MASTER REPLICAS @ Toy Fair 08

[antonydavanzo]

http://tf08.figures.com/showgallery.php?cat=818

Here is a link to the Muppet stuff at the toy fair....why MR pose their Muppets in such a god awful way is beyond me, even Fozzie looks a little off.

 

[Luke]

Lol, i know, you wouldn't think they were trying to sell these things would you, and at the most important toy event of they year. I would have thought it'd pay them in the long run to employ a Muppet wrangler for shows and photo shoots. So many of those guys are freelance now and don't have heaps of work on.

 

[MWoO]

I think Kermit ends up all smooshed because so many people handle him. The others don't get messed up as much but they still get crunched up a lot. The photo shoots, however, have no reason to be messed up. I mean, if you are selling photo poser replicas you would think you'd make sure to photograph them well.

The EM figures do nothing for me. The proportions are all off and really there is nothing too great about them.

 

[MuppetCaper]

I don't think someone was hired to take these photo's like a pro would. I think the purpose was to show other companies there products and get to man handle them. This Toy Fair was not for the public, so there wasn't no reason to pose them if you cannot touch them, or handle them.For examply, remember when Kermit was in a glass case, back then, he wasn't meant to be handle by the public, so this time around people all over the floor get to touch them and pose them just for the fun of it.




I would have loved to be there just to see Fozzie up close!

 

[frogboy4]

Who is the target market?

I am not seeing a clear feasible mission for the figurines. The likenesses are okay, but were handled better by Palisades. These appear to be more expensive and less dynamic.

The opportunity with figurines is to capture a moment in time. Animal should have one stick beating a drum, the other arm in the air, his collar shifted to the side, his chain and his hair flying about showing weight and movement. There's no purpose creating another passable likeness of him with a pink cotton-ball head and cartoony lidless eyes except for cashing in on the Muppet's name brand. Palisades, Sideshow and Master Replicas themselves have raised the bar higher than this so I don’t get it unless these are still being tooled.

Janice is the figurine that the others should be modeled after in terms of form and movement. She really shines here in likeness, fluidity and personality. She is beautifully made, but the others are faded facsimiles of better works. I was stoked about the prospect of these, but I don't get the purpose after seeing these pictures (whomever the photographer this time). I do like the correct coloring of Zoot. I noticed and dig that.

In how these products (including the posers and figurines) have been marketed and displayed so far shows a lack of direction. That’s how it appears to me. I really want to like these. I hope Travis has good news.

I have said before (if fluidly sculpted) various kitchen rats, a couple Muppet monsters, Kermit on a bike, Rowlf playing his upright piano, Fozzie ducking a tomato and Statler & Waldorf sculpted in their famous balcony make more sense than these and would work as stand alone figures or arranged together. This is what I was expecting. There’s much more that can be done with a sculpt when the artist doesn’t have to factor-in articulation. The pictured figurines (except for Janice) actually bring less life to the design.

Added note: Their Gonzo and Animal posers were positioned well this time out. People seem to have trouble with the frog.

 

[TimmyMonsterIL]

I would have loved to be there just to see Fozzie up close!

How is this?

http://toyfair08.asmzine.com/gallery/corgi-international/slides/IMG_0883.html

 

[antonydavanzo]

somethings weird with his face.

 

[Ignohippo]

somethings weird with his face.

It's the lower jaw. His bottom lip is way outta wack.


Dude, I gotta say, those figurines are not so hot. I was hoping they'd look close to the quality and feel of the outstanding WDCC figurines. The sculpts on these really don't have much detail or crispness and are much too cartoony IMO.

 

[antonydavanzo]

It's the lower jaw. His bottom lip is way outta wack.


Dude, I gotta say, those figurines are not so hot. I was hoping they'd look close to the quality and feel of the outstanding WDCC figurines. The sculpts on these really don't have much detail or crispness and are much too cartoony IMO.

Agreed, the bottom jaw is off and the eyes are not sitting right for me but this will all change (we hope)
Ill pass on the sculps........I have my Palisades collection and I dont think MR will beat them

 

[MuppetCaper]

If I am correct, these are not produced by MR. I know that MR is getting more towards collector toys than replicas. I also believe that they don't actually make these. They might have some outside company make these like Sideshow does with there Medicom line.