It looks like Stan Winston, the man whose special monster effects were present in films like Aliens, Terminator, and The Relic, has taken a cue from Todd McFarlane and decided to create his own toy line. Of course, his first toy line is a series of monsters based on the series of movies he did for HBO and Cinemax, which were reduxes of classic monster flicks by Samuel Z. Arkoff during the 1950s. This is the first time that the people behind the monster effects also have a hand in the sculpting of the subsequent figure line.

The initial line of five figures are well sculpted and come with their own sets and additional items to litter about. Much like many of the McFarlane toy lines, the figures are less about playability and more about collectibility. It's obvious that the toy line is aimed at older collectors and especially towards fans of the old science fiction and horror flicks. I would say that Stan Winston has come out of the gates running and once he manages to get some volume to his line-ups, he might give McFarlane Toys a serious run in terms of quality. The only thing that might hold him back is subject matter. If he sticks with monster lines, he might not garner such a widespred collector base.

If you are looking for any of these, the only way you'll be able to get one is to go to Toys R Us, who seems to have an exclusive deal to carry this line of toys for the time being. Apparently, to be able to afford shipping this toy line out, Stan Winston had to make an exclusive deal with the retail chain for the time being. Considering the marketing bent for this toy line, I would assume this exclusivity will not last too long as other toy lines seem to be in development.

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- - Kinderfeld