Dark Angel Figure Announcement
Anime based figure and model news seems to be in abundance lately, but today we've got something a little different. Instead of the usual mech models, a new line of Dark Angel action figures has been announced based on Kia Asamiya's manga. The joint venture between Asamiya's Studio Tron, Fanboy Entertainment and D-Boy Inc will initially result in a small collection of 4 figures from the original manga, including Dark, Leen, Sen and Tan, but details on producing other figures from the series are under negotiation.
Asamiya has had the characters from his manga, be it characters from Silent Möbius, Dark Angel or any of his other works, translated into many different forms of collectible merchandise, from dolls to models, but this will be the first time they have been made into a line of action figures. Asamiya and Fanboy's C.B. Cebulski are both dedicated action figure collectors, so the creation of this line not only serves the purpose of giving fans what they want, but also acts as something they can both enjoy seeing done from a personal standpoint.
D-Boy will be responsible for the actual design and production of the figures and were chosen for the project due to the incredible work they've done with other series. Their attention to detail, as well as their uncanny ability to capture the true essence and likeness of a given character, were reason enough to make them the perfect choice. In addition, Erik Ko, owner of D-Boy, has been a long time fan of Asamiya's work, helping to breed an atmosphere of mutual respect in the association.
To ensure that the feel of Dark Angel is properly capture by these upcoming figures, a number of highly respected Japanese sculptors will be chosen to create each piece, including top craftsmen from both Max Factory and Kotobukiya in Tokyo. Other series recently handled by D-Boy include Solar Lord and Dragonman Hyper Detail Action Figures, as well as the upcoming line of action figures based on Warlands, a highly popular fantasy comic published by Image. To give you an idea of the level of detail possessed by their work, take a look at the following shots of their Warlands figures:
The Dark Angel figures will retain a proper sense of proportion, Kyo and Shiki being scaled to match the size of Dark and Leen, and will be approximately 9.75 inches in height. Not only will the figures be of a high level of detail, but they will also possess a great deal of articulation. The packaging will be designed by Asamiya, the backing card containing some of his art, and each figure will retail for under $10. While further negotiations are still needed, C.B. Cebulski has said that it's extremely likely that we'll see future figure lines from other Asamiya manga series, like Silent Möbius and Nadesico. He's also hoping to have a prototype of the figures ready for Wizard World this summer in San Diego.
While I've covered all the information pretty thoroughly here, adding a few newly discovered bits as well, some of you may be interested to look over the original press release on the subject here.
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