Background
Christopher Lee and Wheaty Wheat have teamed up to produce the second of his vinyl figures from The Urbanites. Mellow follows close on the heels of Cleabus, who was a much smaller vinyl. The Gentle Confectioner is currently available in four different variants: Original, Sherpa, Marsh Mellow and Licorice & Love.
If you’re looking for a background story, Chris has posted the following bio on his site:
Mellow is your gentle companion. Although he looks sad, Mellow is quite the optimist. His wonderful taste for finer foods and weaknesses for chocolate and desserts explains his rather large size…or does it? Neighborhood kids will not come close to his house. Rumors fly as to what ingredients are ACTUALLY in his desserts. People shut their blinds and lock their doors when he walks by. Mellow is the stuff that urban legends are made of… But do not be afraid if you come across the lumbering beast. It is best you whisper and wave “hello”.
Packaging
All of the Mellow variants, except for Licorice & Love, are packaged in the same window front box. The graphics on the Licorice box are slightly different, with a black color scheme. While there is no background reading contained on the packaging, there are several Chris Lee designed illustrations.
The Figures
Mellow stands approximately 8” in height. He has no points of
articulation and is made of rotocast vinyl. The arms are raised from
the body, with 6 toes supporting the figure’s base. Mellow isn’t
actually symmetrical, which is most apparent when you look at the
figure from behind. This was intentional, as you can tell by looking
at the illustrated character.
The Standard Mellow includes a green JELL-O mold accessory and is
limited to 660 pieces. The Sherpa Mellow figure is flocked (meaning
it’s fuzzy) and limited to a run of 180 pieces. Pink Ghost has this
exclusive that includes an orange JELL-O mold. Marsh Mellow is a
3DRetro exclusive. The white figure is limited to a run of 300 pieces
and is packaged with a S’mores accessory. And the Licorice & Love
variant is an exclusive for MyPlasticHeart. The all black Mellow is
limited to 84 figures and has a JELL-O mold that is bright pink.
Our Opinion
Wheaty Wheat never skimps on quality. I’m sure if you own any figure
that they have produced, you’ll wholeheartedly agree with that
statement. Even it means a slight delay in shipping, the company
(Richard and Debbie) will make sure that the product meets their high
standards.
With that said, Mellow doesn’t disappoint. So it’s up to you to
determine which of the four variants is your favorite. I rate them:
Marsh Mellow, Licorice & Love, Standard and then Sherpa. Looking at
photos of the Sherpa version, you’ll see creases in the sides of the
figure. That’s due to Mellow being packaged and will probably go to
normal after being freed from the plastic. However, if you’re like
me…flocked toys just don’t work out of the package because they attract
and retain dust like nothing.
You can pick one up at the following:
3DRetro: Standard - $69.99 and Marsh Mellow - $79.99
Frozen Empire: Standard - $55.00
Fugitive Toys: Standard - $54.99
Fun1: Standard - $69.99
Ningyoushi: Syandard - $70.00
Oalaworld: Standard - $65.00
Panik's Toy Box: Standard - $69.99
Strangekiss: Standard - $69.95
Urban Retro: Standard - £44.95
Mellow Grades:
Quality: 10/10
Paint: 9/10
Durability: 9/10
Hype: 10/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 9.5/10
