Review - SuperPlastic Gorillaz Mini Series Phase Three 2-D

 

For a band once religiously hung up on anti-commercialism, environmentalism, and basically every other trendy y2K-era -ism, Gorillaz has amassed something of a history when it comes to toys. It started in 2002, with Art Asylum - who promptly shut down. It started, again, in 2004, when KidRobot got their grubby mitts on Art Asylum's dumpster full of sculpts - and thus, the lineage began. As per Gorillaz tradition, the first round of figures represented their "Phase One" appearances, while the second represented "Phase Two". Then, came Phase Three - the, shocker, third era of Gorillaz media. The new phase focused specifically on the overabundance of waste on our planet - hence the themes of it's focal album, Plastic Beach - so, perhaps it will come as no surprise that Gorillaz forewent the action figure treatment this time around. 

Or... they ran out of money. So the story goes, they'd planned to produce a model (or perhaps Chia pet?) of the titular vehicle seen in Stylo - but, as money leaked from Gorillaz like blood from a weasel that's scurried through any given Floridian four-way intersection, the model was quietly canceled and replaced by a series of prints; one of which directly inspired a figure I'll be covering. Weird.

Well, we're in 2022, and Gorillaz have finally truly sold out! This means, they've finally released a handful of figures themed specifically to Plastic Beach. Is there a horrible irony in the fact these were possibly once intended not even as figures, but fully digital NFTs? Y'know, those things everyone said were some kind of environmental nightmare nukes? That's for you to decide.

But how has this come about, you ask? Well, long story short, Gorillaz have worked with KidRobot's awkward half-cousin, SuperPlastic, since around 2018; when they released what I consider to be one of the all-time best Gorillaz figures, the Tranz 2-D. Despite the strong start, their output's been largely mixed; I'm not a huge fan of the artistic shift Gorillaz have taken since their return, so it's safe to say I'm not exactly the intended audience for, say, the Gorillaz X Among Us themed playset. To me, there just isn't much appeal in toys of something I'm not interested in. Go figure. 

For what it's worth, the Song Machine set wasn't that bad...

But you can't get much worse than the look-alike bootlegs floating around the web. Gross!

To coincide with the 20th anniversary of Gorillaz' first album, SuperPlastic has cranked out a variety of retro-themed Gorillaz merchandise, including a blind-box miniseries - tapping into the world's smallest possible consumer niche; nostalgic Gorillaz fans! 

The real stars of the show are Phase Three 2-D, Cyborg Noodle, and Noodle; the first figures ever made of these, or any other Plastic Beach designs. To say I was excited we'd finally be getting these characters was an understatement - I've been wanting these figures since at least 2013. The hyperactive nerd buried beneath my heart of coal is jumping, twisting, and generally having a fucking hell of a time just messing with these things. Awful.

 

 

Let's start off with the lead of the band; Stuart Pot, Face-Ache, or 2-D. 

2-D is an interesting take, as he's the most original sculpt of the three Phase Three figures. He's specifically based on the image shown on the above-left, but, so as to fit in the blind box line, SuperPlastic has opted to adapt his tangled seated pose into a sort of  bewildered slouch. I think it's a nicely done design that well reflects the anxious, unwilling participant demeanor he carried through Phase Three. It looks just like a pose you might see his eerie CG model strike, and even bares a passing resemblance to some other Plastic Beach-era images and illustrations. 

Despite this change, 2-D's sculpt is surprisingly accurate to the source illustration, right down to his similarly styled hair, wincing glare, and well-matched outfit. I quite like the new model they've used for a more "classic" 2-D caricature; compare him to their newer 2-Ds, and you'll notice the deliberate differences -  differences also true to Gorillaz' artwork. Likewise, his body is square, leggy, and oddly proportioned - just they way it was. It would have been easy for SuperPlastic to simply cram their standard model into vague pirate gear, so I'm glad they took the initiative to so closely match this particular likeness.

Now,  for the complaints; I think the look is somewhat thrown off by the figure's lack of bottom teeth - a small issue, but one that's a noticeable side-by-side. His hands could be a little more jagged, and Hewlett-esque - something the KidRobot series did really well, looking back. Another minor inaccuracy almost no-one will ever notice - likely a deliberate choice, for the sake of a better figure - are his shoes; look closely at the original artwork and you'll notice he's rocking a sort of slides, rather than big, burly boots. For what it's worth, I actually prefer the boots; they match 2-D's fashion of this era perfectly, and, from a collector's standpoint, I appreciate how well they let the figure stand.

At just barely 4 inches, he scales well with the two Noodles he's paired with - appropriately, a little taller than both. He's just about the same height as the Phase Four Murdoc, which sends me flying into unspeakable bouts of gamer rage... but, I figure it's just cause of the slouch. It's funny how Phase 1-3 Gorillaz figures steadily shrunk in scale. 

The paint is serviceable, if not particularly striking. For a $20 figure, I'd expect better; imagine thinly painted lines around the finer grooves of the figure's sculpt, or a light wash of color to reflect his ashy look. No spray - no dimension - it's very flat. What we've got is less Bandai's High Grade Godzillas, and more Tomy's Sonic the Hedgehog Capsule Gachas - especially in macro photography. Still, I appreciate what's here; his colors - if not a bit oversaturated - match the source well, and his complexion is right on - noticeably more tan than that of his Phase 2 counterpart. Most little details such as his hat's symbol are painted nicely enough, though almost everything has some degree of slop. The figure's paint is good enough, I just consider it well below standard for the price range. I've seen better for the same, or less.

Admittedly, something similar could be said concerning the figure's broader overall quality; sharp angles such as his hair can be soft and garbled, chips and mold errors seem obvious... it's hard to explain, but these just aren't as sleek as your typical art toy. The plastic itself feels nice, but I think it just isn't suited for figures of such a spindly and small nature. Don't test his little limbs - unlike the notoriously "breakable"(?) KidRobot figures, where a broken seam meant a new point of articulation, these figures don't move. I've even heard of more than a few arriving broken. Again, these aren't issues I'd really expect for something that's starting out at $20 bucks.

Truth is, though, your mileage may vary as far as how pressing these issues really are. If you're like me, 2-D's going right on the shelf for display; in other words, I'm not going to be closely inspecting his finest details on a day-to-day basis. Certain things look much worse under a critical microscope than they do in person. As a little figure among your collection, his issues aren't particularly glaring, and he's definitely an exciting addition for any old-school Gorillaz fan. Though it could be better - stronger paint, sharper details - I still really enjoy it for what it is. Maybe that's the nostalgia talking, but who cares - everyone's got their fanservice Achille's heel, and they've sharp-shot one of mine. I think this is a solid representation of the character, and it reflects the specifics in appearance and demeanor to this particular 2-D in a cool way.