Interview with Vitaliy Figures ElastoWit, Serhiy got to talk Vitaliy. Vitaliy is one of a group of Eastern European collectors who have become makers. We have showcased several of his figures in two posts. So sit back and enjoy this interview.
Interview with Vitaliy Figures ElastoWit Beginnings
Serhiy: Hi, Vitaliy! It’s for the first time that we talk to each other, right?
Vitaliy: Hi there, yes, Serhiy, although we exchanged so many messages before.
Serhiy.: Oh yeah, I do remember the day I saw your figures on the net. They were Ukrainian Cassocks set
of 6 perfectly crafted character figures, full of action, mighty knights of the steppes, another set I
noticed, were Ninjas, fierce and delicate in detail, in nice fighting poses, and, of course, John Rambo
– the one he appears in Rambo-2 First Blood movie. Then I saw your dramatic Bear Hunt set. Great
miniatures, that was what I thought immediately; the guy is really good at making toy soldiers. I have
to grab on this Rambo, I thought, and then I want even more
Vitliy: Thank you, Serhiy. Yes, I make different series and eras, actually. Right now I am deep in the
western period, you know, gunfighters, Indians, cowboys… By the way, the new series is also based
on a movie like the Rambo character you mentioned. I like bringing iconic movie characters to life…
Serhiy.: So, how did it start actually, I mean, what made you make toy soldiers?
Vitaliy: A good question, but you already like answered it by yourself… The keyword is a toy. I liked to play
with my toys as a kid. Then I liked to collect different manufacturers’ sets and individual figures.
Among them were great examples to follow, by the way…
Interview with Vitaliy Figures Companies that Vitaliy Likes
Serhiy: Oh. Can you just name a few, I mean, give me a sample, please!
Vitaliy: They are so many in fact: Louis Marx, MPC, Timmee… Elastolin; and the former East German
(DDR) western characters and sets. I love the old composition of European traditional figures, once they
were champions all over the world, little treasures to be desired by lots of kids. To be frank, “old
school”, sometimes a bit crude, a way exaggerated in their forms, toy soldiers of the past have
served me a standard… an ideal picture of a toy soldier. Here I am trying to preserve some same
feeling I used to feel when interacting with these little wonders, Elastolin, Durolin, Marolin, you
know… At times, I even try to stick to some traditional way of making these. Mostly when it comes
to the way I sculpt – no 3D printing, only hand-made, you know. Well, yes, I am trying to preserve
the approach of the past, collectors will understand me, but with a certain amount of modern
techniques applied. This is to make my figures also interesting for those who do not have their own
history of relationship with the brands as I named above.
Interview with Vitaliy Figures ElastoWit Western
S.: And… now I can understand, from where this specific name of your new project comes:
ElastoWit. So, what is there in this new toy soldiers’ line name, Vitaliy?
V.: But you do know that
S.: Me yes, I am making notes for our readers, this is the detail you should explain to them, ok?
V.: OK. So, to make a long story short, when we decided to come up with a new line of western toy
soldiers, the first thing we had in mind, they should follow the former “gummy” figures once so
popular with us, USSR, and DDR kids… Thus, the scale will be so-called “German”, like in early Marx or
even Timmee, the average figure goes about 60/65mm in height; second, we have to make them of
some kind of soft plastic to relate the rubber-like feeling, to keep them sturdy and cool at touch at
the same time, just similar to the rubber toy soldiers we had so many years ago. And the last, but
not least, both the material and the name should remind us of a yesteryear toy soldier champion…
So, we decided on taking the name ElastoWit ™ (first part of it stands for the elastic material, we are
using different components for our mix, but the fact is true – all our materials become elastic, not
hard or brittle; Witalij – the name of the sculptor in German spelling, remember, we are making the
“German standard” figs?). Well, this is it.
Details
Serhiy Great. Thank you for the story! Personally me, I like the name, it sounds so familiar so, what
are the plans?
Vitaliy: to go on with the historical periods we started with – Ukrainian military history, we also made a
set of the Ukrainian modern military, check with our Catalog online, and continue the new
western movie heroes series. We are also planning to add some accessories like wooden Wild West towns, covered wagons, etc. There are plans to start making playsets, to launch the production of
some medieval sets, Robin Hood, you know… We will experiment with colors and, yes, styles, I think.
And we will try to keep our series affordable by giving fair prices. I would like to make as many good
guys loving toy soldiers happy by giving them an opportunity to invest in their happiness, buy our
lines and playsets, but keeping them far from spending a fortune on all that
Serhiy.: Perfect, Vitaliy! So to wrap it all up, we will see more ElastoWit soon? Any other trademarks to
look for at the market?
Vitaliy.: Well… ElastoWit now goes for mostly western sets we started to produce. Before it was
Wizhen figures Studio, and it still stays the same for most part of my sets and figures.
ElastoWit ™ is a different story. We have it in collaboration with my partner, you know his name!
By the way, guys can reach me out regarding the purchase of both, Wizhen figures and ElastoWit items
through my partner; he is like an authorized dealer for my products to overseas. Here is his mail
address: toysoldrs2@yahoo.com
Serhiy.: Thank you so much for the interview, Vitaliy! I wish your products and you personally all the best!
Will make my order for the western set right now. Have a nice day!
Vitliy: Come back soon, Serhiy, you are most welcome! Cheers!
OMG !
i think a good thing .. the figures look good, fit our scales and the price is ok too .. looking forward to the great DEFA western characters
cheers
Detlef
Agree ,they fit and blend the typical German scale 65/75 mm or 1/25 approx. as most German and later west Germany and former DDR did most their figures as well .
best
Hi Paul and collectors. After seeing the western figures, and reading the interview, I’m definitely interested in getting the set of cowboys and the lone Apache. I sent an inquiry email to the address listed, but no answer so far. Can you tell me how to order all the cowboy figures? They would be great for my growing project of Quantrill’s Raiders, since they are wearing jackets and wide brimmed hats. Thanks for any info. Everybody stay well, Carl
Dear Karl,
Sorry that we missed your message😣
We are currently operating through our FB page directly.
We will double check your inquiry and will be shortly back to you with our quote.
Thank you for the interest!
ElastoWit company
Dear all,
Apologies for miscommunication due to some serious issues we had with the mailbox given above.
We tried to reply, yet late, to all those who kindly sent us their inquiries. Thank you!
If interested, please reach out to us, ElastoWit Co. at marksergeyev1967@gmail.com
We will provide with all info.
Thank you!