Toy OTD: Disney Store Plastic Cars Toys: Mater, Red, Sarge, 'Chewall' Tractor, Chick Hicks, Lightning McQueen (2006 - 2008)

The movie Cars has proven to be a merchandising bonanza, spawning myriad lines of toys and other products. Like any other franchise, there's a range of quality within them - some items are excellent, some are fine, and others are functional but not much more. The primary line of Cars vehicles sold at the Disney Store are decent toys. They're mostly of a mid-range quality: in general the Mattel diecasts are far better, but this plastic, talking series is better than the smaller PVC cars, pullback items or plushes.

For one thing, they're fairly big - much bigger than any of the diecasts. If your kids need something larger to play with, this line is literally a better fit. The details aren't quite as lavish as those of the diecasts, but they're still good. Because of this, I'm assuming that these toys weren't cast from digital data but interpreted through traditional sculpting or other means (it's hard to know for certain). The construction is reasonably solid, but they do feel a little flimsy in places.

The biggest design detraction is the choice to make the pupils movable - they 'look' back and forth when pushed along a surface. In order to do this, the eyes are mounted on clear plastic stalks in front of an open 'windshield'. They're not all that intrusive on some of the cars, but on others it looks rather awkward and unattractive.

The other play feature included in the line is a motion-activated voice chip. This is a bit of a mixed blessing since they've got hair triggers, and chat away at the slightest movement. Other than that, the lines feel like dialogue from the film and have a decent feel for the characters' personalities (although it sounds to me like many of them were recorded by soundalikes).

The paint work here is minimal - the main body color is provided by the plastic itself. Most of the detailing is the cast plastic color as well, which in general I like as a cost-effective toy strategy. Colors tend to be a little more durable, and manufacturers don't have to be as precise about the few paint passes they do have.

The heaviest paint use is on the 'rusty' characters, and while the "Chewall" tractor looks significantly better than its diecast counterpart, Mater is only moderately successful - still looking more like paint than a rust texture.

Unfortunately, the other paint substitutes used here are decals - and they're another notable minus. They're particularly weak on heavily decorated characters like Wingo or Chick Hicks. I decided not to buy the Wingo from this series at all because I couldn't find one without stickers that weren't already bubbling up or tearing in the package. Chick's decals are better, but it doesn't look like it would take much play to badly damage them.

These toy cars by their very nature have no real posing capability or balance issues, so articulation and display stands are moot points here. Scale could be a display issue in the sense that collecting this line can eat up a sizable chunk of shelf estate. Fortunately, there's not nearly as many characters in this format as have been made in, say, the diecast line.

The packaging, on the other hand, is rather nice. The designers came up with a large clamshell, and turned it into an environment straight from the film! The branding is covered with the 'metal flake' base, and the toy itself rests on a short stretch of 'highway' backed with a rich panorama of Radiator Springs. The signs are built to create a 3D effect, and perform double duty describing play features. It's nice that there's so few stickers on the blister itself! On the other hand, it's a shame that they use so much plastic and take up so much space - but the shelf presence is pretty impressive considering the price point (originally $10-$15).

I imagine these toys are still available at the Disney Store, but since there's very few actual stores left, you'll probably need to get them online. You can get Doc Hudson and Sally on eBay for $23.74 + shipping, Lightning McQueen for $14.50 + shipping, Red for $27.63 + shipping, Luigi & Guido are packed together for $18.63 + shipping, Sarge is $12.93 + shipping, Fillmore is $17.63 + shipping, and Wingo goes for $14.50. There may be more toys in this line, but that's all I've been able to find. Compare prices, watch that shipping, and have fun!

Toy OTD: Nathan Jurevicius, Kid Robot's Scarygirl City Folk Figures: Crossing Guard, School Girl (2007)

Nathan Jurevicius is not only a cool illustrator, but a prolific toy designer as well! TheScarygirl City Folk collection probably isn't his latest line, but it's certainly one of his more recent ones. It's a blind boxed mini-fig series with a wide variety of characters. I only bought a couple of them, so I'll review just those two here.

