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NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027)

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skywalkersaga


MarkEl wrote:
skywalkersaga wrote:Very interesting, MarkEl. My dream is to see more figures with just such 'crossover' appeal -- if for no other reason than aesthetic preferences, and because I think the fashion and art doll communities do female figures a million times better than the action figure industry, with its insistence on pandering almost solely to the 'male gaze'. As a female collector and customizer, my goal from the start has been to blend the best of both the 'doll' and 'action figure' worlds.

Yes skywalkersaga, exactly, it's funny because I'm a very eclectic collector with a foot in several places (modern 1/6, vintage action figure, modern seamless, vintage fashion doll and modern fashion doll).  It's surreal sometimes because they all should have crossover but often don't.  It's like an archipelago of similar but isolated ideas in the same sea! I agree that the difference on this doll is the way Elizabeth I is presented.  It seems more focused on the historical aspect rather than trying to make it a bombshell. The materials seem well crafted and the sculpt is well done and has rooted hair. All that was noticed by collectors. This may all be by default because of the armour, but the results are great.  

There's big money in fashion dolls.  The assumption in 1/6 is that it's about playline cheap stuff, but for instance, Integrity Toys had a convention earlier this month where almost a thousand people attended with most dropping at least $5K each on dolls.  Sybarite just had a theirs in London last weekend.  With other OOAK and customisers, it's not unusual for have $1K+ on a doll.  If 1/6 manufacturers could plug into the ability to produce better clothes and accessories and looks that had the 'crossover appeal', it would be really interesting to see the results.  I can't tell you how many times I hear people's wish list of things they want that already exist on the 'other side of the fence' one way or the other.  Many fashion doll collectors lament over the lack of articulation for example when they could easily body swap a 1/6 figure into mix for the results they want.  It's a mental barrier for many due to marketing.  

That's great that you're trying to bridge the ideas. There needs to be more of that.  

It's refreshing to encounter another 1/6 person who is ALSO aware of and interested in the high-end doll side of things. Your description of it as an 'archipelago' is very apt, and it can be frustrating at times. There is indeed a mental barrier, on both sides... for a lot of 1/6 collectors, 'dolls' are something that tend to be viewed as 'lesser' since they do not prioritize realism in the same way (I personally do not have a problem with that as I like both realistic and stylized figures, but the 1/6 world seems to currently be experiencing a hyper-realism trend which makes that more of a focus for both collectors and creators). While the doll collectors no doubt rightly see that 1/6 scale is often lacking in certain areas, especially when it comes to the level of high-quality garments and materials they are used to. Because let's face it, the range of clothing available for 1/6 female figures -- whether it be loose or with a boxed figure -- tends to be either lacking in quality, OR limited to very specific types of 'looks'. It's no wonder that Elizabeth I figure has stood out, as even though it may not be historically accurate, it has an archaic elegance to it, almost Pre-Raphaelite quality. This is completely different than many of the usual 'armoured' female figures, in which the armour is there mainly to showcase the hyper-sexualized seamless body and thus appeal to a very particular demographic. ; )  For that reason alone, it's really exciting to me that it's caught the notice of other collecting communities. : ) 

As you noted, it's a shame that these communities are often so separated and lacking in knowledge of one another, as I feel there is a great deal that both hobbies have to offer each another. Affordable and highly articulated bodies from the 1/6 side, and fashion and other aesthetic qualities from the doll side. I've already noticed, for instance, that the dollhouse collectors' interest have been piqued by tbleague's recent line of 1/12 scale seamless bodies. Until these became available, 'realistic' bodies at that scale could be extremely pricey, and were usually something that had to be custom-made or commissioned. There is suddenly now many doll-clothing makers on Etsy catering to those specific little figures. These have a completely difference aesthetic than what is normally available from the sellers catering more to the tbleague collector crowd, and it is very interesting to see. 

