Toy OTD: Presspop's Raymond Scott Figure (2008)

Presspop may not be as prolific as other toymakers, but their choices are delightfully idiosyncratic. Whether it's their Bob Moog figure, or their Kaufman brothers toy set, Presspop projects are always out of left field. And what a great field it is!

One of their more recent releases is a Raymond Scott box set, commemorating the electronic composer/pioneer's one-hundredth anniversary. Presspop's toys are always top drawer, and this one is just as true to the brand.

Archer Prewitt designed the Scott figure (like Moog and the Kaufmans before it), and it's an appealing likeness. There's a great retro quality to the sculpt that feels really appropriate for the subject. The paint work is simple, but it's all the toy needs - the hair, facial details and pant cuffs are nice and clean. The figure has a good center of gravity, so it balances just fine. Articulation is understandably low - three joints (at the neck and both shoulders), possibly four (I can't remember if the waist turns).

For some reason, though, Presspop didn't just stop with a great figure - the box is loaded with extras! First off, a miniature Clavivox is included with the Scott toy. The sculpt and paint work aren't quite as strong as they are on the figure, but it's still a great accessory. Another wonderful touch is the figure's fabric jacket - it's well-made, and further supports the old-fashioned-toy vibe. The set also includes a five-song CD, decorated with some snappy graphics and nested in a spiffy cardboard sleeve. Most purchasers will probably be Scott fans already, so Presspop wisely made sure that two of them had never been released before! Nice.

To top it all off? Prewitt also decorated the box, and it's gorgeous. Front and center is a limited-palette portrait of Scott at his keyboard, and the surrounding artwork is just as well thought out. What a set!

Even better news is that not only is the box set still available, but it's on sale! You can buy it for $49.99 + shipping at toystoreinc.com.

Toy OTD: Hasbro Mighty Mugg Figures: The Indiana Jones Line (2008)

I'm sure I've already cited the Hasbro Mighty Muggs line of figures as another recent example of the artist-driven "Urban Vinyl" movement influencing mainstream toy design. Mighty Muggs have a uniform body shape decorated to look like a variety of characters, much like the Qee and Dunny figures that preceded them. Like these toys, Mugg designs are mass-produced or customizable - collectors can buy blank 'DIY' versions to decorate themselves.

Rather than hire popular underground artists to design the new line, Hasbro instead emphasized licensed properties and popular characters. Some were brands they owned outright (such as G.I. Joe or Transformers). Other lines were properties they were already merchandising, such as Marvel Comics superheroes, Star Wars, and characters from the Indiana Jones movies.

The Indy line of Muggs was doubtless intended to leverage the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, exposing a new generation to the characters from all four movies. There weren't a lot of toy figures made back in the day, so I was excited at the prospect of new Indy swag, and stylized swag to boot! Happily, I wasn't disappointed.

Hasbro picked iconic roles from all four films for three series of figures - Indy, Dr. Henry Jones, Sr; Short Round, the Cairo Swordsman, Sallah, Mola Ram, and so forth. While the designs are sometimes a bit busy for my taste (Sallah's is particularly cluttered), the majority of the toys look sharp. The use of color is strong, and the paint apps were consistently clean and tight. Very little paint checking needed for this line!

Mighty Muggs by their nature are constructed uniformly, so that keeps their build quality consistent too. Loose parts are rare, and the surface finish is always smooth and unmarred. Parts will be varied for specific figures without sacrificing much expense or uniformity - there's a solid form that's occasionally used instead of legs, which you'll see on 'cloaked' figures like the Cairo Swordsman. It's a nice touch that prevents the characters from being compromised by the original template form.

My only quibble is with the 'small body' template, designed for figures like Yoda or Short Round. As you can see, the solution here was to shorten the legs, leaving everything else the same. While this makes sense in terms of economy and tooling, the result makes the arms look a bit too long, and the character comes off looking a little like a gorilla. Personally I would've preferred shrinking the entire body a little bit (except for maybe the head), or shortening all the limbs.

Articulation and pose-ability are extremely limited, but these toys really aren't made for that, so I don't consider it a big flaw.
Balance problems are rarely an issue, though the figures do have a high center of gravity. An accessory can sometimes throw this off, but on the whole it's not a series that begs for display stands.

