What the worst thing you can do to a Fox? Put it in a cage! Well that's what it must feel like for Eric and his huge double bass drum kit sitting on the puny McFarlane stage. Along with a full drum kit, the package includes the four Creatures figures, a Les Paul for Ace, an Iceman and microphone with stand for Paul and an Axe for Gene. Also included is a battery-run lighting systmen on a truss.

Aside from the extemely small size of the stage, this is the buy of the century! If you position Ace and Gene at either side and Paul in the middle, they are soon overflowing the stage. Also, it's almost impossable to fit Eric, his pedal, drums and cymbals on to the tiny drum platform. But then again, McFarlane gave us too many drums and too many cymbals. If you purchased the Fox in the clamshell, you got a pair of sticks, drum seat, a floor tom, gong, with a stand and three tom-toms that fit onto the floor tom. Not exactly accurate! In the Creatures set you get all of that plus two double-bass drums (With KISS logos on each), two drums that attach to each of the bass drums (that four drums on two bass drums), two bass drum pedals, a high-hat (with pedal), five cymbals on stands and one stand with two cymbals attached.

The detail of Eric's equipment is supurb! The details are there, but not the fine details. For example, the Ludwig logo is missing from the bass drums. However, you can see and feel the ridges in the drum and high-hat pedals. Because of the small size of the stage, I desided to remove the drum platform and use the entire stage for just the drums. I then placed the new platform on top of the Yellow Pages to give the stage height. This arrangement enables me to use the lights and gives me the width. Don't feel that you have to use all the drum pieces either. I discarded the tom-tom and the two cymbals on the one stand. This makes the set up look more authentic. The many times I saw Eric in concert, I always had trouble seeing him behind his huge drum kit. This holds true for the McFarlane series as well.

Giving Eric a larger drum platform throws everything out of propotion. So I put up a wooden shelf (57 cm sqaure or almost two feet square) and use the entire shelf as a stage. However, I now have a new problem: Paul keep falling over because he not well balanced. Without the pegs holding his feet to the stage, he falls over in the slightest breeze or vibration.

All in all, I think this is an excellent set. McFarlane has probably used the same stage for different bands, but it just doesn't work with KISS. I suggest that you make your own. Once I figure out how to balance Paul, I'll add a backdrop and maybe even make some small wooden monitors for the front of the stage. Use your imaginaion to create your dream KISS stage.

Go to:
McFarlane's Fox Figure
or
McFarlane's Spaceace Figure
or
McFarlane's Demon Figure
or
McFarlane's Starchild Figure