–ODD–
Ron English is an artist of many mediums whose work includes a number of vinyl figures and toys. One of his upcoming toy lines is “Dead Toy Soldiers,” which features what looks like typical plastic toy soldiers, but they’re, well, dead.
Benny Kline at Tenacious Toys has a thoughtful post where he discusses his internal debate about whether to carry these in his store.
I was just asked by another blogger if I am going to be carrying these Dead Toy Soldiers by Ron English and Garage Works… initially I said no, because they make me sad and depressed about the loss of our troops overseas. I am personally against all wars we are currently conducting on foreign soil. […] But then I realized that this type of collectible is indeed thought-provoking, and got me to think about these issues once again today. And as we all know, Ron English is a master at creating collectibles that force you to take sides, discuss, argue, disagree, emote… and in that sense these figures are very successful.
But I still struggle with selling an item like this- would that make me a bad person? Would that mean I am glorifying the deaths of American troops, or would it mean that I am trying to shed a light on hot-button issues that are poignant and relevant?
Now, setting aside political affiliations, I think most people would either think, or understand the thought process of those who think, that these figures are in poor taste. But I also understand the statement English is making and see the value in having that discussion. Where I get a bit uncomfortable is stores actually selling these things, like the toy soldiers of yesteryear. But then, English’s “Popaganda” project is not about making people comfortable (quite the opposite, obviously). And I suppose there are going to be some out there who just see these as cool, Heavy Metal-style zombie soldiers or something. And maybe that’s okay, too.
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As you probably heard yesterday, Diamond cancelled all U.S. orders for the Figma Link (still available at AmiAmi as of this writing, somewhat to my surprise). I checked with BigBadToyStore and it seems the same has happened to the reissue of the Figma Samus. Bummer X2.
–ODD–
I’ve got a few questions for my next Going Postal. Keep those questions coming! poe@poeghostal.com
I’ve also had more than a few people telling me I should call the feature my original title, “Poe’s Sack.” All I can tell you is that I’m trying to run a PG-13 place around here…but I dunno. Maybe I’ll cave on it, if even people want “Poe’s Sack” and I can get a really good graphic for it (as in, an image of Poe sitting next to a giant bag of mail – get your mind out of the gutter). Maybe “Poe’s (Mail) Sack”?
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I think it may have gotten lost in the shuffle over the last few days, so be sure to check out my interview with Daniel Benedict regarding his creation of Castle Grayskullman.
–ODD–
Check out this totally insane, $385 custom Firefly Serenity LEGO kit. Wow. (Thanks to Grape Soda for the heads-up.)
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Speaking of holy crap, Tamashii Nations is releasing the Cho Gattai King Robo Mickey & Friends figure in April. Yes, it’s a combiner made from robotic versions of Disney characters. If you’re the target audience for this toy, pre-order here (or here) and then explain the appeal to me, please. Also: Goofy’s groin appears to be made from Batman’s EMP blaster from Dark Knight Rises.
–ODD–
The S.H.MonsterArts “Burning” Godzilla is out now, and I should have mine in a month or so. It’s made from translucent orange plastic, and I’ve been thinking I’d like to stick an LED light or two in there to make it light up. Now, the key thing for me would be to do this without doing anything to the figure in any way. The legs and arms can be popped off, and I probably wouldn’t mind having some wires running from, say, his legs to a battery. Anyway, I’m not much of a customizer so I thought I’d put it to you folks and see what you thought. Here are some photos of the figure with the legs/arms removed. Ideas? Is there any way to do this without wires or customizing the figure itself?
