Medicom Toy Exhibition 2008

2008 June 24th | Category: Event/exhibition, Nikon D80, Toys

Went to Medicom’s Toy Exhibition 2008 after work today which is held at Shibuya’s Parco Factory. For those who don’t know, Medicom is a collectors figure maker. Their products include the Real Action Heroes (RAH) 1/6th figures, Vinyl Collectible Dolls (VCD), Kubricks, etc.

Since I went to the International Tokyo Toy Show 2008 to checkout the collectors figures on the weekend, I thought I might as well drop by Parco in Shibuya because I saw some press pics of Medicoms Dark Knight line of collectible figures which directly compete with Hot Toys offerings. I just had to see the thing and examine the details for myself.

Good thing: the Dark Knight stuff was on display and I got an eyeful of them
Bad thing: taking pictures is forbidden! Ouch!

So yeah, man, no real pics to show besides the ones below which were taken with a zoom lens from outside the venue (I was in the exact same position as I was when I took the pic above amid with the lens fully extended).

I promised some collectors to take lots of pictures of the Medicom Dark Knight Batman so they can compare with the Hot Toys one. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen cuz I would have got caught with a DSLR in my hands. Instead… I managed to steal a shot with my cellphone while the staff were busy with some visitors. But because the display was back-lit (well, bottom-lit, to be exact), my crap-ass cellphone CCD was unable to cope hence the pic came out crap! Doh!

My cellphone sneak shot

Anyway, instead I think I’ll have to describe what I saw (purely from an observation point):

The Dark Knight - Batman
(No release date / no price point)

OK, first off, this thing is probably the ‘best’ Medicom figure I have seen. In terms of ’suit accuracy and balance’, this Dark Knight Batman betters the Hot Toys one primarily because they got the new cowl ‘correct’: the lines are more subtle (HT’s stand out too much), the opening for the mouth area is narrower (HT’s is too wide), it has nostrils (!), and the overall shape of the cowl is pretty much spot on (but I kinda think the cheek area could be a tad wider).

The suit itself is also pretty accurate with craftsmanship to boost, for certain parts. Credit is given to how the pieces (armour plates) are attached. Basically, the underlying bodysuit is some kind of soft/flexible fabric-type plastic with the mesh pattern embossed on it. The amour plates are made from soft plastic (softer than plastic but harder than rubber. Not matt, not gloss, but in-between) and are each individually burned and sealed on top of the bodysuit (you see no gaps between the body suit and the plates. It is definitely not glued together). The cape seems like it is lined with wires therefore it is rigid enough to allow for posing.

That was the good. Now onto the not-so-good: the chest piece (breast, carbon fiber plates), unlike the Hot Toys one, is made from ONE piece of moulded black plastic. This basically means, the carbon fiber grey plates is just ‘grey paint’ painted on top. If you look at the Hot Toys one, you can clearly see that the carbon fiber plate is a seperate moulded piece of plastic that is attached to the main chest piece (see the glue marks?). So in this regard, HT gets the thumbs up for ‘attention to detail and sophisticated craftsmanship’. Another downside of the Medicom Dark Knight Batman is the accuracy of Christian Bale’s mouth area - it doesn’t really look that much like him. So again, HT gets the thumbs up here for their Bale mouth.

It is also clearly obvious, the Medicom figure is a prototype (so is HTs’) because I can see brush strokes on the flesh part. Same goes for the Joker. Another thing is, this Medicom Dark Knight Batman is probably not using the standard RAH body because it is quite a bit taller (and bigger) than the Bruce Wayne, Joker and their original Batman Begins figure which all stood side by side. I’d say the Dark Knight Batman is about 1.5cm taller than the Batman Begins figure. The main thing that really worries me is, Medicom’s prototypes are always pretty decent but when they go into final production, they always come out ‘quite a bit different’. So yeah, what I have seen today behind the display may not be what I would be getting in my hands whenever it comes out (if I get one, that is).

In short, the balance and the look of the figure pretty much looks exactly like this image.

Bruce Wayne
(No release date / no price point)

Hmmmmm… after seeing HT’s Bale headsculpt, Medicom’s looks really crap. The Medicom bodies are also rather puny and the crafting of the clothes that go on these figures are too bulky therefore they don’t drape well nor even fit the body. It’s like slapping a blanket over the figure.

The Joker
(December 2008 / JP¥ 17,640)

Again, HT’s offering makes this Medicom Joker look horrendous! Actually, it looks horrendous whether you’ve seen HT’s or not. Does not look life-like at all and again the clothes are just too darn big and thick for the puny RAH body. But you gotta give credit to the guys who crafted the long coat because they’ve made certain areas of the coat look dirty, just like it does in the movie. But that’s about it.

Batman Begins Suit - Batman
(December 2008 / JP¥ 17,640)

I’m not 100% sure if this is a new Batman Begins figure or just a re-release of the one that came out a few years ago (2005/2006) but it certainly looks ‘identical’ despite the flesh area displaying some brush strokes (prototype).

The Dark Knight Kubricks
(No release date / no price point)

Unlike the Batman Kubricks for the original 1989 Batman and 2005 Batman Begins, the Batcowl does not come off to reveal a head beneath. Instead, the cowl and face (head) is one element - the mouth area is sculpted directly onto the cowl hence it looks a little weird. The body/batsuit looks OK and is what you would expect from a Kubrick. The Joker kinda looks OK too. The ‘400% -Why So Serious- Kubrick Bear’ will come out on August 3rd.

Well, that’s about it, I guess. I hope I have provided enough details and have written it in an understandable way.

If you’re into toys and you happen to be in Tokyo, I recommend you to check out the exhibition - it runs until June 30th and admission costs only JP¥300.