Behind The Figure: Go Hero
- Sep 9, 2015
- 7 min read
Today we are talking to Steve Forde, the man behind toymaker Go Hero (and Marusan USA). Based near Philly this guy has been one of those rare champions, bringing new life to very cool retro lines like Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, The Shadow and other interesting properties like Bat Boy (from the Weekly World News). Recently I got the chance to speak with him about what happens behind-the-scenes at Go Hero.....
Q: First of all, congratulations on your recent ten year anniversary! Although you guys have been around since '01, right? How did you celebrate?
A: Thanks! Unofficially, I started Go Hero in 2001…officially in 2003. Honestly, the date flew by and I did not notice. One day I saw one of our contemporaries who started about the same time celebrating their anniversary and hit me. We have so many plates spinning that there was no time to notice. Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do? How about a nap?
Q: In retrospect, as a fine collectibles maker can you name a few of your most interesting highlights over the past decade?
A: There was my first figure, Mechabot. Toy making was new to me and I dove in head first making multiple designs, a costume, even a short film. No idea what I was doing, but it won awards and opened a lot of doors. I met a lot of great people who would go on to have amazing successes in toys and pop-culture.
The other moment was when I moved into 1:6 with the Buck Rogers projects. I really immersed myself in that retro future mindset and it really changed me in many ways as a designer. I got inside the head of some of these designers from 90 years ago who imagined the future. The art coming out of those decades are so influential and regularly referenced today in nearly every major sci-fi property. It was educational and enjoyable to be in that space (pun intended).
Q: Go Hero has some wonderful licenses, and some original figures too. When we look at what's being produced these days we see a lot of repeats across several brands, blockbuster begetting blockbuster. Can you say something about how you go about choosing what to develop? And maybe a little about the licensing process and the relationship/s you build with the original/domain?
A: When we set out to license projects it was about serving the underserved and paying homage to the originals. So, Buck was a great place to start because he was the start of so much. That sort of started to form this “First-Ever Figure” concept. I saw a lot of projects that I felt deserved fresh attention and became a brand specialist in that way. The Go Hero brand is really about being positive, fun, and design driven. I like stuff I can show my kids and not feel like I am corrupting their sensibilities. Projects that are overly sexy, slasher, dark, or too adult are not really compatible with the brand. So I tend to put the Go Hero name on projects that fit certain creative and brand criteria. I do end up consulting on other projects that are more mature, but I don’t consider them to be Go Hero signature products.
As for being blockbuster…honestly, it is secondary for me. For good and bad, it is not my biggest concern as to whether there is a big movie coming up. We love the original source material that spawns the sequels, reboots etc. and know how to treat it. So whether the gritty reboot is a success or not, we have done right by the originals.
When it comes to original properties, like Space-Elf or Mechabot, I add the burden of trying to be really design driven and creative when it comes to the content creation. These projects tend to be more personal to me, so they take bit longer and the process is more painful. Hopefully people will enjoy them and get what I am trying to do.
Q: With the growing popularity of 1:6 Scale figures out there, Hot Toys, 3A, Sideshow Collectibles - how do you align with the marketplace? Do you have a solid fanbase of collectors?
A: We are a bit of an oddity. Our fans are figure lovers, Hollywood Directors, 80 year old grandpas who finally got to see their beloved hero in 3D. So we serve collectors who love retro sci-fi as a genre as well as comic character iterations.
In terms of quality, we are getting better all the time. With our partnership with Executive Replicas and Phicen, we have access to reliable production that we can trust and who understand our vision. This is such a hard business because of the costs associated with specialized technology, and complexity. But, if you saw the recent Rocketman figure with all the details, metal parts, and TLC we injected into it, I would put it up against the best in the industry. As I say…”We Know Retro” and when it comes to a retro property, I feel that we are positioned to deliver a top quality product for our fellow fans and for businesses who have classic properties that need to be buffed.
Q: It looks as though your company toils over attention to detail, and keeps each figure limited to a fairly small edition. Can you tell us some about the sculptor(s) behind the scenes?
A: NO…HAHAHA! We have been using various sculptors over the years. Joy & Tom Studios, Gabriel Marquez, and Phicen as in-house sculptors. Every once in a blue moon, I will prototype myself, but it is all about what we need to achieve for the project. i.e. Who can deliver the best results given the parameters of the project. Some people are going to need to nail a portrait of an actor while others can make a fantastic stylized portrait that has that inexplicable toy charm.
