A while back I spotted Monkees Blood on Twitter or instagram, I forget which exactly. They had some really cool images of a certain William John Paul Gallagher. I was intrigued, and as is my style I got the images shared out over my Facebook and Twitter feeds, spread the virtual word.
Monkees Blood are a Digital Design house, specialising in 3D Digital Design & Modelling and all manner of really cool stuff. With their roots being in the UK and a love of British subcultures they took a look at LG and produced a really cool 3D digital model of our man.
Over time they decided to move right outside of their comfort zone and bring their 3D digital model to life, not something they'd ever done before, but then life is meant to be full of challenges isn't it.
Along the way they decide that it wasn't hard enough learning physical modelling and 3D printing on top of design, a new figure was added to the remit, and before we knew it a 3D model of The Chief was born!
Nothing like adding a bit of height to the mountain you're climbing.
I've really enjoyed watching the original idea morph into a real thing, a piece of hardware you can stick up on the shelf. As a music fan I do like unusual bits n bobs connected to the scene, such as the Lego Yellow Submarine. Just a bit of fun, a postcard to a memory of the good times that music brings.
I'm sure our man at Monkees Blood won't mind me saying, but I've enjoyed watching the struggle, watching the obvious hair pulling as they've learned completely new skills that are so far removed from their normal day to day work. I hope they're proud of the end result, because it's an absolute beauty!
I've been lucky to get to chat away to them, hearing how they're getting on and sharing general chat and nonsense on our shared likes for music and films. Along the way I was asked if I would like to be sent an LG, man I nearly fell over!!!
With zero cool I confirmed that it would be jolly decent if they were absolutely sure.
Last week I got the shout, a package was on the way all the way from the home of Monkees Blood in New York...!
Today it landed, so let's switch from story mode to review mode....a little bit more writing, but lots of lots of photos which I think is the real reason anyone will be checking out this article!
So, box open, hang on, there looks to be 2 things in there....
Fuck me, he's sent me 2 figures!
The packaging is really nice, a stiff cardboard tube design with the external stickers picking out LG in green and NG in blue...
Lots of nice touches in the labels, including the always on-point paisley
Enough drooling over the outside goodness, it's all about the goodness lurking within, so lets reach past the cool wax effect stamped lid and into the real deal
LG comes in 2 parts, split as you will...., nicely and safely packaged up in some bubble wrap to make sure he ambles down your path in good nick
Now I haven't seen a load of 3D printed items, but the ones I have seen tend to have a sort of textured appearance where you can see how the layers were built up. Our man LG is as smooth as a fresh shave! The pieces really are stunningly well finished. Once 'printed' they have to go through a fair amount of hand finishing to clean up and prepare our rock n roll star.
Have to admit I was a little taken aback with the next bit, the man needs somewhere to stand, so he comes with his own monogrammed stand. But rather fantastically I've been given a bespoke design on the underside of the ones sent to me!
More than a little bit chuffed with that.
And of course he wouldn't be a rock god without his tambourine....
It was time to get the chap together and upright
BOOOOOOOM, yeah, he's cooler than a polar bears sofa cushion isn't he, standing locked in the eternal pose of the stage.
So, on to the other half of this timeless duo...currently spending time apart, but always wrapped together in their shared musical history
Hang on, what's that outlined in the top package there....
Like LG, our man NG comes in 2 parts that slot together very easily. But he also comes with a rather cool accessory, his Union Flag guitar!
Gotta be said, the detailing on the guitar is something else isn't it, tremendous.
The Chief also gets his initials monogrammed on his bits!
Stood up and put together, stunning upright in the standard Noel look
These 2 rock n roll geniuses are stunning in this totally unique homage to their cool, style and attitude. Not meant to be a 1:1 replica of the Mancunian brothers, rather a celebration of what they are and the good times they brought to so many of us.
These are going to be made in very limited quantities, for fans of Oasis or even of either bro and their solo careers.
Our lives would have been pretty bloody dull without the sunshine that Liam and Noel came along and sprinkled on it for some time, remember the good times with these figurines from Monkees Blood, the first in hopefully a range of good time pieces to come!
For info, sign-up very quickly for the e-mail news here:
Both Liam and Noel will be available exclusively in the UK from the House of Martin, run by the rather lovely Dean Martin, details here for sign-up
I'm off to spend the rest of the evening persuading my ever suffering wife that we need to lose some of the ornamentation in the living room so the Gallagher's can take over some space.
A massive thanks to Monkees Blood I have to say, just bloody incredible.
Peace&Love&Mercy, theSub