Extreme Sets is giving hope to all of us who take pictures of little plastic people, but are not named “Matthew K.”
I love taking pictures of, and writing about, action figures. I have been doing it for quite a while now, and two things I have learned is that it is fun, but it is also very time consuming. I usually try to get a couple of articles up on the front page per week, and it can be really tricky to get it all done, especially with how busy “real life” can often be. So, as much as I would like to build awesome sets for my photo shoots, I usually NEVER have the time, and even if I did, I likely lack a lot of the skill it take to build dioramas.
Extreme Sets has given me hope, though, and they are offering up something that has been needed for a long time: highly detailed, but easy to use pop-up dioramas for action figures. I mean, the idea sounds so simple, but it is often the simple ideas that make the biggest impact, and, frankly, these are going to change the way I take action figure photos. Now, I was fortunate enough to get the classic wrestling backdrops a while back, but I just incorporated those into my WWF display shelf. Now, making these a part of your display is certainly an option, but with these new sets, I am salivating over the possibilities for my pictures more than anything else.
I will be bringing you looks at several other sets over the course of the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to start off with two of my favorites: the sewer and subway platform pop-ups. I just got these and I wanted to get them out there as soon as possible, so I am still figuring out the best lighting options, but one thing I KNOW I am going to have to do is reset my entire light table. You get so much with each of these sets, I don’t have enough room to capture all of the pieces at one time. So I apologize for my logistical limitations, but let me tell you: when everything is assembled, these two sets are very impressive and really bring everything to life.
Aside from the sheer size of these environments, and I say “environments” because that is what they are, the two most outstanding qualities about these sets are the ease of use and the printed details. Sure, they are sturdy, too, but the fact that I can have these photo ready in a matter of seconds really adds to the value of using them in a “picture factory” environment without slowing down the process. Plus, the detailing on these is great because not only are they visually interesting and unique, but they are also printed in perspective, so shadows and angles work with the set-up to give more depth of field, and the illusion of these flat prints existing in three-dimensional space.
While all of these sets are modular, and thus highly customizable, I would say of the two, that is more true of the sewer environment. Most of my collection is currently packed away due to an upcoming move, but I set up some of the walls and my Figuarts TMNT figures were instantly at home. These sets certainly have some stylized cues, but they are also generic enough not exclude any kind of figure, or take away from the figures themselves. I really like the pipes and bricks with this one, but the passageways also give the feeling that the environment goes beyond what is actually included. This set also comes with free-standing pieces as well (as do most of the sets), and the cement dividers give even more depth to the display, and allow your figures to interact with them.
As much as I dig the sewer pop-up, the subway platform is by far my favorite of these. This one is planned out really well as it give you two distinct sides to the display, but you also get the flooring, too, which makes a huge difference in establishing a complete environment. On one side, you get the traditional subway tiled walls, but on the other you get an actual train car. Plus, the stairwell connects both sides, and then the floor and the free-standing pillars pull it all together. To me, this makes for whole thought and not only allows for some good pictures, but if choose, makes for a complete display. I mean, often times these are going to be slightly out of focus in a figure review, but the entire set will be there, and it has the details to stand with anything.
Like I said, I am still figuring out how I want to photograph these for reviews because these is just so much to take in. I am so glad I have these now, so expect them to remain a vital part of my articles going forward. I would recommend them to any collector, really, but especially those like me who like the interactive environments but are a bit challenged in being able to build something on their own. As I mentioned, I will have looks at more of these in the coming days, but I will also be reconfiguring my photo setup to accommodate these so they can really shine. So stay tuned.
In the meantime, you can order yours direction from Extreme Sets HERE and HERE. Or, if you want to add them to your Pile of Loot, Big Bad Toy Store has them HERE and HERE.