Accessories are very limited as well, but the choices have been intuitive and appropriate. Indy naturally has his whip, Monkey Man his monkey, and the Cairo Swordsman his sword. My vote for best accessory, though, goes to Mola Ram and his cute little detached heart. Adorable!

The packaging is simple, and also conforms to a template. The box graphics play to the line's strengths, using blow-ups of the character on the top panel and front right corner. There's a nice pattern composed of blank Muggs in the more open areas, and the fonts and logos are used in a stylish way. The Mighty Muggs logo itself is bit intrusive, but keeping it black & white helps prevent it from overpowering the overall look.

The saddest thing about this line is that it was canceled - I'm assuming it was due to poor sales. Unfortunately, none of these figures were hard to get at any point, unlike many of their Star Wars or Marvel contemporaries. Several new figures were announced but never released: Toht, Irina Spalko, a white-tuxedo Indy, young Indy, and Satipo. It's a shame because I loved the line, and was really looking forward to getting Marion and Toht Muggs. Enterprising DIY-ers can make their own, but I'm lazy enough to hope that eventually Hasbro will produce these as limited edition convention exclusives.

As I mentioned, it's still not difficult to find any of this line right now. Originally, these toys went for about $10-$15 each. Now, you can get the Cairo Swordsman for $5.99 + shipping on eBay, ditto Mola Ram, Short Round goes for $5.98 + shipping, Monkey Man is $4.95 + shipping, Sallah costs $8.00 + shipping, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. is $8.49 + shipping at Amazon, the Fertility Idol exclusive goes for $16.99 + shipping at ecrater.com, Mutt Williams costs $8.97 + shipping at moviepostersetc.com, and Indy himself goes for $12.97 + shipping at the same site. Watch those shipping charges, and happy shopping!

Toy OTD: Banpresto Dragonball Vinyl Figures (2008)

I'm definitely a newcomer to the Dragonball mangas, having only read the pre-Z storyline within the last year or so. I've seen a fair amount of DB merchandise over the years, but these recently produced vinyl figures are some of the best swag I've encountered!

For whatever reason (an anniversary?), Banpresto decided to make a brand-new line of toys, and they're really terrific! The sculpts are spot-on model, super-appealing representations of the original artwork. Most of the posing is a bit symmetrical, but occasionally there's an arm or leg that's moved to break up the 'twinning'. The character designs are strong enough to prevent it from being a big detraction.

The paint work varies to a degree - with the majority of the line, the apps are tight and tidy, but there will be the odd figure (Yajirobe, for instance) where they'll be a little loose and fuzzy in places. Overall, though, the color choices are strong and the execution is crisp and sharp, reflecting the clean line work of the manga.

As with most vinyl toys, there's not a lot of articulation here - usually, you'll get neck and shoulder joints at the most, which are probably more a result of the molding process than from a desire to increase the play value.

Fortunately, these characters have reasonable proportions, so balance issues are low. Chi-Chi has a higher center of gravity than most of the others, so a display base might have been nice in her case. Yajirobe does come with a piece of cardboard that can be folded into an unobtrusive stand, which is nice. Overall, though, balance problems here aren't anything that some museum putty can't fix.

Accessories are rare with this line, but personally, unless it's a prop that's central to the character - Thor's hammer, say - then I think it's just one more thing to lose. Most of the extra pieces here are walking sticks and fighting staffs, and they fit into the characters' hands nicely. Yajirobe's sword sheath may give you some trouble fitting into a hole on his side, so be prepared for that.

The toys are sealed in plastic blisters backed with cardboard, so there's not a lot here to get excited about. The graphics are fine (though pretty uniform), and naturally the blisters allow especially fussy collectors (read: all of them) to compare paint jobs. Otherwise, there's not much here to tempt purchasers into keeping the packaging.

Since these figures were released over the last year or two, finding them shouldn't be all that expensive or difficult. You can buy Son Goku, Grandpa Son Gohan & Klilyn together for $39.99 + shipping on eBay. There's three other Son Goku variants available as a set for $47.99 + shipping, Uranai-Baba for $9.99 + shipping at bonanzle.com, Chaoz for $13.99 + shipping on eBay, Woolong for $9.99 + shipping at bonanzle; Son Goku, Yajirobe & Karin all together for $57.95 + shipping at anime-king.amazonwebstore.com, Emperor Pilaf for $14.95 + shipping on eBay, Chi-Chi for $8.34 + shipping on eBay, Kame-Sennin for $24.74 + shipping on eBay, a smaller variant of him for $9.99 + shipping at bonanzle, a masked variant for $9.99 + shipping on eBay, and Mr. Popo for $22.39 + shipping on eBay. You may want to shop around a bit before buying, since there's plenty of them for sale online. Have fun!

