Comic-Con 2014: Super7 – The Past, Present & Future Of Collectible Toys

When I was a kid, toys were still, well, for kids. Kenner was the giant, releasing as many Star Wars figures as we could gobble up. In the post Star Wars, pre-Transformers era, GI Joe figures became the next wave of must-have toys. Years passed, and the world of video games seemed to take the kids away from toys. Thankfully, my generation grew up and decided we still loved collecting.

As collectibles made a comeback, and their scope became off the charts, a new breed of collectible started making waves. Japanese Vinyl, which was limitless in imagination as well as cool factor, became the new fascination. Artists like Michael Su and Eric So, and stores such as Kidrobot, gave us pop culture in an entirely new form.

Cue Brian Flynn and his exceptional company Super7. Flynn is one of us, a collector by nature who never lost the thrill of toys. The Japanese style toys that Super7 put together are always imaginative, and worthy of the top dollar they fetch. Now, the company is about to reach into our collective memories with their ReAction figure line. Imagine, old school style Kenner figures representing iconic films and characters we, the original toy lovers, grew up on. The possibilities are endless.

Related: Comic-Con 2014 – The Definitive Guide To Conquering The Con

As San Diego Comic Con is about to kick off, I was lucky enough to sit down with Brian and get the scoop on Super7 and ReAction.

CRAVE ONLINE: For those who might not be aware, give a detailed origin of Super 7. What it is. How it started. How you became apart of it.

BRIAN FLYNN: Super7 started in 2001 as a fanzine essentially. It was during the advent of digital photography and I could execute most back-end, pre-press by myself. So, just like most every punk ‘zine I made when I was younger, we set out to make a ‘zine about Japanese toys. We wrote, photographed, designed and produced it ourselves on a break-even budget. We didn’t really expect much of a reception, as we were talking about a very niche subject, but to our surprise people really loved the magazine.

From their it just snowballed, the magazine, then making our own toys in Japan, opening a store, making clothes, and then just going forward and making anything and everything we could think of. We just try to figure out what we want, and if we do it right, it usually seems that other people want those same things.

Brian Flynn

CO: What Super 7 does is always so unique. How do you design the toys, and pick what pop culture icons you will use for shirts and other items?

BF: It really comes down to us talking about what we want to have for ourselves. Not everything works out, but enough of it does so we can keep moving, You just never know, especially with shirts. There are designs I can’t wait for that flop, and then designs I think are okay that end up selling gangbusters. In the end, we just try our best, stick it out there and see what happens. I would rather go belly up making stuff I like rather than go belly up making things I hate.

CO: How important were toys to you as a child? Was it only Japanese Toys or did you have other collectibles. What was your favorite and why?

BF: Surprisingly, I don’t think toys were any more or less important to me than any other kid, but I sure loved them. Like many of us, at my core, I am a collector, and toys are what I have focused on (as well as punk/hardcore records) because they bring me great joy and I can still get excited seeing things I haven’t seen before. Toys don’t really have a pretense or an agenda, they are simply supposed to be fun, and that is a great escape for almost anyone.

As far as Japanese toys, I had the smaller shogun warriors as a kid, but not the vinyls I obsess over. The vinyls came into play as an adult, as the aesthetic of the toys drew me in. They were so different than anything else I had ever seen, and had a wonderful sense of color and distortion. I don’t need to know everything about them or watch the shows, I just know it is a severed hand on legs that is going to attack you, but sculpted and painted up to be cute and sold to kids. That juxtaposition has always drawn me in and continues to do so.

CO: Talk to us about the ReAction figure line. How did it all come about?

BF: After we released the Super Shogun Stormtrooper, we began talking about what other toys we wanted to make. Action Figures were something we all collected, and what actually got me started in collecting toys—in the summer of 1991 I began searching for old Star Wars figures to replace my figures from my childhood. But, for all intents and purposes, action figures are difficult to make, as almost every license is already under wraps. That said, most current action figures are super detailed, super articulated and painted with near unflagging realism.

What we wanted to do was just the opposite—make Kenner style figures with limited articulation, limited likeness and simple paints. We wanted to take action figures back to a simpler time. Once we had that concept in mind, it actually opened the door for us to make action figures with a new twist that wasn’t already in the market, and find holes in licenses that we could use to make action figures that were not competing with what was on the shelves from other companies.

CO: Why did you start with Alien?

BF: The Alien action figures were originally prototyped by Kenner in 1979, but never released. Then in the early 90’s Tomart’s ran a cover article on the lost prototypes (this was before the internet was really available). For anyone who collected action figures back then, they became a mythical, almost holy grail type of item. It was the ultimate unsatisfied want for ourselves as toy collectors, and we assumed for other collectors as well. It was a natural to start with Alien and finish where Kenner left off.

CO: What other lines are you going to have coming out?

BF: There are a ton in the works. Rocketeer just came out, Escape from New York and Goonies are next. Universal Monsters, Modern Horror (Jason, Freddy, etc.), Aliens, Pulp Fiction, Nightmare before Christmas, Back to the Future, Predator, Terminator, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more. It’s been pretty exciting.

