Tales from the Toybox: Sorcerer's Apprentice- comics.ign.com 5/12/05

[dramaqueen]

Tales from the Toybox: Sorcerer's Apprentice-The mighty Medicom Mickey.

Of all the myriad things one could claim I'm endlessly repetitive about, one standout would be my absolute appreciation for licensed collectibles that actually look like the characters they're supposed to be representing.



Over the years - particularly since I grew up in the 70's and 80's - I've seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of grotesqueries claiming to be cartoon characters, movie stars, comic book heroes, and more. And not a single one of them looked even remotely like what I'd seen on TV, in the theater, or on the page.

And that's not right.

In fact, it's one of the bugaboos of being a collector that really pisses me off. Is it so hard for an entertainment entity - should they license a character to Company A - to at least have enough quality control to ensure that, hey, Spider-Man doesn't have 3 arms and a bat symbol on his chest? Or that Kermit the Frog doesn't have a neck that looks like he's suffering from a severe iodine deficiency? Or Megatron doesn't come with a trigger codpiece?

Is it too much to ask?

I think not.

Hence my sheer delight when I buy a toy or collectible that manages to not only look vaguely like a given character, but looks *exactly* on model. But what about a toy that is on model *and* somehow captures the spirit of the character in question? That, my friends, is a true rarity, which is why I've been positively giddy about the products coming out of Medicom Toy in Japan - and, in particular, their vinyl Disney figures. Measuring an average of 6"-10" (depending on the character in question), they're exquisitely sculpted hard vinyl figures that make both the fan and collector in me sit back and just go, "wow."

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The Medicom piece captures Mickey during the moment when he's bringing the very first of what will become a horde of broomsticks to life. As you can see from the photos, the sculpt - right down to his widely planted feet - captures every bit of the energy and movement of his pose… You really can *feel* its kinetic energy. And yes, it is perfectly on-model. While not poseable, it's a low-cost alternative to the often over-priced maquettes that occasionally find their way out onto the collector's market, usually limited to an edition size of 2, or something. This piece is everything I could possibly want in a collectible - namely, it looks amazing on the shelf.