Review - KidRobot Gorillaz Phase Two 2-D (CMYK Edition)

KidRobot's Gorillaz figures are some of the best the band's ever made, particularly the sets based on the Demon Days/"Phase Two" artwork. The group's used them more than once in official music videos, just about every rabid fan owns one, and the scalpers have gone wild. The true mark of a quality toy.

As I mentioned in my Murdoc review, each figure came in a really well designed (and collector friendly!) box featuring all sorts of character specific art. The figure's great, sure, but I think he's really only half the package - pun somewhat intended. The box is just as much of a display piece itself, to the point where you might even want to leave 2-D sealed. But where's the fun in that?

Taking after the illustration on the figure's box, 2-D's sculpt is pretty much perfect; using many elements of the earlier Phase One figure, with a harsher, blockier spin that really reflects Gorillaz' evolving art style. In some small ways this throws off the likeness, but it's nevertheless an awesome take, and in my opinion, the face's angular depth is a very striking translation of 2-D's then simplistic design. I love the bulging black eyes, his thin, noodly body, clown-size shoes, hunched back, jagged hair, busted overbite - he's the spitting image of the drugged out, half-gothic 2-D of 2005. I also dig his appropriately vacant expression; it's an intense glare, or a cool toothless grin. The hair's flat, bulky shape and sculpted detail really capture the original illustrations, as well as those massive Hewlett hands. Love 'em. It's awesome in every way.

2-D's caught mid-performance, complete with a standing microphone accessory. It comes in three separate pieces - top microphone half, middle metal bar, and the base. Sadly, it barely stays together, slipping apart at the slightest touch. Nine out of ten times you see this guy on the second market, you're only getting that top half. 2-D's right hand grips the microphone while the other hangs open, so besides the accesory's flimsy construction, you shouldn't have any problem losing pieces on display. Just breathe carefully. 

Standing at about 8"s, he's right in scale with the rest of the crew, but notably smaller than the preceeding KidRobots and later SuperPlastic series. Though Gorillaz certainly has a thing for scaling up the crew, I think this scale strikes somewhere perfectly in the middle. It's catchy, y'know? 2-D is a towering zombie of a man, so having him slouch just above the your average action figure works really well; and furthermore, he's just easier to display and move around at this size. Speaking of... 

Also unlike the majority of Gorillaz figures, 2-D has a couple points of articulation; specifically, both shoulders. It's limited, but you can manage some cool poses with and without the mic stand. Also worth noting is the storied secret third point of articulation; as with Murdoc, 2-D has a tendency to lose his head - literally - so, assuming your figure's shambled apart the way mine have, you can manage some limited swivel movement out of 2-D's neck. Nothing much, but it's cool for photos.

That said, these figure's build quality is somewhere between expectedly high end, and strangely flimsy. There's often a pretty big crossover between the two in the world of "art toys". He's mostly very sturdy, but pieces tend to be very loosely assembled, and while he's not exactly "breakable" or fragile, the figure's a bit touchy. It's probably something to do with Hewlett's already abstract designs, the figures somewhat limited production, and, of course, their age. As already mentioned, the microphone is pretty jank, 2-D's head topples off very easily, and I've seen some with disconnected torsos entirely. Time does not work wonders on glue. These build issues are very fixable, as these parts typically pop right back in, but it is what it is.

The paint work is excellent, with virtually no slop or missed lines. He looks fantastic - almost like a digital model, in the right lighting. I really love the dark blue spray giving some depth to his polygonal hair. It's only real issue are the seemingly misplaced eyebrow decos; as you can see in the photos, the sculpted detials seem to suggest they should be painted right along his massive honkin' caveman brow, but, for some strange reason, they were placed at an angle just slightly above. I've never seen a 2-D without this issue, which leads me to think it must've been some odd creative choice - hell, even the Phase One figure sort of has this problem. It doesn't break the deal, but it can look a bit weird. Nevertheless, while it's not a terribly complex paint job, it's cleanness and eye catching simplitity makes for a proper artistic figure. 

The CMYK 2-D is one of Gorillaz' best collectibles, and a total must-have - provided, you're either very lucky, or willing to fork out what eBay's asking. In my opinion, even those inflated prices are more or less worth it, especially if you're a big fan; though he's comparatively small, and has some QC issues, it's still a real stunning and cool take on good old Mr. Pot. 

