Dr. David Bowman 2001: A Space Odyssey - BE@RBRICK
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick. Today, many consider it to be a classic movie, despite it originally being an incredibly polarizing film when it was originally released. Meanwhile, in the 2010s, Medicom Toy sought out franchises to collaborate with to add to their popular BE@BRICK line of figures. This eventually led to the production of several figures inspired by the film, like the “BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 100% & 400% Set” and the “BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 1000%”.
2001: A Space Odyssey x BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
The collaboration between 2001: A Space Odyssey and BE@RBRICK began in November 2016 with the release of a figure inspired by Dr. David Bowman’s orange space suit. In total, three unique BE@RBRICK figures have been produced.
Collaboration Planning and Launch
The first figure produced through this collaboration was available in three different BE@RBRICK sizes: 100%, 400%, and 1000%. A few years later in May 2019, a second yellow figure inspired by Dr. Frank Poole’s space suit would be made as well. Like the first release, the yellow BE@RBRICK figure was also produced in three sizes. The third and most recent figure produced through this collaboration is a variation of Bowman’s suit that includes a green helmet. This figure was released in December 2019 but only made available in BE@RBRICK’s 100% and 400% sizes.
BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 100% & 400% Set
This set of two figures recreates the unique look of Dr. David Bowman’s orange space suit from the movie. Although its design is rather dated by modern standards, the shiny rubber texture and the unique box strapped to the suit give it an instantly recognizable appearance. The blue boots of the figure also help add a bit of color variety to the suit, which is otherwise completely orange. As with other BE@RBRICK figures, the figures in this set both have large, round ears and articulated limbs, which lets its user move it into several different positions. Although the figures in this set are identical in design, they vary greatly in size. The 100% figure stands at approximately three inches tall while the 400% figure is almost twelve.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 100% & 400% Set
- Series: 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Set of 2 articulated, non-scale plastic figures
- Height (Approx.): 100%: 70 mm; 400%: 280 mm
BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 1000%
Like the previous set, this figure was inspired by Dr. Bowman’s orange suit from the movie. That said, this figure dwarfs the other two figures by comparison. While the 400% figure is just under twelve inches tall, this 1000% figure is over double that, coming approximately 27.6 inches in total.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 1000%
- Series: 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Painted and articulated plastic figure
- Height (Approx.): 700 mm
About 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey is a science fiction film that was first released in 1968 and directed by Stanley Kubrick. The inspiration for the movie came from a short story titled “The Sentinel”, which was created by a co-writer of the film, Arthur C. Clarke. Much of the film revolves around themes of extraterrestrial life, human evolution, artificial intelligence, and existentialism. Although Kubrick took care in creating intricate sets and complex effects, the original 1968 release of the film was met with a mixed reception among critics. Some found the film rather artistic and profound while others found the film unbelievably boring. As time passed, however, the movie was re-released with much more positive results.
About Dr. David Bowman
Dr. David Bowman is one of the central characters of 2001: A Space Odyssey and, along with a few other scientists, boards the Discovery One that is bound for Jupiter after a strange monolith was discovered on the moon. During the journey through space, Bowman encounters several issues with HAL, the artificial intelligence that controls the space ship. The A.I. eventually goes rogue and attempts to kill all of the scientists on board, though Bowman manages to survive long enough to deactivate the computer. Although Bowman became the only living occupant left in the Discovery, the ship made it to Jupiter, where he finds another, significantly larger monolith much like the one on the moon.
Other Important Characters
Although Dr. Bowman is generally considered to be the protagonist of the film, several other characters appear as well. Two such characters are HAL and Dr. Frank Poole.
HAL
HAL is an A.I. powered by the HAL 9000 computer onboard the Discovery One. Although it seems harmless and compliant at the beginning of the interplanetary excursion, the A.I. starts to malfunction and falsely notifies Dr. Bowman and Dr. Poole of issues about the ship. These malfunctions begin to spin out of control after HAL goes haywire. In the outbursts that followed, HAL took control of many devices on the ship and attempted to kill everyone on board. Before this goal was fully realized, however, Dr. Bowman managed to disassemble HAL’s components.
Dr. Frank Poole
Dr. Frank Poole is the only other conscious scientist that worked with Dr. Bowman on their journey to Jupiter. After noticing HAL’s strange behavior, Dr. Poole tries to pull Dr. Bowman aside to come up with a strategy to deactivate HAL. The A.I., however, catches wind of their plan and takes over Dr. Poole’s vehicle as he attempted to fix a supposed issue brought up by HAL. Dr. Poole’s tether and oxygen supply was cut off, resulting in his death.
Related Figures
Fans that enjoy these figures from 2001: A Space Odyssey may also be interested in some of the figures inspired by other classic science fiction movies. Some examples include characters from Alien, Terminator: Dark Fate, Planet of the Apes, and more.
Links
BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 100% & 400% Set
BE@RBRICK 2001: A Space Odyssey Space Suit Orange Ver. 1000%
BE@RBRICK Series
Alien - BE@RBRICK
T-800 Terminator: Dark Fate - BE@RBRICK
General Ursus Planet of the Apes - BE@RBRICK
BE@BRICK Label
2001: A Space Odyssey Label