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Presently Michael is not the only figure artist from Hong Kong to have made a name for himself. Albeit no one can argue that he wasn't the first to inspire a new generation of figure artists. Michael's contemporaries include Eric So and a collective group known as Brothers Worker also out of Hong Kong. Eric So first made his mark in the toy world making Bruce Lee figures and 70's period-piece costumes for Lee as well. When he began stylizing his figures in the animated fashion of Michael, Lee also gained the attention of collectors. Sprite picked up So to do an add campaign. Eric created a group of colorful six-inch kids each representative of youth culture. The concept was very Gardener but the look was definitely Eric So. Of the three artists from Hong Kong Eric's style is grounded heavily in his toy background. His figures look the most commercial, yet his style is still unique. Eric has also designed figures for Hot Toys (a highly collectible Hong Kong toy manufacturer) and the Hot Toys HALO (military figures) Project. As well as Bearbrick and Masks clothing. Eric's large stylized series is called the Estate collection. It centers around Hong Kong actor and member of LMF Sam Lee and the people in his neighborhood. |
 Here is an overview of Eric's figures. By rows from top to bottom: Bruce Lee, Sprite 6" and 3", Masks and Hot Toys, HALO and Bearbric, the Estate series |
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All about Brothersfree Ltd.
Brothersfree is a trio of figure artists Winson Ma, William Tsang and Kenny Wong, all from Hong Kong. Their line is centered around a group of construction workers known as Brothers Worker. There is also a set of figures made up to look like clowns known as Brothers Joker. In addition to the stylized look of the figures Brothers Worker's biggest contribution to 12" figures are the tools of the workers. Prior to Brothers Worker tools, utility belts and work clothes were rare for 12" figures. The Brothers Worker team not only created the clothes but all of the tools. This includes: pickax, sledgehammer, hammers, hacksaw, gloves, pliers, wrenches, shovels, crowbars, jackhammers, pipe wrenches, acetylene tanks, welding torches, hard-hats and an air compressor. The same attention to detail can be seen on the Brothers Jokers figures. Balloons, unicycles, clown hats and shoes were rarely made for 12" figures. |
 The Brothers Worker crew from left to right: Monkey, Big Mac, Baby, Bomb, Popeye, Tank, Seven (on ladder), Monday, Smart, Money
The Brothers Joker figures from left to right: BJ Bowl, BJ Hammer, BJ Captain, BJ Bear, BJ Angel, BJ Fever and BJ Fire |
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Mark Landwehr, from Germany, is the artist and designer behind Coarsetoys. His figures are inspired in part by Michael, however Mark excels in strong angles and sharp corners on his figures. The Coarsetoy figures have an illustrative-synthetic feel to them as opposed to the natural curves in Michael's work. The Coarsetoy figures were supposed to launch last year, however rising costs in production and high quality control demands quickly stopped the project. The Vans shoe company helped pick up the cost of production and the figures are now back on track and scheduled to arrive in September 2004. There is one major reason why I am calling Mark a contemporary of Michael. In Mark's own words: "The coarsetoys project is initiated just for fun not for profit." That's a very good attitude for any and all aspiring figure artists to adopt. |
  Above left is Flake and directly above is Fluid. |
 Click on Michael's back to go to the Crossover Projects page. |
 Click on Michael to go to the Bootleg Information page. |
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There are rules regarding the images on these pages:
Fan-based web page and illustrations by Noe V. Updated Quarterly |