Review - SuperPlastic Mini Series Gorillaz Phase Four Murdoc

 

Just as Gorillaz are dropping (yet) another album - the standout track being "Captain Chicken", on which the amazing Del the Funky Homosapien raps for the first time with the band since 2001 - I figured I ought to go back to the SuperPlastic mini series I've covered a few times before and look over another blind-box; if only as an excuse to take some fun photos of a few literal shelf-warmers. Yikes. Take this as a lesson, kids - no matter how rare the other, older merchandise may be, you can't scalp 'em all.

Who else to shove to the showcase, of course, but Murdoc Niccals - The creepy, soulless, and worst of all, visibly British bassist of Mr. Albarn's magical mystery tour. I recently went over KidRobot's 2006 figure, sporting a villainous urban look quite unlike Murdoc's green goblin design of today, as well as the Plastic Beach 2-D, Noodle and Cyborg Noodle figures from Superplastic's same mini figure set. Perhaps in my sorrow, yearning for a Plastic Beach Murdoc figure to round out the crew - and a Russel, too, if they'd be so kind - I've decided it's time to zero-in and talk about this mixed bag of a toy; horrible grubface, Happy Meal aesthetics, $22~ price tag, and all. You've seen me praise the cool sculpts of the Plastic Beach characters, so let's take a lot at a figure I'm not so immediately fond of.

For those who don't know, Phase Four served as Gorillaz' 2016-2018 comeback era, centered around the album Humanz and it's various singles and spin-offs. Phase Four's Murdoc sported a unique, surreal take on the character, having been the characters first appearance in about 5 years at that point; lanky, yet humanoid porportions, tinier, yet more exaggurated features, a vibrant green complexion, a looser, freeform flow to his poses, and - by far, most notably - a honkin' jaw not unlike Leno's ever-growing Crimson Chin.

Superplastic has sort of rounded out that modern look, going for something perhaps more obviously akin to Murdoc's illustrations during The Now Now's era. As with the Tranz and Song Machine 2-D figures, Murdoc's base model seems to be reused from the previously released Song Machine figure - which I've praised before as a pretty cool looking take that captures a lot of the "Murdoc" traits I like - and while the sculpt certainly works there, I'm not so sure it translates over into this figure.

Well, cut to the chase - it doesn't. 

Should that be the case, its obvious why the figure doesnt quite click as well as, say, the Plastic Beach Noodle twins; those recreated their source material from the ground up, while this retrofits an existing sculpt and does its best to adapt it into the gist of a totally separate look. While I don't necessarily expect these to be a one-to-one recreation of the art - hell, even Plastic Beach's 2-D was a bit of a departure - the differences, while small, totally throw off the look. His face, in general, is the heart of the issue - It certainly captures the wonky, formless jaw and high grin of Humanz era's Murdoc, and I think the look works alright from the correct angle... but, beyond that, just ends up looking warped and wack from most perspectives. The worst offender of the bunch is the most obvious - what's with the gigantic bushy eyebrows? Even his eyes themselves aren't the right shape, though I'd be able to overlook something like that if it weren't for how strange they look pushed so far below his bangs. The tight smile, the big lopsided cheeks, the Dumbo ears - he's meant to be an ugly old mug, sure, so I suppose your mileage may vary, but I don't think this was quite what the art was going for. 

Now, being fair, the sculpt's got some nice little details - I like how they've done the clothing, which, along with the pose itself, is sort of the real centerpiece of the figure. Above all else, the figure's got character - even with the smudged-up, weirdo pug face, the pose and overall look of the figure just screams Murdoc - perhaps, less so than the awesomely evil aforementioned Phase Two figure, but nevertheless, he's got that snarling punk energy I like to see from the rotten demon rocker. 

His proportions, while not really representative of the wobbly half-humanoid Murdoc seen in the illustration, look appropriately surreal; at just about 4 inches tall, he scales more-or-less well next to his bandmates, such as fellow Phase 4 rep Russel, who's rocking his funky Saturnz Barz video outfit.

The paint work is where things sort of fall apart - er, even more, that is. I'm not a fan of the blinding highligher green they've chosen for Murdoc's decaying corpse complexion; it's definitely not accurate, and besides that, is a bit too light to look very quality. Something about the pallette just screams "cheap" to me - as said in previous Gorillaz Mini reviews, a paint wash here, some finer details there, and a lot more quality control could've done these guys leagues in upping the ante. 

