Background
One of the most recent releases from Crazy Label is the House of Liu collection from the artist known as Veggiesomething (aka James Liu). The figures, sold separately, are known as Mei Mei and Di Di.
House of Liu is a story of friendship, loyalty, and revenge. The story takes place during the Qing Dynasty in China and was created as a homage to all the martial arts movies that Veggiesomething has watched and enjoyed over the years.
Packaging
Since Di Di and Mei Mei are different in size, they are packaged in boxes that differ in size. Mei Mei, with her large hair buns, is packaged in a box about one and a half times the size of Di Di's. Both are window-front and the figures are secured in a plastic tray (with one twist tie). There is not much reading on the packaging, but the artwork on the box makes up for that.
The Figures
Both Di Di and Mei Mei are made of rotocast vinyl. Di Di is
approximately 6” in height, Mei Mei is slightly larger at 6.5”, but
they both have 3 points of articulation (head and arms). They also both
have the “Protect and Destroy!” motto printed on their back.
Each character’s single accessory is a sword. Di Di’s sword has a
black blade with a white handle and Mei Mei’s is the inverse. They
have similar red tassels at the end of the handle.
The other somewhat less obvious difference between the two is the
figure’s legs. Di Di has a small space in between his feet, while Mei
Mei has a completely solid base. Both figures are limited to a run of
800 figures.
Our Opinion
The first thought that ran through my mind when I saw the House of Liu
figures was…”Boy! These look like ninja Dunnys”. According to
Veggiesomething, he developed his characters well before the release of
the infamous Dunny platform toy.
Between the two, I tend to gravitate more towards the lady – Mei Mei –
mainly due to the sheer size of the figure. The color scheme – using
black, white and red – works well. It’s simple, but it looks great.
Sometimes, pieces get a little too crazy with the number of bright and
wild colors that are employed. Also, Crazy Label did a great job of
creating a rotocast figure that will not tip over…even though 75% of
the figure is cabeza.
You can pick one up at the following:
Strangekiss: Di Di - $39.95 Mei Mei - $49.95
House of Liu Grades:
Quality: 8/10
Paint: 8/10
Durability: 9/10
Hype: 7/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: 8.8/10