Kid Robot's toys are of a consistently high quality, and this line is equally good. The sculpts capture the playful, graphically strong designs and interpret them into three dimensions very well! They're planned to be cast in multiple parts, and the assembly seams are strategically chose to blend into the design without disrupting it. The construction itself is fine, making the characters look solid. The use of materials is clever, such as the transparent plastic for the Crossing Guard's staff, and the mounting of the book stack on the School Girl's head.

The paint work is also nice and clean - there's not a ton of detail on these designs, but the color borders are sharp, small paint areas are tidy, and the broader paint areas are smooth. Details like the School Girl's eyelashes are crisp. The color palette is limited by design, not budget.

Mini-figures rarely (if ever) have articulation, so it's a non-issue here.

Balance for both designs is fine: School Girl has a back wheel to steady her; and the Crossing Guard has a broad, flat base. Mr. Jurevicius is very conscious of this aspect of manufacturing and addresses it well, regardless of the figure scale. Either small stands are included, or the designs are well balanced on their own.

Packaging for this line is terrific, both in terms of the individual boxes and the larger case. Both are heavily decorated with Mr. Jurevicius' graphics, but they're not overwhelming. The color use here is tasteful, but punchy enough to attract attention. All of the boxes are unified with a similar palette of black, pink, green and white - it's easy to keep track of this series!

There's fifteen different characters in the set, and at least two paint variants (a black-faced School Girl, and a black Jelly Cat). You can get blind boxes for $9.73 + shipping each at overkillshop.com, and a few of the characters are on eBay right now: The School Girl chase and both Jelly Cats for $19.99 + shipping each, and the Doctor for $29.99 + shipping. These prices seem a bit high, so you may want to be patient and poke around at the next Vinyl Toy Network or something. Good luck!

Toy OTD: DC Direct Kingdom Come Figure Series 2: Shazam (2004)

I remember Mark Waid's Kingdom Come being DC's answer to Marvels, ushering in an era of highly-polished 'event comics': sort of the comic-book equivalent of a summer 'tentpole' film. Since comic book characters have always been heavily merchandised, it wasn't much of a stretch to anticipate Kingdom Come action figures. DC Direct took on the challenge of making small versions of illustrator Alex Ross' re-imagined superheroes.

It's no small feat - Ross' style is quite detailed and realistic looking. While both this line and its companion series (the Justice action figures) produce mixed results, it's very impressive that any of these toys hit their target. This is a property that could only be done with the manufacturing technology and resources available today.

It may not be one of the best KC toys, but Shazam (aka Captain Marvel) is a nice one. As you probably already know, I'm primarily a purist - but I really like Waid/Ross' take on the character. A bit emotionally arrested, and there's an eerie djinn vibe about him now. He really is a being rooted in magic: he feels a lot less comforting, more unpredictable.

The sculpt is quite good - lots of subtle detail, but not too much. It evokes Ross' style nicely, right down to matching a pose from one of his paintings. The button-corner for the tunic may be a bit much, though, and the sculpt of the cape seems rather small and crumpled.

The paint work is pretty simple, as most of the figure is cast in the costume color. The overall effect is fine, but the facial detail struggles to support the sculpt and winds up looking a little like makeup. It might be as good as it can be, considering the sculpt and the scale. The only other problem is that the boots aren't painted (or cast) to match the metallic accents as they should.

The articulation is fairly basic - joints at the neck, lower biceps, wrists, hips and mid-calves. This preserves the look of the sculpt effectively, and isn't awkward to pose. The lack of knee and ankle joints aid balance and stability, but limit play value. I'm fine with this since I feel it's more of a display piece.

Balance is a mixed bag. The figure does come with an elegant display base, but it's huge. In fact, it seems far too big for any of the KC toys, and also suffers from the typical DC Direct display base problem. A few holes cast into the base can be used to hold a tiny peg. The peg fits into a hole on one of the figure's feet - the other foot doesn't have one. This usually results in the peg getting stuck in the foot, and/or the toy falling over. This base-mounting design has rarely worked for me, and unfortunately almost all of the DCD figures use it.

