It was one year ago that I first met sculptor Joe Menna at Toy Fair a year ago.   He was walking the floor with my friend, and fellow sculptor Paul Harding.   I didn’t know Joe at the time, but I certainly knew his work from his projects at DC Direct.  He had an ipad with him loaded with images of projects he has worked on not only for DC Direct, but also Dark Horse Deluxe, Bowen and others.  Then come to find out he also worked for the U.S. mint sculpting coins so it’s likely that not only do you most likely have some of his work on your collection shelves but also in your pockets and between your sofa cushions.

The other point of note about Joe is that not only is he a classically trained traditional sculptor and illustrator, but he also made sure he embraced technology and changes in the industry and is now one of the premier digital sculptors.  That is a rare thing in the industry these days with many sculptors being either/or.   I thought it would be interesting to talk to someone that has been on both sides of the sculpting world to talk about techniques, tools and

 

Action Figure Insider:  How long have you been sculpting?

Joe Menna: 25 years….ackk!!

AFi: Can you talk a bit about your training for both traditional and digital sculpting?

Joe: I went to college at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and grad school at the New York Academy of Art in Manhattan. I supplemented those degree programs with studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Art Students League, and the Sculpture Center. During that time I also studied privately with a group of classically trained Russian Artists who all possessed skills rivaling those of the greatest 19th century masters. To me these guys were like the last of the Jedi and their work blew anything I had seen in the contemporary American figurative art scene completely away. I knew that if I wanted to be as good as these guys, there was only one path to follow. I worked as a waiter for a few years, saved all that I could, and headed to Russia to finish my studies. My time there exceeded all of my expectations and became one of the core experiences of my life. After coming home from Russia  I worked as a figure sculptor at a fine art foundry for 8 years sculpting monumental and life sized statues and portraits. During my tenure there, the foundry decided to transfer a large part of my department’s workload over to their then new digital scanning and enlarging division. The place was also beginning to downsize dramatically so I realized that I it was in my best interest to adapt to the new situation as soon as possible in order to continue to provide for my family. At first I very grudgingly taught myself the new skills I needed to be a “digital sculptor” but my heart wasn’t in it ( I had barely touched a computer in over 10 years at that point). I actually even did a 30 foot tall monument of folk hero, John Henry in protest of the new technology. The more I studied it, though, the more I began to see how incredible it’s potential was and my reluctance transformed  into a genuine passion to learn everything I could about this new technology.

 

AFi:  Can you remember the first thing you sculpted in both formats?

 Joe: The first sculpture I ever did was a bas relief of a live model during a sculpture class at a high school summer art camp.

The first thing I sculpted digitally was a copy of the torso of the central figure from the ancient Hellenistic Laocoon sculpture.

 

AFi:  Who would you say are your biggest influences?

 Joe: The core ones that have stayed with me my whole life are comic books, Star Wars, and Doctor Who with Bowie, the Police, and Peter Gabriel playing as the soundtrack.

 

AFi:  You’ve done everything from sculpting life-sized figures all the way down to sculpting the back of the new 2011 penny. Can you talk about the differences in approaching projects in radically different scales?

 Joe: When you work life sized, your whole body gets involved as you prowl around the piece and room, attacking it from every angle while trying to compel the clay to command the space around it. When you work big, you sculpt from your gut and engage all of your senses as you try to make a poem of shapes, weight, and energy come to life. You almost learn to taste the forms with your fingers and it’s an amazing experience. Honestly, I never got that same rush from working small scale. It’s the digital stuff that makes it bearable for me to work small in any field as I can work at any scale I want to and feel at least in some way like I’m still working big. I really don’t have the discipline, skill, or patience to sit there with a wax pen and magnifying glasses  to do the incredible things that other folks in this business can do. It’s only now that I have a few years in working on action figures that I am developing the patience to develop my detailing skills. Whether you are working traditionally or digitally, I really think details come down to patience. 

 

AFi:  Can you talk about the differences in sculpting something embossed like a coin and a full figure like your work at DC Direct?

 Joe:  I do one during the day and the other during nights and weekends. Seriously, I love every gig I get to work on and am privileged to have such a variety of opportunities to exercise my craft.

AFi:  Are your strictly digital now or are there projects you think should still be sculpted traditionally?

