I met Ni a few years ago online, when he was just starting to get into sculpting and designing his own toy related creations. What started as a spark turned into a fire, as he pushed himself to develop his own 481 Universe, populated by all his wild creations.
Right from the beginning I noticed that we had a similar visual language, both of us favoring odd ambiguous shapes that could be seen in different ways. This connection has endured, with even a few elements of the Traveler design sneaking into The Outlander to link everything together.
Ni came up to our house with his partner in crime, Carolyn Presti, a number of times, where we would all talk shop and work on various projects. Those visits were always fun and I was able to watch Ni grow as an artist from the front row. The work that Ni and Carolyn continue to do is exciting and full of energy, and just gets better with each new project.
Tonight's release of the Outlander is a milestone for Ni, and he sunk a ton of time into every little detail. He actually created many predecessors to The Outlander, sculpting entirely different characters that served as the sounding board for what was to come. I remember clearly looking over each of those sculptures, both in hand in through photographs, each one a bit more advanced than the last. The road to full production was not easily traveled, and I know I drove Ni crazy many times with a few "direct" reviews.
In the end I believe Ni has created something very personal, a true fusion of the things that keep his creative fires burning.
Congratulations on bringing The Outlander into the world, Ni. I know that there's been some rough bumps along the way, but your creation looks right at home on our shelf.
Or any shelf for that matter.
Posts
I'm so glad to see the Outlander finally hit! There were only 11 of the white headed figure left when I ordered earlier, so I'm glad I didn't miss it...
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for the Outlander. He hits all the marks for me. I was able to grab a custom Hades variant and the white Outlander with the help of my girlfriend. Very inspirational to aspiring customizers/toy makers, and just an all around great looking figure. Good Job NiStuff!
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting the spotlight on this one. I bought a white and a blue one.
ReplyDeleteI'll leave the praise for the figure on NiStuff's website, but thumbs up to you guys for supporting a growing artist.
Bummer, all sold out. Really cool looking figure. I love the helmet.
ReplyDeleteGot a blue one!!! Wasn't quick enough to the 'puter to get the light gray. Very excited to get this guy in hand!
ReplyDeleteGrabbed 1 of each !!! Waited a long time for these beauties ;P
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the post Matt and everyone else who helped spread the word! They and Noboto look great in the rocky Earthly atmospheres! Gotta love the hard contrast between the organic landscapes and the plastic manufactured other worldly critters we create.
ReplyDeleteAnd a super thanks so much to all of you who grabbed some stuff! As of tomorrow (Tuesday) all the package will be in the hands of the postal peoples. I hope they all arrive safely!