HOT ROD HERMAN WITH MUNSTER KOACH

THE MUNSTERS MINIMATES

I must admit, I don’t actually know a whole lot about The Munsters. I understand the basic premise, which is essentially just the reverse of The Adams Family, and I’ve seen an episode or two. I think, if pressed, I could probably name most of the family members. But, other than that, my knowledge is limited. One thing I do know a whole lot about, however, is Minimates. Specifically, how awesome they are! The Musters Minimates weren’t a very expansive line. They were limited to just two separate releases: two variants of Herman Munster and the Munster Koach. Regular Herman and the Koach were released at Toys R Us, while Hot Rod Herman and the Koach were released in various specialty stores. I’ll be looking at the specialty set.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Herman is presented here in his “Hot Rod Herman” get-up. Based on what it says on the back of the box, “Hot Rod Herman” is an episode of the show where Herman takes up drag racing. This figure is based on the gear he wore during the episode. Herman is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. He makes use of the standard Minimate body, with a new head sculpt in place of the standard one, as well as a pair of extra tall feet, and add-ons for the character’s jacket and neck bolts. The feet and neck bolts were previously used on the Universal Monsters Minimates Frankenstein’s Monster. Given Herman’s similar nature, it’s a sensible re-use. The jacket and head are the new pieces for this figure, and they both look pretty good, and accurately represent the character’s look from the specific episode. Herman’s paintwork is pretty great. Everything is clean and sharp, and they’ve done a nice job translating Herman’s likeness to the ‘mate form. I should also point out that the figure is in Black & White, meaning all the paint is done in shades of gray. This is done very well, and the figure does genuinely look like he’s in Black & White.

THE VEHICLE ITSELF

The Munster Koach serves as an accessory to Herman in essence, though it does overshadow him a bit in the packaging. The Koach is about 5 inches in length and about 3 ½ inches at its tallest point. It features moving wheels and a hinged roof. The sculpt for the Koach is unique to the Koach itself, though the two versions are identical in sculpt. It’s a good sculpt. There are a fair share of details, but not too many so as to make it stand out from Minimates aesthetically. The detail of the sculpt is truly impressive, right down to the fringing on the interior curtains and the stitching on the seats. The dashboard is even fully detailed, with a clutch, steering wheel, and several buttons. The paintwork marks the key difference between the two versions of the Koach offered. This one has been done in a Black & White color scheme to match Herman. Obviously, there aren’t as many differing colors on this version, but the paintwork is still nice and clean, and the variance of the grays is really well done.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up this set from my favorite Minimate retailer, Luke’s Toy Store, along with the Kill Bill sets. Mostly, I picked the set up because it was $4, but I have to admit it is a pretty nifty little set. The Koach is a nicer vehicle than a lot of the others offered in the Minimates line. It is a bit odd to see a Black & White version of a figure there is no color equivalent for, but Hot Rod Herman is a pretty solid Minimate. All in all, a fun set that I would highly recommend.