 Joe: Most of  work is digital now. I don’t think there is anything that cannot be done digitally. The printing and milling technology is already amazing and only going to get better every day. With it I can keep my freelance action moving at the speed of business and still have a great day job and family life. Digital artistic media also allow me greater freedom and flexibility as a creative artist. Digital technology allows me to maximize my time and squeeze quality out of every possible second.  This is not to say I’ll never work traditionally again. I still work traditionally and love it intensely. I’ve just got an artistic bucket list a mile long and for now digital is the right tool for me.

 

AFi:    What’s one character you haven’t sculpted professionally that you would like a crack at?

 Joe: Personally, I’d love to do my own line of statues and busts and am trying to get that rolling as my schedule permits. As a fan, my ultimate grail project would be to sculpturally recreate in the round the classic Infantino, Andru, and Giordano cover of the original Superman VS. The Amazing Spider-Man, Empire State Building spire and all. I’ve been told it can never happen but man, that would be cool. Besides comics I would also love to do a sculpt of Elric of Melnibone’, Tom Baker’s Doctor, and Ruter Hauer as Roy Batty.

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My fiance surprised me the other day by bringing home a mini-collection of something for her… something she rarely, if ever does.  Funko has an amazing roster of licenses and with such a wide range showing up in their "Pop Vinyl" line I defy any collector to not be tempted to pick a few of these up.  When they show up at Target in their holiday section for $5… what’s a girl to do?

Let’s find out:

I’m not a collector.  Never have been. I’ve certainly tried, but could never get behind it.  Louis Sullivan’s quote sums up how I feel about most “things”. Form follows function, ornament is a crime. If the design isn’t simple and clean, I don’t want it.

 

I was doing a late night Target run and decided to peruse the holiday section but was disappointed by the mass amounts of Hello Kitty lip-gloss, Barbie bouncy balls, and Lego knights. Suddenly my eye was caught on the final sweep of the shelves. A Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer Pop! Vinyl figure from Funco.  My heart raced. I looked around like a criminal making sure no one saw the treasure I did. I threw that plastic deer in my cart so fast it was a blur.  Nobody was going to get Rudolph before me! I was excited since Rudolph is my favorite holiday movie.  I have picked up a smattering of Rudolph trinkets for the holidays here and there, but this was the icing on the cake! I loved the Pop! Figures I saw at Comic Con, but none of the characters made me want to buy. 

 

I couldn’t believe how cute this little deer was. I kept looking through the newly stocked shelves. I looked through all of them to find the perfect paint job on each one.  I found Heat Miser, Snow Miser, Bumble AND Santa.  I was never a huge fan of the Year Without Santa Claus, which starred Snow Miser and Heat Miser, but I needed them to have a complete set.  What? I wanted a complete set of something? Blasphemy!

 

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I’ll admit up front that I’ve never played a Transformers video game before.   I was a big Transformers fan back when they first hit shelves in the 80′s , what we now call “G1”, as well as watching the original animated series and reading the Marvel comic, but I haven’t followed Transformers through all of their permutations and variations.  I have a passing knowledge of them just from collecting and writing about toys, so I probably know more than the average citizen, but not a hardcore fan.  I have seen the first tow Michael Bay films and, like most of the population, was a bigger fan of the first one than the second one.  I followed the development of the last Transformers game “Transformers: War for Cyberton” but as of this writing had not had an opportunity to play it.  "War for Cybertron" was developed by the same studio as the new Transformers: Dark of the Moon game, with High Moon Studios being the developer and Activision being the distributor.  I have it on good authority that "War for Cyberton" is a great game so I do plan on checking it out.

Back in June when Activison’s PR firm reached out to AFi to review the new Transformers: Dark of the Moon game, the G1 fan in me was interested to see what could be done with the boys from Cybertron on next gen consoles.   Unfortunately with a personal move, family vacation and Comic Con all happening back to back this review is a bit later than I intended, but the game is still available in stores and the movie is still in the top 10 so better late than never.  In this review we will be looking at the Playstation 3 version of the title. 

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Here is a fun sort of review that I don’t get to do very often – a new tech review!    The good folks at Earloomz have branched out into licensed properties and from the "go big or go home" department they went after the biggest license there is – STAR WARS. 

