An Exclusive Interview with

EDWARD WIRES - Toy Prototype Painter

It has been a long time in the making, but we finally put together the interview and asked the questions.  Edward Wires has accomplished some awesome paint schemes for those Toybiz action figures that are so near and dear to our collectible hearts.  His work is extensive, detailed and literally under the microscope.  His works include Farscape, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, WCW, Muppets, and others.  After reading the interview, please feel free to visit his site and check out his fantastic work.  In with the show...

TheGD:  How much artistic freedom do you have to paint the figures as you want to. Do you have stills from the movies to go on? Does Toybiz/New Line impose any types of restrictions on your methods?

EW:  There isn’t really a lot of “artistic freedom” per say. We get photo stills and productions shots, and sometimes even fabric swatches for specific clothing or patterns. The objective is to get the figure approved by all of those involved in the license, and that holds true for more than just LOTR. It is imperative that we can get everyone to “sign off” on the property, so as to get it into production as quickly as possible. Luckily, the people that I work with at Toybiz are great for providing as much reference as needed. They put a certain amount of trust in knowing that even if we “run with it” the end result of the prototype will ultimately be approved. So there is some freedom in techniques used, but, at the end of the day, it is someone else that gives approval.
 

TheGD:  Looks like your version of Gimli has a wound? How did he come by that? Was there a reason for the wound or were you simply experimenting?

EW:  I am assuming you are referring to the Orc Blood on his face. For the second release of Gimli (w/Uruk-Hai 2 pack) we wanted a battle drenched Gimli. Orc blood is black, so we had him covered in black blood. At the end of the day, however, it was deemed a little too much, so, we toned back on the blood on his face especially.

TheGD:  How many sculpts do you see/paint for each figure/item, get to paint? Are they different sizes? Noticed that some of the accessory shots on your site are larger than the actual accessories delivered in the packaging. If you see different sculpts, what other version have you seen of figures?

EW:  Generally, there are four paint copies done per character. Sometimes more, depending on the needs of the company. Most of the fellowship figures were done as 2 ups (2 times actual product size). That allows for more detail and good photography. In the beginning of the line there were a lot of different revisions to sculpt and paint, so there were several different versions (mostly heads). And most of the changes made are very cosmetic. So a lot of the early stuff went to the great prototype warehouse in the sky. The reason there are some different size pieces on my site, is because, during the “shows”; Toy Fair, Comic Con, etc, we will paint 1:1 hand samples of the product. It makes for easier display in and out of package. A lot of the photos on my site are from personal reference files (I keep a pretty extensive log of projects, so that if I ever have to paint something down the road, I have a picture of what I did on hand. Some of the examples on my site (and I can think of Boromir’s accessories specifically), are shots I took to compare the 2 up with the 1:1. The best of my work is on the site, and so, unfortunately, anything that is not approved gets deleted from my files, so I don’t actually make a mistake in painting something the “old way”.

TheGD:  Just wanted to know if you have been asked before to do custom figures?
Could you do a different version of Gandalf or Frodo perhaps, or make some
type of army builder type of figure, orcs, etc.?

EW:  I have been asked to do some customs in the past, both on a professional and personal level. Unfortunately, time doesn‘t really allow me to commit too much of it. I wish there were more hours in a day to accomplish them. We did some messing around with the LOTR stuff to come up with some “army builders”, but so many factors go into production of a figure, that I don’t feel I should comment on any status of a particular product not already in production.

TheGD:  I realize that you are contractually obligated, but want to ask a couple questions anyway…just to test the waters so to speak. The Balrog? We saw tons of pictures from Toyfair 2002, but rumor has it that he is cancelled. Did you do enjoy painting the prototype of that deluxe figure? What type of articulation/features did it have? Do you know what the status of that figure is?

EW:  All I can really say about Balrog, is that he is one fine piece of product. Contractually that is all I feel safe in saying. Toy Fair is right around the corner, so we will see what happens.

TheGD:  More contractual questions: Now that the San Diego Comic Con is over, can you discuss the TTT figure seen there? What is your opinion of the Deluxe Sauron figure? He looks menacing, but you have seen him in person. Is he as cool as people make him out to be?