On the topic of articulation, it's funny that you mention that -- I came to 1/6 figures in a roundabout way, after first becoming interested in the whole high-end doll repainting side of things. I acquired a couple of OOAK repainted SW dolls, which I really liked, but felt rather frustrated by the lack of articulation. So I decided to look into creating my own dolls, as there were many characters I wanted to have examples of that had not yet had official versions of them made. At this point I was already an avid Star Wars collector, but other than the HT Anakin, I had been focusing on the smaller scale action figures at the time. I hadn't considered 1/6 figures all that much because at that point my conception of them was that they were either like some of the older and rather ugly Sideshow figures, OR that they were limited to the newer ready-made (and really expensive) mass-produced figures like Hot Toys. At that stage, I had NO idea that one could essentially build a figure 'from scratch' so to speak. But in my quest to find a suitable 1/6 scale 'doll body', I encountered a variety of action figure bodies and it was like I'd tripped and fallen through a wardrobe/mirror/wormhole and entered a whole new dimension. The possibilities suddenly opened up before me! My quest to create 'dolls' evolved and morphed into a quest to create 1/6 scale action figures that would incorporate some of the aesthetics that had attracted me to custom dolls in the first place. I do wonder, however, if I hadn't already been at least somewhat aware of the action figure world through my SW collecting, if I would have so easily discovered that side of things. 

And thanks for the encouragement -- my WIPs have stagnated as of late due to RL getting in the way, but I'm starting to feel that itch to resume working on them once more. I'm still learning and feeling my through all this and still have a long way to go, but I'm doing my best with my limited time/materials/skills. :')

Stryker2011


Founding Father
I agree with both of you MarkEl & skywalkersaga on a lot of these points. The problem I've found with trying to cross over into the Fashion Doll end of things is the wording to explain sizes is so damn confusing. Here, we just use basic "one sixth" -- okay, simple enough -- do the math (or get a calculator). But the "Doll" world uses numbers 1-24+ with no explanation as to what the hell that means. It's like the odd sizing charts you see in a Woman's clothing store (WTF is a size 0?! Doesn't that mean you don't actually exist?!). You have to spend entirely too much time searching for something that breaks that down into inches or millimeters to know the size, and even then -- it's not really accurate. Does Fashion Royalty even make a 1/6 size or is everything 13" or higher?

Plus, the body proportions fall into the Barbie arena on most of the Doll bodies I've seen: overly tall, non-existent wastes, legs a mile long, tragically skinny arms and legs, and virtually no @$$. So as nice as a lot of the clothes are in the doll world, they wouldn't fit on most 1/6 female bodies -- even the more tiny ones from companies like Very Cool or Flag Set -- without some serious sewing skills. I think that might be where the larger part of the problem comes in -- aside from the overly sexualized 1/6 female garments (though every now and then something realistic does come along). Even altering Barbie clothes isn't always an option -- in fact, it rarely is an option, and they are the closest in scale to 1/6. When DonDeg was posting his Mid-Century stuff, he had to have a seamstress make all the clothes that he put on TBLeague/Phicen bodies -- which can get expensive fast if you want it to be perfect. AJClothiers does nice work and she's affordable, but she's no Yunsil, and it tends to be a bit on the baggy side -- more like Ken doll clothes rather than Pop Toys caliber form-fitting. I love her stuff and she's done some really nice things for me, but if you are one of those looking for that "high-end" realism, you're going to pay through the nose (like several hundred dollars, rather than a hundred or so -- or less) for just one outfit. I've been involved in custom projects where the clothing side of things has gone as high as $500!! You have to be pretty damn connected to something to pay that kind of money just for clothes. Unless the outfit was totally unique, I went cheaper ways on the clothes.

skywalkersaga


Stryker2011 wrote:I agree with both of you MarkEl & skywalkersaga on a lot of these points. The problem I've found with trying to cross over into the Fashion Doll end of things is the wording to explain sizes is so damn confusing. Here, we just use basic "one sixth" -- okay, simple enough -- do the math (or get a calculator). But the "Doll" world uses numbers 1-24+ with no explanation as to what the hell that means. It's like the odd sizing charts you see in a Woman's clothing store (WTF is a size 0?! Doesn't that mean you don't actually exist?!). You have to spend entirely too much time searching for something that breaks that down into inches or millimeters to know the size, and even then -- it's not really accurate. Does Fashion Royalty even make a 1/6 size or is everything 13" or higher?