That said, the small decals are mostly well done, and where present, bring out a nice amount of detail to such a little figure. I love the striped handkerchief hanging out of his back pocket, or the bit of skin showing between his boots and pants. Even his little cigarette and match are properly painted, unlike his full scale Song Machine predecessor. Go figure. Again, it all comes back to the face - the eyes are really faint, and clearly off. The whites of his eyes are off-center and, because of this, slightly oversprayed, fading back to neon astroturf before filling in the entire sculpted area. Where exactly is his gaze? They just have a weird aimless stare that doesn't work. I think having him glare forward from under his bangs would've worked out best - the shifty side-eye just wound up, how you say, "totes derp". 

As with a handful of other figures of the set, he also received a black-and-white variant - though I'm not sure I'd describe it as "chase" per se. I'm not sure what they were going for with the monochromatic colors - maybe pencil art? - but, while it is a bit random, it looks solid enough. As I mentioned in a previous review, the finer details on each chase figure seem to be cleaner and bolder than on the fully painted counterparts, probably thanks to the simplified designs. 

Phase Four, as it were, was a bit of a disappointment to many fans; low on music videos, low on direction... hell, you could even argue it was low on Gorillaz. But at the end of the day, I have a lot of nostalgia and positive feelings for the brief, but special little era; with two-ish years of buildup between teasers, interviews and the teensiest of leaks, its the most excited I've ever been for an upcoming content - even if the album itself didn't exactly pay off, I can definitely say I've got a soft spot for it's art and related concepts, and I love to see the designs I ogled over so long ago on instagram translated into the world of plastic. 

Overall, I think the figure is flawed enough to not actively seek out, but still a fun prize to find in a blind box. You can't always expect top-tier quality with these kinds of figures, even with the most astronomical - or, yknow, dumb - of price tags, but that's not to completely downplay the guy; it's a cool and memorable little figure of Muds, especially if you happen to not have any other. There's certainly much better - and, arguably, worse - Murdoc figures out there, and I wouldnt say this is anywhere near a favorite or even particularly "good" figure in my light, but it's still a nice, ho-hum, right in the middle kinda toy, and most importantly a fun enough representation of the character at that. 

Hey - as a guy who likes dinky desk figurines, things to fidget with, and look at - sometimes, that's okay. That's all you need.

Or, at least... good enough? 

Eh? Meh? Enough to fill a review? 

Whatever.

Review - KidRobot Gorillaz Phase Two Murdoc (CYMK Edition)

KidRobot - y'know, those funky little robot toys you see lining the glassy LED lit shelves of every high-end comic book shop. If you even remotely enjoy what I'll affectionately refer to as "weirdo media", you've almost certainly ran across, or might even even own, one of their products; from Futurama minis, to Beetlejuice keychains, to Chucky MadBalls, they've got their pop culture bases nice and covered.

A sucker for the iconic, alternative, and slightly disturbed, KidRobot naturally teamed up with Gorillaz during their Demon Days (also known to us geeks as "Phase Two") era to produce a few rounds of newly themed toys, based on the cartoon group's grunge change of image... just in case the title didn't clue you in. The figures have even gone on to be featured in a number of the band's music videos, such as their ironic spotlight in the environmentalist jam Some Kind of Nature, or the heavily modified puppet versions seen in We Got the Power. I can't believe we never got a proper reissue of that Clint Eastwood-y Murdoc.

Two Tone Noodle and Murdoc in
Some Kind of Nature

I summed up the band's tumultuous history in the wild, wild world of crappy toys in my SuperPlastic Phase Three 2-D review, but for the sake of conversation, I'll throw a little more detail about this particular wave of toys. In 2006, KidRobot released it's first set of Phase Two figures, the CYMK editions, followed soon by the White and Two Tone editions over the following year; all named in reference to their unique box designs.  All three editions featured the same base sculpts, with different paint work and packaging.

I might eventually get around to reviewing the entirety of my set, but for now, let's take a look at the nightmare band's demonic founder - and I don't mean Mr. Albarn. He's an arsonist - murderer - kidnapper - "sympathizer" - and - worst of all - bassist of that creepy y2k ringtone band, Gorillaz. He gets away with it, too - why? 'Cuz he's Murdoc Fucking Niccals. The type of character who's very existence would probably be considered a fucking trainwreck today; hence why, 18 years later, he's gone full VeggieTales. 

CMYK Murdoc

Now, as we start, I should mentioned I don't  typically bother to talk about a figure's box; it's often very much up to one's own taste, and, to me, just isn't very interesting - nine out of ten times, you've got nothing to say. But, for once, we have to include it as part of the deal - I hate to sound elitist or whatever, but I genuinely think if you don't have these guys in box, you're only getting half of the appeal.