A few weeks ago the nice people at  Earloomz reached out to AFi with their press release announcement and an offer to send us a review sample.  I was in need of a blutooth headset  to hook up to my Playstation 3, and being a lifelong Star Wars fan,  I took them up on the offer.

Staring off, to give you an idea of what makes Earloomz different from other headsets lets hear it in their own words from the official Earloomz website:

Introducing an innovative twist to your typical Bluetooth earpiece, Earloomz is a stylish extension of your personality. Its sleek design, combined with advanced Bluetooth technology, offers superior comfort and functionality. Not only does Earloomz provide quality hands-free capability, it’s also fashionable. With hundreds of graphics and images to choose from, Earloomz devices are customized to match your individual style. Represent your favorite, cartoon character, or nationality. The possibilities are endless. Earloomz style and technology set it apart from any other wireless device on the market. The unique patented design provides and earpiece that operates without bulky buttons or additional external pieces. This allows for easy accessibility and greater comfort. Embracing the idea that a hands-free device should be a part of everyday style and fashion, illustrates innovation and character as an individual. If your profession requires you to live a fast-paced lifestyle and stay in constant communication on a mobile device, let Earloomz be an extension of your personality. Not only is it a great conversation starter, it allows your personality to shine through. Earlooms patented earpiece is the perfect “blank canvas” for any design imaginable. Each image is digitally set on an Earloomz model to ensure precise measurements and image quality before production. The image is then mechanically painted on the earpiece, and finished with a moisture resistant coating. This process guarantees the quality and durability of each Earloomz device.

As I mentioned, when they first reached out to me about reviewing one of their new Star Wars themed headsets, my thinking was that I would pair this with my Playstation 3 as I didn’t have a headset for that.   Of course the PSN Network has been down for over a month because of the hack, so I was able to pair it with the PS3 but never use it for that as the network is still down.  However, shortly after receiving my Star Wars Darth Vader Earloomz my regular, everyday bluetooth headset that I use with my iphone fell apart so I switched my new Star Wars Earloomz over to pair with my phone and have been using it there ever since.

Pairing the headsets with those devices couldn’t have been easier.  It literally happens with the push of a single button, and I was able to successfully pair it with both my PS3 and my iphone.

The first wave of Star Wars Earloomz has 4 styles- Darth Vader, Bespin Luke, "Dark Duel" and Boba Fett

As you can see from the images above all of the first wave feature photo realistic images of Star Wars characters except for the Boba Fett Earloomz, which features a very stylized interpretation of everyone’s favorite bounty hunter.   Earloomz was quick to catch onto that and have just recently announced a new version of Boba Fett coming soon on an Earloomz headset that matches the style of the other first wave offerings. 

 

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I’ve been missing out.  I remember when the new animated Avengers show started airing.  I remember posting the press release and letting folks know it was coming, but I didn’t set my DVR for it at the time so I missed the first couple and then I just never picked it up.   Turns out, now that I’ve watched it – it’s better late than never.

There are lots of fans of the show on AFi.   They have been posting about it in the TV/Movie forum and asking if Hasbro will ever make figures based on the show. 

I didn’t have anything against it… but you just never know with comic-book-based animated series sometimes,   especially ones with recent movie tie-ins.  For some reason, more often than not, the powers that be try to change the foundation or basic concept of the title/character to distinguish it from other versions.  We’ve seen this countless times before, most recently with the teen Iron Man animated series, “The Batman”, there was even a teen version of “The Thing” back in the 80’s.

Now enter the first season of Avenger’s Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.  This series is different. These ARE NOT teen avengers, this isn’t the Ultimate universe, these aren’t the movie versions of the characters (though there are a few shades of that in Tony Stark and Nick Fury).   What it turns out to be is a love letter to classic Marvel character and stories, and it’s fantastic!  Let me say that again- It’s Fantastic.

I haven’t quite finished the first season, but what I have seen so far has really blown me away.   Right now, for me, this is the definitive Marvel based animated series.  The show is full of  Marvel characters from the first episode on, and even if the characters don’t appear in the story line there are nods/Easter eggs for other Marvel characters (look for mentions of The Punisher and Man-Thing early on).    This feels like the Marvel UNIVERSE, it’s deeply rooted in years of history and stories.  I doubt we’ll ever get to see a team like the X-men cross over on the show, but there are mentions of Mutants and their "menace" so who knows who all they can incorporate in later seasons.    It feels just like reading the comics with all of the inter-connectivity that is rare to find in an animated series.