Toy OTD: Disney, MINDstyle Black Hole Figure: V.I.N.CENT. (2009)

There aren't a lot of Black Hole toys to be had, and even fewer modern ones. For the most part, collectors have had to thrash about in a decades-old secondary market. But fortunately MINDstyle, a formidable maker of vinyl art, seems to have plenty of nostalgic employees. What better way to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Disney's sci-fi epic than with a spiffy new V.I.N.CENT toy? I was thrilled to hear the news!

While the figure is good, the promise and the reality are different things, and I was a little disappointed. The sculpt is quite precise - it looks exactly like the character - but the paint work seems a bit looser than I would've expected.

Generally, I'm not a stickler for articulation, but there's nothing movable here at all. The head can't retract, nor can the arms, legs, or laser guns pop out. I don't think the head even turns.

When you have a character where posing isn't much of an option, it's good to add a gimmick or two to keep the buyer from feeling that they've paid a good deal of money ($130) for a large chunk of pvc vinyl (even though they have). Working lights. A voice chip with dialogue and/or sound effects from the film. Moving parts. Different materials (a clear plastic insert for the monitor, for example). Something to make the figure feel a little less - well, inert. I don't necessarily mean voice response or animation, but a few small extras can go a long way!

Aside from the sculpt, the primary pluses here are scale - it's a big figure, a little over eight inches tall (and almost as wide) - and packaging. The box is simply gorgeous, made from heavy coated stock and slathered with sexy graphics and lacquer passes. If it weren't so big, it'd make a tempting keepsake! The figure also comes with a similarly decorated I.D.-like "collector's card", but I'm not sure why - the box borders on overkill as it is!

MINDstyle did include a display stand (a good thought, since V.I.N.CENT can't stand on his own in this pose), but while nicely unobtrusive, it doesn't add much in the balance department. You'll probably need a display case and some museum putty to protect this figure properly.

The original colorway (read: film version) debuted at this summer's San Diego Comic-Con and had a limited run of 300 pieces, so doubtless it's long sold out by now. Toy Tokyo still has one for $150 + shipping (call before ordering), there's one for sale on eBay right now for $180 + shipping, and ToyArena still has one in stock for $250 + shipping. If you're not finicky about the original film colors, MINDstyle has also released a Tron-looking colorway (an exclusive for the D23 Expo) that might be a little less popular (i.e, cheaper). Unfortunately, I can't find it for sale anywhere online, so you'll have to set up another eBay favorite search if you're interested in that version. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Dan Goodsell's Mr. Toast Vinyl Figure (2007)

Dan Goodsell's deadpan foodstuff Mr. Toast has been an online staple for some time now - he's the star of his own comic strip, the subject of several paintings, not to mention the flagship character for a bevy of cute products. A couple of years ago, Mr. Toast strolled his way into the vinyl world as well, taking the form of a 6 3/4" figure!

Mr. Toast translates into three dimensions just fine - his limbs are much thicker than they're drawn, but they still read proportionately as tiny arms and legs. The sculpt is simple, as it should be for this design - it's even got subtle dimensional treatment on its features. The eyes and mouth have a different grouping than the original artwork, but the toy still has a sweet quality that's true to the comic. Using vinyl lends the character a crispness that suits the clean line work and bold colors, too!

It also comes with its own display stand (always a plus). It's a nice simple shape and color, and it complements the overall look. The holes in the feet may not fit perfectly into the base pegs, so be prepared to do a little tweaking to make that work more effectively.

The packaging supports the simple, understated style of the character too - a drawing of Mr. Toast dominates the box design. It's straightforward and charming without gobbling up lots of retail space.

You can still buy your own Mr. Toast toy at Mr. Goodsell's website (theimaginaryworld.com) for $22 + shipping. Get one today!

Mr. Toast ©Dan Goodsell 2009.

