DARK TOYS DTM002 1/6 Scale ANTON DX Edition

[ebor]

Yes comparison pictures please...I have the old (AEON painted) Rainman sculpt just sitting in a box awaiting the right soft goods and best accessories to complete this...so advise as to which version DT or ST would be appreciated.

 

[Asta]

Delivery is confirmed for today.

Based on this comment and this photo posted on One Sixth Society, the figure may just get broken down to be used as parts for other figures...

Well, here we are. Worst figure in my collection. Just bad in most every way

At the very least the body would need to be swapped to take the alternate Star Toys' sculpt, if only to eliminate the neck joint.

I was already thinking of repurposing this figure anyway.

 

[Godfather1408]

I'm curious too, Dark toys have just stolen The grinch too. Had high hopes they might still do Freddie Mercury with a decent new sculpt but think that's scrapped given its been over a year since they teased it.

Asta as you're getting anton from Dark toys do you know if the gas bottle is resin or metal?

 

[Asta]

I'm curious too, Dark toys have just stolen The grinch too. Had high hopes they might still do Freddie Mercury with a decent new sculpt but think that's scrapped given its been over a year since they teased it.

Asta as you're getting anton from Dark toys do you know if the gas bottle is resin or metal?

I have the Dark Toys in hand now.

The bottle is metal, and is shorter and slimmer than Star Toys'.

The head sculpts are definitely different. Between the serious versions it's hard to pick a favourite without studying photos. The paintwork is good, and there's a lot of detail.

With the smiling one I think Star Toys' is better, as the Dark Toys has a very narrow, jutting chin, which makes him resemble The Joker. This head is also unusual in that the head is sculpted tilted to one side.

The DT serious sculpt is actually making the ST on the right look quite simplistic here. In hand the ST looks better, but it idoes have a glossy/sweaty finish.

The ST smiling for comparison:

The shotgun is smaller, and a lot more detailed than Star Toys'. The ST is very simplistic and lacking detail, whereas the DT has the engraved Remington name, serial number, screws, cross hatched grips etc.

The DT looks more in scale as well, for the short barrelled Model 11-87.

DT's boots are a dark brown as opposed to ST's red.

The figure isn't nearly as bad as feared.

Now I have to decide which serious sculpt to use, which dictates which kind of body I use. The DT has the better detail and paint, but the ST has the better sculpt. The DT's nose is smaller and more Roman, and there's something with the sculpt that doesn't look quite right.

So I think I'll transfer him to a TTM19 body and use the ST serious sculpt.

 

[Asta]

ST and DT:

ST, DT & DT:

 

[Asta]

The TTM19 body couldn't manage the shotgun properly due to its limited shoulder and elbow articulation, so I went back to the DT's narrow shoulder type..


That meant using DT's sculpt as well. It sits a bit too high showing too much neck, along with the neck joint itself. The shirt doesn't velcro tight enough to cover it.

The DT also has padding around the abdomen, which is beneficial, but ST's russet trousers won't fasten around it. Hence I went back to DT's black pair.

Therefore, the DT is now pretty much the stock figure, apart from removing the ankle pegs to reduce his height.


This was with the ST sculpt on the TTM19:

And then the stock DT:

The stock body can manage the pose, and the pose also covers the neck issue.

 

[ebor]

Thanks for the comparison photos and details mentioned Asta...this is very typical--to get near screen accurate you have to have both

 

[Asta]

Thanks for the comparison photos and details mentioned Asta...this is very typical--to get near screen accurate you have to have both

The only things from the DT that could improve the ST are the shotgun and possibly the boots, as they aren't so red.

The DT has it own set of problems with the necked sculpt, and burgundy shirt (reminiscent of the Wolverine Origins outfit) which doesn't fasten high enough to cover the neck joint.

The metal gas cylinder is quite heavyweight, but it's shorter and slimmer than ST's plastic version. I got so used to ST's that I haven't changed it over. The tubing on ST's is also more pliable, though I didn't try to use DT's so I don't know if it poses well.

DT's jacket may be too blue as well.

I switched their bases over, so the smiling Anton is walking on the 'Anton Chigurh' stand, and the DT is on the taller one which works better in the back corner of the shelf aiming past his happier twin.

 

[Asta]

Looking at the box yesterday I noticed that while the prominent logo on it is Dark Toys', it states on the front and sides:

Products designed by DARK TOYS x RED STAR

I presume Red Star is a variation of Redman, since the Dark Toys/Redman connection goes back a while.