The packaging is well thought out and attractive. Simple black boxes with the graphic novel's logo on them - the additional text uses a similar font to maintain the look. Quite clean on the front, with great Alex Ross box lining art to create a crowd effect. The hang tag on the back allows the toys to be displayed on retail shelves, or hung on pegs.

You can still buy this figure for a decent price, but you'll have to shop carefully. eCrater has one for sale for $18.99 + shipping, but they can go as high as $89.95 + shipping at toyglobe.com. Be patient and have fun!

Toy OTD: Presspop's Raymond Scott Figure (2008)

Presspop may not be as prolific as other toymakers, but their choices are delightfully idiosyncratic. Whether it's their Bob Moog figure, or their Kaufman brothers toy set, Presspop projects are always out of left field. And what a great field it is!

One of their more recent releases is a Raymond Scott box set, commemorating the electronic composer/pioneer's one-hundredth anniversary. Presspop's toys are always top drawer, and this one is just as true to the brand.

Archer Prewitt designed the Scott figure (like Moog and the Kaufmans before it), and it's an appealing likeness. There's a great retro quality to the sculpt that feels really appropriate for the subject. The paint work is simple, but it's all the toy needs - the hair, facial details and pant cuffs are nice and clean. The figure has a good center of gravity, so it balances just fine. Articulation is understandably low - three joints (at the neck and both shoulders), possibly four (I can't remember if the waist turns).

For some reason, though, Presspop didn't just stop with a great figure - the box is loaded with extras! First off, a miniature Clavivox is included with the Scott toy. The sculpt and paint work aren't quite as strong as they are on the figure, but it's still a great accessory. Another wonderful touch is the figure's fabric jacket - it's well-made, and further supports the old-fashioned-toy vibe. The set also includes a five-song CD, decorated with some snappy graphics and nested in a spiffy cardboard sleeve. Most purchasers will probably be Scott fans already, so Presspop wisely made sure that two of them had never been released before! Nice.

To top it all off? Prewitt also decorated the box, and it's gorgeous. Front and center is a limited-palette portrait of Scott at his keyboard, and the surrounding artwork is just as well thought out. What a set!

Even better news is that not only is the box set still available, but it's on sale! You can buy it for $49.99 + shipping at toystoreinc.com.

Toy OTD: Gentle Giant Clash Of The Titans Statue: Bubo (2007)

Nostalgia does strange things to people. I've never been a huge fan of Ray Harryhausen's last movie, Clash of the Titans (though it does have it moments), nor was I particularly enamored with Bubo, Perseus' mechanical sidekick/comedy relief. Yet when Gentle Giant announced a limited-edition resin Bubo statue, I was interested! I'm not sure how that works, unless you consider my long-running affection for robots.

Regardless of the sanity involved in purchasing a quasi-obscure character from a quasi-obscure '80s fantasy film, Gentle Giant did a terrific job here. The sculpt, paint work, metallic finish and branch perch all feel straight from the movie!

Since an open-winged pose would have been harder to manufacture and ship, Bubo's pose is fairly minimal here. Considering he's a mechanical character, it still feels appropriate. The head is a separate piece, which allows for a little extra pose variety.

The branch display stand is great - not only in helping to set the scene, but it's also subdued enough to support the character, not distract from him. Of course, the lack of branding is always appreciated!

The packaging is also really strong - the original film logo is used, and the new graphics are well art-directed to match to the tone and feel of the poster art. The back panel gets a little busy with text, but in general the box has great shelf presence. Rather than using a cellophane window, GG decided to use photos of the finished maquette. It still gives an accurate view of the product while integrating nicely with the new box art. You can see another side of the box here.

There were only five hundred of these statues made, so the edition is long sold out. Collectors can expect to pay between $150-$200 for Bubo on the secondary market. I paid $200 for mine at a toy show, but there might be one selling for $179.99 + shipping at Razor's Edge Collectibles (via kaboodle.com). Happy hunting!