EW:  I actually got a chance to play with Ol’ Sauron in SDCC. He is a Bad Mutha...I wish I had worked on him. San Diego was the first time I had actually seen him, so it was like being the kid in the proverbial candy store. The Two Towers figures are going to impress even the naysayers. A lot more has gone into these than anything before. I do need to point out that I did not work on all of the figures on display (regretfully), but the ones I did work on are top notch in terms of poseability and functionabillity.

TheGD:  Did the TTT figures present more/less difficulties than the FOTR figures? Did you paint other figures than were shown at SDCC? How many? Any large scale items? I realize you can’t give names, but numbers or sizes?

EW:  The Two Towers figures presented different challenges than the Fellowship figures. Keeping in mind that the entire crew involved with Fellowship had been working together for over a year. We actually formed our own fellowship, and everything we learned, from designers to sculptors to product managers (and I work with the best in the business), to painters, and licensing, carried over to TTT. The biggest challenge was to get the figures approved quicker. Mainly because there were more time constraints. But, we all just sort of “clicked” with each other, and could identify with each other’s work. We became a very tight team and things went very smooth. The second biggest challenge was taking everything to the “next level”. Improving on what we did for Fellowship.  There is a lot of other product in the works regarding LOTR.  But, as said I before, best that I don’t say anything in regards to confidentiality. Let’s just say all will be happy when revealed.

TheGD:  What is your favorite figure you painted from the FOTR line? TTT line? All time that you have painted? ALL time…period?

EW:  I don’t really have a favorite for either assortment. They were all unique in their own way. But, if I had to pick one from each movie it would have to the Moria Orc from fellowship. We did a lot of playing around with him with skin tones and weathering and weapons.  I can’t mention my favorite from Two Towers just yet.  Favorite figure of all time that I have painted...Hmmm...That’s a tough one, but I think it would be a tie between the Marvel Studios Nick Fury and Punisher, and Fozzie Bear from the Muppets

TheGD:  What types of tools do you use? Paints? Brushes? Etc.

EW:  I use mostly acrylic paints and sable brushes. Everything is hand painted. I have experimented with a lot of different types of paints, so each figure might use a different product. Brushes are a true example of “getting what you pay for”. I hate buying the expensive stuff, but, it is the only type of product that seems to last. I use an airbrush when required.  It’s mostly just what tool is right for each job. Toothpicks, q-tips,cotton balls, sponges, tissue paper, shammi cloth... The list could go on and on.

TheGD:  Did you do any work on the Horse and Rider figure sets? Or the Cave Troll Deluxe Figure?

EW:  I did some work on the horse and Riders, mostly in the 1:1 sample stages. Not in the production 2 ups.  I didn’t work on the cave troll. He is a gorgeous piece. The painter that worked on that did such an awesome job.

TheGD:  How long is you contract for with Toybiz? Is it specific to LOTR? Does it carry through the 3rd movie…and beyond? Just curious as this may give us some idea as to how far and how long Toybiz will continue to produce LOTR figures.

EW:  I don’t have a specific contract with Toy Biz. I am of the hopes that they will just continue to use me as long as what I produce for them makes them happy. Everyone involved in LOTR is working under a confidentiality contract for the life of the license with Toy Biz, which will carry over, into “Return of the King”. I am fortunate enough with Toy Biz that we have a great working relationship with each other (The product managers specifically), and they entrust some really great product to me. Do I get to pick what specific characters I get to work on? No. Not really. Do they keep me busy and happy enough with the characters I am assigned? Absolutely. I wouldn’t have it any other way than the way things are right now.

TheGD:  Which figure presented the most difficulty in painting? Why? How did you overcome the difficulty?

EW:  Believe it or not, the Hobbits originally presented the most difficulty, and I use that word very loosely. More challenging than anything else. The “Human” characters had a few extra steps of approval to go through, and that led to some opportunities. But that also led to a learning of techniques to focus on portraiture quality in the end result. And that was that. We had to make these figures look as realistic as possible, and it was just a matter of everyone
being on the same page, in terms of what each person was looking for.

TheGD:  Did Toybiz or New Line not approve any of your paint schemes? Why? Can we see some exclusive shots of something that wasn’t approved?

EW:  All of the product I have done for LOTR thus far had to be approved. If not it would have been handed off to someone else to finish, and that would have been professionally unsound.  There were a few figures that needed some tweaking or revisions, of course, but in the end, they all had to be done according to changes.  I don’t have any pix of the stuff that did not meet approval, mainly because I didn’t want to “trip myself up” when it came to the duplicate copies. We were working on so much product all at once, and not just LOTR, that we had to rely heavily on notes and spec sheets and photos. It would have been impossible to simply memorize all of that.