Toy OTD: Nostalgic Heroes Tetsujin-28 Vinyl Figure: Satan (Late '90s)

This toy is part of a great late-'90s line of old-school Tetsujin-28 characters, not surprisingly made by a company called Nostalgic Heroes. They really seem to understand what's appealing about Japanese vinyl from the '60s and '70s!

For starters, it's packed in a plastic bag with a hang card, just like the originals. Not much in terms of shelf presence, but NH stayed true to the roots of these toys. The color work is within a limited (but striking) palette - while there might have been only one or two passes back in the day, good use is made of the additional colors. The application is also nicely done, reflecting contemporary manufacturing techniques.

The sculpt is simple, but reflects the style of the original manga very well, and in an appealing way. There's a boldness to the shapes that makes it stand out, in spite of its muted color scheme.

There's only six points of articulation, but even that number is a little more than it might've been thirty or forty years ago. Most of the assemblage is fine, though the hip joints make it difficult for the figure to stand properly, the biggest detraction.

There's another colorway available in green, so you don't have to buy this color scheme if it doesn't appeal to you. It's always good to have choices!

I bought the robot pictured above at Super 7 some time ago for about $60. If you can read Japanese, and if they ship internationally, it looks like you should still be able to buy it directly from the NH website for $62.00 + shipping. The figure is also listed at coolstuffvideos.com, so you may want to try emailing the store owner to see if he can help track one down for you. Other than that, there's always the time-honored eBay favorite search, or a Japanese auction bidding service. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Upper Deck All Star Vinyl Figure: Brett Favre

I thought it might be interesting to post the only sports figure that I own as a Toy OTD! Generally, I find sports figures to be pretty dull - either they're poorly made, or technically impressive but not very imaginative. Fortunately, Upper Deck took notice of the designer toy movement and decided to incorporate that look into a line of sports vinyl! Sean Galloway is the artist behind the NFL toys.

His design work is certainly a breath of fresh air in the rather conservative world of sports toys - I'd say it's sort of a cross between Bruce Timm and Jack Davis. There's some nice stylization and exaggeration going on here, so it definitely made me want to support the brand!

Compared to current designer toys, this is still a pretty conservative approach, but it's a huge step in a new direction for the genre. The color work, stylization and posing are somewhat restrained, but the forms are getting sleeker and more dynamic. At eleven inches tall, the figure will definitely have a presence on your shelf, too!

The technical side is quite nice - the paint work is tight with some good subltety to set off the larger expanses. The 'grass stains' are a little half-hearted, but in general the color and paint apps are confidently executed.
The hand plants seem a bit awkward, but the construction overall is solid and clean, befitting the design. While a figure base would've been a nice bonus (green plastic with an astroturf texture?), the balance of the toy is good and makes this less of an issue than it might've been.

The packaging is slick and sturdy, though not particularly eye-catching. While it's great that the box design prominently features the original design turnaround and opens to reveal the actual figure, it still comes across as more cluttered than punchy.

This was one of the early figures released in this line (a limited edition of 1000), and now there's more variants available - there's a white jersey version limited to 1500 pieces (with a helmet), a black and gold edition of 250 pieces, and a retro uniform edition of 500. I think I originally paid sixty dollars for mine, which I think was pretty close to retail. It's long sold out from Upper Deck, unfortunately, but you can get this version on sale at imaginegate.com for $29.99 + shipping! The white jersey version goes for $29.39 at underbid.com, the retro variant sells for $74.95 at bigboyztoyz.com, and the black and gold colorway is on eBay right now for $90 + shipping. Bargain hunters can get the white and retro versions loose on eBay right now for $21.99 + $13.45 shipping. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Mindstyle, Cameron Tiede 13 Tomadachi Figures: Edgar, Oswald, Agatha

It's so great to see a new design aesthetic emerge in the world of art toys - granted, these figures debuted two years ago, but Cameron Tiede's style still feels fresh and new! He had the good sense to team up with Mindstyle, one of the best in the designer toy game. The results are really special!

The sculptor did a wonderful job of bringing Mr. Tiede's very flat graphics into three dimensions. The chunky shapes are drawn into bold relief, and emphasized still further with color - faux highlights and cast shadows both create more dimension, yet also call back to the 2-D feel of the source art. The colors are appealing and true to Mr. Tiede's palette. Parts are separated along color lines for easy assembly, and to make the overall figure even richer in dimension.

