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<\/a>Last week I brought you a series of articles and reviews of a great new action figure line from the Chinese toy company, Ori-Toy.\u00a0 Today I\u2019m following that up with a very special article: an exclusive interview with the founder and toy designer, Mr. Mo Mou.\u00a0 <\/p>\nNot only was Mo kind enough to answer my questions, but he also included photos and sketches to some of the behind-the-scenes elements of his company\u2019s designs.\u00a0 Some of the pictures are pretty large, so you\u2019ll have to click on them to see the full image.\u00a0 And as always, let us know what you think about this unique line of toys in the comments below.<\/p>\n
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Mo Mou:<\/strong>\u00a0 Dear all, I\u2019m Mo from Ori-Toy and I started the business in 2009.\u00a0 In the beginning Ori-Toy concentrated on OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) toy designs, but beginning in 2010 I started to develop original toys such as Ori-Fig and Ori-Bot (Ori-Bot is still under development).<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 What were your inspirations in developing the Ori-Fig?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Ori-Fig was originally an Arabian genie named \u201cAnonymous\u201d, which I designed many years ago.\u00a0 This genie lives in people\u2019s minds and helps in collecting memory pieces; in different cases he will change himself into different characters.\u00a0 (So you may find that the trousers of an Ori-Fig is a bit like genie trousers.)\u00a0 When I developed Ori-Fig, I re-employed the idea of \u201cidentity changing\u201d from Anonymous.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 I\u2019d love to, but I don\u2019t have a plan for this yet.\u00a0 I think Anonymous may have to be born with some media, like a comic or flash animation, before it becomes a product.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 When I look at an Ori-Fig, I feel like you were able to blend the stylized look of a vinyl figure with the articulation and dynamics of an action figure.\u00a0 Was this the goal all along?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Bingo! <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 Part of my initial appeal in these figures is their basis on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms storyline.\u00a0 Are you a big fan of the Three Kingdom\u2019s stories?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 I like the Three Kingdoms; many characters inside the stories are cool and full of character.\u00a0 Three Kingdoms toys are rare in the market, so I chose this story as the pilot product for Ori-Fig.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 With a cast of so many characters, how do you choose which ones should be made first?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Guan Yu is one of the most famous characters in the Three Kingdoms.\u00a0 In Asia, I believe even those who don\u2019t know the Three Kingdoms story well have heard about him.\u00a0 As a warrior\/general, he was also one of the most powerful fighters at the time (certainly Lu Bu was another); so I chose him as the first character in the product line.\u00a0 For the following characters, I always choose my favorite.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 That\u2019s a cool suggestion!\u00a0 I like mythical characters too.\u00a0 Let me think about this.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 What\u2019s your process for designing the figures?\u00a0 Are they done on computer or do you start out sketching with a pencil and paper?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Concept sketch first, then I proceed to CAD, and then refining and molding.\u00a0 The Guan Yu sketch is the first concept sketch of the character.\u00a0 You\u2019ll find that the details on the figure were fine-tuned compared to the sketch.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 Something else I really like about the Ori-Fig design is its versatility.\u00a0 Are you planning on expanding into other genres?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Apart from Three Kingdoms and The Ravages of Time, I\u2019ve started looking into anime licenses.\u00a0 I hope that Ori-Fig can be cross-developed into anime and game characters.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 The Ori-Fig body seems like it would lend itself to customization.\u00a0 Do you have any plans on releasing blank Ori-Figs so people could create their own characters?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Sure, I have a plan for that.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 Lastly, I\u2019m going to end on a tough question.\u00a0 Aside from Ori-Figs, what\u2019s your favorite toy or toy line right now?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 My favorite toy is Takara Yusha (Brave) series.\u00a0 But frankly, I like old toys more than new toys.\u00a0 I feel that the latest toys are too \u201ccollectable\u201d and more for display.\u00a0 I like toys that are for play rather than for just owning.\u00a0 But, the latest Masterpiece Optimus Prime is a good toy!\u00a0 It has a cool transformation, which I like a lot!<\/strong> V:\u00a0 What\u2019s your favorite toy or toy line from when you were a kid?<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Well, there are so many toy lines I liked when I was small.\u00a0 Transformers, Mashin Eiyuuden plastic kit, SD Gundam, Yusha Series, Saint Seiya, . . . too many!\u00a0 If choosing a favorite one, I\u00a0 may go with Saint Seiya because I liked those like crazy as a kid.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n V:\u00a0 Mo, I\u2019d like to thank you for taking the time to chat with us, and also for making the articles and reviews last week possible.\u00a0 Also, congratulations on getting this fantastic toy line up and running.\u00a0 I hope we see the Ori-Figs for a long time to come.<\/p>\n MM:\u00a0 Thank you for giving me a chance to introduce myself and Ori-Fig to toy fans.\u00a0 Thank you so much!!<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a parting gift, Mo is also allowing me to share with you a teaser image of his next line of Ori-Figs, codenamed: Hero Trainee.\u00a0 I cannot wait for these! Also, I know some of you are chomping at the bit to buy these figures.\u00a0 While they\u2019re not readily available yet outside of Asia, Mo is working to bring them to online retail.\u00a0 The details are still being hammered out, but once everything is ready we\u2019ll definitely update with an announcement.<\/p>\n If you missed my previous articles\/reviews<\/a>, you can check out the first one here<\/a> with Guan Yu.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/iori1.jpg?resize=300%2C300\")
<\/a>Vault:\u00a0 Hello, would you like to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your company?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/iori2.jpg?resize=218%2C300\")
<\/a>V:\u00a0 That\u2019s an interesting character, and I really like his design.\u00a0 Do you have any plans on bringing Anonymous back as an official Ori-Fig?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/iori3.jpg?resize=186%2C300\")
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<\/a>V:\u00a0 I can definitely see the Arabian influence in the Ori-Fig design.\u00a0 I know the design would lend itself well to characters like Aladdin or Sinbad, but I can also see the opportunity for mythical figures like Hercules or Thor.\u00a0 Do you have plans on expanding into other legendary people from around the world?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/guanyu_sketch1.jpg?resize=300%2C300\")
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