Last month, 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 last weeks feature right here. We regret to inform you, but due to unforseen circumstances we are unable to show you the images of Mileena's sculpt this time around [Whom we announced previously] as she is now in the process of being re-sculpted. More information on her when it becomes available. Until then...
"Check out the Full Details on the Sub-Zero and Scorpion Statues and more in the First Part of our Syco Collectibles Feature! "
"Check out the Full Details on the Jade and Kitana Statues and loads more in the Third Part of our Syco Collectibles Feature! "
This week we give you an Exclusive First-Look Preview at their upcoming 10" final, WB approved; paintmaster sculpt statuette of the Thunder God himself, Raiden who is expected to become available to purchase in the Fall of this year with pre-orders being taken now! Raiden will come complete with deity-like White LED eyes and electifying Blue LED Hands along with a Removable Hat and will come on a 12" cast base. Raiden, like the rest of the 10" Range will retail for $164.99 - But MK Online members can nab an exclusive 20% Discount. Read on for more information!
Syco Collectibles have also kindly given us some sneak-peek teaser images of The Champion of Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang [Who will be revealed fully in the next installment of our ongoing feature] with the ever so talented Sculptor, Mason Cheng at work on his sculpt and a very enthralling tease of the upcoming 1:2 Scale Bust of The Emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn!
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"Syco Collectibles would like us to announce, for those who may not be aware that they have acquired permission to create products on the three MK DLC characters - Skarlet, Kenshi and Rain if the demand is strong enough!"
We will have another batch of exclusive First-Look Previews very soon with the reveal of the 10" Statues for the The Princess of Edenia, Kitana, the Renegade Edenian Friend, Jade and the Chosen One, Liu Kang!
""Characters like Sonya, Ermac, Skarlet, Johnny Cage, Sindel, Reptile, Sektor, Baraka, Noob Saibot and Kung Lao are currently in the pipeline with the rest of the Roster expected to follow!"
This week, myself and queve engaged in conversation with Syco Collectibles Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mikael Wallman. We get down to business and discuss upcoming statues, the process behind the sculpting and why they are so passionate about Mortal Kombat!:
(MKO) 1) Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and what was the inspiration that moved you to acquire the Mortal Kombat license? Why Mortal Kombat? We are a Swedish/UK company who shares a strong passion for collectibles and video games. Mortal Kombat has been a personal favourite of ours for a long time and was our first choice in terms of licenses and we are absolutely delighted that we were able to sign a deal with Warner Bros.
2) Syco Collectibles is very well known and respected for the high quality work of its products. Can you tell us a bit about the decisions and the design process that takes place when sculpting and creating your collectibles? Thank you! Well, after deciding upon which character we are going to do, we go through various options for poses with our sculptor, based upon the reference that we are given by WB and from playing the game and looking at some of the key poses of that character. We then have regular get-togethers to discuss possible changes or amendments to the sculpt. Once the clay sculpt sample is finished and approved by WB we will go to the next step, which is first to make a grey sample followed by what we call a Paint master, which is 90% accurate to what the final product will look like. Once the Paint Master is approved by WB, it is at this point we will put it up on the website for Pre-Orders. We then work with the factory on the Pre-Production sample, which will include all the features, such as lights etc. Once we have approved this we have to send the Pre Production sample to WB for final approval. As soon as we get this along with the final orders we hit production!
3) Awesome stuff, Mikael. Mortal Kombat has always been praised for its memorable and deep storyline, often referred as the "best and most complex story" in any fighting video game. What is it about the story of the Universe of Mortal Kombat that SycoCollectibles appreciate the most? The fact that the MK story is complex makes the game so much more appealing and interesting. Since each character has a distinct story to them, the fans get a wider variety of cool and electrifying characters to choose from! I also believe that the people behind the latest game have done a very good job in making the story mode attractive to both the experienced MK gamers as well as the players enjoying the game for the first time.
4) Tell us a little bit more about the famous characters that will be immortalized through your statues collection: Raiden, Mileena, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Kitana, Liu Kang, Shao Kahn and Reptile. Can you tell us what are the important points that were taken into consideration when choosing and deciding for these particular characters? Our release schedule is not yet finished but the characters mentioned will definitely be made at some stage. The first thing that needs to be taken into consideration is whether the particular character has a following or not. We might like a particular character but if he or she is not that popular among the thousands of MK fans out there then there’s no point making that character a priority.
