Background
Jure Gavran has made a social statement with his line of Scapegoats. Scapegoat Billy has been released in its Immigrant Billy version. And while most designer vinyl pieces are just based on characters, this one appears to be trying to drive home a point.
Billy thrives off its victim's sorrow and helplessness, which is why it uses its semi-transparent belly. The belly is used to trap and display the vulnerable Blamees. Once the Blamees are securely trapped in its belly, Billy transforms its appearance to label, subjugate and ultimately blame its victims. Scapegoat Billy's cold stare is a testament to its indifference and lack of moral values, but Billy is cunning and deceptively creative. It knows the power of good iconography, symbolism, color and graphics, which are all tools in its arsenal of deception and stereotyping. So be careful, it might want to blame U next.
Packaging
The packaging for this line is almost shaped like a pyramid. The front of the box has a window cutout in the shape of Billy’s face. On the rear, the story of the Scapegoat Billy is printed. The box is styled similar to the figure, with yellow paint dripping down from the top. Inside, the piece is packaged in dual, interlocking plastic trays.
The Figure
The Immigrant Billy Scapegoat stands approximately 8“ tall and has 2 points of articulation (at the shoulders). The rotocast vinyl figure has a semi-transparent belly, which is used to display the Blamee.
The Blamees are about 3” in height and made of glow-in-the-dark rotocast vinyl. It comes with a leash and collar that can be slid down around its head. You can remove the Blamee from Billy’s stomach by pressing on the sides of Billy’s belly and popping the lower portion of the body off.
Immigrant Billy comes packaged with his “Blow Pro” leafblower, which can be held in either hand. It looks as if he’s had yellow paint poured on his head and it’s begun dripping.
This figure is limited to a run of 250 pieces.
Our Opinion
Well…there aren’t too many designer toys out there that provide social commentary and make you think (albeit just a little). And whether you agree with what that message is, I must say that the Scapegoats are a great looking line.
While I prefer Urban Criminal Billy to Immigrant Billy, I don’t want to downplay how well produced this version is. The paint drips and splatter on Billy’s head, arms and shoulders looks realistic. The leafblower accessory is well sculpted and fits securely in both of the figure’s hands.
Other than the overall great character design, I think the best part of this figure is its’ belly. The transparent gut that holds a mini GID vinyl is a cool little innovation. The first time I popped off the bottom of Billy’s body, I thought I was going to break the figure. But it actually works pretty well…and only adds coolness points to this already great looking vinyl.
You can pick one up at the following:
Kuso Vinyl: $89.95
Wizard Sleeve Toys: $89.99
Immigrant Billy Grades:
Quality: 9/10
Paint: 9/10
Packaging: 7/10
Durability: 9/10
Hype: 9/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: 9.3/10
Have this figure? What do you rate it?
