Harvinger Studios, Savage Crucible

[Damien]

I do kind of wish they'd gone more with the Brom "adventuring' Elric look rather than the plate mail, but it still appears to be an awesome figure.

I'm okay with either, but as amazing as this looks I would agree that this isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Elric. For me, my brain immediately goes to Michael Whelan's "Stormbringer" painting. Or the ultra-Gothy Elric and the Sinking City painting.

As for literary figures, I'm surprised no one's taken another crack at book-based Lord of the Rings figures since Toy Vault nearly 30 years ago. I suppose either the license is too costly or the sense is that the cinematic depictions of the characters have supplanted the literary ones in the popular imagination so much that it isn't worth trying.

I think we've hit a problematic time for this idea because we now have almost every toy company helmed by people that just don't believe something can be successful without a visual media tie-in. There's a very prevalent idea that you cannot sell a LotR line, for instance, unless it looks like the movies. I don't agree with that, but I'm not a CEO at Mattel so no one cares what I think.

And yeah, you have to be pretty supremely confident your line is going to sell if you can even convince the estate to give you any toy rights for LotR, because that's a pricey license to have.

But like.. why a company hasn't legitimately tried a literature-based line of Robin Hood and King Arthur figures, for instance? Totally beyond me.

 

[Dek]

I've decided to forgo Nashorn and Ko'mo. I'm gonna take my chances that'll I'll want a future drop figure that haven't announced yet.

I asked you guys to convince me and you couldn'perks. do that. You bunch of jerks.

 

[Dek]

I'm okay with either, but as amazing as this looks I would agree that this isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Elric. For me, my brain immediately goes to Michael Whelan's "Stormbringer" painting. Or the ultra-Gothy Elric and the Sinking City painting.




I think we've hit a problematic time for this idea because we now have almost every toy company helmed by people that just don't believe something can be successful without a visual media tie-in. There's a very prevalent idea that you cannot sell a LotR line, for instance, unless it looks like the movies. I don't agree with that, but I'm not a CEO at Mattel so no one cares what I think.

And yeah, you have to be pretty supremely confident your line is going to sell if you can even convince the estate to give you any toy rights for LotR, because that's a pricey license to have.

But like.. why a company hasn't legitimately tried a literature-based line of Robin Hood and King Arthur figures, for instance? Totally beyond me.

For the exact reasons you said. No media tie in.

King Arthur seems like it should still work though. Mythic Legions kind of provided the proof it will sell. Maybe a big company doesn't care about how popular an "Independent" toy company's sales are and don't see it as proof?

 

[Damien]

I asked you guys to convince me and you couldn'perks. do that. You bunch of jerks.

I am filled with shame. And Cheez-Its. But mostly shame.

King Arthur seems like it should still work though.

The reason I brought up specifically King Arthur and Robin Hood is because I think they're two of the things that are easiest to do without current entertainment and without doing direct translations of any particular visual media. Everyone in the Western world knows these characters, at least on a surface level. It's like making a Dracula figure. It's pretty easy to get the look right enough that when you write 'Dracula' on the package, no one questions it.

And yeah, you've got stuff like Mythic Legions out there doing exactly what a King Arthur line would be, but without taking advantage of that name recognition, so you'd think adding the name recognition could only help.

Maybe a big company doesn't care about how popular an "Independent" toy company's sales are and don't see it as proof?

Oh, I can tell you that is just factually true from conversations I've had with people at big toy companies. They'll watch what companies are doing, steal ideas for changes to articulation or what customers like ("Oh, this company includes lots of extra hands and people seem to love that"). But on the macro level, they don't look at the exact nature of the product and think it's worth doing just because it worked for the 4H or Nacelle. To a Mattel or a Hasbro, that's all still bush league shit being made by people that would stop making those things in a heartbeat if they could do Star Wars, Marvel, or MOTU.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

But like.. why a company hasn't legitimately tried a literature-based line of Robin Hood and King Arthur figures, for instance? Totally beyond me.

That's the brilliance of 4H's Figura Obscura line. They've done A Christmas Carol and Frankenstein. There's no reason they can't do Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, *insert mainstream character in the public domain here*.

Cheez-Its

 

[Akatsuki]

Elric looks fantastic in that showcase! Can’t wait for that one. Articulation looks great.

I ordered Nashorn in the Kickstarter. I see he is available now. Did anyone who got him in the kickstarter get him delivered yet? Was I supposed to get him delivered to me? I had also preordered some of the lizard men and the Abyss Dreadnought in the kickstarter. I received the Kickstarter lizard men already. Not Nashorn or the Abyss, but I think the Abyss is still in production as part of wave 3. I’m just wondering if it is a mistake that I haven’t received Nashorn yet?


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[Damien]

Elric looks fantastic in that showcase! Can’t wait for that one. Articulation looks great.

I ordered Nashorn in the Kickstarter. I see he is available now. Did anyone who got him in the kickstarter get him delivered yet? Was I supposed to get him delivered to me? I had also preordered some of the lizard men and the Abyss Dreadnought in the kickstarter. I received the Kickstarter lizard men already. Not Nashorn or the Abyss, but I think the Abyss is still in production as part of wave 3. I’m just wondering if it is a mistake that I haven’t received Nashorn yet?


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I -think- you should have received Nashorn already. Pretty sure they're sending out orders from each 'wave' as the wave is produced. So lizards first, then humans (including Nashorn), then fish dudes (including Abyss). You may want to drop them an email.

 

[Akatsuki]

Thanks, Damien. I found a customer service email on their website. I also had ordered the barbarian character pack # 2. I assume that one is supposed to be available already as well.


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[Damien]

I also had ordered the barbarian character pack # 2. I assume that one is supposed to be available already as well.

Yep. The only things that aren't already out and in hand are the fish-related things, including Abyss and the fish-guy character/accessory pack. The barbarian 'Conquest' and 'Raider' packs are out, as well as all the human-looking figures and lizards. I'm sure they'll get you sorted.

 

[Akatsuki]

Thanks! I could have sworn that I had ordered Nashorn, but that was like 2 years ago. Looking forward to finally getting him.


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[Damien]

Yeah, as I said above - he's one of my favorites by a wide margin. You're gonna dig him, for sure.

 

[Dek]

The Varnoks are a great deal for 60, enough parts for 3 separate looks, including alternate forearms and calves, and enough accessories to fill a weapons pack. Plus the best overall ankle joints to date at the time it came out.