TheGD:  How far in advance from release to you get the figures from Toybiz? What kind of timeline do you operate under? Have you ever been pressed for time or not able to do as good a job on something due to time constraints?

EW:  We generally start on a line about 10 to 12 months before the projected shelf date, and that is starting with the design process and sculpting. Some figures needed a first paint copy in a few weeks, some in only a few days. The timetables shift on a weekly (and sometimes what seems like hourly) basis. I have had a few figures that had to be picked up from the mold maker at night, and had to go out painted  for approval the next day. As far as the quality of
the piece, it remains a constant. And that is my own personal work ethic. If I turn in something that is “sub-par”, not only will someone else be brought in to remedy it, but, it wastes the product managers time, once again, going back to being professionally unsound. I have had many a week where I didn’t sleep for a few days. But whether I have a month, or a day, I have to turn out high quality work.

TheGD:  What happens to the prototypes after you are finished? Perhaps here you could explain the process (i.e. figure gets picked to be made, sculpted, painted, approved, produced)?

EW:  It breaks down like this (And this is the cliff’s notes version of the toy process): Character pick. Design and specs for size, pose, articulation, action features and accessories. Sculpt. Approval. Molded in Silicone RTV rubber. Resin Castings. From the castings, tooling patterns are sent to Hong Kong to make the molds for production out of steel, and then other castings are done for paint copies. More approval. Then the factory sends hand samples. approval. Then test shots are made from the steel molds. More approval, and tweaking to make sure everything fits and works. More approval. Then hand painted test shots come from the factories. More approval. Then packaged samples. More approval, and so on until final product is signed off on, and produced, and shipped.  As you can see, it is a big process. And  lot of cogs have to make sure the wheel is spinning.  I am not really sure what happens to the protos after they leave my workshop.  Some go on to China for production, others for photography and display and promotion. I imagine most of them get ruined just from handling. Or end up in
a showroom for each specific company. I don’t have any protos myself. Wish I did. They’d make a great display in my office.

TheGD:  Have you read the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit? Are you a fan of the movie? If so, was/is it memorable to produce something that will be forever associated with Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings? If not, how come?

EW:  I read the Tolkien books a long time ago as I’m sure so many of us has. I loved them as a kid, but, never really had the desire to reread them until now (well, actually about a year ago) which is what I am in the process of doing now. It is the greatest privilege to be working on something that will go down in history and tied to one of the best movies to come along in decades. I have a great admiration for any creative commercial process, and am glad to have
worked with the industry’s best and brightest. A complete honor I assure you, and a completely surreal experience.

TheGD:  Do you collect toys? Anything? What is your favorite action figure line? Why? What is your favorite movie? Favorite TV Show? Just trying to get to know the person here.

EW:  I used to collect tons of toys. Big fan of the 12” military stuff. I don’t collect much now though. Time and space are a big factor in that. I mainly pick up stuff I worked on for the display in my office, and I will pick up something a friend in the business has done. Most of my efforts of time and money (when I am not working) go into my house. My wife and I bought a 100-year-old house 2 years ago, and are slowly giving it the TLC it has been longing for. I will occasionally pick up a 12” figure if it has a new camo pattern or weapon system I am interested in, but, for the most part, my entire 20 year toy collection is in a storage unit, awaiting to be opened and put on display again. When I get around to adding the rooms to my workshop. But that is not in the immediate future. 

     Favorite Toys: (As a kid) Mego Planet of the Apes and GI Joe, (as an adult) Marvel Legends and The Muppets
     Favorite Comic: The Savage Sword of Conan
     Favorite Comic Characters: Capt. America, Conan, Red Sonja, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Judge Dredd
     Favorite movies in no particular order: LOTR (not a lie. I laughed, I         cried...), Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Conan the Barbarian, Empire Strikes   Back (the un-special edition), The Godfather, Black Hawk Down, Pulp Fiction, Aliens, Dawn of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead
     Favorite TV show: Any incarnation of Law and Order
          And while we’re at it...
     Favorite Bands: Social Distortion, The Reverend Horton Heat, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty (with or without the Heartbreakers), Johnny Cash, The Eagles, The  Vandals, Tori Amos, Iron Maiden, Metallica, and I am really digging The
          Strokes, The Hives, and the White Stripes
     Favorite Song: Wish you were here-Pink Floyd
     Favorite books: Black hawk Down, the Biographies of Abraham Lincoln and
          Benjamin Franklin, and the Conan books by Robert E Howard.