The wonderfully collector friendly window box excels at framing the Murdoc figure; with various pieces of Demon Days art and insignia against a slate black on all sides, it makes for a very pretty display in and of itself. As mentioned before, the box is easily openable and re-sealable, with the figure itself held in by two trays. With a setup this good, you may as well leave 'em in there - looks great. 

Slack jawed, heavy eyed and half naked, Murdoc's looking as inebriated as any soulless monster ought to. While I think the sculpts across all of these figures could've used more intricate detail in order to truly replicate the aesthetics of Gorillaz' artwork at the time, I also really love this figure's smooth, simplistic feel - it's totally sleek, even in it's intentionally gross-out nature. They aren't necessarily going for a 1:1 recreation of any one appearance, though it's clear to see Murdoc is heavily inspired by his 2005 CGI model; you'll recognize it from the band's trippy holographic shows... all... detailed, and... Madonna-hitting-on-y, and... "sympathetic". Ech.

Murdoc's head is very similar to the crooked mug of KidRobot's Phase One figure, with a sort of flat, thick, bug-eyed Shaggy look. In fact, it might even go back to the cancelled pre-KidRobot Gorillaz toy line by Art Asylum; the small Murdoc head keychain seen near the front of this ToyFair display looks pretty similar to the one we see here. He's not quite the more evil design Demon Days seemed to be going for; I think they could've given the likeness a bit more defined angles, specifically the chin, and outward depth - just compare it to the flawlessly sculpted Murdoc Muppet to see what I mean, and yes, that exists. Still, it isn't necessarily off-model or anything; besides some weird looking smile lines and eye bags, I think it's pretty good. He's an ugly sun'va bitch, that guy, so I can imagine he's the type to look better on camera than in person. 

Somewhere between intoxicated and exhilarated, Murdoc's bass-heavy pose says ready for action; I really love the art accurate skrunkly hands, as well as his wide, bulky boots, skinnyfat bod, and punk-ass "sympathizer" hat. I especially dig his big theatrical cape, cast in soft, fabric-like rubber; really fun touch. Just like Jamie Hewlett's intricate Demon Days pictures, loads of neat little details, from seams, to skulls, are hidden throughout Murdoc's getup; though not so much so as to throw off the toy's very simplistic vibe, it's all there, but comes together in a trippy way isn't overdoing it. 

Murdoc's Flying V bass, having once belonged to the devil himself, is a really awesome choice of accessory; what's a musician without his weapon? I think it could've used a lot more detailing - y'know, at least give it strings - but I get the cartoony impression they were going for. It fits really well in his gripping hands - he's got that thing locked. They could've put in just a bit more effort, but it gets the point across and still looks cool. Seals the deal.

Unfortunately the figure is very prone to toppling forward; despite his clown shoes' massive surface area, his hunched pose still makes for a pretty bad center of gravity. It doesn't help the actual construction of the figure isn't really that good; his limbs are just barely a darker color, and his head pops off so easily, you'd swear it was for some reason intentional. However, this does have the added benefit of an unintentional point of articulation, and, if you for some reason wanted, capeless mode...? Art toys and quality control just don't mix.

Something of a literal walking corpse, Murdoc's skin has ranged from a tinged grey, to some odd variant of brown, to, now, eye-burning chroma key green; as per the aforementioned mad pasty CG model - look at him, man, he's a beacon - KidRobot's gone with a sort of sickly caucasian color. There's definitely warm overtones of yellowish-green in there, and though I imagine most fans would've preferred a much more intense shade of rotten flesh, think it matches the figure's smooth aesthetic much better as-is. I take it as a solid in-between; not too normal, not too... What The Fuck. Still, you gotta wonder why they didn't try for his more iconic complexion on the White variant, especially when the Phase One figure already sported a much colder green hint.

Beyond the odd pallor, Murdoc's illness - mental, and physical - is all the more apparent by his jaundiced yellow eyes and turquoise maw of teeth. The paint work is mostly sharp and solid, with only the occasional spot of bleed or scuffing. I dig the dark gradient adding some touch of depth to his guitar, the printed silver wire holding his necklace, and the purple-on-red of his cape brings a lot of color to the figure. It's only major issue is how easily the skin tone can rub onto the very contrasting bass, and vice versa. I should also mention his teeny-tiny little pupils tend to have a sort of wonky, walleyed look, but it's severity really depends on the figure. Mine's near unbalanced, but I've seen worse.