CO: How difficult is it to get licensing for these toys? Were there any you were unable to get the rights to do?

BF: Actually, if I wanted to do traditional action figure licensing, it would be impossible, but doing retro licensing has allowed us to segment out a section for ourselves and get some figures made. That said there are several licenses that we could not get that has really bummed me out, but I will keep trying.

See Some Of Super7Store’s Toys

CO: Which of the ReAction lines are you most excited about? Why?

BF: The Alien set is still the first and the figures I was most excited about, but the Escape from New York, Universal Monsters, Aliens and Nightmare figures are all great. The Goonies figures look insane as well.

CO: With collectibles these days being so complex, what made you think these 80s Star Wars figures types would be successful?

BF: I just think it has a nostalgic pull and point of view. If you want hyper detailed, you can get that anywhere. But if you grew up on these kinds of figures, there is something about the simplicity of the ReAction figures that draws you back in. I was surprised how many people were pulled in by it, but in some ways it makes complete sense.

CO: Talk to me about the exclusives you have going on for San Diego Comic Con?

BF: We just have a couple exclusives for SDCC, as most of the figures are still in the works, but we essentially have three:

1.  Alien Egg Chamber Playset. This is a total throwback item, and is based on the early Kenner playsets which were a single molded plastic base with a cardboard artwork insert. (Think Land of the Jawas.) So, we made a playset for Alien exactly the way that a playset would have been made in 1979, all the way down to the photo on the box. It is pretty great. 
2. “Deep Space” Alien Egg blind box. We have been set up at SDCC since 2002, and I was buying exclusives even before that. Over the years it has really morphed into a giant checklist of things to buy that people seem to be getting with little regard to why except for the fact that it is exclusive. I wanted to bring some of the joy back to the collecting part of this, so we made the Deep Space figures which comprise of new colors and unreleased sculpts from Alien and you have to buy them blind in the egg. Maybe you will get what you want, something even better that you did not know was available, or maybe a double. Then, on Friday at 6pm, we are hosting a “Deep Space Rescure Party” at our booth (#4945) where you can come and swap figures with other collectors to get other versions of figures, and generally have a good time. It should be a blast. 
3. Lastly, we have the Gimp from Pulp Fiction in an actual wooden crate. Now you get your own chance to wake up the Gimp! We won’t judge you for it. It’s just a nice premium way to introduce the figure that we can’t do on a traditional blister card. 
4. Beyond that, we have a great grouping of vinyl figures as well as ten new Star Wars shirts that we designed and are exclusive to Super7, but not necessarily exclusive to the show.

CO: Have any celebrities commented on their figures?

BF: Not that I have seen, other than the fact that Ian Holm would not grant us likeness rights for the Alien cardbacks.

CO: What’s different between designing Japanese toys and figuring out how to create the ReAction figures?

BF: Well, when I design toys for production in Japan, I really have to be mindful of how they are produced, and in many ways the manufacturing process dictates a lot of how characters can look, as there are limitations to the ways you can produce and pull vinyl. You really have to work within the limitations of the material. With injection molding, you can pretty much do anything you want, it is actually more of an exercise in restraint and not doing everything you can do so that the figures look like they are supposed to.

CO: Why the name ReAction?

BF: It is a conjunction of Retro Action Figures. Plus it sounds great.

CO: You are an old hardcore kid. How has growing up in that shaped who you are?

BF: I think all of us who invested in that scene came out of it with a great deal of self-reliance. Because of that, we don’t sit around and wait for somebody to make something for us, we just go ahead and make it ourselves. In the 80’s that is how we made ‘zines, records and had shows. No one was going to do it for us; we had to do it ourselves. D.I.Y. is still as powerful now as it was then. I always say, if you wait for someone else to make your future, you will wait forever.

You just have to start doing it yourself. Not everything will work, but not everything will fail either. If you keep trying long enough, one-day you look back and you are the guy (or girl) that knows how to do it, and people start looking to you to do it for them. As a simple example, if we had waited for someone else to make the Alien prototype figures, we would have waited forever, so we just made them ourselves.

CO: Any chance of doing ReAction music figures? Like Black Flag? If you could do those, what bands would you do?

BF: Maybe, I could see the Ramones. That would fit in well. Black Flag? What version? Not the atrocity out there now for sure! Over the years though, music action figures have been weird. McFarlane did a bunch and I thought they were odd. I think the only ones that have ever really worked are Kiss, and that is because they are essentially cartoon characters anyways.

CO: Why do you think collectibles are so popular? What makes adults want to collect toys?

BF: For some it scratches that collector itch to hunt, or to corral and quantify. For others it is an aesthetic pursuit, and for many it is nostalgia. In the end, I think it is a simple (and fairly) inexpensive way to make yourself happy. It does not require all of your spare time, can be done on a modest budget, and keeps you looking around the bend. If it becomes to stressful, take a step back. They are toys; it is supposed to be fun.

Super7 will have a major presence at San Diego Comic Con. You can find them at booth #4945. If you can’t make it there, then check out the following for more on their incredible products: http://www.super7store.com/