Red "Standard" Figure

The first action figure in the range was the standard "red" Vampirella.

Complete with a gun, a stake and a crossbow which fitted into her left hand, and with moveable arms and head you could pose your action figure as you wished.

Well sort of, the arms and head don't move that much but the principle is there!

I am not sure I like the idea of Vampirella being given a revolver. She doesn't have much of a history of using firearms, and tends to eschew them in favour of her own natural weapons.

There are a couple of variants on the standard item.

You can get your action figure with Clayburn Moore's signature (see top picture), or you can get one which is back to front in it's packaging (see bottom picture).

The reverse or "butt" Vampirella figure was touted by many sellers as a particularly rare item, though I doubt this.

I believe it was just a packing error in the factory - or some employee bored with sticking hundreds of dolls in the right way round decided to break the monotony by packing the next few hundred the other way round.

Either way, I don't think it merits the sometimes extremely high "rarity premium" that some sellers added.

Black Halloween Special Figure

Next on the list is the Halloween Special.

Again, there are a number of these which have been signed by Clayburn Moore.

This version has Vampirella in a rather fetching black and gold costume complete with a silver lined black cape.

There is a reddish golden moon in the background - which explains why this version is often referred to as the "Harvest Moon" version.

Vampirella has a few extra toys this time. This action figure has the standard crossbow and stake, but the number of guns has doubled (you now have a choice of a revolver or a semi automatic pistol) and there are a couple of pumpkins thrown in for good measure.

Sadly missing from the Red version, there is now a bat that you can plug into a hole in the cross behind her.

Though Vampirella is not well know for varying the colour of her costume, I have to say that she looks good in black.

Julie Strain Limited Edition Figure

Back to the traditional red and gold costume, this version was issued in association with Tower Records (presumably as they "owned" Julie Strain at the time).

This is a really nice item which was modeled on Julie Strain, and I think it looks a little better than the others because the proportions are better.

Most cartoons, toys etc. are not faithful reproductions of the human form. They tend to exaggerate various aspects of the form/person to make it easier to recognise that person. Would you recognise a picture of a Viking as being of a Viking if he wasn't wearing a helmet with cow horns sticking out of it? Trivia: Vikings didn't generally wear the horned helmets that fiction places on their heads.

The paintings, drawings, statues and action figures of Vampirella are no different. But this action figure is a faithful reproduction of a human form, Julie Strain's head and face.

Though the body is the same the shape and size of the head makes all the difference.

Variants include a "signed by Clayburn Moore" variant, and a variant signed by both Clayburn Moore and Julie Strain. The Julie Strain signature is on a hologram sticker (so maybe she only signed the stickers and these were added to the boxes later - does it matter though?).

Vampirella's accessories include two pistols, a crossbow, a stake, and a bat.

Gold Action Figures

This Special Edition was limited to only 2,400 - it would be interesting to know how many of each of the other versions were made.

These were primarily aimed at the Convention market and were heavily touted during 2001. For objects that were only available at conventions, it didn't seem too long before they were available via other outlets.

The packing was different - a black and white cardboard box instead of the colourful blister packs of the previous three versions (click on the picture on the left to see the figure and the box in new window).

As usual, there is a Clayburn Moore signature available on the box for a small extra charge.

I have to admit that the "bronze" finish to the action figure works quite well, and Vampirella doesn't look at all out of place.

The bat has vanished, but the crossbow, stake and a single revolver remain.

Action Figure Casting

Now this is a little gem I trawled from somewhere, the base casting for the action figures.

The two heads confirm that the body is the same in the Julie Strain version as in all the others, but it interesting to see the number of separate parts.

As delivered to the customer, the action figures come in three main bits (plus accessories). Usually you get the base, the cross/moon and the Vampirella figure. In the pictures of the casting the lizard, the tree trunk and a mushroom/toadstool are all separate - presumably glued in place in the factory.

I don't know if these castings are available to buy as "rare" items, but is is a little interesting to see the figure in it's raw state.