Having once owned the White edition, as well, I think it ultimately had the better paint job of the two fully detailed figures; I really love it's inverted pupil, red pinkie nails, and darker overall color scheme. The difference is minimal, but I'd say the CYMK is overall more true to the general character, while the White feels a touch more fully envisioned and artistic by slipping in so many unique details. I've never nabbed the Two-Tone, but it's a catchy spin on the usual monochromatic redeco. 

Despite my complaints, this Murdoc's one of my favorite figures; he's got just the right balance of detail and design, and is such an eye-catching shocker of a toy, you gotta track down at least one of the bunch. It ain't too common to come by such a loudly satanic, "sympathetic", and sexually sickening toy like this - he's got his small laundry list of issues - that much you can tell just by glancing at 'em - but if you dig the character, the art, or even just the band, he's a really wicked piece.

Demoz / Live from the Forum (Gorillaz)

A Horrific Waste of Paper

We already covered the tie-in toy line, but another aspect of Gorillaz' twentieth anniversary cycle came in the form of a re-release of their first album, now including remix album Laika Come Home, b side compilation G-Sides, a small EP of unreleased demos, and their 2001 live performance at the Forum. While I'm not too crazy about the release otherwise - it seems to be going for the original Gorillaz aesthetic without any of the Matt Wakeham -  to have brand new set of classic, old-school Gorillaz cuts sounds wicked alone, and a cleaned up concert just makes it even better... yeah?

Well, it cost $300 bucks, and isn't on streaming, CD, or et cetera. So, naturally, I downloaded all of the exclusive tracks from some kid on the internet the day after release for free. I love piracy!

We'll begin with the new material; and, first thing's first, G-Sides this is not. These are demos in the much more literal sense than you often run into around the music scene these days. Of the bunch, really only two sound anywhere near finished; however, given the context, that's not completely a bad thing. The EP, "Demoz", gives a fascinating insight into the vision for Gorillaz before calling in trip-hop producer Dan the Automator, who gave the album it's distinctly urban gothic drudge. Paired with the previously released demos from this point in production, such as I Got Law, Clint Eastwood or Faust, you definitely get a more Eastern tinged kick on the familiar britpop sound compared to the deeper, dubbier, Deltronier throes of the final product. There's a certain similarity to the slick foreign styles of Albarn's Mali Music, and you can absolutely hear echoes of Blur's beautifully angst 13 (particularly through the melodies of Genious). Suprisingly, though, no Phi-Life-Cypher to speak of; a Star Wars themed parody group booted off the album before release, as you might've concluded from the above Eastwood demo. Poor chaps. 

I'd say my favorite is easily Shaga Laga, the most finished, and most catchy of the bunch; a sort of twisted hillbilly electro jam, just seeping with that surreal, pixelated weirdness Gorillaz used to have. It easily could've been on G-Sides, or any other oddball one-off release. I love the sudden bursts of metal, the harsh sawtooth sounds, the dissonant looping guitars - sounds like something you'd hear on Goat Simulator. As wack as it absolutely is, it's sick to hear a truly hypnotic Gorillaz song again, let alone one that also sounds like a cartoon. Big thumb in the air.

Another standout is Hand Clapper, which has a bit of background to it. On the Gorillaz' website, there was a little game where you could mix your own song, stems and all. The few stems available came from this demo, though the full, complete version was never released in any form. From the game, a fan created their own "full" take on the song, which circulated as official for years; only the truly disgusting omega-fans, such as I, realizing otherwise, pretty much up until this version's release. Now I imagine the fan version will become something of a rarity itself in the coming years. In a way, I still sort of prefer the quote-unquote original; its got a more chill vibe to it, and I'm frankly pretty used to it by now. Hearing a new version that's also the actual version is pretty surreal. My life is a lie. Still, hearing the intended vision is really cool, and is pretty much the only example of the EP meeting any long sought after fan requests. Someday, we'll hear Gor Beaten. Someday. 

Finally, the album's closer, an early version of Latin Simone titled Acoustic 2, is such a beautiful and dreary dive into the infectious sadness Albarn so often manages to convey. It's the sound that really got me hooked in the first place, and I think it came from a very genuine place - in reality, and otherwise.

