RoboCop - BE@RBRICK
“Dead or alive, you’re coming with me.” Arguably one of the most iconic one-liners in modern pop culture. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Robocop cast a satirical shadow on the world of action and sci-fi, bridging the gap between the untouchable hero and the vulnerabilities faced by all people. Locked in a constant battle between hard-coded police programming and a human conscience, Medicom has partnered with Orion Pictures Inc. to take the edge off and give the man in the machine a much-deserved break as part of the cute BE@BRICK collectible series.
Robocop x BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
Medicom has released two BE@RBRICK Robocop figures; the original silver metallic 1988 Robocop under licensing from Orion Pictures Corp. and the newer 2014 Robocop 3.0 with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. & Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. based on the Orion Pictures Corporation’s trademarked Robocop character.
Collaboration Planning and Launch Information
The 100% and 400% Robocop 3.0 figures were the first Medicom produced Robocop BE@RBRICK figures, released in April 2014, two months after the release of the 2014 Robocop remake. The second Robocop-themed BE@RBRICK figure produced was that of the original 1988 Robocop, released in May 2018—30 years after the original movie came out. The second robocop release comes in either a set of 100% and 400% or a single 1000% figure.
BE@RBRICK RoboCop 100% & 400%
In classic metallic silver color, this is the original Robocop design. Featuring intricate line work based on the contours of Robocop's armor and helmet the detail is superb. Even on the smaller 100% model at 70mm, the paint is incredible. The ears give a kind of soft cuteness to the character.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK RoboCop 100% & 400%
- Series: RoboCop
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Set of 2 painted, articulated, non-scale plastic figures
- Size: Ver. 100% (height: 70 mm | 2.8"); Ver. 400% (height: 280 mm | 11")
BE@RBRICK RoboCop 3.0 400%
Just like the movie, Robocop 3.0 is painted in black with a red visor. The only other parts of his design that aren't black are the white of the bear ears and the skin-colored mouth and hand. With regards to design, the newer version of Robocop shares little stylistically with the original, opting instead for a more militaristic stealth theme. Lines are far less pronounced and the overall body shape is far sleeker than the original.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK RoboCop 3.0 400%
- Series: RoboCop
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Size: Approx. 280 mm
About Robocop (Series)
Robocop is the tragic tale of corporate corruption and a post-disaster society dealing with high rates of crime and unrest. A defense satellite misfires and causes widespread disaster. The police force is privatized. The corporations that own the police force hold back funds in order to weaken them and get a deal with the military for giant robot officers. An executive at the company puts forth a proposal for the Robocop program instead and Robocop is born.
About Robocop
Robocop was originally Alex Murphy, a veteran police officer with strong morals and a desire to do good. In both movies, Alex Murphy is murdered by a prominent underground criminal leader who is supported by OCP, the company that created Robocop. The injuries Murphy sustained made it possible for OCP to transform his corpse into the invincible titanium and kevlar cyborg, Robocop. Robocop has a triple burst firing handgun in the original and a single, triple burst, or full-automatic pistol in the remake. One main difference is that in the remake Robocop is left with a human hand, this is to placate any opposition the public might have to a fully robotic police officer; essentially the responsibility would be that of a human, not an a.i.
Other Important Robocop Characters
The cast of Robocop has a number of fairly interesting characters that differ from the original to the remake. Some are the same or similar, as is the case with Robocop’s partner Anne Lewis or Jack Lewis. Other similarities include the crime boss Clarence Boddicker or Antoine Vallon in the remake. Some characters are merged however and some aspects are removed, for example, Dick Jones and Bob Morton in the original are almost blended into Raymond Sellers in the remake. Both had opposing ideas and fought to eliminate each other, whereas Raymond Sellers is the CEO and creator of both ideas. Instead of an internal struggle like in the original, in the remake, it's more OCP vs the public opinion as opposed to OCP executives vs each other.
Anne Lewis / Jack Lewis
Anne or Jack Lewis are Robocops partners in the original and remake respectively. Both have a run-in with the underground criminal network with Murphy, but the outcome is drastically different. In the original Anne Lewis is thrown from a balcony and lands on a stack of pallets, saving her life and leaving her relatively uninjured. Jack Lewis on the other hand is shot and wounded by the criminals. Jack has a somewhat closer relation to the Murphy character as they are shown to have been best friends as well as partners.
Bob Morton / Raymond Sellers
In the original Bob Morton was the up and coming OCP executive that suggested the Robocop program to the CEO of OCP, ultimately getting approval and becoming an obstacle in the plan to produce the ED-209 series. Raymond Sellers on the other hand is the CEO of the company and is the one to suggest the idea of Robocop. He plans to use this technology—with its human component—to sway the public opinion on robotic law enforcement. In the 2014 movie, OCP still has plans for a deal with the military but instead, with the Robocop program.
Dr. Dennett Norton
In the remake an original character debuts in the form of a compassionate and caring scientist. Forced by OCP to create Robocop, Dr. Norton does everything he can to make Murphy’s new life as a cybernetic police officer more bearable; considering the shock of losing your entire body and becoming the product of a company would be overwhelming.
Links
BE@RBRICK RoboCop 100% & 400%
BE@RBRICK RoboCop 3.0 400%
BE@RBRICK Series
BE@BRICK Label
Robocop Label