Toy OTD: Jada Toys Chub City Figures: Chub C. & Al
Here's another nice example of the designer toy aesthetic influencing the mainstream. This line of figures and vehicles began in 2005, when the art toy movement was already well underway. I suppose it's possible that the concept had been in the works for years, potentially predating urban vinyl, or that both were independently inspired by graffiti art and hip-hop culture. Regardless, it's an appealing solution, if you're okay with that culture being commodified at Wal-Mart.
Dub City focuses exclusively on customized vehicles, so I'm not sure why Chub City - which is targeted at a younger audience - added character figures into the mix. I'm assuming it's the Galactic Heroes or Super Hero Squad demographic, since they have a similar super-deformed design. I don't know if the character designer has roots in comics, graffiti art, or both, but I think these mini-figures are an improvement over their Hasbro counterparts!
These characters have nice source designs, and have been adapted into 3-D really well. Their sculpts have some good graphic forms, and occasionally a figure is put into a fun, lively pose. The paint apps are tight for the scale (particularly the clothing graphics) and the color choices are striking, adding another level of complexity to the line.Since they're so flat-footed, balance isn't a problem, and there's rarely an accessory, apart from the odd microphone or boom box. Packaging consists of the usual hanging back card/blister pack - the graphics are okay, and there's some decent relief molding of the logo, but it's nothing unusual. The figures are packed by themselves, and can also be found packed with a small diecast vehicle. They aren't always to scale with each other, which is good for the price point but kind of a drag as far as play value goes.
I'm not sure that the Chub C. and Al figure/vehicle two-packs are still for sale in stores, but you can get Al and his Scion on eBay for $9.00 + $6.95 shipping, and Chub C. with his Chrysler 300C are starting at $0.99 + $7.00 shipping. Go for it!
Labels: 00s toy, al, chrysler 300c, chub c., chub city, dub city, hip hop toy, jada toys, mini-figure, pvc figures, scion, toy of the day, toy OTD