Two post scripts. First: be careful looking up "Bubo" on Google Image Search. Two words: Bubonic Plague. Second: Mattel had originally planned to make a Bubo puppet-like toy back in the day, but poor response to the merchandising led to production being canceled. Wild!

Some images from gentlegiantcollectors.com and plaidstallions.com.

Toy OTD: Hasbro Mighty Mugg Figures: The Indiana Jones Line (2008)

I'm sure I've already cited the Hasbro Mighty Muggs line of figures as another recent example of the artist-driven "Urban Vinyl" movement influencing mainstream toy design. Mighty Muggs have a uniform body shape decorated to look like a variety of characters, much like the Qee and Dunny figures that preceded them. Like these toys, Mugg designs are mass-produced or customizable - collectors can buy blank 'DIY' versions to decorate themselves.

Rather than hire popular underground artists to design the new line, Hasbro instead emphasized licensed properties and popular characters. Some were brands they owned outright (such as G.I. Joe or Transformers). Other lines were properties they were already merchandising, such as Marvel Comics superheroes, Star Wars, and characters from the Indiana Jones movies.

The Indy line of Muggs was doubtless intended to leverage the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, exposing a new generation to the characters from all four movies. There weren't a lot of toy figures made back in the day, so I was excited at the prospect of new Indy swag, and stylized swag to boot! Happily, I wasn't disappointed.

Hasbro picked iconic roles from all four films for three series of figures - Indy, Dr. Henry Jones, Sr; Short Round, the Cairo Swordsman, Sallah, Mola Ram, and so forth. While the designs are sometimes a bit busy for my taste (Sallah's is particularly cluttered), the majority of the toys look sharp. The use of color is strong, and the paint apps were consistently clean and tight. Very little paint checking needed for this line!

Mighty Muggs by their nature are constructed uniformly, so that keeps their build quality consistent too. Loose parts are rare, and the surface finish is always smooth and unmarred. Parts will be varied for specific figures without sacrificing much expense or uniformity - there's a solid form that's occasionally used instead of legs, which you'll see on 'cloaked' figures like the Cairo Swordsman. It's a nice touch that prevents the characters from being compromised by the original template form.

My only quibble is with the 'small body' template, designed for figures like Yoda or Short Round. As you can see, the solution here was to shorten the legs, leaving everything else the same. While this makes sense in terms of economy and tooling, the result makes the arms look a bit too long, and the character comes off looking a little like a gorilla. Personally I would've preferred shrinking the entire body a little bit (except for maybe the head), or shortening all the limbs.

Articulation and pose-ability are extremely limited, but these toys really aren't made for that, so I don't consider it a big flaw.
Balance problems are rarely an issue, though the figures do have a high center of gravity. An accessory can sometimes throw this off, but on the whole it's not a series that begs for display stands.

Accessories are very limited as well, but the choices have been intuitive and appropriate. Indy naturally has his whip, Monkey Man his monkey, and the Cairo Swordsman his sword. My vote for best accessory, though, goes to Mola Ram and his cute little detached heart. Adorable!

The packaging is simple, and also conforms to a template. The box graphics play to the line's strengths, using blow-ups of the character on the top panel and front right corner. There's a nice pattern composed of blank Muggs in the more open areas, and the fonts and logos are used in a stylish way. The Mighty Muggs logo itself is bit intrusive, but keeping it black & white helps prevent it from overpowering the overall look.

The saddest thing about this line is that it was canceled - I'm assuming it was due to poor sales. Unfortunately, none of these figures were hard to get at any point, unlike many of their Star Wars or Marvel contemporaries. Several new figures were announced but never released: Toht, Irina Spalko, a white-tuxedo Indy, young Indy, and Satipo. It's a shame because I loved the line, and was really looking forward to getting Marion and Toht Muggs. Enterprising DIY-ers can make their own, but I'm lazy enough to hope that eventually Hasbro will produce these as limited edition convention exclusives.

