Gentle Giant Unveils Ratatouille And WALL-E Maquettes At New York Comic-Con

Check out the pictures at actionfigs.com! I've been waiting for this for a long time. Gentle Giant is a terrific company for these licenses, and I know they'll do a wonderful job!

They look great - I can't wait to snag 'em when they get released this fall! I'm hoping that Skinner and Anton Ego maquettes are on the way, too! Keep your fingers crossed...

Toy OTD: Electric Tiki World Of Harvey Jackie Jokers (Teeny Weeny) Mini-Maquette

Now, I know what you're thinking - Who in the hell is Jackie Jokers?

Every Harvey Comics character was more or less divvied up into two camps - crossovers notwithstanding, you were either Richie Rich's friend, or Casper's. In the early '70s, Harvey introduced a new character into its kiddie pantheon - Jackie Jokers, stand-up comedian, movie actor & television personality. Jackie, ill-suited for enchanted forests, was firmly in the Richie-verse. It never occurred to me before, but Jackie does resemble a young Johnny Carson in Dick Cavett's clothing.

Remember that post where I mentioned liking toys of really, really obscure characters? I wasn't kidding.

Anyway, this is a terrific maquette! The sculpt is awesome, the pose is strong, and it's bang on-model. The paint work is nice, and its base is built-in, so there's no balance issues. The box design is cool, too, evoking the cover designs of old JJ comics.

Originally, I think these sold for thirty dollars, but you can get one now at collectorsgateway.com for 19.99 + shipping.

Toy OTD: Cartoon Network Powerpuff Girls Maquette: Blossom (Signed)

Originally, I bought the Trendmasters Powerpuff Girls action figures, but while they each had bases, stability was still a problem, so I upgraded to the maquettes (I think I bought the set at Comic-Con one year) after they were released. It's not a cheap solution, but they are well-mounted and stable.

The sculpting is fine - it's a great interpretation of the design, and the attitude is captured nicely, too. The paint work is a little rough, but not to a point where it really detracts. I'm just spoiled by the meticulous work on overseas toys!

I waited in a huge line to get Blossom signed by the show's creator, Craig McCracken. I couldn't help feeling like I shouldn't have had to - Hey, I'm not just another fan... I went to the same school, and I'm working on cool stuff, too, I thought - but I felt like I'd be an asshole if I cut to the front. So I waited for my autograph, and complimented him on the then-newly-released Powerpuff movie, which I enjoyed a great deal.

There's one for sale on eBay for $49.99 + $16.95 shipping. You can make an offer, and it might be worth a try, as I think the shipping charges are pretty steep!

Toy OTD: Cartoon Network Samuai Jack Maquette

Cartoon Network wisely started its own line of merchandise some time ago, and some of it is really great - especially their limited edition maquettes! The Samurai Jack line is terrific - the sculpts interpret the stylized designs beautifully. The paint work is simple, but precise where it needs to be. No silly branding anywhere, which helps keep it looking classy.

The only minus is that they're more expensive than a comparable Gentle Giant figurine - $150 or so, as compared to maybe $80 or $100. I'm assuming that's due in part to smaller production runs.

Jack here is sold out, and I'm not finding him for sale elsewhere online. The pieces I am seeing on eBay look about the same price as they were at the CN website, so that's encouraging. Keep your eyes open there, and at your local toys shows or comic conventions. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Electric Tiki Betty Boop Figurine

Electric Tiki is wonderful at making maquettes of pop culture icons, but this one is exceptional! It's a great sculpt - tightly on-model but very appealing and in character.

The paint work - especially around the eyes, traditionally a problem area for toymakers - is superb! The base is on-theme, and has no visible labeling on it to identify the character (a touch I love). It's not all that big (just 5" tall), so it won't gobble up much shelf space.

Several versions were made - full-color paint jobs with red, black, and plum dresses; and (pictured) a monochrome variant. They both look sweet, but after seeing Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, I knew I had to get the black & white one!

You can pick up a figurine just like this one for $43.99 + shipping at dinstoys.com.

Toy OTD: Bowen Designs Invisible Woman Statue (Half-Visible Version, 2000)

One of the first superhero comic books that I ever read was an issue of The Fantastic Four, and it's still one of my favorite Marvel creations. They hooked up with Bowen for all their statue and mini-bust needs, and DC's still playing quality catch-up. DC Direct may be improving, but Marvel's added Sideshow to their cool manufacturer list!

Anyway, I waffled for the longest time before I finally bought this statue. It wasn't too bad in terms of price (though I'm sure I could've paid less if I'd bought it earlier), and action figures just can't do the whole half-visible thing nearly as well. The sculpt is nice, and the paint work is strong, too. It has the added feature of the later statues - the figure itself can detach from the base, making cleaning and transport easier and less risky.

As you might imagine, there's two other variants of this statue - fully painted, and fully 'invisible'. To be honest, I don't know why the others even exist - the half-and-half version is definitely the way to go! Why not do the entire run that way?

At any rate, I think I paid around $200 for mine, but there's one for sale on eBay that's currently at $47.00 + shipping. Good luck!