It's been since earlier this year that we brought you something from artist Nathan Hamill, but we could not resist when the impending (and too cute for school) Lavabear landed on our doorstep. And this thing growls righteously in purplish hues and a penetrating stare into your personal space.
THE MAMMALIA EDITION: We are convinced that there is something subliminal going on here. This vinyl figure reads almost as if there are two figures (maybe three) at top and in the lower quadrants. There's something sub-compartmental as you look between the head and the torso (oh, the arms are also articulated!). Almost as if it's part bear and part bird (and/or mouse)...but perhaps that's just a hallicinatory happenstance moment. I enjoy that it keeps you looking and thinking. So we reached out to the artist for comment and he said:
"As far as the design goes, there are a lot of elements that influenced it. Having said that, I don't want to flat out say what some of the hidden design elements are. I prefer they remain a mystery. Like all of my work though, it's a mixture of many things that inspired me growing up and continue to shape the look of what I create."
STARE-Y EYED! As we look closely there's a lot of exciting detail throughout the figure, which by the way comes in a few different colorways (each with 125-150 pieces) and measure 8" tall. This guy was originally released in 2014 in a classic edition that sorta blends a touch of retro with the sublimely unconscious. The colors here (mammalia ed.) inform a sense of temperature, he's getting warmer! Hey, he is Lavabear and as legend would have it:
"Lavabear was once a shapeless, colorless being created from stardust by The Those. Over time, he rose into a vibrant, ursine-esque creature. His sole purpose was to guard the entrance to the Sacred Realms of Märchen and, along with it, its memories, treasures, and secrets.
The legend goes that if awoken from his deep hibernation, those foolhardy enough to trespass on his Sacred Grounds will be met with a terrible and ancient wrath. His paws, it was said, shall lower, igniting the Eyes of Ulyssia and, with it, one thousand cursed flames. Once alive, Lavabear will seek down the intruders and bury their bones in his fiery belly…returning him once again to his deep, sound slumber."
DEVILISH + CEREBRAL: The packaging is wildly exploratory and seems a slight nod to both Disney and Kenny Scharf, contemporized with a twist of Dali for good measure. His tail is something of a stylized flame! The full image appears when you slip over to Hamill's site here. This edition is sold out ont he artist's website but you might get lucky to find it here. Produced with the creative minds of 3D Retro they have the classic version as well as the new SDCC GITD Version available! He's a keeper and will go up on the shelf somewhere near Sire + Strife!
RATING
Paint: 8/10
Sculpt: 9.5/10
Originality: Perfect 10!
Packaging/Design: 8.5/10
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Special Thanks to DKE Toys