Medicom of Japan presents...
Kubrick
the new miniature figure toys
Well, as a devoted fan of both LEGO® bricks and minifigures and 1:6 scale military action figures, Medicom's new Kubrick line of cute, but (adult-ly) violent modular figures of course caught my eye. Mostly for the sake of satisfying my curiosity, I picked up 2 of these sets, first the Neon Genesis Evangelion, since I am familiar with the anime series (one of my brother's favorites), and the first Devilman set, just because I was shopping for Dragon figures and noticed this since the price seemed reasonable. The Evangelion set was purchased from Toy Syndicate and the Devilman set from Toy Maniacs, 2 West Coast stores I have used in the past without major problem, though the boxes they ship me tend to be on the crushed side (and sometimes opened and resealed).
Here are pictures of the sets in their boxes:
Each set comes with 3 figures, all accessories, 3 interlocking stands with cards that simulate an appropriate background (LEGO® collectors take note of the similarity between this setup and the new "Heroes" minifig sets), and a registration (?) postcard with Medicom. Almost everything is in Japanese.
Here is a closeup scan of the Devilman figure (I figured its identity out by the "D" on its belt, not being familiar with the animation series). The picture is blown up to twice its normal size, so the tallest figures are in reality a bit less than 3 inches high and dwarf a LEGO® minifigure by an inch or so :
The figure is modular, and you can remove its parts to exchange with other figures. Here is the scan of the inside flap of the Evangelion box that depicts a figure's modularity:
As you can see, its shoulder and leg joints are ball joints and so are far more articulated than a LEGO® fig, though the future Dragon Minis boast elbow and knee joints as well for even greater articulation. The material is a soft plastic, feels like PVC, and has a rather sturdy, flexible quality I like. No "playscenes" to speak of yet, though some of the upcoming releases do feature small props. I can't really see any large playscenes being made, to be honest, at least nothing made of small, standard, basic pieces such as LEGO® bricks and plates. Perhaps some vehicles with larger pieces that can be interchanged. These seem to be much more character-oriented, patterned after the Star Wars minifig packs.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS:
Well, I kind of like the Kubrick figures, once I overcame my initial prejudice
as a LEGO® devotee. I mean, part of the appeal
of LEGO® for me is that it's a non-violent toy, for
the most part. Sure, lots of the themes such as Western, Pirate, and
Castle, and to a lesser extent, the Space themes, included weaponry of some
sort, but also look at the Police figures from Town--they don't carry
guns! There are no specifically military sets like the Blockmen or
Megablock Collector Series in LEGO's lineup. So that is part of the appeal
of LEGO® to me. On the other hand, I do collect very realistic military
action figures, some that depict rather brutal regimes such as the S.S. from
Dragon's WWII German line (I also intend to get the DML Viet Cong figure when
that comes out, too). It's just that the combination of cute and violent
just strikes me as somehow very weird. Well, it still does, but I
can understand the appeal of these figures a little more now. As I
understand it, these are very popular in Japan, where I am sure the popularity
of Kubrick is bolstered by the home-grown appreciation for anime. I like
anime, too, and the anime fan in me does think these are really cool figures, so
familiarity must have something to do with the cute-violent connection. To
illustrate, I like the Evangelion set a lot more than the Devilman
one, just because I am not familiar with the latter (if you can enlighten me
about this series, please do!). However,
at $25 or more for a single 3-figure set after import costs, I'm not sure how
well these sets will do with anyone but devoted fans of the respective anime
series. I do think the soon-to-be-released Kubrick Blair Witch Project
and Planet of the Apes sets will be well-received in the United States,
and that more than a handful of collectors will shell out for the 3-figure
sets. I myself think I'll be getting at least one of the Apes sets, though
now that my curiosity is satisfied, I know I won't be getting every set in
Medicom's adventurous new toy line. Given LEGO's recent trend of acquiring
licenses to other properties, one might be under the impression that the two
toys are in direct competition, but the reality is their target consumers are
still very different, not to mention the toys aren't even compatible.
LEGO's newest license is for the Harry Potter movies, reaffirming their hold on
the cute, non-violent monopoly. On the other hand, I am sure there are
some LEGO® fans who also like military and other such toys, so they may be
interested in some of these sets. Kubrick will surely have its share of
"cute" LEGO® and non-LEGO fans, too. Variety is good!
Bring 'em all on!