Go Hero and ARH Bring Frazetta and More to Life at NYCC

Have you longed for the day when Frank Frazetta's artwork would do more than live on the page? Does your sixth-scale collection lack the imposing threat of the Death Dealer? Friends, I have news for you that you may find welcome. Not only is Frank Frazetta's iconic executioner being remade as figures and statues, but so are a few other Frazetta classics from companies like Go Hero and ARH. What's more, they won't be alone. Plenty of comic characters that haven't gotten quite the same attention as Marvel's and DC's big guns will soon be able to stand side-by-side with Hot Toys' and Sideshow Collectibles' interpretations.

You might recall Go Hero's name from a few months back. It's the company that helped Das Toyz bring the first Stan Lee sixth-scale figure to market (a new one is in development at Hot Toys now too because... reasons?). Though I'd never heard of Go Hero before, the company's showing at NYCC made me wish I had. The big name characters at larger publishers (particularly those with movies) tend to get the sixth-scale treatment from companies, but Go Hero's focus is on those that normally don't get a moment in the sun. Death Dealer probably hasn't seen a ray of light beyond a handful of collectibles over the years, but he'll have a figure from Go Hero soon enough.

Go Hero uses wire-frame skeletons beneath a fully flexible "skin," so there aren't any visible joints on its figures. For something like Death Dealer, it's not really a big deal since so much of his body is covered by armor or clothing, but for the few female figures on display, it makes a significant difference in the design. It's most apparent in the upcoming Red Sonja and Lady Death figures, as those two characters don't exactly wear a lot of clothing for reasons no one will ever know. Having visible joints with that much skin showing pulls you out of the illusion, such as it is.

Of course, overlaid skin like that does come with its own issues, such as pinching at the joints, and other figures with similar designs have been prone to cracking over time. The female bodies are also a bit top heavy, though the Sheena and Shi figures, as well as the Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt do fare a bit better (read: realistic) in that department. Beyond that though, the detailing is impressive, and the accessories do look nice. Those chests are a bit comically disproportionate though.

ARH's efforts are a bit more in line with capturing the moment of a Frazetta painting than they are an artistic interpretation. It's hard to exactly recreate a particular piece of art in an articulated figure, but with statues you have a greater degree of control. The only issue there is crafting the other 75% of the character and landscape. For both the Death Dealer and the Barbarian, ARH has done a tremendous job realizing Frazetta's paintings, and including fine details from top to bottom. While the characters are the main attraction, it appears that just as much time has been spent making the bases as intricate as the figures themselves. You can feel the sinew popping on the Barbarian, but you can also almost hear the squishy crunch of the fallen beneath Death Dealer's boots.

There are no release dates currently set in stone for any of the Frazetta-inspired works, but we'll be keeping an eye on what both Go Hero and ARH have in store for 2016 now that we've seen what they're capable of doing.