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: Pac-Man Vinyl Bank

There's not a lot of really great video game merchandise out there, but this is one of my favorites, if not my number one video game toy! It's a great sculpt that utterly nails one of the best drawings of the character. Very little paint (well used), and poseable shoulders and hips are nice pluses as well. The hips are especially good, as it helps to improve the figure's balance if any of the parts warped slightly as they cooled.

I first saw this at the Toy Tokyo online store, but even then it wasn't available there. I eventually found it on eBay - right now there's three of them for sale, the cheapest one starting at $29.99 + shipping.

Toy OTD: Medicom Parappa The Rapper Vinyl Figures: Parappa, Sunny Funny, Um Jammer Lammy (1998)

It's not unheard of, but it's certainly unusual for vinyl figures to sport fabric clothing. The scale of the figure is just big enough to allow the denim jeans to work. The balance of the toy is a bit precarious, and the pose almost completely symmetrical, but the sculpt, paint work and costume more than compensate. Making a real 'knit' cap and molding the ears from black vinyl are great touches - it's just very appealing and well constructed overall!

Medicom made three figures in this series from the Parappa game and its sister title, Um Jammer Lammy - Parappa, Sunny Funny, and Um Jammer herself. If I recall correctly, Um Jammer has two or three colorways as well. They're all as tightly on-model and well-made as Parappa.







I think Parappa cost me $40-$60 at a toy show originally, but it's hard to find almost ten years later. There's a Hong Kong eBay auction going on right now - it's currently at $30.50 + $25.25 shipping. Sunny Funny is much easier, with a figure for sale for $24.99 + shipping at GameExpress.com. I can't find any Um Jammer Lammy figures for sale anywere. Keep digging!