Doktor A first made waves in the world of vinyl toys with his over-the-top customs featuring compelling designs executed with stunning 3D additions and tight painting. As he continued to create one top-notch piece after another, we soon realized that there was a method to the madness – he was revealing his Victorian steampunk style universe, one delightful creation at a time. Dok’s customs were his means of weaving a compelling story of elegant and wondrous technological marvels.
Now we come full circle with today’s release of MINDstyle’s Mechtorians Series 1 mini-figures by Doktor A. These production original mini-figures bring his vision to life for all collectors. Packaged in window-boxes, the first selection of six figures includes Stephan lePodd (explorer), Mr. head (Philosopher), Sentry Wheel (City Gate Guard), DJ Gramo (Entertainer), Sir Shilling Copperpenny (Bank Manager) and Scuttler the Butler (Domestic).
Ever since MINDstyle introduced the series at the 2008 Toyfair, Doktor A’s fans have been waiting patiently for the toys to arrive. So we’ve torn into a display box to bring you all the visual goodness you can handle – multiple shots of each figure along with shots of the gorgeous packaging. Following their tradition of sophisticated figure boxes – MINDstyle has gone with a slip-off window box featuring embossed printing. Lifting the top portion up and off, reveals the figure packaged in a blister sitting atop a bottom tray. See the picture after the jump to get a better idea of how this works – bottom line, this is next-level reusable packaging for the serious collector.
The most impressive aspect of the new figures is that they look like Doktor A’s original work from the intricately sculpted details (rivets, elaborate vents and gears) to the paint treatment down to the patina style effect. The mix of matte paint with glossy paint for the metal surfaces works well and adds a sense of ‘realism’. Anyone familiar with his custom pieces, knows that this is not a trivial accomplishment. Of course there are limits given that these are created strictly out of plastic rather than ‘found’ metal parts and the like. But within these limits, these excel at bringing his vision to life.
While the series as a whole is a compelling offering, there’s one figure that stands out above the rest in our opinion. D.J. Gramo – the gramophone shaped entertainer. The level of attention to detail in terms of engineering this figure is impressive. First, Gramo’s head is removable to reveal a record underneath. Better yet, the record itself is removable and features different printing on each side. Yes, the record can be turned while on the figure and yes, the crank on the side turns. We would have loved to be able to open Copperpenny’s drawers in a similar fashion – but yes, we’re greedy.
Mechtorians Series 1 officially drops today, Tuesday March 3rd, 2009 for a suggested retail of $14.99 per window-boxed figure. Based on geographic location, some retailers may receive the figures in a few days time – so if not today, very very soon. Be sure to click through for our full release-day photo gallery.
