Long story short, I was reading the latest Hellboy TPB, The Storm and The Fury
This picture of Rasputen and Kroenen in the background is lit simply with a flashlight app (showing blue) on my Android tablet. While I do like the effect, I think I’ll need to shoot it again with blue coming from the left side of the screen and some regular lighting coming from the right – would like to see it with the mix of both.
Update: had to try it before bagging these guys up again –
Looking at this, I definitely prefer the lighting on the second, but the angle of the first shot. Which one do you like better?
It’s a fairly mundane shot, but it does give me a chance to wax poetic about just how much value Mezco was able to pack into these figures back in 2004 (wow, really?) This Hellboy came with an excellent soft goods BPRD trench coat that was removable, and that Samaritan could be cocked open for reloading. Abe came with interchangeable heads and gear so you could outfit him for time in the pool or out in the field.
There were lots of Hellboy variants, as you might have expected, but the pack-in accessories were pretty good – so you never really felt bad about buying yet another Hellboy. This stockade accessory lets you recreate the scenes leading up to the first movie’s finale. That thing is heavy, and the articulated bars lock the stockade closed. When you remove them, you can swing it open and free your Hellboy.
I tried many different lighting setups for this shot, but ultimately the overhead room light worked best, keeping Hellboy lit while the villains in the back stay in the shadows.
The fun factor of this line has really endured. So has the quality and value. I’ll have to revisit these guys, as well as the comic book line, soon.
You can check out more of our Mezco Hellboy coverage.
Mezco created some of he best edgy action figures there has ever been, period. Do you have Mr. Wink? That freakin colossus cost less than $15 bucks at time, and if it was sold today, you’d be paying at least $50! I know, times, value of the buck, etc., but the work that went into the paint and sculpt was crazy! I like Neca, but they still have not gotten to this level yet. I just wish Mez did more of this kind of work, more often. Can you imagine a Mezco Batman? I must go change my diapers…
I’ve still got that Wink! Great figure, even mailed away for the corrected head sculpt. And man, that military version Kroenen is so amazing, I wish that one had been in stores..
Yup. Got the alternate Wink head and the military Kroenen, very cool. The best of the best was the first 18 inch Hellboy though. Saw that sucker at a Megacon back in the stone-age, and Mezco was only there to demonstrate, not to sell. I offered my kidneys, but they wouldn’t budge. Bought the big guy later from Spencer gifts of all places, for just, get this, $40! I also have the comic version 18 inch with the (bomb) jet pack;awesome! I always wished Mez would have produced an in-scale Golden Army soldier in the 18 inch line. If wishes were fishes I’d smell like Salmon….
Those were great figs, and the comic ones were great too.
Back in 2004 you could find them at record stores, back when there were record stores.
But action figures were everywhere, at DVD stores, in computer game stores, at Hot Topic.. man, different world.