It’s clear that this show is being made by fans.   One of my favorite things about the series is that each main character gets their own 30 min origin story.  They are taking the time to set each character up, establish their place in the universe before bringing them together as a team.   Very few cartoons would take the time to do something like that.   More often than not these types of shows have to hit the round running establishing universe shaking threats week in and week out.  Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is such a breath of fresh air in that respect.

On top of all of the the show focus’ on the classic heroes in their classic looks which is great for long time Marvel readers.  The animation and the voice over work is top notch, with clean styles, great backgrounds and great story telling.

This series originally aired on Disney’s recently launched XD channel and now the first season has been collected on 2 DVDs.

The main line up of  heroes in season one are: Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Antman/Giantman, Wasp, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Nick Fury, Black Widow

Some of the villains the the heroes face off against are: Abomination, Baron Zemo, Kang, Ultron, Baron von Strucker, Loki, Whirlwind, Klaw

I really can’t say enough good things about this series.  I’m really looking forward to finishing Volume 2  of season 1 and checking out season 2.

Two weeks ago we started a contest to give away 2 sets of DVDs that Disney/Marvel donated to the site.  One set to one of our Twitter followers and the other to one of our board members.  Our winners are:  Randy Wagner and Jason Stewart.

If you didn’e win, don’t worry, you can pick up both volumes right now on Amazon.com for less than $15 each right here.

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INTERVIEW WEEK DAY 1

 A few weeks ago I was forwarded a link from a fellow collector that blew my mind.  I’m sure many of you have seen it as well, as it really started making the rounds even ending up on Fark.com and Digg.com.   The link showed what looked to be a super-human feat of creating a custom playset.   But not just any playset – the Muppet’s Theater.   On the off chance you have not seen this 8th wonder of the world, go here, be amazed and then come back and finish reading this.

OK, are you back now? 

I’ve always said that while I love Super Hero action figures,  one of my favorite toy lines of all time was Palisades’ Muppets line.  The figures were all on model, they were in a relative scale (some things were cheated to add value) and they had a ton of cool, fun, well thought out accessories.   It’s still in my top 3 lines-to-beat for shear awesomeness.  Of course with any mass retail line there are some things that a company just can’t produce or make at an affordable price point.

 

Enter customizer Lance Cardinal.  Lance is the perfect storm of design, theatrical background and love of the Muppets.  And the result of that trifecta is one amazing custom playset.   It would be one thing if it was just a cool custom facade, but Lance went a dozen steps farther and included things like working curtains and fly system, working footlights, a trap door, AND made it in scale with the other Palisades Muppet’s playsets, so that they can sit inside it like "sets."  He also built it to be compatible and connectable to the Palisades’ Muppets’ backstage playset.   There is so much TLC in this playset, no detail was omitted.  I’ve never seen it equal, and neither has the former staff at Palisades or at the Henson studios.  Both of which have now seen the playset and commented on it at Lance’s blog.

We thought it would be fun to reach out to Lance and find out what it took to make this custom marvel and what’s up his sleeve next.  Lance was also kind enough to let us show you some of his work in progress shots of the making of the custom Muppet’s Theater playset.

Let’s take a peek inside the mind of Lance Cardinal and find out where all of that talent and creativity came from, and how he is using his powers for good:

(Click on the title to read the full interview.)

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Zica Toys first came on my radar from conversations with the guys from SpyMonkey Collectibles.   We were having one of our monthly "nerd lunches" and Jeremy aka SpyMonkey had brought one of the new Zica "Z-Body" base bodies.  Spy was using that body to swap out the Mattel Retro-Action Superman so he would be bigger and beefier than the other characters in the line, like he should be.   I saw the results a few weeks later and it was fantastic.

But, Zica isn’t just in the market for making base bodies for customizing.   Owner/founder Craig Owen has started picking up licenses to apply to his 8" body.  What sort of licenses you ask?

From their Website:

ZICA Toys is a company with two goals in mind; to make high quality, retro style toys and action figures…and to have a lot of fun doing it. Craig Owen, the owner of ZICA Toys, grew up during the 70’s spending countless hours playing with some of the best toys of that era. Trying to recapture the fun and excitement from those days is the primary reason why ZICA Toys was created. We are KEEPIN’ IT RETRO!

