Toy OTD: Toycom/Alpha Okage: Shadow King Figure: Big Bull

I've had this figure for at least seven years, but since I'm not a big video game player, it took me forever to identify this character! As it turns out, he's part of the cast of a PlayStation 2 game called Okage: Shadow King.

Alpha did a great job, sculpting the character far better than he looks in the actual game! The pose is pretty symmetrical, but the shapes and forms are handled very well. The paint work is also very good - rather tight paint apps, and in a wide variety of colors.

Big Bull stands well by himself, but there are accessories packed with him - two of which might be display bases. If they are, I don't remember any anchoring pegs on them, so they were a little disappointing. Mr. Bull also comes with a Linda figure, amongst other extras (they probably make more sense if you know the game well).

The packaging itself isn't all that exciting - it's the usual blister/back card combo. It is on-theme with the promotional art for the game, but the blister covers most of the artwork, rendering it pretty murky. On the bright side, the figures are mounted front and center so shoppers can look over the paint jobs easily.

All of the other visual elements of the toys are so underutilized that Alpha seems to push all their chips onto the character designs - if you like them, you'll buy these toys, but there's not a lot of other convincing aspects in the presentation.

If you do like this set, you can still get it for £16.99 (+ £11.75 shipping) from amazon.co.uk. Have fun!

Toy OTD: Toycom King Of The Hill Figures: Boomhauer & Ladybird (2002)

Here's a nice sample of Toycom's now-defunct King Of The Hill line. Even though the show has passed its tenth season, the figures sold poorly, and didn't survive past (I think) series two. It's too bad - I was really hoping for a talking Kahn toy!

The sculpts and paint work are simple, but reflect the original designs really well. Ladybird's molding leads to bent legs and unsteadiness, and Boomhauer himself is a little top-heavy and prone to toppling. Stands aren't a dire need, but would've been helpful here. Of course, Boomhauer's dialogue is so funny, a voice chip would've been great, too!

Happily, Toycom focused on the figures rather than load the package up with lots of accessories. Boomhauer has a can of beer, and I think (as you'd expect) that Ladybird was originally packaged with the Hank Hill figure. Each toy did come a short portion of fence - if you bought them all, they assembled into a nice backdrop decorated with the show's title. I'll get around to shooting the whole thing one of these days!

Boomhauer's hard to find online, but you can bid on this complete set of loose KOTH figures - it's currently only $15.50 + $5.00 shipping. That's pretty close to what one figure cost originally. Good luck!