I guess I am feeling a little cynical with this apparent 'influx' of people to the board recently who are coming here to talk about/sell their new figure. I am approaching this with an open mind, but I do hope that people who actually sign up and request to have their account on SB activated have done enough reading to know that that is such a small part of what the board is actually about. I am not griping on you Isodrin, but you should understand that this place, while it is about toys, also serves that much more as a community for likeminded people. If Skullbrain was only a place where toys were bought and sold, the latest auctions/lotteries posted, people came to sell their home projects, then it might as well just be another KR. I am not trying to disparage anyone's work, but I am saying this now so that, if anyone else is going to come and read this and then pop up a thread about their own 'toy in the works' you might want to consider that you might only be the latest of many who have come before.
As an additional point, and I can't stress this enough, people coming here to make 'so-foo-bee' or jump on the Japanese kaijooz game, have to realise that this board is - or in the very least was - home to many people who have come before and eventually made their way into production of a toy. This takes an incredible amount of time, hard work, and artistry. Sure, probably anyone with enough money and connections might be able to get something made, but to do it properly, so that people will appreciate it (including yourself) means it is not just some impulsive notion or trend project. Many people on hear will freely tell you it will take years before you ever actually get something in hand, and the trials and sacrifices are many. You can't count on it necessarily getting there, and you have no guarantees anyone will care for it. And you will also not be raking in any money for your efforts, more than likely the opposite. The only reason to do something like this if it is for yourself and truly your passion to become a toy artist. If you can't commit yourself you'll be unhappy and people aren't going to appreciate it either. I am just saying this as a dose of reality so that people come in with reasonable expectations when they want to pitch a toy, based on nothing but a preliminary idea. Sigh, seems this has all been said before, and I should probably add it to the FAQ section, but I am not sure people are taking it to heart or listening.
As for feedback for the guy you proposed, I think I have to agree with what has already been said. It is also very difficult to make any accurate assessments based solely on a 2D rendering. But he looks cool, and you have thought about him some clearly, but I am not sure how much that extends to how this would work as a vinyl toy. The size you proposed seems far too big for what is evident in the drawing, you would need a lot more detail and textures I think to make it work at that scale. If the arms/flippers are not articulated, they are really going to have to be flat to the sides, and even then, the 'rotund' nature of your guy could create some issues in pulling. You need to really think and conceptualise where joints would be for this to work, which is why I am emphasizing people put thought into how an actual toy would be, not just a cool design. I do like what you have so far, and he has some cool character, but he would probably translate better as a mini/midsize fella, especially given the limited movement. I also would always suggest someone getting in to this for the first time should always initially aim for smaller scale figures for production. It makes it much easier to test things out and keep costs down for your first guy. Making a toy is going to be a huge learning curve for a greatly extended process, in addition to having to work in a whole new medium. Just look at some of the artists from here as a example. Start small, set some realistic aspirations, and go from there. If you are successful, the rest will follow in due time.
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