The paint work is a skillful blend of large paint areas, dyed vinyl and smaller apps, creating a striking effect. There's some bleed-over here and there, but nothing too significant.

The characters are good choices for vinyl figure work - all of them have sufficiently low centers of gravity to minimize balance problems (display bases really aren't needed here!). I do recall that at least one piece was broken off upon opening the box, but in general the toys ship well with minimal damage.

The packaging is sturdy and quite attractive - you'll be tempted to keep (or re-purpose) the brightly-decorated drums that protect each figure. If not, they're made of cardboard, so at least they recycle easily.

These toys had a pretty small run - only three hundred of each! It looks like you can still get them (including the dog Roofus, which I decided to pass on) here at artoyz.com for €39.90 each. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Billiken B19 Maboroshi Tantei (Phantom Detective) Vinyl Figure

Some time ago, Billiken released a retro-styled line of various manga characters, complete with old-school bags 'n' hang tags! I bought a few Astro Boy figures, and later on, this Maboroshi Tantei toy (aka Phantom Detective, or National Kid). 'He' looks to be the star of a late '50s/early '60s manga, as well as a live-action television series!

If you like this style of vinyl figure, it's a really sweet toy! The sculpt is very simple and streamlined, emphasizing the graphic qualities of the original manga art. The colors are great, too - a perfect match with the comic's palette. I think most of the toy is made from dyed vinyl, which really adds to the overall look!

The pose is asymmetrical, but not so pushed that it would cause stability problems. While a display stand is never completely unnecessary, it's not as critical here. If I remember correctly, the feet rotate at the ankles, which can be very useful to help adjust the figure and improve its balance.

Beyond the ankles, there's the usual amount of articulation for this type of toy - neck, wrists, shoulders, and waist. For the most part, though, none of these rotation points really improve on the original pose very much.

The bag-n-tag packaging is appropriate to the retro-toy concept, but aside from the nifty tag art, there's not much to it.

You can still get this figure online, although I think it's a little pricier these days. I think I paid about sixty dollars or so for it at Kimono My House, but it's selling on eBay right now for $112.99. A little more bargain hunting may be in order... good luck!

Toy OTD: Gama-Go Tigerlily Vinyl Figure (2006)

I think this toy may have been Gama-Go's first foray into vinyl figures, but I'm not sure. Tigerlily is an early Tin Biskup design, named after (and I'm assuming inspired by) his then-tiny daughter. She's decorated many Gama-Go items, so it makes perfect sense that she'd be the first toy.

It's a really great figure! The 'costume' is flocked in order to distinguish it from the vinyl 'skin'. Interestingly, the proportions are more extreme than the original design, which is incredibly rare. I think it was a good call, as it makes her look more childlike.

The color work is very nice, but overall the toy is much yellower than the 2-D version. It looks fine, but I'm not sure why that change happened. Could it be they couldn't get the skin tone that they wanted? Unlikely, but possible. Otherwise, the paint and flocking apps are excellent!

The articulation is what you would expect from the source art: neck, shoulders, hips and tail. It's another display/design piece, so that's a reasonable number of joints if you take that into account. Tigerlily does come with her pistol as an accessory, so the weird cute/violent contrast isn't lost.

Even taking the tail into account, the toy does have balance issues. Perhaps with a bit of tweaking to the hip joints, she'll stay upright, but a pegged display base might have been a good idea here.

It's been a while since I purchased this figure, so I don't remember the package design all that well - I think it was a box with a cellophane window. Naturally, Gama-Go produces terrific graphics, so it was good-looking! I simply can't keep all the boxes and the toys too, so I recycle almost all of the packaging.

Unfortunately, this toy has been sold out for quite some time, and I can't find one for sale anywhere. You'll need to set up a favorite search on eBay to find it. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Mindstyle Dark Crystal Vinyl Figure: UrRac The Scribe (2007)

Dark Crystal fans have waited a long time for character figures - twenty-five years - but MINDstyle has finally given us a toy that's worth the wait (no offense to Plan-B Toys, who has also produced some fantastic mini-busts). This recent Mystic figure is simply gorgeous!

