Integration

Skoob · 08-15-2016, 02:35 PM

Secret identities or civilians tend to make poor figures:

They're usually a lot less interesting visually. (Who wants a figure of some casually-dressed Wal-Mart shopper? Sorry, bad example: some of the weirdest people of Wal-Mart should get their own figures.)
They lose their uniqueness. Costume elements are some of a character's most distinctive, recognizable features. This is particularly important for low-end (cheap) figures, which tend to have rotten face sculpts and lack any other distinctiveness.
On that note, a good quality, recognizable likeness of a human face is hard to sculpt and expensive to mass-produce. The human face has taken a lot of abuse in the hands of toymakers. I sold my vintage Star Wars collection because, let's face it, the majority were ugly! (Bespin Luke was a particular low.) The only truly screen-accurate, recognizable face sculpts that I recall from the 1970s were Steve Austin, the Bionic Man, and his friend Oscar Goldman.) Masks and helmets are cheap and easy.
Everybody has a different idea of how a character's secret identity should look. (Example: I strongly dislike Michael Keaton as Batman and won't buy anything that reminds me of that movie. To me, Bruce should resemble a chiselled-jaw Gregory Peck, a la Batman Year One.

It's a cinch that toymakers are bound to stick with the lowest common denominator: go with what's cheap and easy and has broadest appeal. Do you see that changing?

08-15-2016, 02:35 PM	#12
Skoob Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 2,469	Secret identities or civilians tend to make poor figures: They're usually a lot less interesting visually. (Who wants a figure of some casually-dressed Wal-Mart shopper? Sorry, bad example: some of the weirdest people of Wal-Mart should get their own figures.) They lose their uniqueness. Costume elements are some of a character's most distinctive, recognizable features. This is particularly important for low-end (cheap) figures, which tend to have rotten face sculpts and lack any other distinctiveness. On that note, a good quality, recognizable likeness of a human face is hard to sculpt and expensive to mass-produce. The human face has taken a lot of abuse in the hands of toymakers. I sold my vintage Star Wars collection because, let's face it, the majority were ugly! (Bespin Luke was a particular low.) The only truly screen-accurate, recognizable face sculpts that I recall from the 1970s were Steve Austin, the Bionic Man, and his friend Oscar Goldman.) Masks and helmets are cheap and easy. Everybody has a different idea of how a character's secret identity should look. (Example: I strongly dislike Michael Keaton as Batman and won't buy anything that reminds me of that movie. To me, Bruce should resemble a chiselled-jaw Gregory Peck, a la Batman Year One. It's a cinch that toymakers are bound to stick with the lowest common denominator: go with what's cheap and easy and has broadest appeal. Do you see that changing?