TheGD:  What is a typical day in the life of a prototype toy painter? Do you have
another job? Do you paint other things as well, like Games-Workshop
miniatures?

EW:  A typical day...Get up around 7 am. Have coffee and other am rituals (My wife leaves for work at 8).  Get into shop around 8:30 or so, start making any calls needed. Most clients are on East Coast (3 hours ahead) and I want to catch them before Lunch, if there are any pressing matters. Get projects set up for the day for assistants (they usually arrive around 10am) Dig in for the day on projects.  FedEx deadline is 5pm, and we live and die by the clock. We go many a day  without stopping for lunch. I am not a tyrant though; I have a plethora of meal snack bars to eat for the assistants (Slim Fast and Metr-X, etc).  I will make another round of calls around 1pm if needed to see if any project priorities have changed, and get them ready for round 2 after FedEx. Usually take a break after FedEx and get coffee at a local shop, just to get out.  My wife gets home about 7pm, so I will have dinner with her around 9pm (God love her patience when it’s my turn to cook), and then, either go back to work if needed (which usually is), or go to the gym (love those late night hours), or hang with the wife. My “shop boys” usually finish up around 8 or 9 pm, and then I mostly work ’til about midnight or 1am. Go inside and watch Leno or Conan O repeats and then usually get to bed around 2 or 3 am and read till I fall asleep. That is pretty much my life encompassed on a Monday -Saturday schedule. Of course the after FedEx period varies( but lately it hasn’t.).  I will paint anything professionally that I can get my hands on from whatever company I can get to send it. I do love what I do, and to this day, am amazed that I am doing it for a living, but I can’t turn down projects. At the end of the day, I am a commercial artist, and I do this for the money I can make. It takes so much effort to run the business aspect of this business. I have some days where I am on the phone all day with several different clients and vendors, and don’t even start actually working until 7pm, and then have to work into the wee hours of the morning, and still get up at 7 and start all over again.  Any illusions I had to this business about glory and glamour (not that I ever really had them to begin with) ended years ago, in about the first 3 days of being a commercial artist.

TheGD:  Couple specific questions. Looks like the backpack for Bilbo is different on your site than the one that actually was produce for the figure. True? In particular, is that a solid roll under the flap or does it roll out to make a blanket? One packaged with the figure rolls out.

EW:  The bedroll in the pic is a shammi towel dipped in glue and painted. The paint copy was made of resin, and thus, could not be rolled with any success, so for the photography copy, we did a modified bedroll.

TheGD:  Noticed a picture of what looks like The Mirror of Galadriel. What became of that piece? Was it part of a set? Do you get any feedback from Toybiz on items that don’t make it into production like this item?

EW:  That piece is indeed the mirror of Galadriel. I am not exactly sure what the status is. Most of the time, once I send the projects out, I don’t hear anything else about it until it is solicited on the internet or magazines. I don’t surf the web a whole lot; so most people know what is in a particular assortment or what is cancelled before I do. The other side, is that most of the rumor postings become gospel, and things get perpetuated. A few instances come to mind, but, that’s not really important. What is important, is to finish off by saying, if there were no obstacles, and cost and orders were not a constituent, every single character of LOTR would be made. We put so much into this line, that we would love to see it all come to fruition. The only thing I can offer, is remain patient. The climates change and sometimes what may seem cancelled is right around the corner. Support the line, and it will gratify you in the end.

TheGD:  Well, Mr. Wires, thanks again for taking the time out of your obviously busy schedule to share a few moments with the fans!

EW: Thanks so much for this opportunity to share with you and your community. I look forward to updating my website around the end of October. Lots of cool stuff on the way. I would also like to send out a BIG THANK YOU to all of my friends, colleagues and clients in this wonderful business of making toys. I am where I am because of you.

     -E Wires
     Sept 20
     Southern California
 

Hey everyone, go VISIT EDWARD WIRES SITE and check out ALL of his Lord of the Rings Work!