Damon Lau talks wave 3 of UFC collector series and more

The second UFC Fan Expo is just hours away, and even though TheFightNerd.com will not be there in person for this show, we (meaning me) will be there in spirit. One of the things I am looking forward to seeing is photos of all the new MMA products coming out, specifically the action figures!

I had a chance to speak with Damon Lau, president and co-founder of Round 5 MMA figures, who we have spoken with in the past, to discuss what they plan on announcing at the show and what we can expect from them in the near future!

TFN: So Damon, tell us about wave 3 of the UFC collector series.

Damon: Wave 2 just started hitting the market not too long ago, and Wave 3 is hitting soon. Wave 3 is a pretty great series. It has Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Diego Sanchez, Rich Franklin and Nogueira and one thing that we are doing for the very first time is were doing a Pride version of Wanderlei Silva so that is really cool!

TFN: Are there going to be any exclusive figures besides Wanderlei coming out with this line?

Damon: When we launch a series we always end up dong limited editions, which are variants of the figures in the line. What we do usually is feature an accessory like a walkout tee or some element that we think is different and fits the figure. the version of the pride wanderlei is different because most limited editions are available online and not in stores, and we have never done this before either with major retailers, but the Pride version of Wanderlei that will be in Pride packaging with his tight vale tudo shorts and tattoos, will be chasers that you find in retailers. So you will find it in stores anywhere since it will be placed in random boxes as we ship.

TFN: Jakks pacific is about to release their first exclusive two pack over at Ringsidecollectibles.com which features a bloodied Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. Does Round 5 have any plans to show a bloody or battle damaged fighter in an upcoming line?

Damon: Absolutely. for us, our approach is really towards collectors, so we have a new series of two packs that are coming out which are in a different style. Typically, a two-pack is two figures you have done before that you repaint and put in a new package. We created new packaging and completely re-sculpted the figures from scratch and sculpted them in battle poses from the actual fights. We also included a display stand that is like a mini-octagon. So you get two new characters in a new display which I think is a cool item.

TFN: Round 5 has been focusing alot on Zuffa related entities like UFC and Pride. Is there any chance you might go back to other companies?

Damon: Yes, I think for us we are open to go backwards and produce any charactesr from any organization. The key thing is so many fighters are in the UFC right now and for us, there is a high demand for the fighters on the market, but we have to approach the guys who fans want to see first. So we have to focus on those, even though there are always fans who want to see this guy or that guy, but with so many guys in the UFC, WEC and Pride we have not done yet, so we are trying to do them all in a good solid pecking order.

TFN: Awhile back we had discussed some figures that were in prototype form, a more realistic looking figure. Any news on those?

Damon: We are actually going to be announcing a higher end line, probably at the UFC Fan Expo, which we expect to be released fourth quarter of this year. No press release yet, just come check us out there!

TFN: You mentioned the UFC Fan Expo, are you guys bringing any special limited editions to sell?

Damon: At this point it does not look like it will happen for this year. It is something we were trying to do, but with so much stuff we are working on it was hard to do. But what we will do is be previewing a lot of the prototypes which has not been done before, including the two-packs and some other new lines we have not mentioned before.

TFN: What was the one toy you always wanted as a kid but never had?

Damon: The one toy that I always wanted but never had, but actually got it three years ago, was a Gremlins Mogwai figure. I always wanted one since I was a massive Gremlins fan, and one time I walked through a store and found the Neca version. I bought it on the spot and I have it sitting in my collectors case in my living room!

TFN: What you are working on for the future?

We are looking to move up into a larger scale. It will be a higher price point but it will have a whole new level of detail. The way we do our line is to adjust to collectors at different levels. Our focus has always been towards hardcore collctors, so when you start with a six-inch collector line its something that is small for a table-top or desk and things like that. The next line that is coming out is a larger scale so every new thing you see will be a step up in scale.

TFN: Can you give us any hints for who we will see in Wave 4 of the UFC collectors line?

Damon: All I can say is that series 4 is probably the best of the entire line and there will be seven figures as well as multiple chase figures, and it will be out just in time for Christmas!