Everything about this vinyl figure is top notch - the sculpt is beautiful and extremely accurate. The pose is straight out of the movie, and the paint apps are on-model and appropriately complex. If you want a vinyl version of this character, you simply couldn't ask for better!

Granted, there could be more articulation, but I think to maintain the design integrity, MINDstyle could have gone the jointed-figure-in-a-cloth-costume route, a la Hot Toys. To get hair that isn't sculpted, they could've gone the hard-core-clothed-resin-figure route, a la Sideshow, but both of those routes would make the figure much more expensive. Now you know I love both of those approaches, but to make a figure this accurate and this detailed for under a hundred dollars is really terrific!

And then there's the box. Even the box is incredible! Its design is on theme to the film's style, and it's covered with lovely photography and eye-catching foil passes. There's even a front-panel-door that allows you to check the figure out if you're one of those mint-in-box types. I think it had magnetic fasteners, but the may have been Velcro. Either way, the packaging is stand-alone great!

This toy sold a year ago for $70-$80, but you're in luck! It's available for sale at toynk.com at the lower price of $59.99 + shipping - grab one now, before they wise up!

Toy OTD: Dark Horse Deluxe, Disney's Gremlins Vinyl Figure: Fafinella (2006)

Toy licensing has exploded to such a degree in recent years, not only are companies reaching into increasingly distant corners of pop culture for inspiration, now they're merchandising properties that never reached the finish line!

Roald Dahl wrote and published a children's book called Gremlins (unrelated to Joe Dante's 1984 movie) in 1943. The rights were optioned by the Disney studio in the hopes of developing the story into a film, but for various reasons the project never went beyond the early stages. The book remained popular with Disney and Dahl fans, but was not reprinted again until two years ago.

Since the book features brightly colored fantasy characters, Dark Horse wisely got permission to make merchandise based on the story! Some of the best of these new spin-offs included a line of resin statues, pvc mini-figures and larger vinyl toys.

This is one of two of the large vinyls - Fafinella, or a female gremlin. It's really a wonderful figure - the sculpt has some nice touches to it that throw the symmetry off without making it difficult to cast. I really like how the extemely stylized helmet (especially the visor) is faithfully duplicated from the original artwork.

The paint work is a little loose, but the apps are tight enough to keep crisp borders between the punchy colors. The 'lipstick' and 'eye shadow/lashes' are nicely done, preserving the appeal of the design. The paint/vinyl colors are also faithful to the book.

There's no articulation at all - it's basically a vinyl statue made from a bunch of separately molded parts. There's some balance issues due to the top-heaviness of the character, but the casting is very well done, so it's not as precarious as it could be.

The packaging is simple, but reflects the source book exceptionally well - the cover colors are treated like a branding palette, so the box is decorated to look just like the reprinted edition! A wide plastic window lets you look the toys over before buying.

Fafinella and Widget (a male) are sold together as a set. It's still very easy to get - you can buy one for $24.49 at tfaw.com. Enjoy!

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: Sekiguchi Moomin Vinyl Figure: Snufkin (2003)

I don't know very much about the Moomin stories or comic strip, but I was intrigued enough by the drawings to buy the books. I've read a little of the first one, and to my adult mind they seem really weird. I'll have to reach back into my inner six-year old so I can appreciate them more!

Regardless of how that ultimately sorts out, the drawings are pretty neat - sort of a cross between Crockett Johnson and James Thurber - and they've inspired a lot of merchandising. Like many overseas successes, it's not only popular in its home country (Finland), but in Japan as well. And if you've got Japan... there's going to be toys. And cool ones!

I'm not all that familiar with Sekiguchi as a company, but if the Moomin toys are a good indicator, they're a name to watch. Much like Medicom's figures, the sculpt here is very faithful to the source drawings, and the construction seems to favor dyed vinyl over paint. Not much articulation - the neck, and maybe the right wrist and boot-tops - but the execution is finessed more than enough to compensate in my book! The fishing line is an especially nice touch.

I've got two or three other Sekiguchi Moomin figures, and it looks like there's at least seven or eight in the line. I can't find this particular character for sale anywhere right now, so you'll have to hire an auction search service, or set up a favorite search (something along the lines of "sekiguchi moomin" or "sekiguchi snufkin", or both) on eBay. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Medicom, Disney Vinyl Collectible Doll: Ariel (2002)

I bought this toy for my wife Anita because she's such a big fan of the film. This is executed so well, though, that I don't mind having it in my collection one bit! It's really a wonderful 3-D execution of the 2-D design.

