Review – Ectoplasm Mephisto Resin Toy

I mentioned this resin toy back in February (mentioned here) and now it’s time for us to take a look at this stylish, horned resin cube. Created completely by Mephisto Designs (blog, Twitter, Etsy shop), the platform is quite minimalist but the paint application — unique to each release in the series so far — transforms it from a basic design to an incredible piece of art. Keep reading for my thoughts on this tiny, cuby resin toy.

A Cube With Horns

I’m sure it’s just because it’s square, but the first thing I thought of when I picked up the Ectoplasm Mephisto resin toy was Ashley Wood’s World War Robot* Squares designer toy (review here). This isn’t at all a bad thing — the Squares are pretty cute — but it’s not exactly a fair comparison since the Mephisto doesn’t have legs or a sculpted face. Still, I thought it was worth mentioning since even now I get think of the Square when I pick up this toy.

So about that Ectoplasm Mephisto toy. It’s roughly 2.5-inches tall at the tip of its horns and right at about 1.75-inches tall at the top of the cube. I can’t be certain how the master was created, but if I was designing this toy I would have started with a block of wood and then sculpted on the horns. The edges are a bit rough, the horns are a little rough, and overall the toy has a rugged, hand-crafted feel to it and a fantastic heft. This solid chunk of resin had to be expensive to create just in terms of resin cost . . . and then the painting time and effort comes into play.

A Speckled Evil Green Beast

With such a simple physical design it would have been easy for the Mephisto platform to be completely forgettable. I mean, it’s not like the eyes of other features are sculpted onto the toy’s surface; it’s almost smooth except for the horns jutting from the top of the cube (and a faint texture that makes me think the toy did start out as a wooden block). But the intricate, detailed paint work transforms the cube into something much more than a block with horns. And the paint feels great, without any tacky spots or fear that it’s going to rub off on my fingers. The paint is tight and well-executed and far superior to anything I could have done. As you can see in the pics, this resin toy is definitely a work of art.

Closing Thoughts

A short review for a short toy, there’s not a lot I can say about the Ectoplasm Mephisto except that the paint drastically changes the look of the toy. If you take a look at the different designs at Etsy then you’ll see what I mean about the paint having such a significant impact on the platform.

This isn’t an exciting or dangerous toy, but it’s a cool work of art that fits in well with my resin toy collection. And after getting to feel and play with the Ectoplasm Mephisto I’m more excited about the upcoming 9th Circle Robotics toys by Mephisto Designs (last mentioned here).

So who needs a toy in this series? Well, this isn’t a great first resin toy for anyone, but experienced resin toy collectors with a love of detailed paint work should consider grabbing one of these. And with each release in the series unique you know you’ll have a special art toy in your collection.

*Affiliate link: Orders using this link earn battlegrip.com cash, which is applied to buying toys.

Philip Reed has one Mephisto — as you can see — but if he was after a second he would probably grab the Mutant Alien Mephisto.