NVC – Dr. Bao and Spive, have consistently created intricately detailed customs. While they’ve worked on several different toys, smaller (3" or so) toys are their specialty. The amount of detail they managed to add through meticulous sculpting on in such a small space is often amazing. The question then is… how to bring this level of care and detail to a limited-edition run of figures?
NVC has decided that the best way to maintain control over the entire process is to go indie — self-produce the figure in a very limited run by making it in resin and hand-painting each and every one. Enter Ishikawa: The Roller Warrior fusing NVC’s love of samurai warriors and street art. Rather than just produce a classic samurai, Bao and Spive worked to create a ‘coded’ design fusing ancient japan with the modern — hence the Timberland boots, and the samurai helmet made from a split open paint can + clever use of artist tools , and of course the paint roller. They chose to make Ishikawa a medium sized figure (5 – 6") in order to work in the subtle details that are their calling card.
These are shots of a hand-made Ishikawa sculpt which will be used to make the initial resin proto. Additionally, we have a look at a fully-painted and completed Ishikawa design. If the final pieces can match this level of pictured detail — then NVC will have succeeded in bringing the magic of their customs into the realm of limited-edition figures. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this promising project as it develops. The current plan is for a release somewhere between the first and second quarters of ’08. NVC is hoping to have at least a few completed figures to show during NYCC (April ’08).
Finally… more and more artists are embracing resin as a way to get their visions out to their collectors while retaining almost full control over the final product. Doing so enables extremely low runs and in fact almost necessitates it since most of these figures are painted by hand directly by the artists themselves.
