Name: Fools Paradise's Darkside K.X1 at Coin Rides Game #3 Reviewed »...
Rating: 0.0
Author: Nick Curtis

The third piece in Fools Paradise’s Coin Rides Game series, Darkside K.X1 (2016), makes me long to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this December. What does one have to do with the other?

Rogue One will take place during the beginning of the original trilogy, and will detail — spoiler alert — the events that led up to Star Wars IV: A New Hope’s climax. Yes, the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the first Death Star. And since we now know that Darth Vader will be appearing in Rogue One, it also means that we might be spotting his TIE Advanced x1 starfighter. And that TIE Fighter is the basis for this new, third piece in the Coin Rides Game line.

The History of Darkside Keiko

Darkside K.X1 at Coin Rides Game #3, a beautiful PVC vinyl and ABS plastic production piece, sees the return of Darkside Keiko at the helm. Originally released as a resin sculpture in 2012, Darkside Keiko depicted the topless, scantily-clad vixen in Darth Vader’s iconic helmet. The Alan Ng designed Keiko returned in her Darkside form again in 2015, this time recreating the famous unmasking scene from Return of the Jedi… Of course, under her bear-shaped helmet, resided a head suggestive of Winnie the Pooh.

My Impressions of Darkside K.X1 at Coin Rides Game #3

Consistent with modern Fools Paradise releases, this newest incarnation of Darkside Keiko is imbued with Ng’s tongue-in-cheek humor and tendency for pop art jests. Like the previous Coin Rides Game pieces (see here and here), this Darkside Keiko is sitting in one of those rides I recall cluttering the outside of supermarkets when I was a kid. And, just like those coin-operated entertainments, this is able to move from side-to-side thanks to innovatively placed ball-joints.

As opposed to the previous pieces in this series, Darkside K.X1 doesn’t have articulation at her feet. Mainly because she doesn’t have feet. Her legs lock directly into the ride, which does stabilize her nicely. And, let’s be honest, the chances anyone wanted to display her outside of this magnificent diorama is slim.

This series continues to be an extraordinary example of what art toys are capable of, these works being not just a feat of conceptual engineering but also high-end production.