Plus, the body proportions fall into the Barbie arena on most of the Doll bodies I've seen: overly tall, non-existent wastes, legs a mile long, tragically skinny arms and legs, and virtually no @$$. So as nice as a lot of the clothes are in the doll world, they wouldn't fit on most 1/6 female bodies -- even the more tiny ones from companies like Very Cool or Flag Set -- without some serious sewing skills. I think that might be where the larger part of the problem comes in -- aside from the overly sexualized 1/6 female garments (though every now and then something realistic does come along). Even altering Barbie clothes isn't always an option -- in fact, it rarely is an option, and they are the closest in scale to 1/6. When DonDeg was posting his Mid-Century stuff, he had to have a seamstress make all the clothes that he put on TBLeague/Phicen bodies -- which can get expensive fast if you want it to be perfect. AJClothiers does nice work and she's affordable, but she's no Yunsil, and it tends to be a bit on the baggy side -- more like Ken doll clothes rather than Pop Toys caliber form-fitting. I love her stuff and she's done some really nice things for me, but if you are one of those looking for that "high-end" realism, you're going to pay through the nose (like several hundred dollars, rather than a hundred or so -- or less) for just one outfit. I've been involved in custom projects where the clothing side of things has gone as high as $500!! You have to be pretty damn connected to something to pay that kind of money just for clothes. Unless the outfit was totally unique, I went cheaper ways on the clothes.

Oh, goodness, yes, of course, I agree with you on this and have encountered the same issues. What I meant by saying that the two hobbies have a lot to offer one another was moreso to do with designs, techniques, materials, aesthetics, etc. In the case of the doll world, perhaps it is more likely that they would be able to use certain 1/6 bodies and accessories, so in that way the actual crossover of existing available items is a bit unbalanced. Since, as you note, most fashion doll clothing does not fit 1/6 figures. But what I was getting at was that it would be nice if 1/6 clothing makers -- especially the mass-production companies -- would take a bit of a hint from the fashion doll world and try to add some nicer clothing into the mix. I'm not expecting it to be custom-level stuff, but just some minor improvements would be welcome. I'm thinking of some the horribly garish stuff I've seen from certain companies... like 'evening dresses' that no actual 1:1 woman would be caught dead in, lol. I'm not saying there shouldn't be the 'sexy' stuff, as obviously there's a place [and demand] for it, but certainly there could be some offerings of less overtly sexualized and/or gaudy styles. And that's not even getting into the lack of historical clothing for female figures.... 

I don't know what the ideal solution to any of this is ... I'm just sort of thinking out loud. It seems to me that not much will change in this regard unless and until the 1/6 companies making these things believe that it is worth their while to cater to a wider and/or different demographic. *cough* they need to understand that there is such a thing as female collectors *cough* To do that, they'd have to truly believe the demand is there first, though, so it's a bit of a conundrum.

GubernatorFan


Founding Father
Welcome back, Mark El, you've been missed, but your expertise does not seem to be lacking in this area, too. It does stand to reason that crossover appeal ought to multiply sales and revenue, but all the points were well-made. And then there is the gulf, largely more imaginary than real, between these things.

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com

Rogerbee

Rogerbee
Founding Father

Nice Cate sculpt, though for LOTR use the hair would have to be blonde as I recall. There may be KO's with blonde hair though.

skywalkersaga

skywalkersaga
Any idea on when to expect this one? Or did it already come and go? I'm really out of the loop...


_________________
"The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read,
not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man."

Ignoring current 'official' Star Wars content for my own sanity.

lurpdog101

lurpdog101
shazzdan wrote:

The head sculpt is a pretty good likeness of Cate Blanchett. It would make a decent LOTR Galadriel. Versatility is what I look for in these products.

I was going to say the exact same

https://www.hellblazerbiz.com

Stryker2011

Stryker2011
Founding Father
Received my Deluxe version yesterday and spent the morning putting her together. The head sculpt is gorgeous -- and looks exactly like the promo pics (aside from the hair being a bit darker). The armor and the sword are all die cast metal (grrr -- I hate that), but it does look fantastic. Putting her together was a pain in the @$$, as usual. The underlying PopToys body is trash in conjunction with all that heavy metal. She arrived with her right foot loose in the box, and swapping out the hands was a nightmare. Between the already loose foot, and the hand swaps, getting them to stay in once attaching the shield, flag and putting her feet in the stirrups was an exercise in frustration as they kept falling out. Personally, I think the people at the manufacturer who decide to use all this die cast with weak bodies needs to be hit in the head with a tack hammer a few dozen times. Somewhere, I don't know where, a tiny "gold" rivet came off the outfit as I was struggling to put her together (the armor is all on her, aside from the helmet, in the box) -- I mean, handling the figure to pose her and put her foot and hands on over And over and OVER! At this point, I have that rivet sitting on the armor display post as I'm afraid to touch her again. The horse is the same one used for their Joan of Arc figure, and is huge and heavy -- the only difference is the tail and main are far more "fluffy" than on Joan's. I had to iron the underlying harness and the flag as they were all wrinkly as all get out they way they jammed them into a bag (the flag wasn't too bad as it was rolled up with the pole, but it still had some unsightly creases).

