Background
Patch Together’s On Demand system allows for artists to have their designs turned into small run figures by gauging the interest of the Patch Together community. One such design is the Saucernauts: Space Monkey Al from artist Charlie Mewshaw.
This is a toy of my character Al, leader of the now defunct NASA Project "APE" (astro-primate-explorers). He is the only Earth creature to ever actually see the SaucerNauts that follow him everywhere he goes.
The Facts
Space Monkey Al
Series: Product On Demand
Manufacturer: Patch Together
Artist: Charlie Mewshaw
Material: Resin
Dimensions: 6” tall
Points of Articulation: 4 (head, hands, and tail)
Accessories: Yellow banana
Packaging
Space Monkey Al comes packaged in a plain white box that features a blue sticker label on the front. It simply states the character’s name, and has the company and artist’s logos. Inside, the resin figure is packaged in six different parts in a dual piece Styrofoam shell.
Our Opinion
You’ve probably seen Charlie Mewshaw’s Saucernaut characters. They were self-released in both hand cast resin and plush figures. Trust me…I’m sure you’ve seen them. They’re little aliens!
Well, teaming up with Patch Together, he was able to get his Space Monkey Al character released in a slightly larger scale. So how does the figure hold up? It looks fairly close to the original character design. The figure is actually well sculpted, but there’s one big issue that I have (we’ll get to those soon).
The resin piece comes unassembled in six different pieces. It’s easy enough to put together, and you don’t need any special glue to keep any of the pieces in place. The banana can be displayed separate or in Space Monkey Al’s coiled up tail.
The paintwork is decent. I would liked to have seen some black lines around the waist band, eyes and shoes – similar to the illustrated version. That would have helped break up the monotony of a figure that’s about 80% blue.
So, the one big issue I have is the neck. They left it as a blank metal post. The head fits onto the post, but it isn’t a tight fit. That allows the head to spin easily, which also means it could easily fall off. If you look at the figure from the front, you probably wouldn’t even notice (the chin shields your view). But the side and rear views give the figure an awkward look.
If you can deal with that – maybe paint the metal post and put some tape around the top of it – it’s a pretty cute character. And there have to be some monkey/ape/other various primates collectors out there that would get a kick out of Space Monkey Al.
You can pick one up at the following:
Patch Together: $44.95
Space Monkey Al Grades:
Figure Quality: 7/10
Sculpt: 6/10
Paint: 7/10
Accessories/Outfit: N/A
Packaging: 6/10
Durability: 7/10
Fun Factor: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: 7.1/10