 

RETRO Licenses!  The first one out of the gate- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century based on the 1979 movie and TV show.   Many fans have been following the progress of these figures, from when we were just shown head sculpts all the way until now, with the first two figures -Buck and The Tiger Man, available to buy.

 

The finished product looks fantastic and you can tell a lot of care and effort went into making these figures the best they could be.  You may recall there was a very short lived Buck Rogers toyline back in the 80s that was based primarily on the film.  With Zica we will now be able to get other fan favorite characters such as Hawk that we have never gotten before in plastic.  All of the costume details and accessories have been lovingly, painstakingly recreated in the 8" scale.  Many fans know that working in the 8" scale can be difficult and there is a lot of trial and error getting fabric to look right and making sure heads aren’t too large, but Zica has knocked it out of the park on their first try. Even a figure with a costume as complicated, and complex as The Tiger Man came out beautifully.

If you haven’t had the chance to see the awesome finished product of the first two figures see below for images and information on what you get with the first two figures in the line.

Buck Rogers Features:
- Gil Gerard Likeness
- Removable Helmet
- Belt & Holster
- Screen Accurate Laser Pistol
- Screen Accurate Costume
- 2 Sets of Hands
- Z-BODY w/ 22 POA
- Retro Style Packaging

 

 

Tigerman Features:
- Detailed Head Sculpt & Paint
- Draconian Sword & Scabbard
- Screen Accurate Blaster Pistol
- Screen Accurate Costume
- 2 Sets of Hands
- Z-BODY w/ 22 POA
- Retro Style Packaging

Pretty impressive eh?

Zica owner Craig Owen took the time to answer some of our questions about starting your own toy company, what’s next for Zica and what license he’d love to get his hands on next!  See below for AFi’s exclusive interview with Zica toys. 

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Action Figure Insider: We should start off with the question we ask everyone doing Retro-Mego-esque figures – Why retro?  What about that appealed to you?

Craig from Zica: Well, as a kid growing up during the 70’s I spent a lot of time playing with Mego action figures so the nostalgia factor is pretty strong in regards to why I chose that format.  Also, at the time it seemed like it was going to be the least expensive option for entering the action figure market due to the fact that other companies were already producing blank Mego-esque bodies.

AFi: What made you make the jump from toy fan to toy maker?

Zica Toys:  I’ve always been a toy fanatic, especially when it comes to the vintage stuff.  At some point I just finally decided that I was going to take the plunge and try my luck at making toys instead of simply collecting them.  I started to notice smaller companies popping up here and there that were doing low production runs and I wanted to try something similar.

AFi: You took the retro thing one step farther and actually created your own base body.  Can you talk about that decision and that process?   What is different about your base body than the rest of what is out there?

Zica Toys: The reason I decided to make my own body was because I was never able to make a deal with the other companies who were making the blank ones.  Being as I already had the Buck Rogers license at that point I pretty much had no choice but to go ahead and make my own.  The process of getting that body made was undoubtedly the most horrific learning experience I’ve ever been through.  Luckily I survived and in the end I was very happy with the final product.  When the body was first released the primary differences compared to the others were how it was held together (no elastic bands) and improved articulation.

AFi: Your male base body is beefier than most of the other retro bodies out there on the market.  Was that deliberate?

Zica Toys: Yes it was.  I figured since I was going through the huge expense of having my own body made I wanted to make some improvements compared to what I saw with the 1/9 scale bodies that were currently available.

AFi: And now you are developing a female base body?

Zica Toys: Yes.  The prototype is already finished and I hope to have it in production before the end of this year.

AFi: Your first license is the 80’s Gil Gerard Buck Rogers.   What made you pursue that license?

Zica Toys: A good friend of mine, Steve Forde, already had access to the license through his company, Go Hero.  He knew I was searching for a popular retro property from the 70’s or early 80’s and offered me the chance to get the license.  I was a big fan of the show as a kid so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to make toys for it.

AFi: What are your plans for releases/waves?

Zica Toys: Wave 1 will be available this year.  Buck and Tiger Man are already available and I hope to have Hawk, Killer Kane, and the Draconian guard out by the third quarter.  Assuming wave 1 sells well I’m hoping to have wave 2 available in 2012.  Characters currently planned for wave 2 are Twiki, Wilma, Princess Ardala, Dr. Huer, and the Vorvon space vampire.

