaper if you look around (and I have some suggestions below), but getting busts less than $35 these days is getting to be pretty tough.

He’s also a limited run of 2000, but that’s probably pretty accurate for the current demand.

Overall - ***1/2
Let me first say I’m not thrilled at all with the new humans DST is putting out. The slightly smaller size than the regular minibusts (they have to be slightly smaller to have 2/3rds of their body) and the completely different design means it’s very unlikely I’ll be picking any of them up. If they can’t fit in with these, then they don’t do me much good.

On the flip side, I’m very happy to see them keeping the monsters in the same style. UberVamp fits right in with the other monsters from both MAC and DST, and will look fantastic on the shelf next to them. The paint ops were a tad weak, but the sculpt and design make up for any slight failing.

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpt - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Design - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy - You can find them at most comic shops, or online at:

 Amazing Toyz has him for $38.

 CornerStoreComics has him for $38.

 Alter Ego Comics has him for $38.25.

 Time and Space Toys has him for $40, but if you’re a Buffy Collector Club member, you can get him for $36.

Related Links - I’ve reviewed some of the past busts:

 here’s a review of the four monsters, Giles as a Fyarl Demon, the Judge, D’Hoffyrn, Kulak, and The Gentleman.

 and of course, you should check out the Diamond Select site for more info.