MKO Exclusive: Syco Collectibles First-Look Preview Blowout and More! - Part III

Posted at 09/14/2011 09:55 PM EDT by

At the beginning of the summer, Mortal Kombat Online was proud to announce it's affiliation with Syco Collectibles - a specialty manufacturer in licensed and proprietary collectible products who has recently acquired the Mortal Kombat licence for both Mortal Kombat 2011 and 'Klassic' Mortal Kombat's to manufacture highly-detailed and faithful Characters from our beloved franchise. You can check out the last weeks feature right here. Due to the forever changing world of sculpting and manufacturing collectible products, we are unable to reveal the sculpt of Liu Kang and Ermac in their fullest this time around, but we have got some exclusive teaser images! Follow down to view them!

"Check out the Full Details on the Raiden Statue, Our Full Interview with the COO and the Shao Kahn Bust and more in the Second Part of our Syco Collectibles Feature ! "

This week we give you an Exclusive First-Look Preview at their upcoming 10" sculpt statuette of the Edenian Princess - Kitana - Who is the first in their 'Enchanted Warriors of Mortal Kombat' range and is available to Pre-Order right now. The Princess will come complete with her deadly yet beautiful Fans, the final product will have the patterns on the fans and the blades made from metal and the fans in a coated paper. Kitana will retail for $129.99 - But MK Online members can nab an exclusive 20% Discount. Read on for more information. Product is not final and is subject to change!

Kitana 10" Statue Discount Link!

"Kitana and Mileena will be able to stand 'Back to Back' with one another on an Exclusive Base which will be available to purchase seperately. More information on this exciting addition in Part Four of our Feature. "

To coincide with Kitana, we can also exclusively reveal the in-progress, unpainted sculpt of the Edenian Renegade, Jade! Her final design will feature real chains attached to her costume and it has yet to be decided whether her trusty Staff will feature fluorescent neon paint or will be a clear staff with an LED light running through the center.

Syco Collectibles have also kindly given us some sneak-peek teaser images of the Champion of Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang and a very enthralling tease of the upcoming 18" Premium Statuette of The Telekinetic, Red-Clad Ninja, Ermac [Who will both be revealed fully in the next installment of our ongoing feature]!

We will have another batch of exclusive First-Look Previews very soon with the reveal of the 10" Statues for The Maneater herself Mileena in her Primary and Flesh Pit costumes, the Enigmatic Telekenetic Warrior, Ermac and the Chosen One; Liu Kang and more!

" "Characters like Sonya, Skarlet, Johnny Cage, Sindel, Reptile, Shao Kahn, Baraka, Kenshi, Noob Saibot and Kung Lao are currently in the pipeline with the rest of the Roster expected to follow! "

This week, I engaged in a mini-interview with Syco Collectibles Head Sculptor, Mason Cheng, who provides us with insight and knowledge of the sculpting process and who he is most looking forward to immortalizing in stone:

[MKO] 1.) Hey Mason. Incredible work with your sculpts so far. Syco Collectibles must be very proud! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into the world of sculpting? [Mason] Thank you very much! I learnt my trade in Art College and I have now been working as a sculptor for nearly 13 years. I guess I’m just a normal guy who is fortunate to do what he loves!

2.) How did you end up getting involved with Syco Collectibles? Well, it was actually quite a coincidence! I had some sculpts that I’d made displayed in the window of my ground floor apartment. Jonathan and Mikael happened to walk by and my figures caught their attention and we started to talk. I agreed to do a test sculpt for them in order to show them what I could do. They were very pleased with the result and I’ve been working for Syco Collectibles ever since!

3.) Could you run us through the process of sculpting the characters? What makes it fun and are there any obstacles you encounter along the way? First of all I start with a wire frame and make a basic shape of the pose. Then I shove a load of clay onto it and start to build and form the basic body. From there I can start to build the correct proportions and form the body and muscles. After I feel that this looks correct I will start to smooth out the figure so it is very smooth and ready to start all the details. Once this is complete I will start adding all the details on to the face and the hands. I will then start to add the clothing onto the figure and finally the texturing. What makes it fun, interesting and challenging is to be able to create something from just looking at images. As for obstacles, the main thing is that the feeling has to be right. It’s very hard to explain but if the feeling is not there it will affect the final result and being a bit of a perfectionist I’d have to start over again...