5) Can you give us a few hints and clues as to what characters to expect in the future MortalKombat(2011) line? Can fans be assured of the inclusion of fan-favorite names such as Ermac, Sindel, Kabal, Stryker, Jade, Jax, Kano, Shang Tsung, Smoke, Nightwolf, Nitara, and Baraka among others? We will try our very best to do as many characters as we possibly can over our licence period. Without revealing too much I can tell you that names such as Sindel, Sonya Blade, Goro, Baraka, Noob Saibot will eventually be made but there is room for more and the fans will have a big say in what we come out with by voting in future polls etc.
6) The MK female characters have an extremely vocal, big, and ardent fan-community, however, there's been very little of them in terms of merchandize and they've been constantly limited to just a few products. MK fans have always been disappointed about this particular issue. Can the community feel reassured that SycoCollectibles will definitely tackle the ladies of MK? Absolutely! The girls of MK are simply too stunning and cool to not be immortalized in stone, so we are planning to do as many as we can!
7) Can you tell us your opinion on the female characters that will get their chance to be immortalized in your incredible statues and busts (Mileena, Sonya Blade, Jade, Kitana…anyone else)? Again, there are so many fans out there who would like to see different female characters sculpted but I believe most people would be disappointed if Mileena, Kitana and Sonya Blade didn’t feature in all their glamour.
8) Like Scorpion's spear and Sub-Zero's ice, all of the female characters posses a variety of iconic and recognizable special powers and moves. Can fans expect to see their statues featuring their popular trademark powers? For example: Sonya with her Energy Rings or/and Kisses of Death? Sindel with her sonic scream and/or her famous super long hair? How will you decide what to feature in their sculpts? Popular trademark powers and poses is a constant debate in the office and we have received many great suggestions from a lot of MK fans. Of course we want to please the MK fans by being very creative regarding this but we also have to be realistic about what is possible and what is not as we don’t want to compromise on quality or the look of the final product. However, rest assured that we will try our very best!
9) How will you ultimately decide which costumes to use for the MK characters' final design? In MK(2011) some of them feature very popular Alternate designs while others have more popular Primary designs. For example: Jade's Primary (with her mask and golden chains) and Sonya's Alternate (with her hat, shorts, boots, and aviators). This is also a tricky one and something that the fans out there are commenting on a great deal. We will again try and listen to what the fans have to say and for characters with two different cool outfits we might make two statues where one is a more exclusive version.
10) Can you tell us more about your "Klassic's Mortal Kombat" line? Does it cover characters from MK1 through MK4? If so, can we also expect to see the MK: Deadly Alliance and Deception characters and their costumes designs as part of the collectible statues (such as: Reiko, Tanya, Li Mei, Havik, Hotaru, Ashrah, Kenshi, Mavado, Frost, Nitara, etc)? Our license covers MK1, MK2, MK3 and MK9 so you can definitely expect something Klassic in the future. What we will do for klassics will most likely be up to the fans on our different social network sites to decide, providing we get approval from WB off course.
11) How do you plan to keep your different character statues distinctive and memorable? Will some characters be featured in iconic poses? Will others feature trademark special powers or accessories? Will all have special base designs? You will certainly see Iconic poses no doubt about it! We will do our best to have some trademark special powers in some of the statues as well. Accessories however are not included in our licence but if there is a great demand for them we could possibly have that added. Concerning bases all 18 inch bases will be the same whereas the 10” bases will vary in colour though the base design will stay the same. As for the 1:2 Scale Busts the logos on the base will differ depending on what character we do. There will be a few different designed bases for some of the exclusive stuff and dioramas that we’re planning to do.
12) Can we expect to see more than one statue and/or busts for certain male and female characters? Will they feature different and alternative costume designs? For example: An MK(2011) Ermac's alternate costume statue and his Primary costume as a bust. Or an MK:Deadly Alliance Li Mei Primary and her MK:Deception armor alternate costume? We like the sound of that and it is certainly a possibility as long as there’s enough interest out there!
13) Will some of the female characters also be featured in your "Klassic Mortal Kombat" line? For example: Kitana's MK2 retro costume with her iconic steel-fans, Jade's retro MK3 costume, Mileena's famous MK:Deception costume with her veil, Sonya's MK4 Special Forces costume, etc? We will most likely do a ‘complete’ poll regarding the “Klassic stuff” where fans can vote not only for a character but also for costumes and poses etc.
14) Can you tell us when and exactly how often are we to expect the release of your MK character statues? Our plan is to release one statue a month with the exception of a few months a year when we will release two (for example our very first two 10” statues Sub Zero & Scorpion). The plan is to ship at the end of the month but this could change due increased production time etc. We realise that by doing it this way some fans will have to wait a long time for their favourite character to come out but since there are people out there who would like to collect the entire range we need to have a release schedule that is suited to all wallets.
