Luke At The UK Toy Fair - Featuring Palisades

[Luke]

Hey Guys,

Thought i would tell everyone about my day at the UK Toy Fair which is being held in London's Docklands and is a trade event. I had a great time and am pretty exhausted, but saw some great products and met some cool people. Yes, seeing as i spend a large percentage of my life on this forum making a journey into the outside world is akin to Uncle Travelling Matt making a journey into the unknown on the Fraggles but you'll be relieved to know that i resisted the temptation to write this thread like one of those postcards.

So anyhoo - overall there wasn't much Muppet action at Toy Fair today, they had the Miss Piggy bobblehead, and they had 'Bear' from BITBBH walking around, and it was one of the cool Henson performers too who do all the expressions. There was however one bastion of Muppetdom holding the frog flag high, Palisades Toys master salesman and keeper of the test shots - Travis - who is actually incredibly nice and cool, and all those stories Ken tells about giving him womens panties probably shouldn't be believed. It was really excellent meeting Travis, who was of course there representing Palisades. We chatted for ages about the figures, and Muppet stuff in general, and it was cool he had so much time for me and was so enthusiastic about the line, prepared to show me how different figures and accessories worked and posed and even completely re-arranged things so i could take a few photos - very cool, i can't thank him enough.

Palisades Toys were part of the 'Gear 4 Games' stand who are their UK distributors who i also met today. It was kinda wierd seeing Muppets being exhibited on the same stand as Homer Simpsons and Ozzy Osbourne figures.

Anyway first piece of news is that they had Series 3 product there, all the figures, but they weren't prototypes or display pieces - oh no - these were actual factory shipped PRODUCT - the stuff arrived from China at the distributors last week and i'm happy to say that Wave 3 will start appearing in the UK stores next week. Now thats pretty cool.

I was REALLY impressed by Wave 3 - the photos we have seen of these figures do not do them justice - it's always been a world of difference having the actual figures in front of you rather than looking at them online - but with Wave 3 i think they've continued the trend of getting better and better as they go on and these are really something special. Especially Superhero Scooter - from seeing him online i wasn't so sure about him but up close and in person he is errr pretty much super ! LOL ! I was allowed to take a few photos of these figures and will hopefully be able to share those with you and tell you more about them later.

Travis also brought along with him both some painted and unpainted test shots of the figures from waves 5-6. Pepe The Prawn, Janice, Gonzo & Camilla, Statler & Waldorf, Newsman, Beau etc etc. These were shown in mock up versions of the brand new packaging. Unfortunately i couldn't take photos of these because this is the stuff being saved for the New York Toy Fair but i can try to say a little about them and what i saw.

Anyway, something really cool that i can show you is the new packaging for the action figures. They have Series 4 painted pictures in the new design blister cards and packaging. You'll notice that this is now 'The Muppets' line from Wave 4 rather than 'The Muppet Show' so they use the new logo and also the card is a nice blue shade that matches well with the green logo. It's a lot more eye catching and up to date look, and each character has their photo bottom left, and then the logo of the Henson project that figure is themed around on the right. It takes a little getting used to, but i think it looks great and is a really good design that grew on me fast.

Here are some pictures of Wave 4 in the new packaging, sorry they arent as sharp as they could be but my camera isn't that hi-res :-

Rizzo :- http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/rizzopackage.jpg

Link :- http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/linkpackage.jpg

Julius :- http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/juliuspackage.jpg

Sam :- http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/sampackage.jpg

Anyway thats first thing to show you, i also had fun playing with the Series 3 figures, and have stuff to tell you about them, and the test shots of the figures coming out later so i'll continue this thread as i go so the post doesnt get too long.

 

[frogboy4]

Cool! Tell us more. I like your pics, but why do they download so slowly? That packaging sure looks spiffy.

 

[Luke]

Jamie,

I've moved them to some faster space and updated the links - hope thats a bit better. I'll post some more in a bit - very tired !

 

[WiGgY]

That packageing certainly is a change from the older one.Will series 3 be in that kind of packaging?

Edit: BTW, I have mixed feelings about replacing the real muppet picture with a picture of the actual figure. Also, what does the back look like? Did you get a look?

 

[Luke]

No, it's from Series 4 onwards i think. New bases too - i have pics of figures on them i'll post. They are a lot smaller, rounder and plain black with no logo but they do the job well, better than none at all.

 

[WiGgY]

oo good. Sleak new plain bases is nice. Also, calling the lines Jim Hensons Muppets is better because you don't have to explain why Sam Arrow is in a muppet show line

 

[Phillip]

Luke, glad you were able to go and venture out into the real world. Thanks for sharing the photos with us.

 

[ResidentLilly]

Yeah that is cool to hear the perspective of someone going to the show rather than from being at a show booth. Luke, what did you think of the Pepe photos you saw?

(FYI...that packaging is about 70% there. That was quickie mocked for Toy Fair. We have some stuff to add to it still and it is still going through approval stages.)

 

[beaker]

OMG Luke *actually* ventured outside! It's a miracle

Btw, love the idea for the new packaging...time to move the direction away from the old TMS look and into the modern times!

 

[Luke]

In answer to Wiggy's question, the packaging was a mocked up version so i don't think they actually had anything on the back yet. I'm sure it will look cool though - maybe Ken will show us soon

Ok, moving on i'll try to remember stuff about Series 3 and show the photos i took, although consider them momentos of my trip rather than stuff to judge the product by because i'm sure theres probably better out there. I did get some nice ones though.

It was really cool being able to play with Series 3 and the Superhero Scooter. They all look great together - Travis practically moved half the display apart to put them altogether so i could take some pictures so big props to him. As i said though, pictures don't do them justice - something like Rowlf and the Piano wouldn't usually be a personal favorite of mine but actually interacting with it totally sold me. Shops really should have these things loose for demos and things - i reckon it'd sell tons more.

