Toy-Review: 12" Hommie - Heineken x erickot (Released 2003)
TOY-STORY: Beer brand Heineken x Hong Kong performing artist Eric Kot collaborated for a promotional figure in 2001 - dubbed the 12" HOMMIE from HEINEKEN x ERIKOT, whereby a all-black skinned figure adorned a dark-grey sweater and a pair of denim jeans bearing the signature pattern of that time, on it's pocket. I had somewhat seen the ad on a magazine (most probably MiLK or East Touch) and had grabbed the figure in my 2004-one week trip to HK - only to find out later I was hardly "intact" as it was supposed include 3 safe-suitcases bearing the following - to be "complete".
[The above-posted is an Ebay-image]
How to procure the 3 boxes and props, remain still a mystery to me. After gleefully walking off with the single box and figure, I had actually thought the figure only came with a single Heineken beer bottle, until much later when googling found my set wanting. Regardless, it was a lesson learnt, that nobody is going to do you any favors, and you need to research and ask until you know the full picture, before you lay down the dough to score yourselves a plastic mandolly worth the dough (and I thought I scored it at a good price too! Somethings are too good to be true). And as well learn to OPEN the box to see if everything is intact! LOL (Walk away from sealed boxes, especially if it is second hand)
One aspect of this figure set, is that I am unable to find the quantity by which they were produced and released to the public.
PACKAGING: One thing which caught my eye initially, was the utterly utilitarian brown carton-box with black print. No fuss, no frills, no pomp. Now, I wish they had at least a flye-page or image-sticker somewhere on the box, to mention about the accessories set as well! But gosh bless them for printing a whole other heck of info in the box though...
Released in 2003 by double X workshop, the box set was a made in collaboration with New Balance (hence the 1/6-shoes - which caught my main attention, truth be told LOL) and Heineken, and was manufactured by "happy".
TRAY: Housed within the brown box, was a black plastic tray holding the singular figure. The tray had a cover which was flocked-black with embossed text "Heineken x erickot HOMMIE" on it. Pretty swish, that. I remember being extremely happy to have opened the covers to see the figure within - the anticipation was pretty excited, truth be told! (I am a simple man).
FIGURE: THe figure itself was utilitarian with the entire body in black color - not painted on after the manufactuer. The headsculpt was especially interesting during that time, as most had followed the "urban designer" caricature-look, with the only figures looking "realistically human" being military-based figures (as well licensed ones - but more on that next post). The "baldness" was interesting a look too, and bucked the trend of modern Asian-dos LOL.
CLOTHES: Given that time, the tailoring on this item was extremely lush, I have to say. The sweater-top had impeccable stitching, with the text "Heineken" silkscreen down one sleeve, as well a clothes-tag down the body-side (pretty impressive that). And you can see this figure wasn't necessarily rushed out to cash in on the hype then, IMHO.
SNEAKERS: All this begun with two things - me seeing and looking the Heniken beer bottle 1/6-prop, and wanting the pair of black sneakers! (Buy a figure for the sneakers? Welcome to my world "then" muahahahahaha). Sponsorship wise, New Balance stepped up to the plate (every other shoes on 1/6 were mostly adidas, and subsequently Nike, actually LOL).
JEANS: Undoubtably the highlight of the figure, the design and treatment of the back-pocket was impressively cool. The threading of the denim jeans was decent-fine, with the material thinner than expected (compared to other releases that had a "thickness" to the material and fold, of that time). The jeans did not come with a belt, but the cutting was pretty neat, and held the figure at the waist admirably. Space was of course provided, for the addition of the boxer-shorts in the accessories set. Darn I want that accessory set.
WRAP-UP: The complete set image is from a current Ebay listing with a price-point of US$175 sans shipping. While I hardly think US$175 might be worth it, the reality is there might not be a whole lot of figures out there to grab, aging over 8 years old. I would have gone for it if I did not already possess the figure itself though, if only for a slice of good memory of the era (but not necessarily of the "transaction" LOL). You decide for yourselves!
FYI: Eric Kot and Jan Lamb were two radio personalities in Hong Kong, as well as delving into hippo with being "SoftHard" - which saw a collaboration with Junko Mark and Michael Lau for the Lam Mun Lung set (in 2008). ML's Lam Dog figures were also named after Jan Lamb.
