Toy OTD: SEG Green Day Figure: Mike Dirnt (2004)

I'm a believer in the concept that quality can override one's default tastes. For example, I'm never been a particularly big Green Day fan. I don't hate them, but I have a couple of their songs on my iTunes, and that may be all I'll ever need. Yet these figures utterly won me over!

SEG (or Stevenson Entertainment Group) may or may not still be around, but their toy batting average was (and is) pretty stellar. I can't really say if this caricature of Mike Dirnt is all that accurate, but regardless it has a whiff of John K. about it, and holds up great as a stand-alone design. If anyone out there knows who drew up these caricatures, please let me know!

The color applications here are tight, with tricky stuff like round-the-arm tattoos and plaid pants handled very well. The design incorporates good color use too, especially around the eyes - nice subtle work there!

Again, I'm favoring design over articulation here, so there's not many joints in this figure. They're just in the typical places: the neck, shoulders, and maybe the waist. It's a simple pose, but there's just enough asymmetry and subtle touches to keep things interesting.

Happily, SEG focused on the figure (8" tall!) over accessories. I'm assuming the 'rubber chicken' is a prop well-associated with Mr. Dirnt in some way, otherwise why bother? It's interpreted in a simple stylized way, and fits nicely in the figure's hand.

The packaging is colorful, fun and eye-catching, almost to a fault. Still, it is a toy of a rock star, so some overkill seems appropriate. There's some great references to other clasic toy branding, too! A nice, big plastic window in the box front helps you to look over the paint job if you like.

Sadly, I guess the demand for these toys has never been huge, so getting them now is still easy and affordable. You can still get a Mike of your very own for $17.95 + shipping over at cmdstore.com. Happy shopping!

Toy OTD: SEG, Tim Biskup's Alphabeast Figure: Red Pollard

I've heard that this is Tim Biskup's first vinyl figure, and that could well be true - I can't remember the timeline of his toy releases, but I think that it was the first Biskup toy that I bought.

Regardless, it's great - a small vinyl originally in a retro-kaiju bag with a header card (also designed by Biskup)! Also included was a 350-piece, limited edition mini-print, which was very nicely done.

The sculpt is simple but appealing - very much in the style of Mr. Biskup's 2-D work. This toy is clearly meant to be an art piece - there's only one point of articulation (at the neck). The color more than makes up for it, though - again, not very many colors, but very well coordinated and applied.

This version of the Pollard is four inches tall - keep in mind that there's many other colorways, not to mention a 10" version in still more colors. Do yourself a favor, and do some research so you can pick a favorite before you buy!

This toy has been out for a while, but there's one for sale right now on eBay - it's currently at $26.00 + $4.80 shipping. The auction's going for five more days, so keep a close eye on it if you really want one. Good luck!