(Image © Bob Dob)
With a twenty-one baseball bat salute here comes Bob Dob's Mouseketeer Army Wil. After just having screened the New Zealand/Canadian joint venture Turbo Kid this figure (and his wayward brood) seemed all the more wildly relevant. Wil measures six inches tall and comes in a slim box with a target-shaped window exposing his instantly recognizable frown. The four characters in this series also include Devil Lock, Liberty and Death - all with various weapon accessories (in this case he carries a bat). These guys just might be escapees from the Disney's dark side and it's infamous Mickey Mouse Club. Let's have a look...
The ala "I Want You" Americana packaging grabs your attention with strong graphics on an otherwise almost bare cardboard box. Originally released in 2012 this figure exists in a short limited edition of only 250, likely with a dwindling stock you can pick him up through the artist directly, and vinyl producer 3D Retro. When you get this it comes with a t-shirt, patch and stickers too.
The snap-pack innards keep the figure well locked in and safe.
Wil was masterfully sculpted by October Toys with special focus on the facial features and broken mouse cap ear. His catepillar-like brows make him a sorta modern day, pissed-off foreign cousin to any roughneck in The Warriors. The Doc Marten meets Paul Bunyan lace-ups are perfectly ironic given the rest of his sunny Californian costume. Have a detailed look at these features:
Perhaps the 'Luey' tattoo is a decal, though it is detailed and a perfect element to match the brutish black eye and street-smarts of this well-rounded concept for a character. I can almost hear "It's A Small World after all......" chiming in the background as I pour over the distinctive characteristics of Wil - that with flashbacks of a certain scene in A Clockwork Orange flow vividly through my mind.
This lil' tough guy has two solid legs to stand on, and carries a big stick. The paint application has a slightly antiqued/worn look on his face in particular, which makes him seem more realistic than an average doll or cartoony figure. The only thing I'd change, and I know how much time it would take, would be doing the same to other parts of the figure, especially to make the boots a little more 'leathery'. Otherwise, this is a total keeper.
RATING
- Paint: 8/10
- Sculpt: 9.5/10
- Design/Packaging: 8.5/10