Apparently sponsored by Run-DMC,
for reasons unknown

Besides these, though, these are largely very rough and meandering. Shocking, I know. In other words, yeah, they're demos. If you're expecting more, you're looking for the 2001 version. That said, I feel like five tracks total is a little sparse for a brand new edition of the album; sure, you've also got the G-Sides compilation in the same deal, but even that inexplicably doesn't carry the complete international tracklist. Plenty of wicked early Gorillaz stuff is left totally absent. Hell, I've offhandedly mentioned two in this very writeup.  It's great these demos are all brand new, but for a complete box set that's running that expensive, I think it's a letdown. But hey, it had a pretty dope etching of 2-D on the b side. So that's something...

Anyway, let's look at the other real headliner of this lovely little shelfwarmer.

As for Live from the Forum, it's a pretty by-the-numbers y2k Gorillaz performance, sure, but that's not to say it isn't well done. It's great to look back on a time when a Gorillaz show was a bit less flash, a bit less hype, and a whole lot more animated. Hidden behind a stage-spanning projection, Albarn and the band performed fully in silhouette as Gorillaz' psychedelic visuals droned before them; complete with the Gorillaz voice cast of Nelson De Freitas, Phil Cornwell, Remi Kabaka and Haruka Kuroda shouting to the crowd throughout the show. I adore how, during this era, they really went out of their way to sell the illusion of the multimedia project, still remaining somewhat "hidden" behind the surreal twang of their animated avatars. 

The show consists of various first album picks, though certain surprises such as b side Dracula or Phi Life Cypher's take on Rock the House, normally featuring Del the Funky Homosapien, spice things up for the more aquatinted listener. That's right; after being swiftly tossed aside, Phi were wrangled back to play stand-in. Seems awkward. 

I dig the sort of grunge, echoed out sound of the performance; it perfectly matches the visions of surreal neon lights, stomped cigarettes and plumes of Marijuana smoke the trippy music paints through your mind. It's a concert, no question, but the droll atmosphere really helps in elevating it to something conceptually more. It really feels like you're watching a gang of animated assholes pluck away at odd, alternate dimension anthems. One of the best parts comes near the end of Punk, the snarky Murdoc commenting "I love reverb! Listen to that!" as a guitar screeches endlessly over 2-D's attempts to wrap up the show. I love stuff that isn't afraid to get conceptual. 

The concert was originally a Gorillaz.com release, all the way back in '01. Pretty obscure, and low quality, to boot, so I think it's neat to have it re-included as a more straightforward part of the discography. I will say, though, I don't think it's a particularly stunning or definitive performance to document. Perhaps as a result of it's heavily compressed digital release, large sections of crowd interaction or otherwise silence between tracks seem to have been sloppily cut short; it's not a deal breaker, but it can be distracting. Also, at only fifty or so minutes in, the performance ends on an encore-reprise of two previously heard tracks ‐ what's up with that? They sound better the second time through, certainly, but at least three songs from the main album weren't brought out at all. I'd assume the band simply hadn't expected to do an encore, that's all good, but again, it just hammers in my point that this probably isn't the performance I'd choose to showcase. Double Bass, the greatest song in history, forgotten yet again. 

If you ask me, the reason they chose this particular show was simply because the audio existed at all. Not much else. Again, this isn't to insinuate it's bad - I'm just saying it was pretty at home as a GorillazGuy1993 YouTube exclusive. In fact, the art they've associated with the performance in the box set itself comes directly from said YouTube upload, about a decade earlier. Huh.

All this criticism and thinky-think aside, it's cool to return to this era of Gorillaz. While I most prefer the dub nightmare it quickly became, Gorillaz' prototype era is otherwise very undocumented, and often goes forgotten as the history/credibility of the band dredges on and on. Likewise, the artistry and atmosphere of their original shows is just unmatched - if I could jump back in time, you know I'd be high as "bollocks", front row, staring head-on at whatever Windows screensaver their fuzzy shadows are dancing against. It's just a shame they didn't give us more.

Review - SuperPlastic Gorillaz Mini Series Cyborg Noodle and Phase Three Noodle

During Gorillaz' Plastic Beach (or "Phase Three") era, you had two Noodles; the human, and the robot. While the human is lost after falling off Angel Island Zone, Murdoc builds a gun toting cybernetic clone to protect him and his mansion from enemy pirates.

Though the doppelganger characters only ever interacted offscreen - resulting in the robot's epic, not animated, illustrated or very much detailed at all death - they were a central focus of the album's games, videos and story, all being major elements of Plastic Beach's mixed-media experiment.

Unlike their preceding designs, the Noodle twins never got figures back in 2010; much to my dismay, as a gigantic geek. Well, ages later, and they're finally here; featured as part of SuperPlastic's Gorillaz Mini Series, a blind box line featuring various characters and designs from the band's expansive illustrated history. 

