Star Case Robo Viceroy Gulmeyer

Hmm, I am a huge Marvel comics fan, but I think those are generally a miss. They just don't transition well to the sculpts. An interesting idea, but other than a one-off or custom, I don't think it is something that works too well, especially when there are so many other excellent paint possibilities they could have pursued with the Stormtrooper aesthetic. I love Star Case, but these remain quirky side variants to me. Nice to see, but not up to normal releases. I can see how they are aimed at the SDCC crowd, but with the comics world already bursting with figures and memorabilia, I am afraid most will miss the connection these great model toys have.

 

Haha, well there ya go. I will just pull this old shoe out of my mouth long enough to say I would love to help you out J, if possible. Someone hook a great SB brother up with one of these dudes already!

 

Really great to see that they are doing the other original heads too. I am really excited for some new Star Wars releases. I would gladly take a Tusken Raider or a Bith. Ideally, I would just love to make a standup display of a series of these a la the early bird promo/original 12 set up.

 

Well, it is difficult to make direct comparisons of the two, the mediums and sculpts are so different, I just tend to see the models as the 'inspiration' for the Star Case line. But, what really bothers me about that photo is that they actually had a lineup of the original toys, and completely ruined them - in my opinion - with that horrendous paintjob. It is like the person in charge of painting them, didn't understand the toys or the history of them at all. The kind of models mark a specific time and place in culture, and that has been completely disregarded with the style they went with. These are bootlegs, funky, and fun. None of that comes across in the approach they took. The overtly detailed paints, the weathered look, even the highly contrasting colour palettes, honestly, none of it seems to work (on these toys). It is just too matte, too much shading. Too cheeseball - but not in the way you want to see. The models are just so great that seeing them haphazardly schlocked on with paint is really sad. And, to be frank, even going for a highly 'realistic' look, I think the execution leaves much to be desired. With these kind of things you need to go with simple colours and paint apps - or if not, go 'full realism', anything inbetween makes these things look cartoony but also modern, like cheap (but not cheap) toys that would be chucked out for vending machines or robot arm toys. Like someone painted them from seeing artwork or a film still, but didn't know, or care, anything about the characters. Sigh. Just seems like a terrible waste to have such fantastic toys and not get someone to paint them up with a proper love and respect for them. I think the Star Case guys, for example, do get exactly that. Anyways, that is my rant. While I am so excited to see the set all lined up, it is also sad for me because I think the paint is concealing (literally and figuratively) their greatness.

 

That's funny you should bring that up, I was just thinking about that the other day too! (and often have been longing for more SC figures) I have no idea what the production story is right now. It would be great to see some of the remaining ones done, or, even better, maybe try their hand at some original 'characters.' While the painted versions in different schemes were nice, I think it is a safe bet that the most popular versions remain the SW-themed ones.