 

AFi: Do you have the license for both the Buck Rogers movie and the TV show?

Zica Toys: Yes, I have both.

AFi: Do you have the license for classic Buck Rogers or any of the other media versions?

Zica Toys: No, only the 80’s version.

AFi: You can’t have Buck without Twiki.  Do you have plans on how to do him for the line?

Zica Toys: Yes, Twiki is planned for wave 2 and he’ll have the same attention to detail as the other figures have gotten.  He’ll even come with a removable Dr. Theopolis.

AFi: Why did you go with putting the figures in boxes when so many of the other companies doing 8" retro figures are doing cards?

Zica Toys: The main reason I chose a box over the blister card packing is primarily because I like boxes better. They’re also more collector friendly than blister card packaging which is an added bonus.

AFi: Who is does your head sculpts?  They are fantastic!

Zica Toys:  Two sculptors worked on the head sculpts, Alfred Paredes, and Joy & Tom Studios.  I was extremely happy with the work that they did and I hope to use them again on future projects.

AFi: You also have a license for Logan’s Run.  Is that just the classic version or does that include the upcoming big screen adaption?

Zica Toys: The license we have for Logan’s Run is actually the Bluewater Comics version.  A lot of people are disappointed that it’s not the classic version but I really think they’ll be impressed with how the comic book version will look in action figure form.

AFi: Can you give us an idea of what you’d like to do with Logan’s Run?

Zica Toys: Naturally if the first figure sells well I’d like to look into the possibility of getting the license for the classic version.  To my knowledge there’s never been any action figures made for Logan’s Run other than some Mego prototypes so I feel like the line would do very well.

AFi: What license would you love to get your hands on?

Zica Toys: That would have to be the classic Battlestar Galactica TV series.

AFi: Where do you see Zica in 5 years?

Zica Toys: First and foremost I hope I’m still in business.  If so, I want ZICA Toys to be a name that’s synonymous with extremely cool retro style toys.  I’ve got a lot of ideas for projects I’d like to tackle so hopefully in 5 years I will have been able to make some of them a reality.

 

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AFi would like to say a big thank you to Craig Own from Zica Toys for taking the time to answer all of our questions.

You can place an order for the first two figures in the line, Buck and the Tiger Man, directly from the Zica website. And keep up with all of the latest Zica news on their website and on their Facebook page.

AFi will keep in touch with Zica and keep you posted on all of their news and developments!

Speaking of new developements click the "More" tag to see the other recently announced Go Hero/Zica licenses now in development

 

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While we were at Toy Fair last week Jason and I had the good fortune to be able to sit down and chat with Ed Cato and Joe Ahearn, the keepers of the Caption Action empire.

They didn’t have a booth at the show this year but they did have some prototypes in some mock up packaging.  The Marvel packaging is still pending licensor approval.   Listen below to find out what lies ahead for Captain Action and their partnership with Round 2, the build-a-costume idea and hear us shame Jason for accidentally calling them "dolls"

 

We’ll have lots more Captain Action news as it develops here on AFi

And a big ‘thank you’ to Joe and Ed for sitting down with us.

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Captain Jack Sparrow (expertly played by Johnny Depp) returns to movie theaters this year in the fourth installment of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise: On Stranger Tides. Of course, with a big blockbuster movie comes a big blockbuster toy line. This time around it’s JAKKS Pacific bringing a bounty of pirate treasure to your local toy store.

AFi recently had opportunity to chat with Michael Wilde, Director of Marketing for Boys Entertainment Brands at JAKKS Pacific about the company’s plans for their Pirates of the Caribbean product lines.

AFi: I’ve heard rumor and speculation about this, so I wanted to get this one out of the way right off the bat: Does your Pirates of the Caribbean license cover just "On Stranger Tides" or all 4 films?

We have the rights to “On Stranger Tides” along with the three previous films so you will see new characters or new interpretations of characters alongside some of the classics.




 

AFi: A lot of companies have tackled the POTC license in the past in a variety of different formats to varying degrees of success.  JAKKS‘ planned range is pretty expansive right out of the gate. What is JAKKS bringing to the franchise that fans should get excited about? 