15) Mortal Kombat fans are well known for being very passionate and vocal about their beloved franchise and you've shown us that you are very active and communicative with your fans through Facebook and Twitter. Do you take into serious consideration the fans' opinions and suggestions? How valued are the opinions of the fans to SycoCollectibles? Since we believe that the fans are the true experts we take all suggestions and opinions very seriously. Therefore we always encourage all MK fans out there to keep the ideas coming! As you know we recently ran a poll for our next 18” premium statue and there will be more similar polls in the future for the fans.
16) Considering the large number of requests that you probably receive from all the MK fans: how are you aiming to please such a diverse crowd? What makes some suggestions and requests more agreeable to implement than some others? Good question! We have gotten all sorts of interesting, clever and very funny requests on yours and different forums and it’s great to see how passionate people are about their favourite characters, poses, settings etc. We are very fortunate to have a brilliant sculptor in Mason Cheng but there are sadly not many of him out there and since we don’t want to compromise on quality, things will take time, which means it will be very difficult to do everything that people ask us to do.
17) We can definitely appreciate that fact! Can we expect to see MK Dioramas featuring important and classic MK-story moments and rivalries such as: Motaro VS Sheeva, Kung Lao VS Goro, Sektor VS Cyrax, Sonya Blade VS Kano, Mileena VS Kitana, Nightwolf VS Sindel, etc? A diorama will definitely be made at some point. This is something that we discussed from the very start and we believe that MK dioramas would look awesome! Making a diorama is however very time consuming so we have to make sure that whatever we choose to do is what a lot of fans would like to see!
18) The Universe of MK is also about beautifully detailed arenas and worlds. Are there any plans on sculpting famous MK arenas/worlds for Dioramas or for character bases? For example: The living Forest, Tsung's Throne room, The Wastelands, Evil Monastery, Kahn's Colliseum, Edenia, The Pit, Wu Shi-Academy, Courtyard, Warrior Shrine, Outworld, etc? Absolutely! We also think that an MK arena would look amazing in a diorama so this is definitely in the plans. The headache will be to pick the best ones!
19) Agreed! So are there any plans on creating "Tag-Team" statues that bring together iconic alliances such as: Shao Kahn and Sindel (Outworld Rulers), Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade (Lovers and only survivors), Shang Tsung and Quan Chi (Deadly Alliance), Cyrax and Sektor and Smoke (Lin Kuei), Raiden and Fujin (Protectors of Earth), etc? YES! A cool Tag-Team diorama is a must! Again the hard part will be deciding which one to go for but I’m sure all the good people in the MK community will give us some great suggestions!
) What are the chances of seeing special-mini sculptures dedicated to popular MK objects such as: Shinnok's amulet, Sub-Zero's Lin Keu Medallion, Shao Kahn's throne, characters masks and iconic weapons, an MK bible, the Special Forces ID's, etc? Unfortunately the license we have doesn’t include this but we can try and get it added if this is something that people would definitely order!
21) Let's hope the demand is there (which we believe it is) - Is there anything else in particular you would like to add or say to your fans? Thanks a lot for the brilliant support, feedback and suggestions we have received so far! Without you guys this wouldn’t be possible so we take our hats off and bow. Also a big thanks to Mortal Kombat Online for your fantastic support and encouragement from day one!
You're very welcome! Thanks so much for your time, Mikael; and remember. Mortal Kombat Online is right behind you and we are very excited to see what you come up with in the near future!
"Syco Collectibles would like to offer MK Online a Custom, Exclusive Statuette voted for and chosen by the Kommunity - Have your say in the Exclusive MK Online Statuette - Member Submission's Thread!! "
MK Online Member Discount: As we mentioned last week, 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:
As we mentioned last week, Syco Collectibles have been taking note of the acclaim and demand the kommunity has had for the latest games DLC Kombatant's, the telekinetic swordsman, Kenshi and the upcoming traitor to the realm of Edenia, Rain, Syco Collectibles would like to know which of these two warriors would best be suited immortalised in Polystone. We are currently presenting a Poll on our front page for who you'd want to see more as a 10" statue. The results of this poll will influence and possibily dictate which kombatant will make the sculpting table first! So if you want Rain over Kenshi, or Kenshi over Rain be sure to cast your vote to the left-hand side!
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Check back soon when we will have Exclusive First-Look Previews of the upcoming 10" Kitana, Jade 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 and submit your thought and ideas on the Exclusive MK Online Statuette - Member Submission's Thread!! 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 III of our Syco Collectible Feature!
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.