Apologies for the crappy pics, I still haven't gotten myself a photo box and decent lights. (The head sculpt looks a thousand times better in person). My wife was stunned at how much it looks like Cate.

NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027) - Page 2 _dsc3337
NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027) - Page 2 _dsc3338
NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027) - Page 2 _dsc3336


_________________
Mark

He who dies with the most toys wins!

NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027) - Page 2 C8485110

skywalkersaga

skywalkersaga
Wow, that does sound like a lot of work, but it was worth it cause she looks excellent! I'm so glad you got her! Smile


_________________
"The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read,
not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man."

Ignoring current 'official' Star Wars content for my own sanity.

GubernatorFan

GubernatorFan
Founding Father
Looks great; nice helmet display too! I would only suggest you try to watch any YouTube reviews to see where that loose rivet came from -- if it bothers you.


_________________
I'll be back!
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Valiarde

Valiarde
I passed on her despite liking my Jeanne D'Arc from Poptoys. I like her and she looks great on your pics! Great to see more "medieval" fans around here Smile

Yeah I'm in a love hate relationship with the diecast stuff. I think figures feel so much better with metal/wood etc than just plastic, but posability and especially hand pegs are the worst here. I have the same problem with some of my Coomodel Knights. Also with my Gothic Knight, the armor was so heavy that the straps holding them together wear out and I had to glue them with worbla to hold again.

All kind of problems, but the overall look is priceless Wink
I got some chainmail lately and this is metal armor I can absolutely get behind.


What do you think of the horse? I also own a Poptoys horse and not really a fan, but iam not a horse expert...


_________________
The knight is darkest just before the dawn.

brassco

brassco
Nice figure! The HS looks good. Seems to be out of stock now for parts!

Valiarde

Valiarde
which parts are you looking for, the HS?


_________________
The knight is darkest just before the dawn.

Stryker2011

Stryker2011
Founding Father
I had to re-glue the strap on her shield when I was putting her hand through the bracket and then trying to reattach the hand for the 4th-5th time. That was fun! NOT! She has these lace cuffs protruding from the forearm armor (they are glued in), and that came loose as well, but I didn’t bother trying to reflux that, so I ended up using thin tweezers to jam the lace back in after I managed to get the hand back on.

As far as the horse, I’m no expert either, but I do generally like the overall size. There’s just something about how the left front leg is positioned that bothers me for some reason — it just doesn’t look all that natural to me. Damn, I wish Mr. Z would make a decent Andalusian or thoroughbred, or reissue their ili’s again.


_________________
Mark

He who dies with the most toys wins!

NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027) - Page 2 C8485110

Valiarde

Valiarde
Yeah from my online gatherings among Horse enthusiasts everybody absolutely LOVES the Ily horse and they could sell so so many more of them but somehow it is sold out everywhere '(and some reselles didn't get it in the first place even)

Anyways, hope you enjoy your figure despite all the trouble. Smile I wonder why some figures are so easy (like Jeanne D'Arc which was super posable and easy to use despite metal armor etc) and from the same company you get something like THIS then.


_________________
The knight is darkest just before the dawn.

skywalkersaga

skywalkersaga
Valiarde, if you want to see what Lynkhart (who customises model horses) and I (who has hands-on experience with horses in RL) have to say on this PopToys horse, see the Henry V thread:

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1672-new-product-poptoys-1-6-ex22-king-henry-v-of-england-double-head-sculptures-horse


_________________
"The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read,
not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man."

Ignoring current 'official' Star Wars content for my own sanity.

Valiarde

Valiarde
Thank you sky Smile will read it.


_________________
The knight is darkest just before the dawn.

csyeung

csyeung
Sucks that it was a pain to put together, but she looks very regal.Congrats on the addition!


_________________
Craig

agentghost

agentghost

REALITY VS EXPECTATION?

NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027) - Page 2 _dsc3336

NEW PRODUCT: POPTOYS: 1/6 Queen Elizabeth I Single & Deluxe Edition & War Horse (EX027) - Page 2 AHR0cHM6Ly9zdGF0aWMuZmFzaGlvbnVuaXRlZC5jb20vMjAxODEyLzZOb3J0aEFtZXJpY2ExLmpwZw

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