The Mortal Kombat series started almost 20 years ago, and has spawned over a dozen games, along with movies, toys, and other collectibles. Syco Collectibles has been producing high-quality statues based on popular movie, gaming, and comic properties and we wanted to talk to them about their line of Mortal Kombat statues.
We recently had a chance to interview Mikael Wallman, COO of Syco Collectibles, who tells us about licensing, the creative process, and upcoming products. We also have a Kitana statue to give away to one lucky Daily Dead reader.
1. Thank you for taking the time to talk with Daily Dead. Can you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit more about Syco Collectibles?
Thank you! We are an English/Swedish company based in the wonderful city of Hong Kong. We share a passion for videogames and to be able to make our favorite characters into statues and busts is simply a dream come true! We love our job!!
2. You currently offer a number of collectibles, including statues based on DC, Marvel, and Ubisoft properties. Why did you decide on Mortal Kombat as your latest property?
We always liked the game and didn’t see that there were any really good collectibles out there in terms of statues and busts. There are so many great characters in MK with large fan bases, which was another reason why the license was a very attractive one!
3. Does the license allow you to create statues based on any Mortal Kombat characters, past and present?
Our license covers MK 1, 2, 3 and 9. We would love to get a license extension that covers all the MK games so we could offer a great variety of characters in the future!
4. Were there any restrictions in terms of formats or how the characters were designed/presented?
We had to specify in the license the sizes and styles that we would be producing, such as 10’’, 18’’, 1:2 Scale Busts, Dioramas, etc. All the characters had to be designed from the Official MK9 Style Guide, poses are up to us. Of course everything still has to be approved by Warner Bros before production can start.
5. Can you tell us a bit about the creative process behind the creation of these statues? How are designs decided upon and what is the process of turning these statues from a concept to the finished product?
Well, firstly we have to decide upon the character we are going to do and we tend to work a lot with MK Online, with polls to determine which is the next most popular character for us to create in a particular size.
Once the character is chosen, the next stage is to research and find as many images of this character as well as the Official Images and look at all the poses and decide on what would be the best to do. Sometimes it can be better to do a specific character in a Classic pose to give it that prominence, especially with the 18’’ Statues.
So after long nights and lots of coffees from Starbucks we all agree on the pose!
Then it’s over to our sculptor to start to working on the concept and bring it to life.
When the clay sample is complete and approved, we then make a mould and produce the P/U Samples, which are made out of polyurethane. Two of these are painted to make the Paint Masters and the third one will be used for the production moulding/s.
After all these stages are complete and approved, production can start and final product produced, but because each one is individually hand painted, it is very labor intensive, which is why it can sometimes take a long time to produce the final products.
Quality Control is crucial and the most important part and if something isn’t correct then it has to be re-done and this can cause delays, which we know is frustrating for the fans, but we must ensure that everyone get a product that is as perfect as possible……
6. Is the plan to only offer a limited run of each figure or will you continue to produce each statue, as long as there is demand for them?
No, all statues and busts are strictly limited, so once we have produced the first production run that is it for the moment. However, for example; if the Edition Size is 500 and on the first production run we only produced 250 pieces, then we will put a Wait List up on a product and once we have got around 100 orders we will produce another run.
This can be done until we reach the Edition Size of 500… After that we will not produce anymore of this particular piece.
If it is so popular then later on we may bring out another one, but in a different pose or style from the first one.
7. We've already seen large 18" premium format figures and 1:2 busts. Are there plans for any 1:1 life-sized busts and/or figures?
Not at this stage but we would like to do a Life Size Bust, if there’s enough interest out there! The full size figure would be extremely expensive and shipping would be a logistical nightmare!
8. What are some of the Mortal Kombat figures that you are currently working on that fans can look forward to in the coming months?
The fans will be able to see Paint Masters of a Shao Khan 1:2 Scale Bust, 18” Rain statue as well as 10’’ & 18” Sonya Blade statues in the near future.
9. A new Mortal Kombat movie is in the early stages of development. Does your license extend to that? Do you hope to be able to release figures related to the movie in the future?
Our license doesn’t cover the upcoming MK movie but since the movie is still not coming out for quite some time maybe there’s a chance for us to secure a license for it! We would certainly be delighted if we could do it!
10. Will Syco continue to develop figures based on Mortal Kombat characters? Do you have any plans for other licenses? What can collectors expect in the future?
We are very happy with the MK License and will look to extend it as there are so many characters and ideas that we want to bring out that will keep us going for many years to come.
We are currently working on some new ideas and different concepts which will come out late this year and next year along with looking at some new licenses. So keep watching!
11. Thank you for your time. Is there anything else you'd like to tell our readers?
Thank you so much for the continued support and we promise to do our very best to keep the statues coming! Also a big thanks to you guys at Daily Dead for doing this interview with us! Keep up the great work on your brilliant site!
Upcoming Products
The images included below will show you the figures that are current available, along with a couple of statues that are currently in development. Here is a list of upcoming products:
Kitana 10": Scheduled February 22nd
Ermac 18": Scheduled for a May release
Shao Kahn Bust: Scheduled for a June release
Rain 18": Scheduled for an August release
Sonya Blade 18" and 10": TBD
Skarlet: TBD
Noob Saibot: TBD
Sindel: TBD
Cyrax: TBD
Johnny Cage: TBD
Kitana Statue Contest
We have a Kitana statue (pictured below) to give away to one of our Daily Dead readers. You'll have multiple opportunities to win over Facebook, Twitter, and email:
We're giving you multiple chances to win over Twitter:
We're also giving you the opportunity to win over Facebook:
Lastly, you can also win by submitting an email entry. Simply email us at contact@dailydead.com with the following information:
The contest will end at 12:01 AM on February 24th. Winners will be notified over Twitter/Facebook direct message or email, depending on the entry type. Learn more about Syco's Mortal Kombat collectibles at:
Official Webiste: http://www.sycocollectibles.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Sycocollectibles
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Sycocollectible
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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