The world's most famous vampire crosses over with the Transformers in the newest entry in Hasbro's Transformers Collaborative line.
"The mysterious Count Dracula takes on a new form as a Transformers robot, called Draculus!" the figure's description reads. "We are dealing with the undead…an undead Decepticon! When night falls, the vampire Draculus awakens from stasis and stalks the darkness, preying upon those unfortunate enough to cross his path."
Draculus, who feeds on the Energon fuel of living Transformers, was inspired by the classic 1931 Universal Pictures version of Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi as the titular vampire lord. Available exclusively at Target, the figure retails for $31.49 and is expected to release on Nov. 28. He stands at 5.5 inches tall and can transform from a Deception with pointy ears, bat wings and black and white decor -- inspired by Lugosi's stately outfit in the 1931 movie -- into a giant bat via 23 steps. Draculus also comes with various accessories, including a cape, a blaster and Impaler claws, and is packaged in a case reminiscent of a VHS tape of the Dracula film.
The figure's existence was first unearthed in July by members of the Transformers World 2005 fan site, who found it hidden within the depths of an Amazon Australia listing.
Draculus marks the first time the Transformers franchise has successfully birthed a Dracula-themed figure since plans fell through three decades ago, according to the deluxe edition of the 2001 Japan-only reference book Transformers Generations Deluxe. In the '80s, Hasbro and TakaraTomy, the company that owns the rights to Transformers in Japan, previously attempted to produce a Vintage Horror Movie Series toy line. This line would have included a figure based on Dracula as well as other classic Universal monster movies, including The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Fly. These figures never made it further than the concept art phase, but the final version of Draculus does bear visual similarities to the old Vintage Horror Movie Series Dracula design, particularly with regards to the Deception's regal outfit and giant bat form.
Hasbro's Transformers Collaborative toy line has led to a variety of different figures that mash up Transformers with unexpected properties. These include a set of Jurassic Park-themed Transformers that morph from robot form into a T-Rex and a Jurassic Park jeep, an Autobot named Gigawatt who turns into the DeLorean from Back to the Future and an "Ultimate X-Spanse" that transforms into the Blackbird jet from 1992's X-Men: The Animated Series.
Source: Target