STRANGEco's Luey from Bob Dob
with Jager

STRANGEco's Luey is Bob Dob's first vinyl toy and I don't see how the artist could be any happier with the results. Luey is a recurring character in his paintings and drawings where he's known as a perpetual bad habit. You see, Luey is a little sci-fi, a little demonic, and totally bad to the core. He's one of Satan's many minions and when you feel that tug on the back of your brain to do what you want to do instead of what you should do, it's him. But don't get mad, he's just doing his job.

The sculpt on these toys appears to be simple until you get close look at it. The details around the facial features (especially the eyes) are really delicate. He has bags and wrinkles and just looks extremely tired. I assume he must be, think of all the bad habits people have he has to constantly be feeding. Besides the face, the sculpting details on the horns and ears are great and it's nice to see actual texture to his ribbed socks and shoe laces. Also, it's really amazing how well the sculptor captured the Bob Dob look. All his characters have a particular style to them in their face and it's translated very accurately here. The paint applications are tight too with no bleeds from the eyes or eyebrows. The spray on the shoes is excellent as well. It gives them a nice weathered look since it's not too crisp. This is present in between the fingers on the hands as well. Overall, the quality on these toys is top notch, like most STRANGEco products.

There are three versions available: Smoking, Raging, and Drinking. While many of the characteristics are the same, don't think these are the same toy with different accessories added on. Each has a different sculpt to his face and while his right hand may be the same, his left arm is different to interact with his "action". Also, I was impressed that each version's feet are slightly different. This is something that wasn't really needed but it's a great addition to the toys, giving them even more design quality. I love how each of the toys has a different feel. Rage is… well, raging with a big smile and an evil look. He's not just evil, he's happy about it. Drinking is totally relaxed with his eyes closed and drinking his milk. You knew that milk makes demons drunk didn't you? And my favorite of the three, Smoking, looks like he just got off work and is lighting up that first smoke of the evening: A total, "whatever" attitude. Each toy has three points of articulation: head and arms. Just enough for some poses, but each looks best in the pose they have in the paintings they were each based on. These toys are nice, no doubt, but they truly look the best together as a set. But that's not really a problem because they are all priced around 20 dollars. So to get a full set is the same price as purchasing one larger sized vinyl. It's nice how it works out that way.

The box is covered in reproductions of Bob Dob paintings. The back of each has its respective original and the sides are a split reproduction of "The Man Who Laughs". So with two boxes you can almost make the complete piece (there's a little taken from the left and center). The top and bottom and inside all have a Skeletal Study of Luey. It's a great box to be sure.

I was really blown away by these toys. I really wasn't too impressed with the images I had seen online (I didn't make it to SDCC, sadly). But once in hand, the quality of the sculpt and the personality of the trio really came to life. These are some great pieces and an excellent start for Bob Dob in the toy world.

Check out STRANGEco's for info on all their products and a sweet art-based blog that's updated pretty regularly.

Bob Dob's site is full of info on the artist and some great images of his work. There are even some available for purchase, but with his recent (and first) solo show Laluzdejesus.com going on right now, I'd say they will start to go pretty fast.

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