Toy-Review: Rebel Angel (GID Edition) by Mutineer Jun
"REBEL ANGEL" is a self-designed and self-produced vinyl toy from Taiwanese designer Mutineer Jun - with this 9 inch tall articulated figure brandishing a baseball bat and a pair of wings.
The GID (Glow In The Dark) Edition is being reviewed for this round, with this particular edition limited to only 50 pieces worldwide. The figure comes bagged and header-card tagged, and yes, this is a pretty huge figure, and quite a literal handful!
I find it hard to particularly categorize this figurine - with the best possible affiliation being a Japanese-influenced design, fueled with the vibe of punk rock and dwelling in the epic urbanscape of sub-culture, bats-a-ready for bludgeoning the naysayers. Truly nice, this.
Another aspect of the design which initially had me scratching my head, was the stance of the figure, like a half-hearted-"squat", instead of a cool-standing-stance which happens in most figures - and perhaps that is part of the charm, as the figure can be viewed as in "mid-motion", ready to take on anyone and anything?
I've not asked Jun about the origins of said design, but perhaps that would be for another post and not needed to "justify" the design for this review, IMHO.
One critique tho - I somehow wished the sneakers/shoes were just a tad larger - with the current design seemingly an uncomfortable fit with the body-size, but that's just me and my toy-upbringing with larger than life "urban-vinyl" sneakers on figurines LOL
I was going to go on about the wings being articulated or movable, but it's fine as it is now, and would make a cool custom-opportunity if ever I gain that courage to paint on this!
This vinyl bad-boy possesses a skull-face with a rotatable baseball-cap (360* turn). As well the neck is partially rotatable. Both arms and wrists are articulated, and the baseball bat is removable - which makes for great posing and play, I reckon. What is not articulated is the figure's waist, and wings.
Another articulated region are the two feet at the ankles, so your Rebel Angel does not need to stand like a dork with both sneakers apart LOL. Now with all that, this figure possesses a heck loads of articulation - perhaps a rarity in this age, given it's design and size, and as mentioned before, this is a huge figure (or you can argue my hands are "tiny" haha), and with a price point for this GID Edition pegged at US$70 (sans shipping) this might be a right bargain, methinks.
Truth be told, the design for Rebel Angel is best fully-appreciated with the painted version, with body "tattoos" and a bones-painted glove. Check out THIS LINK for coverage on this blog, which shows a myriad of editions, and make your way to http://mutineerjun.bigcartel.com where currently the GID-Edition and colored Tattoo Black Edition is available for sale. I am happy with my Edition, and I reckon if the genre appeals to you, this figure will be a delight.
Thanks for Rebel Angel, Jun! You ROCK!