Superhero Scooter

I was really unsure about the cape/vest combination from the action-figure.com photos but it really looks fantastic when you see it in person, the colors are way better. The beanie looks great, and the ladder is fantastic. It was cool to pick him up and pose him - you could have him reading the 'How To Be A Superhero' Book (which is made of a kind of soft plastic that can open and close) and it actually has words inside the pages of the book. You can also have him standing on the ladder and stuff, doing a superhero pose etc etc. The figure has a nice feel about it. Palisades put some hi-res pictures in todays 'Daily Bit' so best place to go and check him out is there, but i did take two pictures :-

http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/superhero.jpg
http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/superhero2.jpg

Lew Zealand

Again, from the original early sculpts we saw ages back the actual finished figure has moved forward a zillion miles. It's just all much sharper, both in sculpting and color wise. The mouth isnt so rough anymore and the painting is great too - he actually seems like one of the stronger figures in the line to me. His bucket of fish is very cool - the lid opens to reveal two (i think) little fishes inside. I think in my picture you can also see the new bases that come with the wave 3 figures - at least i think they do - the wave 3 figures were displayed on them.

http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/lew.jpg

Regular Scooter

He was one of my favorites, and always has been. The paint on the jacket is unreal - i love that sparkly spangly color. It does seem to be slightly different from the professionally done Palisades pics we saw (maybe a slightly different shade ?) but i could be wrong and it looks fantastic anyway. A really good thing about Scooter is the 'Muppet Show' logo on the back of his jacket. It's been Tampa printed like the Kermit Camera but its come out looking really fantastic. The other thing about Scooter is his trousers. They have actually managed to get a kind of crumply denim style texture and look about them. The accessories really are well done - it's just all so tiny and intricate. The cups are so small yet they fit into the little tray, and the megaphone is really great. You can have a lot of fun, posing him, interchanging all the accessories and putting him on the skateboard. The paints are all lovely colors and i think the head sculpt looks cool. Theres nothing i'd change - thats our Scooter !

http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/scooter.jpg

Zoot Repaint

He was a little basic for my liking - i have a personal preference for the more funky and 'out there' stuff but i found him a great figure regardless. He doesnt look as moody as he once did, and his trousers have that same textured crumpled effect as Scooters - very cool. A great thing is that he has a slit in his mouth that you can actually put the mouthpiece of the Saxaphone in and it seems like he's really playing. The saxaphone accessory is excellent - i got a demo of it folding up and getting put in the case and it's all very highly detailed. I'm sure Electric Mayhem fans will love him. You can have a lot of fun posing him, and i'm sure even more once you put him with the rest of the band. We got quite a funky pose for the photo actually - check it out :-

http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/zoot.jpg

Swedish Chef With Kitchen

This is such an excellent playset - just as good as the photos if not better. The first thing you notice is the sheer amount of accessories - some are hard PVC, some are soft plastic. I swear if you were to go to a dolls house catalogue and buy each of these bits and pieces seperately it'd cost ya a fortune. You can actually pick up the phone and put it to Chefs ear, and he looked great standing in his kitchen holding his tennis racket. Apparently the playset will be packaged with the Chef figure actually standing at the back rather than packed in a seperate compartment like the previous ones - i'm sure that'll make it look even more attractive to buyers. The actual Chef figure is lovely - the magnet on his hed/hat is SO strong - Travis could actually lift him clear off the table for ages without it falling off. Another thing is the apron - its made of a soft plastic that feels like a real cloth and it has little strings/ties at the back that actually feel like the real thing. It's a really good, cool chunky figure, and the paint colors, especially the fleshy color on the face looks great. Travis mentioned that the exclusive Chef is looking great too.

http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/chef1.jpg
http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/chef2.jpg

Rowlf With Piano

This was one of my favorites and i saw a lot of people looking at this with interest. Personally, i've never been able to see the point of these tuxedo figures aside from they'll make a nice display once they are all together - however in Rowlfs case it's so totally appropraite to have him like this and i'm glad we've had this figure come out before a naked Rowlf - he looks magnificent and definitely adds something to the rest of the wave. His head sculpt is great and has that doggy fur kinda texture, and the paint colors are really nice on it. He poses well at the piano as you'll be able to see from the photo - he definitely didn't need the piano stool. The piano is so detailed and so freakin huge - you take the legs off it to make it fit in the blister but even then it's massive. Once you open the piano lid (and prop it up) you can see all the detail you would normally find in a grand piano. In fact, my mother was there too buying and meeting people for one of her own companies and she deals in music and also dolls house stuff/collectables. She said that Rowlfs piano was better than some of the really expensive ones dolls house accessory companies were showing off there - she was sold, i think our kooky family is gonna have Rowlf on the mantle ! LOL !

http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/rowlf.jpg
http://www.melmacian.catlovers.co.uk/toy/pianodetail.jpg

Anyhow thats Series 3 in the flesh, definitely a lot better than even expected - there wasn't really much to dislike about it and you guys know how much i try sometimes. As i said previous, the waves get better each time and it seems that the sculptors, painters etc are all really getting into it and learning how to Muppetize figures. I know Palisades got some compliments and enquiries on the sculpting from other companies while i was there so it's all good.

I have the painted and some unpainted test shots for Series 5 & 6 to talk about, though as they're just photos i saw can't really go into much detail - it wouldnt be fair you can't tell that much from them and it's better to wait for the pictures of the real figures at Toy Fair in New York but i'll say kinda what i thought generally and a few observations. Hope to add that in a bit or maybe in the morning - there were no photos allowed of 5 & 6 though as obviously that is what they want to debut at the main show in NY.