Check out my review of SuperPlastic's Phase Three 2-D here! 

Let's start off with Cyborg. The sculpt, coming straight from the cover of Plastic Beach's lead single, Stylo, is nice - it's a cool translation of a decidedly "flat" image into a three-dimensional physical pose, though, SuperPlastic's traditional look sort of rounds out the character's more stylized proportions and the like. There's lots of nice, art-accurate details, with some appropriate figure specific quirks such as the bullet hole in her skull showing through both sides.  I particularly dig her well realized head sculpt, with a sly, evil smile and big, boofy bangs. Might be my favorite Noodle likeness, really.

Unfortunately, the paint work is... something. Serviceable, at best... knock-off, at worst. It's all mostly accurate to, or at least clearly inspired by, the source material; I'm only not a fan of the figure's overall brightened color scheme. She's ghastly! Pale skin can be hard to capture, but Cyborg is certainly meant to be more of a washed out, white-grey pallor than... stale... highlighter... lemon. She almost looks glow-in-the-dark - Just like 2-D, this is a figure where some sort of grungy wash or finer, smaller detail work would really enhance the smaller aspects of the sculpt. We'll come back to that.

However, to be fair, that all's not much of a deal breaker. The palette is sort of off, yes, but I suppose it communicates the general look of the character fine. So what's the big issue, then? 

It's the nose! All of the decos - especially that one - are a touch off-center. Your mileage may vary, as no two figures are all quite the same, but I seem to have struck out with this one. Some areas suffered worse than others; her teeth are floating, her patch is quietly drifting away, and she's even got some sort of historically inspired facial hair styling going on... which, interestingly, makes for the second Axis Power themed Gorillaz figure. Props for consistency.

Why paint in the nostrils at all, especially if you're not going to do it guaranteed, 100%, no doubt, on-center? It's a lousy thing to mess up. If you're gonna bother to paint in something as irrelevant as nose holes, why not also apply finer details that might better increase the accuracy of sculpt - such as her, y'know, eyes, which are obviously empty despite sculpted sockets lying just beyond her mop-top. There's even paint/glue slop spattered about the figure, some of which has chipped off between photos. Beautiful! Odd quality control, all around. 

Cyborg is a passing figure, if nothing too especially commendable. It's biggest appeal is, really, the fact it's the only figure of this particular character - though, don't get me wrong, I think she's overall pretty well done. As was the case with 2-D, the sculpt is good, but the overall quality knocks it down. Yes, these are tiny figures, so one must expect a certain level of jank, but that's not a a flawless excuse when they're $20 off the shelf - let alone, whatever the aftermarket becomes. Isn't the idea of an "art toy" that it's of a much higher level of quality or presentation compared to your average product? Jakks could do this.

Well, up next, we're onto the real Noodle - y'know, that cat-butterfly mask one. Plastic Beach's take on Noodle is one of Gorillaz' most iconic images; in no small way thanks to her simple, but effective design, spawning an endless avalanche of horrifying art, cosplay, and adult oriented WattPads. 

Just like 2-D and Cyborg before her, this Noodle is directly inspired by a Jamie Hewlett original; most recognizable for it's use as the basis of Gorillaz' music video, Broken. This figure looks very nice; I love the visible sense motion throughout her sculpt, wind gusting through her wild hair and wispy dress. Of the three, I think it's plain to say Noodle has the best base sculpt. Sharp edges, solid build, and just look at all those neat little details; her dress' decorative pockets, the loose ends of her scarf, the individual keys of her teeny-tiny melodica. She's even got a face back there; cool, right? Again. Pin. We'll get there in a sec.

On that note, I will mention, the shape of her mask immediately struck me as a little weird; it had that sort of flat, folded look in some illustrations, sure, but my mind tends to jump more towards it's usual rounded look. Especially since that's how it looks in the source image. I also noticed she's wearing long white gloves, despite these not appearing in her aforementioned appearances. Big deal, but it's got some precedent -  it seems the figure is just as much based on the Broken video, as it is On Melancholy Hill's. From the mask to her gloves, I think the inspiration's clear. Neat-o! Only a sick, twisted giganto nerd such as I would bother including this tangent.

