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Step 1 - The Setup
Rex was actually the
name of a certain 12inch action figure I had as a youth (still have him, see
pics). During all the stories I acted out with Rex, I needed some sort of
rationalization for all the damage he took and his non-chalant reactions. What
made in persevere after being tied to a rock and dunked in the pool? What
inner strength propelled him to get up and keep walking after a faulty
trash-bag parachute failed to open? How did he bare the torture of the patio
tiki torch?
I think all the corny
eighties action movies lead me to believe certain humans possessed a enormous
pain threshold and a indestructible quality (adding fuel to this was my older
brother's claim you could learn to be "unallergic" to fire).
I kept drawing Rex and
really developed the story more when I went to college for animation. With few
jobs locally for animation, I decided to think about my other passions and how
what else I might be happy doing for the rest of my life. In a musical montage
moment (we'll say to the tune of The Shins - Know Your Onion) I got a
internship at Play Along Toys, went on tour, met the guys at Plan B toys, and
secured a little gallery space for an art show about toys.
Step 2 - The Hard Work
Now that I had an in
for the toy industry, I asked Jay from Plan B if they would make me an
exclusive for my upcoming SubCultures event. Originally it was going to be
just a small matchbox with a head of Rex and a spare set of flesh hands.
Fairly cheap idea for an exclusive, most likely to be used as a give away to
promote the show. But how many people had Special Forces figures to swap a
head onto? And how much cooler would it be to be able to play with Rex right
on the spot instead of chasing down a Plan B figure?
So the idea got
bigger. Jay told me in order to save a lot of money I could get the Rex figure
manufactured the same time as their World War 2 line (in stores now) was being
pressed in Hong Kong. By using one of their pre-existing bodies I also saved a
astronomical amount of cash (the high cost of figures has to do with the steel
molds needed to create the figures).
I sent Jay a turn
around and he produced a head sculpt. Then I did a couple different color
tests to see what kind of scheme I wanted Rex to have. I wanted something with
a retro feel, yet far off from the muted color tones of the other Special
Forces figures. I also choose to stray from Rex's original designs and make
his skin tone match the other WW2 figures so he wouldn't look out of place
with his new pals.
Aside from paying up
front for the unit cost, spray masks, and steel cavity, I offered Plan B the
chance to be the Featured Artists in my SubCultures Exhibit. While at the time
this was not much of a compromise, I think they saw it as a really great way
of getting a little more exposure for their independent toy line. Either that
or a lifetime of huffing latex mold release had warped their better judgment.
Step 3 - Oh god what
have I gotten into?
I began frantically
selling most of my toy collection to raise money for this project. I borrowed
the remainder from my Dad (in a commendable show of good faith) at a
reasonable interest rate of 45.09% (per month).
Jay sent over a couple
gypsum heads and a first shot body for me to paint for use in ads and press.
The paint master I did doesn't match the final too well (I blame a so-called
"clear varnish" spray) but it was a thrill for me to have a semi-working model
of my own character in my hands.
As the exhibit date
drew closer, I got an email saying there was a shipping delay for Rex and the
WW2 stuff in Hong Kong. These sorts of things are totally common and this is
part of why it's so hard to have an exact date for when to expect things on
the shelf.
A couple cases of Rex
would have to be air-mailed over in time for the gallery opening. I was
rushing out the door one morning and there was four cases sitting on the
doorstep that read "Special Forces : Rex". As you can imagine I dropped my
Pokemon cards and Hi-C fruit drink and X-acto'ed the box open.
Under some white
tissue paper, there he was.....perfect! I blew off my plans and spent the rest
of the day facing Rex off against the Punisher and any other figure in his
general area. I made him try on all the clothing that was remotely close to
his scale (it's okay if it's big because he'll grow into it). It was a gay,
gay, sad, lonely time! But one of pure Nerdom.
So now I sell my Rex
at $10 a pop. It doesn't make me rich, but it does make me happy. I try to
sign every figure I sell, not so much because it might be worth more, but
because it might remind the buyer this is not a mass-marketed product. It's
more of a personal project made by someone who just loves action figures. It's
a dream that with the right amount of passion (and dead sexiness) anyone could
obtain*. Also you will be cool if you buy one.
You can purchase Rex
here:
http://www.millionaireplayboy.com/subcultures/rex.php#toy
And you can find more
info on where to order Plan B's Special Forces:
www.planbtoys.com
*with the proper means
to distribute, promote, and sell.
I must also add this
disclaimer: Please do not bother emailing Plan B to manufacture your figure
idea. They only do one good deed per lifetime and I used it. |