As I mentioned, it's still not difficult to find any of this line right now. Originally, these toys went for about $10-$15 each. Now, you can get the Cairo Swordsman for $5.99 + shipping on eBay, ditto Mola Ram, Short Round goes for $5.98 + shipping, Monkey Man is $4.95 + shipping, Sallah costs $8.00 + shipping, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. is $8.49 + shipping at Amazon, the Fertility Idol exclusive goes for $16.99 + shipping at ecrater.com, Mutt Williams costs $8.97 + shipping at moviepostersetc.com, and Indy himself goes for $12.97 + shipping at the same site. Watch those shipping charges, and happy shopping!

Toy OTD: Suckadelic Micronugget Suckpeg: Time Straggler (2008)

Suckadelic has been producing pop culture mash-up figures for a while now, and this one is still my favorite!

Many of the first releases were riffs on old-school Kenner Star Wars figures. For this item's inspiration, however, Suckadelic reached a little further back in toy history, combining both Fisher-Price's Little People figures and Mego's Micronauts from the mid-seventies! It's a terrific retro combination.

The Straggler takes its overall shape from one of the male Little People figures. If it's a re-sculpt, it's great - the shapes are dead-on, right down to the "Ken doll" pompadour. Of course, it's possible that it's a combination of (impressive) casting from a vintage F-P figure and painting over vintage parts. Regardless, it's nicely executed. The paint work is smooth, and the body casting looks pretty clean.

The color palette, chest plate and name are riffs on the 1976 Mego Time Traveler figure. Since the F-P Little People have printed faces, Suckadelic made the right call and sculpted the F-P face design onto the head - a little more like the Mego approach. The body is cast in translucent blue plastic, just like one of the Time Traveler bodies, and a section is carved out to hold a Traveler-like 'chest plate'. Check out the clear Traveler and compare the detail - if it isn't an actual chest plate, it's an awesome duplication!

Suckadelic packaging usually varies between a simple blister pack, or a tagged bag. I think the Time Straggler was packed in the latter, so there's not a lot to talk about there. The bag protects a figure in the shipping process, and a tag does evoke a retro-toy aesthetic, but I don't recall the tag graphics being anything exciting. The toy does the talking in this case, and I think that's fair - the fanciest box won't make me buy a toy that I'm not all that excited about.

Unfortunately, Suckadelic items are usually produced in extremely low quantities, and can be a bit pricey, depending on your sticker shock tolerance. Time Straggler was originally $60 + shipping, and only forty figures were produced - as you might guess, they're long sold out. Keep your eyes peeled on eBay, and be ready to shell out some cash. Good luck!

Toy OTD: McFarlane Hanna-Barbera Figures Series 2: Yogi Bear (2007)

Hanna-Barbera characters were terrific ideas for a toy line, but the uneven quality made supporting the concept difficult. Ultimately, I'm not sure the demand was there either, which is a shame - there's not a lot of really great Hanna-Barbera toys to be had.

The Yogi Bear set-up is one of the nicer toys in McFarlane's shot at H-B merchandising. The situation depicted is classic - Ranger Smith chasing after Yogi and Boo Boo - and the posing is lively and fun. Most of the piece feels like it's right out of an old-school View-Master reel!

The grouping of the characters, though, feels a bit off - Ranger Smith feels further away than he might need to be. Boo Boo's expression seems somewhat dead-eyed as well. Granted, he's a deadpan sort of personality, but his face still feels static. Other than these minuses, the sculpting is quite strong. The base detail is kept simple, like the show's aesthetic, and it doesn't compete with the figures. The base is so big, balance issues (and branding) are happily nonexistent.

The paint work could be a touch tighter, but overall it's fine - the colors are well chosen and evoke the characters perfectly.

The gimmick of mounting the figures on short springs initially gave me some concern, since things like that tend to backfire over time. I fully expected to discover the trio had slumped over a few months after opening the package, but so far, so good. The springs seem to be strong enough to add a wobbling motion without sacrificing long-term display quality.

