Review – 9th Circle Robotics Ray

Here’s another resin toy, and this time around it’s actually a toy from a series that’s still available. That’s right, if you like what you see here then you can jump over to the Mephisto Designs Etsy shop and grab a resin toy robot for yourself. At least, as of this writing you can. I have no way of guaranteeing that these will still be available next week or even later today. Anyway, let’s get to the review.

Resin, Not Metal

Created by Mephisto Designs (blog, Twitter) out of what appears to be wingnuts, bolts, assorted pipe fittings and bits, this resin toy is a solid piece that looks like the master was definitely metal. In fact, the paint job combined with the components in the robot’s design makes the entire piece look like it’s made of metal. A great effect, and the tight shot below really shows off the toy’s rusted out look.

Impressive work on both the design and the paint job. And keep in mind that this toy is only 2.5-inches tall, so all of the detail you’re seeing is pretty tiny. And the cast is generally pretty good, with just a couple of rough lines where the mold halves came together; the nice thing about a rough paint job is that it’s pretty forgiving of rough seam lines and even helps make every rough aspect of the toy look intentional. And what’s here looks great; I suspect that if I hadn’t mentioned the size many of you would have guessed this toy at about 5-inches tall. The shot above almost looks like the toy is made out of large metal bits. This is a gorgeous paint job.

No Articulation

As with most small resin toys, Ray here has no articulation at all. At first I thought maybe the arms were going to move, but they’re locked in place and it really looks like the entire toy is a single piece of resin and not resin parts glued together. Articulated arms would have been fantastic, even simple pins at the shoulders, but there’s no strike against the toy for lacking articulation. If you’ve read some of the resin toy reviews here before then you’re already well aware that articulation is uncommon in the resin toy community.

A Little Pricey

At $45, the 2.5-inch tall Ray is a tad on the expensive side for resin toys. The paint almost makes up for the higher cost, but a $35 or even $40 price tag would have been more appropriate for the toy’s size. Of course the $45 included shipping, so the price is by no means terrible. It’s just slightly higher than other resin toys of a comparable size and I felt it important to mention the cost. If you have any hesitations at all then I suggest skipping the toy, but if you like what you’re seeing in the photos then the $45 isn’t tough to swallow.

Closing Thoughts

A step up in terms of design and paint from the Ectoplasm Mephisto (review here), this 9th Circle Robotics Ray shows real artistic growth and an improvement in resin casting skills. The toy is small but has an awesome paint job and it would look right at home in any toy robot or resin toy collection.

This design and others are still at the Mephisto Designs Etsy shop, so now’s your chance to get one for your own resin toy collection. I recommend this for experienced resin toy collectors; it’s just a little too high on the price tag to make an excellent introductory piece.

Philip Reed finds it tough to review resin toys; each one is a hand-crafted work of art and that means no two are ever the same. So no matter what is said about one toy can in no way be applied to the entire run; it’s an unusual balancing act to both express an opinion and offer buying suggestions. Oh well, hopefully the photos help.