JAKKS has always been known as a leader in the Action Figure category and we’ve brought every ounce of that experience and knowledge to the POTC Brand.  The detail and depth in assortments are both there alongside a great feature that ties the whole line together and really brings what you see on the screen to life in the product.  




AFi: What has been the best part about working with the PIrates of the Caribbean franchise? 

The movies are just a lot of fun and working closely with Disney gave us the chance to bring that excitement and energy into our daily development of the line.  It’s honestly been a lot of fun!



AFi: I know many fans are excited about the Queen Anne’s Revenge playset. While there seems to be constant demand from collectors online for more playsets, they have proven challenging at retail. On the other hand, it’s hard to have a pirate-themed toyline without a pirate ship. How has the process been for this playset from a design standpoint to make it attractive to retail buyers and consumers? 

Fortunately we have a talented design team that is incredibly detailed and wanted to make the line as authentic to what you see on screen as possible.  There are lots of little details on this ship that I think both collectors and younger consumers will really get into and appreciate.  That said, I also think that the “Hidden Reveal”, which ties the line together, will draw big interest from not only those younger consumers but also the collector community.  It adds an element to the figures which really hasn’t been done before.  I’m really excited for fans, both young and old, to see it!




 

AFi: Did your design team have access to the movie while it was filming? Any set visits? 

Disney was great with getting us access to any and all materials related to the films.  My team was granted access while they were filming scenes in Los Angeles and we were given updates daily on assets for accessories, sets, character designs, costumes, weapons, etc…




AFi: Do any of the figures in the lines utilize the Real Scan technology that has been so prevalent in some of your past lines? How about the 4" line? 

You will see the Real Scan technology used across both the 4” and 6” lines.  The figures look amazing and our team did an incredible job with the accuracy of the figures. 



AFi: Are you able to produce any figures based upon the Jack Sparrow series of children’s novels? Any thoughts of doing so? 

Possibly.  Stay tuned!




AFi: Did Disney approach Jakks Pacific with the license, or did you pursue it? If so, why?

JAKKS approached Disney to be a part of this hugely successful franchise. This property has non-stop adventure and surprise and the coolest characters that every kid of all ages wants to be. Our plan is to leverage all of our talents and divisions to deliver upon every way a boy, a family, and a collector wants to play with POTC with a diverse and innovative product range that hits upon multiple play patterns.

 

AFi: Are there any store exclusives planned? 

There are a few which we can’t reveal just yet.  




AFi: Online retailers are showing either January or February dates for the first products to arrive. Will we see POTC toys in stores prior to Toy Fair next month? 

No, we shouldn’t see any product available until March 1st which is the official on-shelf date for the line.


There you have it, me hearties. Be sure to check your local toy retailer to find JAKKS Pacific’s complete line of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides figures, playsets, accessories and more! You can find them at Walmart and Toys R Us in March, Target beginning in April and K-Mart in May.

Be sure to watch AFi’s upcoming coverage of Toy Fair 2011 for more from Pirates of the Caribbean and JAKKS Pacific! The fun is just beginning!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters on May 20th in both 3D and 2D.

 

 

 

AFi would like to thank Jeremy Padawer, Anne-Marie Feliciano and Michael Wilde of JAKKS Pacific for making this interview possible.

 

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by Jason "ToyOtter" Geyer and James "Sallah" Sawyer.

So there was that thing back a few years ago where we found out all about the plans for the final years of the Super Powers Collection including concept art for many possible figures. And that other thing, where some extension plans for the original Kenner Star Wars line showed up in a found presentation. Or the ill-fated Mattel Wonder Woman and the Star Riders? And how about when it was revealed that there was another Raiders of the Lost Ark assortment to be made in Hasbro’s Indiana Jones line (OK, that one still hurts).

You’d think we would have heard all about toys that never made it into production by now. You’d think that with so many collectors and so much time having passed, there are no surprises left any more from the golden days of action figures (1970s & 1980s).

Well, partner, you’d be wrong.

What if we told you that there were more gems out there? Gems that might Dazzle and Annihilate your senses with their Fantastic concepts? Can you keep a secret?

That’s right, true believer! Mattel’s toy line of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars lives again! And it’s a crazy tale that will Thunderball you over with its twists and turns. But first, let me lay down a little background on you for those not already in the know:

(more…)

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