Generally, the packaging for this line was pretty sharp, and this blister/card combo is no exception. There's some nice artwork of Yogi with the old-school H-B logo nestled among spiffy retro graphics. The blister displays the figures well for paint scrutiny, and there's also a nice photo of the completed set-up (which I like to have, just in case the instructions don't quite work for me). It's a pretty straightforward approach, but you'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how often this can be screwed up. There's just enough art to support the toy's appeal without overwhelming it.

This item is only three years old, so it's still readily available, and it hasn't gone up in price all that much. You can get one right now at moviepostersetc.com for $14.97 + shipping. If you miss out, eBay has a couple for sale at about the same price. Keep an eye on the shipping, and have fun!

Toy OTD: Banpresto Dragonball Vinyl Figures (2008)

I'm definitely a newcomer to the Dragonball mangas, having only read the pre-Z storyline within the last year or so. I've seen a fair amount of DB merchandise over the years, but these recently produced vinyl figures are some of the best swag I've encountered!

For whatever reason (an anniversary?), Banpresto decided to make a brand-new line of toys, and they're really terrific! The sculpts are spot-on model, super-appealing representations of the original artwork. Most of the posing is a bit symmetrical, but occasionally there's an arm or leg that's moved to break up the 'twinning'. The character designs are strong enough to prevent it from being a big detraction.

The paint work varies to a degree - with the majority of the line, the apps are tight and tidy, but there will be the odd figure (Yajirobe, for instance) where they'll be a little loose and fuzzy in places. Overall, though, the color choices are strong and the execution is crisp and sharp, reflecting the clean line work of the manga.

As with most vinyl toys, there's not a lot of articulation here - usually, you'll get neck and shoulder joints at the most, which are probably more a result of the molding process than from a desire to increase the play value.

Fortunately, these characters have reasonable proportions, so balance issues are low. Chi-Chi has a higher center of gravity than most of the others, so a display base might have been nice in her case. Yajirobe does come with a piece of cardboard that can be folded into an unobtrusive stand, which is nice. Overall, though, balance problems here aren't anything that some museum putty can't fix.

Accessories are rare with this line, but personally, unless it's a prop that's central to the character - Thor's hammer, say - then I think it's just one more thing to lose. Most of the extra pieces here are walking sticks and fighting staffs, and they fit into the characters' hands nicely. Yajirobe's sword sheath may give you some trouble fitting into a hole on his side, so be prepared for that.

The toys are sealed in plastic blisters backed with cardboard, so there's not a lot here to get excited about. The graphics are fine (though pretty uniform), and naturally the blisters allow especially fussy collectors (read: all of them) to compare paint jobs. Otherwise, there's not much here to tempt purchasers into keeping the packaging.

Since these figures were released over the last year or two, finding them shouldn't be all that expensive or difficult. You can buy Son Goku, Grandpa Son Gohan & Klilyn together for $39.99 + shipping on eBay. There's three other Son Goku variants available as a set for $47.99 + shipping, Uranai-Baba for $9.99 + shipping at bonanzle.com, Chaoz for $13.99 + shipping on eBay, Woolong for $9.99 + shipping at bonanzle; Son Goku, Yajirobe & Karin all together for $57.95 + shipping at anime-king.amazonwebstore.com, Emperor Pilaf for $14.95 + shipping on eBay, Chi-Chi for $8.34 + shipping on eBay, Kame-Sennin for $24.74 + shipping on eBay, a smaller variant of him for $9.99 + shipping at bonanzle, a masked variant for $9.99 + shipping on eBay, and Mr. Popo for $22.39 + shipping on eBay. You may want to shop around a bit before buying, since there's plenty of them for sale online. Have fun!

Toy OTD: Enesco Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Figurine: "Jingle, Jingle, Jingle, You Will Hear My Sleigh Bells Ring" (2000)

Since it's Christmas today, I thought I'd write about one of Enesco's adorable Rankin-Bass figurines. Of course, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the most famous (and arguably the most popular) of the R-B specials, so there's been plenty of Rudolph merchandise available over the last ten years or so!

