Todd McFarlane - The Walking Dead building sets

[Kriterian]

Read the article here: http://www.nerdist.com/2014/07/exclusive-todd-mcfarlane-on-his-upcoming-walking-dead-building-toy-sets/

 

I'm pretty disappointed in the sets. They don't really seem to be a building toy, and you can see why from this quote:

 

"The thing the other guys do that drives me crazy is that the closer I get to their build the less believable it is to me. Because it starts to bitmap. I do the same thing on my computer

[Kriterian]

Someone at Topless Robot commented:

 

[jbacunn]

If that was a quote from McFarlane then it makes total sense. He is a giant tool that doesn't get it and never has going all the way back to his days at Marvel Comics.

[beartrapper]

Hotcakes

[Kriterian]

If that was a quote from McFarlane then it makes total sense. He is a giant tool that doesn't get it and never has going all the way back to his days at Marvel Comics.

 

It was a quote from him. I always liked his art style but he does seem to have an attitude.

[rastascoob]

Here's a link that shows more of how the sets go together. Supposedly they will work with Lego and Mega-Blocks. http://www.mtv.com/news/1862603/walking-dead-mcfarlane-toys-building-sets/

[rastascoob]

http://mtv.mtvnimages.com/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:public.articles.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/GOVENORS_ROOM_04.jpg?width=1200&quality=0.85

[Kriterian]

http://mtv.mtvnimages.com/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:public.articles.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/GOVENORS_ROOM_04.jpg?width=1200&quality=0.85

 

The big prison set may be cool but it looks like the only thing brick built in the Darryl Motorcycle set is the tiled ground, and the occasional plant sticking up.

[TheOrcKing]

Much like his line of action figures, all the realistic details are there right down to the tiniest bit making them look impressive at a scale model level and a better looking quality than Mega Bloks easily. However unlike Lego and perhaps Mega Bloks, these 'bricks' of McFarlane will yield little use outside of the build they were originally created for. I can somewhat understand his impression about when getting closer to a build using the 'other' brick brands that the overall image may lose its overall illusion and start appearing like a bitmap especially when looking at a mosaic or Minecraft set for example but part of the beauty behind Lego is finding interesting ways of creating that illusion. The means of tricking a spectator's mind into believing the build is anything but just a bunch a bricks stuck together.

I will commend him for trying something different than the competitors and implementing such detail into a small toy but these aren't much more than a glorified model kit minus the glue.

[justafrog]

Lame. Nice art, fail building toys.

[jbacunn]

It was a quote from him. I always liked his art style but he does seem to have an attitude.

My comments where not about his art. He paved the way for many artists that developed their own style outside of the Marvel house style but when he started to get very popular it all went to his head and he thought he could write and edit comics and he cannot. His action figures are very detailed and he deserves credit for moving action figures towards more detailed models. I just don't personally like him very much but he likes himself very much so it's all good.

[Sauromosis]

Interview:

 

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/67922?utm_source=full-feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_term=coolnews&utm_campaign=1310_RSS

 

We'll see if this prompts any response from Lego in terms of creating more realistic designs or adult-themed sets.  McFarlane has always been arrogant but he gets things done.

[naf]

These look cool, but they're not a building toy.  The remind me of these models, they're marketed as easy build models that  happen to use a system similar to Lego, but they're not claiming that it's a building toy.

 

 

I get his comments about how Lego models look up close, but personally I don't think it's a detriment to the model.   That's kind of like saying a painting is nice but you can see the brush strokes up close, therefore my photograph is better.  I like my Lego builds to look like Lego, studs and blockiness and all.

 

It doesn't look like you can do anything with the pieces of these sets other than make the pictured model.

 

I'm sure these will sell like hotcakes to the walking dead crowd though.

[TheOrcKing]

I get his comments about how Lego models look up close, but personally I don't think it's a detriment to the model.   That's kind of like saying a painting is nice but you can see the brush strokes up close, therefore my photograph is better.  I like my Lego builds to look like Lego, studs and blockiness and all.

This is part of my reason for liking pixel art as well as many of the classic games from the 8 to 16 bit era. I actually like seeing all the little dots that form up the images I am looking at as I play. It can take some mad skills to come up with something like this drawing every single pixel using a limited palette of colors. (This one only used 32.)

[TheOrcKing]

[TheOrcKing]

[TheOrcKing]

[Veegs]

Has anybody invested in these?

 

I'm tempted to tuck a couple away just in case...plus I love the WD so I could always keep them for myself.

[dubzero]

I'm sure it's cool but in the end it is still a crappy Lego knock off.

Few other non-Lego building toys do well even with big time licenses.

You never know what people will pay for stuff, but it's a bit too speculative for me.

[Kooz]

Saw these on display at NYCC in October--I was not terribly impressed and there wasn't much buzz either.  As others have commented, the general consensus seemed to be that these are just models that happen to use a Lego-like system for baseplates, but little else.  Lego people I spoke with didn't much care; Walking Dead people I spoke with were looking more at action figures and less at these "Legos."  I suppose they could be huge, but my brief, unscientific, and largely irrelevant interactions with the two target crowds made me think these will be a bust on both fronts.  

[TheOrcKing]

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Source: ToyArk

[Migration]

They're cool, but where are the "building blocks?"

[joch29]

I saw this today..I wondered that myself.

[Sauromosis]

The lego fan in me looks at these and says "yuck."

 

But the investor wonders, "If this takes off, should I own a couple copies of the first run?"

[TheOrcKing]

I just saw two of these box sets at Target the other day, the Governor's Room and Daryl with Chopper. Plus a small display box for the blind bags. While there was a shelf tag for each item, no price was printed and scanning them came up with nothing therefore I have not a clue how much they are supposed to be retailing for. Anyway the boxes were rather narrow in size and the artwork was okay but did show the 'build' off in an interesting manner. I will admit the detail looks very intricate as what could be expected with McFarlane's products. However these still come off nothing more than basically a model kit without the need for glue. It's sad when the details that make these stand out is the same reason why they can't really be used for anything else at all. The closest parts that could be considered as universal are the walls but even then the way those are detailed make them limited to just being a wall and little else.