It’s supposed to be about the music, man.
But that doesn’t mean stage presence and legendary characters aren’t part of what make punk rock so exciting. The scene has embraced larger than life types since the early days -- many of which have been immortalized as bobbleheads, action figures, and other collectibles by Aggronautix, a one-person company run by Clint Weiler, now in its fifteenth year of existence.
SPB caught up with Weiler to talk about how the company turns our favorite musicians into figurines, as well as why this medium speaks to him.
Scene Point Blank: Collectibles and diverse merchandise are fairly commonplace right now. But when you started Aggronautix, the idea of a punk rock bobblehead was pretty unique. Do you remember how, after having the idea, you made it a reality? How did those first conversations with business partners go?
Clint Weiler: Yes, that’s correct. Well, I started collecting punk rock and hip-hop figures and realized there weren’t that many to choose from.
Of course there were Ramones, Sex Pistols, Lemmy, etc… But not much else.
I initially wanted to figure out how to make a GG Allin vinyl toy, because I had worked on a few things with Merle Allin previously and he was into the idea. But after a few months of research I realized it would be way too expensive for me to invest in as a first project.
I had been doing the music and sound for a minor league hockey team for a few years, and saw all the bobblehead giveaways we were doing, so I knew someone on staff was coordinating that. They basically passed on the contact information for the manufacturer and that’s where I started.
Scene Point Blank: You have to work with a lot of people to make a figure. How many people are involved in the making of your average collectible from start to finish?
Clint Weiler: Basically, you have the following people involved: Artist and / or management, illustrator, sculptor, package / art designer, manufacturer, freight / shipping agents, receiving agents, and warehouse.
Scene Point Blank: You've modeled after real people and band mascots. With real people, how does it work? Do you need them on-site in person?
Clint Weiler: If the artist is willing to, I ask them to get someone to photograph them from the front, sides, and back. This is for the sculptor to reference when sculpting the initial mold. They do not need to be on-site, although I know bigger companies do full body scans for the people they are replicating in toy form.
Scene Point Blank: You mentioned working with a sculptor. Is that an in-house person or a contractor? I get that you can't give away the whole process, but can you walk us through it a little bit? Does the same person make each figure and then you and various reps approve it and make suggestions?
Clint Weiler: I have several different sculptors, and they are all contracted.
GENERAL PROCESS OVERVIEW:
1. Conceive the look - The artist/management can suggest how the figure looks or provide photos of exact posture intended... Or I can make suggestions based on what I know to be effective.
2. Illustrate - My illustrator will create a detailed turnaround for the sculptor to work from.
3. Sculpt - My sculptor will create a digital sculpt based on the illustration and hi-res photos of the facial features.
4. Mold - My factory will fire a mold from the digital sculpt files provided.
5. Paint - The mold is painted and proofed.
6. Box art - My graphic artist in London creates the box.
Each of the above steps is proofed by the artist/management. We make changes until it is right. Then the figures are manufactured overseas and take a few months to reach us.
Scene Point Blank: What is your artistic background? There's a lot of 3D modeling, etc involved with this.
Clint Weiler: Not much. I studied cinematography for a year and had a bunch of basic art classes, but after that I switched to writing. I can do a little sculpting, but I rely on my team to do anything that’s more than basic.
Scene Point Blank: It seems like you mostly focus on entrenched "classics" versus newer bands. Why did you pick that focus?
Clint Weiler: I focus on the things I like, but they need to have a sales history. It’s not necessarily about making a lot of money, I just don’t want to lose any… I want to keep doing this for a while.
Scene Point Blank: Is there any musician who has been on your "dream list" for a long time but you know you'll never make it work due to logistics (example: they've passed away or a corporate entity owns their rights)?
Clint Weiler: I’ve always wanted to make Darby Crash and Stiv Bators, but can’t seem to figure out how to do it legally. All my projects are under contract and signed off on by the band or by the estate.