The box itself is pretty high quality, with a magnetic flap and foam inserts. It's reminiscent of another third party company's packaging, which I'll check when I go up into the attic to stash this one away.

 

[Godfather1408]

Dark Toys is Redman I believe from his postings on Facebook page.

Redman toys is your standard bootleg.
Dark toys is your more deluxe so ie better box more of how hot toys boxes were. Just wish we'd see more companies doing their own sculpts. Such a huge market now Hot Toys has gone the Disney route.

 

[Asta]

Dark Toys is Redman I believe from his postings on Facebook page.

Redman toys is your standard bootleg.
Dark toys is your more deluxe so ie better box more of how hot toys boxes were. Just wish we'd see more companies doing their own sculpts. Such a huge market now Hot Toys has gone the Disney route.

View attachment 552120

Yes, the Redman/Dark Toys connection was likely by the fact that Redman started promoting Dark Toys on their Facebook, and then later established by TNS in a post on one of their own pages.

Red Star no doubt refers to Redman but without using the name, since it isn't associated with high end figures (even though they have done some really good work, even if they were recasting and copying tailoring patterns etc).

Then there's the the question of Star Toys too. Redman...Red Star Toys?

Since the two Antons each have sculpts from different sources, they may have decided to use both sets in order to produce two different figures under two different company names. The figures went up for pre-order around the same time too.

Of course, a lot of the smaller companies/names aren't what we'd associate with companies outside of the region.

DFC expressed the situation well recently:

From my understanding of the 1:6 hobby "business" wise in Asia (i.e., Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.), a 1:6 company's "brand name" is a "front". The principals behind the "brand name" operate or are associated with more than one brand name.

So, while there are regular established companies such as Dragon in Dreams or VTS/DAM (even though the latter divided their product under brand names for legal reasons), a lot of the smaller ones seem more like pop up shops that come together for a project.

There's always new names popping up, and people are always going to ask, "What else has this company made?"

However, until the figure actually releases you're not going to know what quality of 'principals' were behind it. If the new names stick around you gradually get an idea of what to expect.


For being their more upmarket brand, the Dark Toys Anton is no more special than the usual Redman figure. Their paintwork and tailoring is usually pretty good, and they often use the same cheap bodies. They did add the stand though, with a name plate and artwork on the base - thankfully using the character's actual name and the actual name of the film. (It annoys me when companies go to trouble of adding fake names - just leave the stands blank!)

If I was to only buy one Anton, it would've been the Star Toys.

While this one has issues over Star Toys, I'm pleased with how he turned out once posed. The body, while basic, nevertheless does the job. Coupled with the looser fitting jacket it easily achieves the shotgun aiming pose. This cured the main issues of the neck joint and shirt Velcro.

The DT is therefore a one trick pony, but it's a good trick.

 

[denrep-lilium]

Asta thank you for the comparison and a review. I own a custom shotgun, custom oxygen tank and Rainman sculpt. I was missing the outfit. I do not like both shirts, they both miss the colour, but ST is kind of closer.
The pants seem to be OK, but DT belt is more movie accurate. The same goes for DT boots.
I believe that the actual prop jacket was rather bluish than black.

Marry Christmas! ​

 

[Kashif]

Asta thank you for the comparison and a review. I own a custom shotgun, custom oxygen tank and Rainman sculpt. I was missing the outfit. I do not like both shirts, they both miss the colour, but ST is kind of closer.​

The pants seem to be OK, but DT belt is more movie accurate. The same goes for DT boots.​

I believe that the actual prop jacket was rather bluish than black.​

​

​

Marry Christmas! ​

This is 1/6 outfit for Anton? Sold separately somewhere?

 

[Asta]

This is 1/6 outfit for Anton? Sold separately somewhere?

Those are the actual screen used costumes, not 1/6 clothing.

 

[denrep-lilium]

Those are the actual screen used costumes, not 1/6 clothing.

Exactly.

 

[Kashif]

Exactly.

Ah ok. Thanks.

 

[Kashif]

Someone posted a comparison video. To my eyes Star toys has striking resemblance to Anton character.

 

[Monkey-bite84]

Aside from the colour of the shirt, the Dark Toys version is very good in my opinion - the cuffs need a bit of work but generally I'm quite happy with the stock figure.