Review - Daft Punk Discovery Helmets Ornament Set

What better time to review a couple of Christmas decorations than January?

Isn't it wild that Daft Punk's been dead for three-ish years, now? Well, kinda. For a group that's officially called it quits, Daft sure keeps chugging along. They just released a drumless edition of 2013's Random Access Memories... for some reason... as well as an extended version featuring all kinds of wicked unheard demos and alternate cuts, such as the grand finale single, Infinity Repeating. The band's "over", sure, but one cant help but feel it's yet to truly end when there's still so much new content to be enjoyed - even if it happens to be... drumless? I can't complain.

Call it cool, call it sell-out behavior - all I know is, naturally, the temporarily dormant Daft Punk merch machine is back up and running, and I love me some funny French robots. Most of the new offerings are your run of the mill sweatshop classics - printed tees, a bag or two, we've seen it all before. One band's merch page is every band's merch page. However, there's at least one item that'll definitely catch any collector's eye - the Discovery helmet ornaments set. 

Daft's made three varieties of these ornaments over the years, based on their various helmet designs; 2014's classic RAM set, 2016's white and gold Grammy performance set, and 2017's neon Discovery set, which was reissued for this holiday season. 

Daft's Discovery getup was revolutionary for the band, introducing the silver and gold cybernetic personas we immediately associate with the band today. Though Discovery's costume designs have been phased out in favor of the more iconic, basic look introduced with the following album Human After All, the Discovery look is definitely my favorite of the bunch - and certainly the most complicated; both helmets lined with dozens of flashing neon lights, pixellated screens and psychedelic rainbows. They're seen all throughout Discovery's related media, from single covers to action figures, and totally represent the hyper-futurefunk album. I think they're put to their best use in the haunting alternative music video to Something About Us. 

The ornaments come packaged in a slick black box, the Daft Punk logo in white across it's face with their seal of quality and further legal crap hidden on it's back. It's nothing flashy, but matches the usual Daft aesthetic and looks co next to the robots themselves. Collector friendly, too! Both Punks are secured by thick Styrofoam and tissue paper, and can be easily stored back inside after opening. You love to see it.

Getting on to it, these guys are, simply, sick. Each and every little detail matches the real duo, right down to Thomas' groovy smile and Guy-Man's rows on rows of LEDs. A small bump on the top of their heads loosely secures a thin decorated metal base to their strings, which are color coded to silver and gold respectively. Cool little detail. While this does mean their strings are easily removable, they don't look so hot with hollow little spouts poking out of their skulls. I'd leave them in ornament mode.

Their paint decos are clean, with no slop whatsoever. Both ornaments are mirror reflective, with a matte, but still shiny finish to their visor screens and a touch of glitter over their holly-jolly red text. Just as sleek as the real helmets.

At about four inches tall, these guys may not immediately look very big onscreen, but they're just over the size of your average ornament - not too huge, but still perfectly eye catching. They're not as heavy as I expected, being hollow, but aren't fragile at all. 

At about $50 retail as of 2023, they're a bit expensive; though, in past years, they've gone up to the hundreds on eBay. I think their current price is more or less fair, only $5 more than their original 2018 price, though it's definitely still a little inflated for exclusivity's sake. For fifty bucks, it would've been nice if they were fitted with actual miniature light effects. 

Nevertheless, I think they're simple, effective, and most importantly, unique - what can I say, I got a thing for weird holiday stuff. They're an eye catching addition to my Daft Punk collection and I'd love to see more takes on the concept; how about the neon red Alive 2007 helmets, or the chrome TRON: Legacy look? 

Review - Medicom Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter & Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo)

Daft Punk - Thomas Bangalter (clad with a Gort-esque silver helmet) and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo (wearing a faceless golden helmet, respectively) - really need no introduction; a pair of Grammy-award winning future-funk-meets-house masterminds, popular for their mysterious public identities and favor of overtly 'electronic' tropes.

2013's release Random Access Memories lessened the techno, and upped the groove; creating a musical love letter to the nostalgic tunes that inspired the very basis of their genre. Donning flashy tuxedos and donning a more 'regal' attitude within their robotic disguises, Daft Punk evolved to match their music; as such, longtime Daft Punk merchandiser Medicom released updated versions of the duo in their notable Real Action Heroes line. selling for roughly $200~ each on most aftermarkets, they're a tough pair to grab - nothing less for pop's most elusive icons.

As both figures are essentially the same, I will be reviewing them under one collective rating.

Sculpt - 5/5

Unsurprisingly, Medicom has perfectly recreated DP's 2013 wardrobes. Both sci-fi helmets are photo accurate, adorned with very specific details such as Thomas' hidden vents (located beneath the visor) or the various small contraptions within Guy's "ears". Even their smooth 'necks' are true to form, representing the underlying black mesh worn by the pair. Their clothes fit very nicely, and are properly to scale - features such as the necklace's chain and the miniature sequins are roughly the correct size, and look very good in relation to the entire figure.

The one gripe some may have is that, unlike Bandai's FiguArts renditions, these helmets feature a solid black "glass" - no underlying screens are visible. Though this was an admittedly interesting choice on Bandai's part, it isn't accurate to the real-life costumes (both the ones Bandai represented, nor these). The only versions of the helmets to sport screens were the original Discovery-era editions. It's a fictitious detail that's neat to see, but definitely not necessary.

Articulation - 5/5

Again as per RAH tradition, the articulation on both figures is very good. Every joint is nice and stiff, with no hindrance whatsoever from the outer clothing. Most joints seem to be a either pin-disc or ball, and (with some finagling) can really achieve any practical pose one could desire. Though most will likely leave the pair in a neutral stance, it's very possible to recreate more eccentric poses seen in some photos. 

Accessories - 4/5

DP aren't usually seen sporting a multitude of accessory-worthy objects, so what has been provided serves it's small purpose well. Both come with two extra pairs of hands (one set spread open, the other clenched into a fist), as well as adjustable stands. These figures have pretty good centers of gravity, making the stands not entirely needed, but having them available is useful. More colorful bonuses such would have really added weight to this category; perhaps a small-scale RAM Record, or any handful of props from their music videos. 

Paint - 5/5

DP's personas are very design conscious, with a very simplistic style that can adapt to any musical setting. The single tones of these designs are recreated to a tee - each surface color is consistent across every piece, the metallic shine is beautifully reflective, and their match silver boots shimmer in a realistic way. The very small black portions on both necklaces is cleanly applied, without even the slightest inclination of slop - it's almost as if the real jewelery was shrunk onto these figures. Even the underlying bodies are a solid black, representing the aforementioned mesh.

  

Fun Factor - 5/5

For adult-oriented figures, these seem to be far from fragile; every point of articulation is appropriately tough, and though care should be taken with the very intricate clothing, the biggest issue one could potentially face is an uneven tie or wrinkled pant leg. Thought these two aren't for play, they're also very capable of repeated manipulation.

Overall - 5/5

Really, anything less than a 5/5 would be surprising concerning figures of this quality. These are prime examples of how artistically impressive high-end collectibles can be; so meticulously designed, they could easily be mistaken for the real deal. Though they've always fetched a high price, it isn't hard to see where the money goes - these two have a demanding presence on any shelf, by the sheer striking nature of their lifelike sculpts alone.