Q: Every good figure should come with accessories - how do you approach that?
A: We look at the character and the what is appropriate. Some characters don’t have too much, so we are scrounging to be creative to make it worthwhile. Others, like Doc Savage, had a bunch of fun gun designs we wanted to explore. We actually had to get permission from the great Jim Steranko for Doc’s Super Savage Machine Pistol!
Q: Besides for figures Go Hero also produces other collectibles....
A: We have made plush, vinyl, statues, busts, apparel, action figures, lifestyle products, and more. I have been behind the scenes for dudes with funky designs, independent toy companies, and fortune 500s as a creative consultant in and out of the toy industry. Each project is a new challenge with different goals, but all of them need creative thinking.
Q: What is your relationship with your collaborators?
A: After years of factory hopping looking for reliable partners, Executive Replicas brought in Phicen. They have been great! We share prototyping responsibilities. But, even when we bring something to them, they have been able to improve on it in many cases. The new 1:6 scale male body is a great example of a collaborative effort, but they deserve credit for investing in technology to really take 1:6 bodies to the next level.
Q: If you had to select your two favorite figures that you have produced to date what would they be and why?
A: Wow…that is a hard question. Space-Elf for sure. As simple as it is, it just embodies the joy of toys, toy making and my love for design. I guess the 2nd would be a tie between Buck Rogers (which is a love letter to retro sci-fi and figure making) and Sinbad. We made very few Sinbad figures and while most of them suffered from bad QC, a very few that I felt captured adventure of Ray Harryhausen in figure form.
Q: Do you present at conventions or trade shows? If so any coming soon worthy of taking note?
A: We will be attending NYCC with Executive Replicas and Phicen in the beginning of October. It will be our biggest booth yet. Lots of fun surprises coming for that show and immediately following. It is a local show, and we are hoping to make a home there.
Q: As Go Hero grows, what do you see in your next phase?
A: We still love 1:6, but we are returning to vinyl, smaller figures and moving headlong into transmedia content. This year we started Hunt For Bat Boy (trailer above) with Underground Productions and the Weekly World News to create a live action reality docu-series for the web. It is just getting started and I am really excited about the possibilities. I’ve been in IP development and content creation for years and am finally marrying toys with it all. I hope Space-Elf will follow in print form. And a few licensed properties we have our eye on…oh and more toys! As I said, we are busy! Sometime we will have an anniversary party, but there is too much other fun stuff to do.
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Mechabot™ (a Hero Reforged)
We are also taking a look at Go Hero's very first figure release (circa 2004), the Mechabot! Here are a few really nice looking related customs for starters...
For a figure that is eleven years old he stands tough and all amid most of what's going on in 'bot-land these days. I particularly like the choice of matte-metallic rather than chrome as it balances the blue, black and orange elsewhere on the figure. It comes packaged in a cellophane bag similar to many retro Japanese toys, even many being released today (like those recently reviewed from Awesome Toy).
So, as you can see Mechabot has one foot in the world of say, Robby the Robot, and the other taking a giant leap towards Optimus Prime. A figure that crosses over generations and will certainly delight robot lovers everywhere (or has already). He's a real synergy of old and new and that makes this early effort by Go Hero stand out. That and the fact that this vinyl collectible has twelve (12) points of articulation (!) - fully at the shoulders, the thighs, as well as in the feet. Let's get him out of the package to give you a few close-ups:
The overall design is sleek with a cadence of shapely geometry and a bit of a Japanese feel overall. This guy has come to rescue us from unknown terror, so let's give him the space he deserves on our shelf! Here he is standing tall and proud:
We love his aeronamic design that emulates Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and other figures of the distant astral past, with a sense of stylistic pizazz. The back of the figure is part fin, part jetpack - and we love that he has something in common with earthly flying beings too. The torso shows an armored and masked figure that would be something to contend with if lifesize for sure. Mechabot has been sold out for some time - however we recommend watching for other new things coming soon from Go Hero! Imbued with a sense of mystery this figure is a welcome new addition to the GOFN family!
RATING
Paint: 9/10
Sculpt: 10/10
Design: 8.5/10
Articulation: 9/10
Poseability: 7/10
Concept/Originality: 9/10
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