Here's another great piece from the line, depicting young Rudolph playing with a halter of sleigh bells as Santa watches. It's a really wonderful sculpt - there's a nice sense of texture, from the felt-like quality to Rudolph's coat, to the fluffy look of Santa's beard, to the grainy snow that makes up the base. The poses can't get too dynamic without becoming very fragile, but there's an effort made here to keep the characters alive. Nothing feels stiff or mechanical, despite the fact the source figures are stop-motion puppets. Heads are slightly tilted, knees are bent, arms are raised to different heights. It captures the feeling of the scene really well without being too literal (actually, this moment took place in the reindeer family's cave).

The paint work is also very good, duplicating the original colors accurately. While the paint apps aren't all that tight, they're executed well enough to keep from feeling sloppy. I could probably do without the glitter mixed into the snow base, but it's only a minor detraction.

Articulation is a non-issue here, since we're talking about a resin figurine, and the 'snow' base strengthens the overall piece while eliminating any balance issues. It's also great that there's no titling or branding on a visible part of the base - all of that is printed on the underside, completely out of view. Nice!

The biggest minus about this line is the packaging. It's a nice concept for the box design - an old-fashioned television set - but the execution is not very strong at all. The artwork is poor, the layout feels uninspired and unfocused, and there's no way to see the figure without opening the package. Many items in this line were available primarily through mail order, so to a degree this makes sense. Still, I think the box designs could've been a bit stronger - after all, it's the first thing you see after opening the shipping box. Plus, collectors often keep the packaging to preserve the piece's value, so it's smart to make it as attractive as possible!

Even though this line has been out for ten years, it's still not difficult or expensive to get some of the pieces. You can get this figurine right now at ecrater.com for $45 + shipping. Happy Holidays!

Toy OTD: Tim Biskup, Gama-Go's Deathbot (2007)

Gama-Go (Tim Biskup's merchandising label) focuses primarily on clothing and prints, but every once in a while a marvelous toy or art piece will appear! While some are very limited and pricey, others (while still great) are more mass-produced and affordable. GG's Deathbot figure is a nice example of the latter.

Mr. Biskup's art and design sense embrace a playful neo-retro sensibility, and Deathbot's construction and look reflect that. The bold colors, simple shapes, and minimal detail are straight from his palette. The sharp paint passes help support his look, too.

The use of materials - wood and metal - evoke a nostalgic feeling as well, being reminiscent of children's toys made in the fifties and sixties. There's a great tactile quality you get with wood, and I'm sure it resonates strongly with older collectors!

The only minus with this figure - and it's a small one - is that the arms and legs are segmented (with a bendable core) so that they may be posed. This is great for potential balance issues - you can flex the legs if it's not standing properly - but the segments are so tightly packed together that the limbs can't be posed very much. This looks the most like the original design, but if you like to pose your toys a lot, Deathbot fits a little more into the 'display-as-is' category. I'm more of an 'on-model' guy, so this call is fine with me.

The packaging - as you might expect from Gama-Go - is really sharp! It makes a bold statement without hogging up a lot of shelf space. The 'bursting-wall' window border is clever, and the theme is carried through the rest of the package with a wrap-around cityscape. Again, Mr. Biskup's design sense is maintained nicely here.

Like older wooden toys, Deathbot was designed to be re-purposed as different characters with minimal changes. Add a hat, alter the paint, tweak the body shape, and presto - you've got an undertaker, an Oktoberfest reveller, a detective, or one made of solid 'gold'!

Four of the five versions are still easy to find and very affordable. You can get the undertaker version is at The Presto Gallery for $14.95 + shipping, and the lederhosen, gold, and detective variants are all at Ningyoushi.com for between fifteen and twenty dollars. Google shopping shows even lower prices, so compare before you buy! Unfortunately, the original version seems to be sold out, so you'll need to set up an eBay favorite search for that one. Happy Deathbots!

Artwork ©2007, 2010 Tim Biskup.