The sculpt is simply terrific, and the figure balances nicely thanks to the choice of a seated pose. It's a logical answer to balance a mermaid character, but you'd be surprised how many toys there are that don't choose the obvious solution!

Like many other VCD figures, this toy utilizes paint and dyed vinyl extremely well. The facial paint work is really tight and delicate, plus Medicom gets big points for making Ariel's waist fin translucent - just another example of how they go the extra mile in their products. There's no artiuculation here, but the pose is dynamic enough that you don't really need any.

The packaging isn't particularly imaginative or attractive, but at least the money is in the toy - plus credit is due for how well protected VCD figures are in their sturdy clamshell/box containers. Warping and pain rubs are extremely rare in this line!

There isn't one of these figures for sale online right now, so you'll need to warm up another eBay favorite search. Good hunting!

Toys OTD: Critterbox, Dave Cooper's Pip And Norton Vinyl Figures

The run of this set was a larger edition - 3,000 pieces. As usual, Critterbox has done a stellar job interpreting Dave Cooper's creepily cute designs. The sculpts are gorgeous, and the color work is extremely faithful to Mr. Cooper's artwork. The painting on both is quite tight, adding to the high level of finish on the toys.

Pip is beautifully packaged with his little friend Norton. The box is sturdy, and it's decorated so meticulously that you'll be tempted to keep it - if the art doesn't do it, consider the four vinyl leg accessories that transforms the package into a vehicle for them to ride! Wow! Very clever, and pure Cooper.

Critterbox saw their toys more as art pieces than playthings, so articulation is very low here. Pip's shoulders, neck and hips have joints, and I'm not sure that Norton has any at all (maybe his neck). Pip balances well considering his top-heavy design, and Norton is extremely well-planted.

Will we ever see more releases from Critterbox? There hasn't been anything in quite a while, so I have to assume the company went under some time ago.

If you're interested in buying this set, you can still get it at dolltv.com for $49.99 + shipping. Get to it!

Happy Beaver For Sale At Kidrobot (Sort Of!)

Dov told me that Kidrobot had bought some of my toys, but this is the first that I'd seen Happy Beaver on the site! Even better - it looks like they're sold out already! Sweet!

Toy OTD: Mega House Panda-Z Figure: Hamugear (Yellow Version, 2004)

Here's another figure from Mega House's Panda-Z line - I've never seen the anime, but the character designs look great! I fell in love with the minute I first saw them. Cute animals driving cute-animal-robots! What more do you want?

Overall, these are great toys - the sculpts and paint work are very strong. The minimalistic details are captured well, and the execution doesn't compromise the design work one bit! There's not a lot of articulation here, but it's not a big deal to me - these designs can only pose so much to begin with, I imagine.

The packaging is a blister on a back card - functional but not exceptionally striking. The biggest minus of these toys is the construction - the legs often warp, which doesn't affect how they display in the blister, but can render the occasional figure wobbly (I have at least two or three from the line that aren't as stable as they could be).

As far as variants go, there's a gray version and a yellow one. The gray variant seems to be cheaper, so I'm assuming it's more common (or less desired, or both).

Originally, I think I bought this figures at Super 7 for less than $20. The price seems to have skyrocketed on eBay for some reason ($225!!), so you'll want to hunt around for better prices. Good luck and be patient - try giving Super 7 a call...

Medicom VCD Modern Pets Mickey Mouse (2006)

There's been a lot of re-imagining of Mickey Mouse going on in the last few years, and this vinyl figure is one of the most successful examples. This toy is a nice merging of the Modern Pets style with classic Mickey - it still feels like the character, even though it's a significant departure from the current design.

It's very appealing, and like most Medicom toys, extremely well made! The sculpted pose is really strong, and the color work is a terrific combination of tight paint passes and different colors of vinyl. It all comes together to form an attractive 3-D version of stylized cartoon design.

I think I originally paid around $40 for this figure. It's been out for a couple of years now, so its price has climbed to $68.99 + shipping at yesasia.com. Get on it!