Scene Point Blank: What are some of the hardest details you've made work so far? Was there a musician with a unique nose or jawline or some quirk that you just couldn't get right at first?
Clint Weiler: The most challenging times are when the artist wants to make changes alterations to microscopic details. There hasn’t been a whole lot of that, but it can be challenging from time to time. There are limitations, but you want to make sure people are happy with their likeness.
Scene Point Blank: Has there been any controversy with any of the releases or have any disputes risen where the figure had to be shelved?
Clint Weiler: Yes, there has been. One that I am super bummed about because the guy was my idol as a kid and would have been the first hip-hop Throbblehead. It was even assigned a number, and still appears on checklists as ??? I can’t really mention who it is though.
Scene Point Blank: Modeling after a real person is different than McFarlane Toys or something. How do you balance fun with realism when coming up with a concept? (Or maybe you just answered that, as many first generation punk bands were arguably more "character" than real life -- or at least that's how the lore tells it, nowadays.)
Clint Weiler: You said it… Most of the people I make are already interesting enough visually, so I don’t have to make up anything too wild.
Scene Point Blank: Figures, whether action figures or bobbleheads, usually have a key defining characteristic or prop. Do you pick these or does the artist?
Clint Weiler: It's a combination of artist/management suggestions and what I think will look best and also be suitable for manufacturing. In other words, we have to make sure that the figures will hold up to being shipped around the world.
Scene Point Blank: Is Aggronautix, by definition, music-focused or would you consider b-movie stars and other cult figures?
Clint Weiler: I’m dedicated to keeping it punk rock, which includes anything that could be considered as such, even without being included in the music genre.
Scene Point Blank: What does "punk rock" mean to you, personally?
Clint Weiler: It means going against the grain, challenging the norm, and standing out in a sea of normality.
Scene Point Blank: What do you collect, personally?
Clint Weiler: I collect punk and hip-hop toys, designer vinyl art toys, skateboards, art, clocks, garbage pail kids, coffee table books, and a few other things.
Scene Point Blank: You also make comics now too, right (separate from Aggronautix)? Can you talk about starting that path?
Clint Weiler: Not anymore… I parted ways with that company recently. I’m focused on my arcade brewery Fun Dungeon at the moment.
Scene Point Blank: Were the comics completely separate from Aggronautix?
Clint Weiler: It was… I was hired by them to make collectibles to pair with their graphic novel releases.
Scene Point Blank: Will the comics all be music adjacent too?
Clint Weiler: Most of them were, yes.
Scene Point Blank: Tell us a little about Fun Dungeon: both what it is and what your role at the brewcade is.
Clint Weiler: Fun Dungeon is a new brewery arcade located in Phoenixville, PA. We're located in the basement of a building constructed at the turn of the century and was already very dungeon-like when we signed the lease, so we decided to run with that theme. So we have a medieval vibe with suits of armor, swords and shields, coats of arms, flags, etc. It's a very unique experience and so far people have been really digging it.
Me and my partner own the business, but we started with putting various arcade games out on location at local bars about 6 years ago. When we lost one of our bigger locations, we decided to pursue our own spot and about a year and a half later, Fun Dungeon was born.
Scene Point Blank: I believe you've worked with film, figures, print, and music directly. What ties all of these mediums together for you with music (for the sake of this interview) seeming to be a connecting factor?
Clint Weiler: ART. Anything that evokes an otherworldly emotion is interesting to me.
Scene Point Blank: Do you have a favorite game and favorite beer of the moment at Fun Dungeon?
Clint Weiler: Hard to pick a favorite but SMASH TV is very fun. As for beer, I love beers on nitro, so our GOLEM Dark Mild English Ale ranks high in my book. The HALFLING Keller Pilsner is also great. We currently have 8 beers on draft, about 10 different meads (which are very popular at the moment), and a full menu of specialty cocktails (including the Mead-Evil Mule, which I created) and non-alcoholic options (mocktails, Liquid Death, etc).
