Action figures have long been a perfect compliment to comic books, since every kid (or kid at heart) has that natural desire to act out adventures with their favorite heroes off the drawn page. Every so often, a unique style of figure comes along that breaks the mold, so to speak. Each Saturday, Donny B will be showcasing various offerings from Art Asylum’s take on the ‘block figure’, with a weekly spotlight on Minimates.
Minimates don’t exactly have a huge corner on the action figure market. In fact, when most people see a minimate, they just assume it’s a Lego figure. Since Art Asylum is fighting an uphill battle for recognition (and therefore, sales), they have to rely heavily on recognizable characters that will catch the eye of the casual buyer. However, the addition of a couple big names in a wave is enough to carry the occasional obscure character that only appeals to the more hardcore collector.
Last week’s photo featured two very high profile characters from Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 2 movie. This week, we’re taking a trip to the opposite end of the spectrum with a look at Ambush Bug.
DC Comics’ off-the-wall character, known for breaking the 4th wall and displaying whacky antics, is far from being a household name. However, Ambush Bug has gained a cult following from his sporadic slap-stick appearances over the years, and apparently Art Asylum felt that they would do well to honor those few proud fans.
A far cry from the detailed look of the Iron Man Moviemate sculpts, Ambush Bug sports the basic Minimate body, with only one small sculpted piece. Not only is this week’s Minimate an antithesis of the high recognition factor of last week’s featured ‘mates, but it also represents the “minimalistic” look that Minimates became famous for.
Behind the Image:
As is my usual technique when photographing small objects (remember that minimates stand at a mere 2 inches), I set my camera to macro mode to belie the small scale. Then, to enhance this photo’s overall look via post production work, I ran it through some Photoshop filters that intensified and contrasted the color scheme.
On Ebay: Ambush Bug