As perfectly cynical as the music industry prefers to present itself in the public eye, no one can deny that the holidays have a lot to do with giftgiving, and no kid is happier than when he or she is tearing through the paper on a brand new toy. Parents like giving toys for that reason but, deep down, they really wish that they could be unwrapping a toy too; it just seldom happens because being an adult is supposed to mean acting responsibly and not playing with toys. We at Ground Control dispute that thinking, and clearly Aggronautix must as well; since first appearing three years ago, the company has been manufacturing Throbblehead action figures of some of the greatest rock stars in history for the discerning grownup who also happens to like his rock n' roll with a shot of vintage Creem spirit in it.
That sounds neat right? Ground Control thought so, but wondered if these action figures (“They're not dolls dammit!”) were actually any good and wanted to see if they were worth a kid seeking them out as a gift idea for their Dads and Moms, so we got the fine folks at Aggronautix to send us a couple in order to see if they were worth the asking price [$19.95 USD per unit –ed] and have a bit of fun too. Those wonderful folks sent us three Throbbleheads for us to test drive, and here's what we found out about them.
Joe “Shithead” Keithley
For Canadian punks, there is no greater homegrown icon than Joey “Shithead” Keithley. As the guitarist and singer for D.O.A., Keithley was the man; the founder of hardcore punk north of the fortieth parallel, Keithley and D.O.A. were a rare breed in the late Seventies – which is to say that they were one of the only games of any significant worth for a long time. For that reason alone, Keithley deserves to be immortalized in action figure form but, if sceptics really need more, the guitarist's political activism efforts in the fields of anti-racism, anti-globalization, freedom of speech and environmental awareness and conservation make him a true public figure of character and quality.
Perhaps for all of those reasons too, Aggronautix' Joe Keithley throbblehead stands tall and dramatically on its perch. Embodying a stoic defiance with arms crossed, the head of this particular throbblehead is easily the most sensitive; one touch and the toy responds, shaking its head frantically in defiance. In that same spirit, great care was clearly taken with this doll to ensure that it doesn't simply look like a caricature of the subject; the lines in Keithley's face were undertaken with a decidely 'human' feel, while the sculpted clothing actually looks like denim rather than simply like resin which is supposed to look like denim. For all of those reasons, Aggronautix' Joe “Shithead” Keithley understandably received the guitarist's personal endorsement; this is as much a statue as it is a toy.
Keith Morris
As interesting an idea as these throbbleheads are, Aggronautix couldn't very well expect to make a line of toys immortalizing figures in punk rock without including at least one which challenged the idea of the toys and not have it function like all the rest. The first one to embody that idea is Aggronautix' take on Circle Jerks/OFF! singer Keith Morris. Rather than nodding or disagreeing with everyone or everything like every other good bobblehead toy, the head of this Morris figure remains fixed and the doll's arm – with an accusing index finger extended – shakes at those who touch it.
Some would say that the shaking arm of the Morris doll is a clever way to get the singer's likeness involved [sculpted to look like Morris did during his days with The Circle Jerks, the fixed cranium made it possible to keep the singer's incredibly long dreadlocks from looking really cheesy in the design –ed] and, to its credit, the non-Throbblehead does its subject's likeness justice – but the problem with this figurine isn't with the sculpting, it's with the action. First, the spring on Ground Control's review copy was incredibly tight and made the arm function more like a spring door stop than anything – when manipulated, it more vibrated and shook spastically than swung easily. Not only that, but the spring was completely visible in the shoulder, sort of ruining the illusion of “likeness” that these figures reach for.
Such a description may sound like a damning dismissal of this toy, but it really isn't meant to be. To the Keith Morris' Throbblehead's credit, the sculpting done on the face looks excellent, the detail put into the hair shows that time was clearly taken to make it look lifelike and the pose (down on one knee and appearing ready to spring at those who see it) that the figure is cast in looks great. Really, everything about this figure is excellent except for the construction and action of the arm – so it's just sort of unfortunate that the action is really what the toy is being marketted for. If Aggronautix can figure out a way to make the arm work a little more naturally they'll have a winner, or if the company takes the design back to the drawing board, fixes the arm and just makes this throbblehead a Keith Morris statue (as they've done with Wendy O. Williams earlier this year), Aggronautix will have something to be proud of. As it stands though, while this likeness of Keith Morris looks cool, it doesn't work very well.
Milo Aukerman 2
…And just to prove that Aggronautix CAN go back to the drawing board with a design and make a significantly improved product, the company has issued its second attempt at a likeness of The Descendents' singer Milo Aukerman. This time, the toy-maker has really done itself proud; standing seven inches tall and nervously clutching at its pantleg (I know the picture this likeness was taken from – it was taken from a photo that Rolling Stone ran in 1996), Milo looks poised to belt “I'm The One” with legs spread to almost shoulder width apart. The sculpting done on Aukerman's face is much improved this time and looks less cartoonish than it did on Agronautix' first go at the singer. Not only that, but the head just seems to shake nervously; perfectly in keeping with the character of the man who sang "She Loves Me." Overall, this piece is exactly what any Descendents fan could hope for in a Throbblehead and will leave some wondering how long they'll have to wait for Aggronautix to make figurines of Bill Stevenson, Karl Alverez and Stephen Egerton to round out the set and make it possible to have a full-time reunion of The Descendents right there on their bookshelves!
Artist:
www.aggronautix.com/
Toys:
All of Aggronautix' Throbblehead dolls are only available in limited quantities. To get one for your someone special, click here .
