TomKids by Michael Lau x Dragon Models
Michael Lau is known for his Gardener 101 series featuring 1/6th-scaled figures - that much is drummed into folks' mind. What some folks might not be aware of, is the existence of the lesser celeberated "TommKids" - a 1/6-scaled figure series released over a decade ago, in the year 2000.
There were 6 characters in the set: Immume, Killjoy, Tomm, D Mon, Madcap and Ocellus. They stood between 10.5" (Ocellus being the shortest) and 14" tall (Killjoy being the tallest). 'Riding on Michael Lau's popularity, the Tom Kids set was created to promote a Hong Kong based internet company. The six limited edition figures helped to launch Tom.com when it's stock went public.'
And once upon a time, they were on the absolute TOP of my "Wants"-list.
Produced by Dragon Models from Hong Kong (a hobby brand that used to rule the 1/6-world in the early 2000s), the action figures feature a distinctive ML's headsculpt unto a DML Neo body (aka regular articulated body) with appropriate hands, and even individual body paint. With the Tom.com logo being an asterisk ("*") - Michael chose to put the symbol on each of the figures at various locales - an asterisk shaved on the back of Immune's flocked-afro, printed on the t-shirt of Tomm & tattooed on the left eye of Ocellus.
As well each box-set came with a removable pair of sneakers - with differing makes and shoe-brands (with the exception of the character "Immune" - who possessed two pairs of slippers onstead!), as well an asterisk print shirt, laptop, pet dog, extra pair of sneakers and sticker. Limited to 1000 sets per design (and came numbered as such), this to me; epitomized all that I blogged about all these years! The combination of both Eastern art toy sensibilities and 1/6-hobby, was exactly what I had been** looking for and wanted!
[Above: IMMUME]
[Above" D MON]
[Above" TOMM]
I was intrigued with miniaturized fabric-tailored clothes, and as well thronged the market looking for them! And the flocked-element to the character's hairstyles, was a swell nod to his first 1/6-release with felt-haired G.I.Joe figures in casual-wear (wish I had kept images of them for show too tho - and as well the hand-made boxes).
[Above: KILLJOY]
[Above: OCELLUS]
[Above: MADCAP]
Yes, you read that right, "**had been". Short-version of my woe-story, is that years ago I answered an online for sales of the series (at a not-too-decent price tho) and was literally minutes away from the dude's home to pick up the set and complete the sales with the agree-upon deal, when he called to cancel the sale, saying "the decided not to sell" - which in my parlance basically meant he found another buyer who was willing to pay a higher price for them. From then, I had not made any effort to secure the set any longer. (Yes, I had blogged this story before, but with more angst back in 2008 ;p)
Last time I asked, a local shop was offering them at SGD$200 per set (5 years ago maybe? LOL). Sadly, my stubbornness persists in the face of the lack of fate in owning them (when I could afford to) - but of course will surely change with yet another given chance to procure the 6, but at a ridiculously low price-point LOL -these days the price-points on online auctions range around US$199 per box (sans shipping). So good luck if you're hunting for the, and thumbs up if you happen to own them! A slice of toy-history from back in the day!
[All images and as well collection belongs to cosmicbaby - images used with permission]