Again - the paint. First and foremost, the deco on her mask is so... blurry. It's like a Nintendo 64 texture. Imagine if the mask instead had the reddish brown vignette seen in the art and video. A man can dream... Some broader edges are, likewise, oversprayed - the stripes on her leggings really reveal this. Worst of all, there's loads slop and even scuffs, clean out of the package - lame. I will say, her Baja Blast-esque complexion works slightly better here - probably due to the lessened contrast - but, again, a more dull, subdued sort of color would've looked much better.

Here's where we get to that pin I've been hyping up; check behind her mask, as anyone would, and what do you get? A face - which could've been cool, sure... if it were painted. At all. I wouldn't care about something intentionally hidden being left unpainted - God forbid - if it weren't for the fact she has, again, specifically sculpted eye holes. Noodle's got straight up empty sockets, 2-D style. Spooky. It's too bad, because even though her mask isn't removable, it looks like they've done a solid job capturing her Phase 3 look. Could've been a fun aspect of the toy.

Credit where credit's due, they did manage to nicely paint in many of the sculpt's other details. Her melodica looks sick; again, cool for it's miniature size. The trim of her dress, as well as her buttons and scarf, look great. Her hair's even a slightly lighter shade of blue compared to that of her dark robotic counterpart; who, I want to note, is a bit taller than the humanoid Noodle. Makes sense, seeing as one's got strapping punk boots, and one's got Hot Topic socks.

For the sake of completion, I figured I ought to also go mention Noodle's chase variant, a fully monochromatic redeco. Thrilling! Various figures throughout the line received this black-and-white stylization, though I can't imagine... why? It's so dull. Doesn't seem to make much sense with the brand, either; though, I suppose it doesn't necessarily look bad. I like to refer to them as the "funeral editions". 

Oddly enough, while the variant's paint work may be uninspired, it's much cleaner than that of the full color alternative. Just look at the difference in quality between their masks. Night and day. Comparing the other chase and standard figures I own, this seems to be a consistent issue throughout the line.

If we're going to have variants, how about a version without her mask? That'd make up for, and make use of that unpainted face sculpt. You could do shades of green, as seen in the Rhinestone Eyes music video. How about pink? Or hell, forget about Noodle - half of Cyborg's appearances were in some color-swapped variation of her figure's getup. Same goes for 2-D. Could've been a solid opportunity. 

So what are my overall thoughts on these figures? They're very exciting to own as a longtime fan, especially as I'm very into the specific era of Gorillaz from which these guys originate. For that reason alone, I can't be too harsh on 'em; if it weren't for that terribly high price tag, I'd have no problem accepting these as dinky little cheap toys. I'm a big fan of those. The issue is that.. they're not. Certain ones are already barking up over a hundred second hand, let alone the already high retail. If you're a fan of the characters, the design, whatever, they're certainly worth it, as long as you know what you're in for. They're advertised as art toys, but they're about as high grade as some mid range gashapon. If you're more of a casually interested collector, maybe someone who's more into the general idea of Gorillaz, I'd recommend you seek out the original KidRobots; even after years of eBay price gauging, they'll still give you more than what you paid for.

I will say - besides the annoyingly short packed Del - these are easily, and by far, the best looking of the line. 

So, assuming they do make a wave two (fingers crossed, despite my ever-hateful cynical heart of coal) I think it's safe to guess they'll be making a Phase Three Murdoc. It's actually a bit surprising we didn't get one the first time around, especially over Cyborg or 2-D; seeing as he was more or less the central focus of the album's marketing cycle. I think his existing Song Machine likeness looks a bit like Phase Three's to begin with, what with his hooded eyes, and long, evil chin; Pop on a gaudy pirate's hat, and boom! You've got your Murdoc.  That in mind, I think they'll do the character justice; despite what this line's fucking atrocious Murdoc sculpts might suggest. Good Lord! I'm hoping they go for his On Melancholy Hill sweater look; maybe hauling that big whaley spikey thing, seen here. Or maybe that classic banana-wang pose everyone knows and loves. How about the o2 design?

As for Russel.. I know they won't - it's a pipe dream - it's gonna be that weirdo hooded one - but I'd adore a large scale take on his usual Phase Three design. It wouldn't have to much bigger than their usual Gorillaz figures; just enough to give the implication he's a hulking giant compared to the rest of the crew, just as he was during the events of Plastic Beach. 

Only time will tell... as will what makes up the rest of the potential wave's slots, 'cause the case of these figures I bought is moving about as slowly as a partially deaf grandmother on highway nineteen. Here's hoping. Either way, it's wicked to finally round off a complete set of the original era of Gorillaz, in toys.

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.