4.) Approximately, how long does it take to complete a sculpt ready for it to become a mould and to qualify for the paintmaster? It depends on the size and on how detailed the character is in terms of costume etc. Normally I sculpt a 10” statue in about one month but again it varies a great deal.

5.) Have you played Mortal Kombat previously? What's your favourite aspect of the franchise? My bosses made me play it (for educational purposes they said haha). I really enjoyed it but my wife wasn’t as happy since I missed dinner that night!

6.) Do you have a favourite character? I’ve learnt to like a few. All the females are cool and gorgeous but if I had to pick one I’d say Kung Lao.

7.) Who in particular are you most excited to start sculpting and why ? I’m happy to sculpt any character to be honest. There are a few that would be quite challenging such as Baraka and his teeth but I like a challenge! I can tell you who I really enjoyed sculpting was Liu Kang. Since most characters I’ve sculpted before have been more ‘Western looking’ it was interesting to sculpt someone with Asian features like myself.

Great stuff! Thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us, Mason; and keep up the phenomenal work! We look forward to seeing more of your sculpts in the coming months!

MK Online Member Discount : As we've mentioned in our previous features; we have managed to procure a fantastic oppurtunity for the MK Online kommunity! Syco Collectibles are to be offering us and yourselves a generous and staggering 20% lifetime discount on all their Mortal Kombat Collectibles current and future. Below are the updated links for each currently available product for pre-order at the exclusive 20% Discount:

The time has come for the Mortal Kombat Online Community to choose their preferred Exclusive Custom Statuette andcreate its unique design! Like we reported in our first article back in July,Syco Collectibles offered Mortal Kombat Online this unique opportunity and we are excited to announce that we have advanced to the finals.

After a tight competition that featured 12 Popular Nominees, we concluded Round 3 with the Top 2 most voted statues:

The MK Dragon and Motaro

(pictures are not their final design and just represent the general idea)

Only one of them will stand as the Final Winner! Either the iconic MK Dragon or the Centaur Motaro! One will become the Custom Statuette that will represent the MK community. Remember: the winner and its unique design will be chosen and created by YOU!

In this Finale, we will determinate the pose and special design of your chosen statue. Whether you want them performing a special move, an iconic pose, or a Fatality attack, it is up to you to decide.

You must proceed to the second post of this article in order to read the rules and cast your Final vote.

If you haven't been keeping up with our updates concerning the amazing Syco Collectibles, make sure to check out the following articles:

* Syco Collectibles Part I (Exclusive Reveal + Announcement)
* Syco Collectibles Part II (Exclusive Reveal + Interview)
* Syco Collectibles MKO Exclusive Ideas Thread
* Syco Collectibles MKO Statuette ROUND 1
* Syco Collectibles MKO Statuette ROUND 2
* Syco Collectibles MKO Statuette ROUND 3

The Poll had been going on for just over a month and the winner was clear. Rain had beaten Kenshi by almost 250 votes and has since strongly influenced Syco Collectibles next collectible. With Rain being crowned the winner of this Poll. Syco would now like to know whether you want Rain as a 10" or a Premium 18" statue first. So be sure to cast your votes on the latest poll on the left-hand side to ensure you get Rain how you want him! Don't despair though, Kenshi lovers. Syco Collectibles are also in talks with producing a Kenshi collectible later down the line!

Check back soon when we will have even more Exclusive First-Look Previews and the Reveals of the upcoming 10" Mileena Primary, Mileena Flesh Pit and Liu Kang Statues and further details on Future Character Statues, Busts and Dioramas along with further information on Member Discounts and more! Until then feast your eyes on the magnificent collectibles in the images above, cast your vote on the Poll as this is going to be a real Kommunity-Intensive venture so be sure to show your support and appreciation for Syco Collectibles by visiting their links below and by purchasing some of their incredible collectibles to add to your current Mortal Kombat Kollections! Stay tuned for Part IV of our Syco Collectible Feature!

Syco Collectibles Website and Online Store

Keep up to date with all things Syco Collectibles and Mortal Kombat related by following us over on Twitter at@MK_Online or by liking us over on our Facebook Page. Think you've got a news story? Send your submissions to our MKO Newslead.