June 2001: The Shadow!


This  figure is inspired by a classic subject - The Shadow and fueled by KB Toys recent clearance sale!  With a standard action figure and one purchase from KB Toys, you too can have the basis for this figure!

        

"Who knows what fear lurks in the hearts of men?"

The Shadow!

I had actually wanted one of these figures since the 1999 GI Joe Convention in Washington, DC.  Our diorama took thiord place - the second place diorama (right next to ours) was a 1930s diorama featuring ... The Shadow!  And all I could think was "WOW!  That figure would look very cool in my collection."

Thanks to KB Toys, I can finally add The Shadow to my collection.

Currently, KB Toys is having a HUGE clearance sale on 21st Century Stuff.  But, if you look around their stores (and especially the outlets), you will find that several of the harder to find Kenner/Hasbro Universal Monster figures are showing up.  I was able to pick up The Creature From the Black Lagoon for $9.99 (I really wanted this figure!)  One of the other figures showing up is the one I used to make The Shadow - The Son of Dracula.

All of the clothes on the figure are from the Son of Dracula Figure. The cape has a REAL long tie, so I was able to wrap it around the figure's neck several times to make a good tight fit.

The hat is a reshaped cowboy hat from Michael's crafts.

The shoes from the Son of Dracula figure were a little small (I wound up using them on the 2001 Battleship Row Defender figure) and used a set of 21st Century Toys Marine Drill Instructor dress shoes (I bought as many of those as I could find on clearance for the socks, shoes, white t-shirt, pants, and belt.  They have been coming in VERY handy!)

The pistols are either 21st Century Toys or Hasbro - I didn't really check them closely - I just made sure they matched!

In the old pulp and comic covers of  The Shadow publications I have seen, The Shadow always had an oval ring on his finger.  Well, guess what?  The Son of Dracula figure comes with an oval ring on its finger!  So, I carefully cut it off and super-glued it on the figure.
The figure was a Robert Crippen figure - it doesn't have a scar, has unique, distinct facial features, and has  a slightly larger nose. If you look at the pulp and comic covers of The Shadow, you will see The Shadow has a really big nose.

Another good choice of figures would probably be one of the 21st Century Toys figure (I think the 29th Infantry figure has a really big nose.)

The scarf is from red silk I color matched at Jo Anns fabric (bought WAY too much of it.)  The tie form the cape helps keep the scarf tightly affixed to the face.

So .... there you have it!  A really quick and easy kitbash of ............. The Shadow!


Related Links

Hasbro

21st Century Toys