Some of my favourite recent pieces have been developed by Bigshot Toyworks, including Monkey with a Gun, and The Four Horsies of the ‘Pocalypse (review to come). Here I’ll be looking at two geeky additions: Red and Transistor (from Transistor, by Supergiant Games), and Val and Beholder, from Table Titans. At $34.99 USD [6 inch] and $75 USD [5 inch] respectively, there’s understandably a difference in production quality, but as these figures were developed by the same company and are a similar scale, I figured (pun intended) that they’d be a suitable pair for a double review.

I was extremely grateful for forewarning of Red’s release once I’d heard she’d sold out almost immediately after going up for pre-order. I should have guessed. Transistor’s unique art style and clever gameplay loop has ensured Supergiant’s follow-up to Bastion would be a particular darling in the world of indie games. And nerds love merch.

Red’s style in the game might be more suited to a jazz-era visual design, but there’s no denying how adorable this figure is. As much as I’d love a larger scale figure that more closely resembles the artwork of the game, as a desktop mascot, this version is perfect. There’s understandably less detail when compared with more expensive figures, and the shine on her skin makes her less appealing under bright LEDs. Her pose and sculpt are internally consistent, if not perhaps as reminiscent of the source material as they could be. For her price, and based on the general unlikelihood of more Transistor figures appearing, she’s well worth buying to make your office more colourful.

Val, along with Beholder and Mimic, come to us from the D&D comic, Table Titans, by Scott Kurtz. My main interest in this figure comes from my love of Victoria Ying’s art, and I particularly like how she’s captured Val’s character in her own distinctive style. The texture and detail is much greater on Val than on Red, and the ability to swap out the Mimic and the Beholder from under Val’s foot is pretty cute.

There’s a pleasant texture to the stone, axe, and Val’s hair that’s unexpected for a statuette of this size (but perhaps not this price) and the cartoony paint job is accurate and clean. There’s an unfortunate seam line that could have been sanded down along her forearm, and in such a prominent, single-hue position, it’s a shame more care wasn’t taken. The details of her face, the skull-tipped axe, and her plaits are fantastic. I have to be honest: I actually forgot all about this figure up until it arrived on my doorstep. Once I opened her up and recognised the design I was very glad for this particular surprise. At $75, you’re either going to want to be a big fan of Table Titans, or as much of a fan of Victoria Ying (whose name is unfortunately misspelled on the box) as I am. If you’re after a cool D&D-style figure with a cartoon design, then you’re in luck.

As always, feel free to click on any images to see the high-res photo. You can check out more art tooys and projects over at Bigshot Toyworks, as well as some of the finest geeky merchandise over at WeLoveFine. Supergiant Games has plenty more Transistor gear if your walls or body need decorating.

GEEKY SHIT looks at rare, geeky, and (allegedly) awesome items in Evan’s collection.