Lately, rock-leaning toy line KnuckleBonz hit big with their Rock Iconz line, featuring collectible figurines of acts like Ghost and Pantera. Now, sonic superpower Metallica are getting in on the fun, with a new line-up of figurines due out in early 2021.
As you can see from the image below, the figurines do a good job of getting across the band members’ unique personalities. Kirk is making an ‘O’ face while wailing on the guitar, James is obviously shouting, “YE-HA!”, Rob is dutifully killing it on bass, and Lars is standing up on his drum kit and acting confrontational. The line-up will obviously be a perfect way to make your bookshelf look like the stage of a massive stadium.
Here’s the only downside: these figures ain’t cheap. Each of the Metallica statuettes clocks in at $149, with the set of all four costing $536.40 (and that’s on sale). But if you have the bank, and aren’t worried about your significant other chewing you out and throwing these things in the garbage, then we say go forth!
Metallica’s Rock Iconz figures are available for preorder, with January 2021 set as the tentative release date.
Honestly, though, Metallica’s James doesn’t need a toy modeled after him when he has something better: a venomous reptile named after him. Last week, it was revealed that researched discovered a new species of African Pit Viper living at the base of a volcano, and decided to name it ‘Atheris hetfieldi‘ after their favorite vocalist.
“Both me and Mariana Marques, the second author of the paper, are big fans of Metallica and James Hetfield since a very young age, ” said Dr. Luis Ceriaco, the snake’s discovered, when speaking to Louder. “We wanted to honor him, as a thank you for all the good vibes his music has transmitted to us during all of our personal lives and careers. Also, we think that a mysterious venomous and cool looking snake, who lives in the base of a volcano lost in the middle of the tropical forest is very relatable to heavy metal! On another hand, naming a new species after someone as James brings more attention to the much needed biodiversity studies and field surveys. We are in race against the extinction of a large proportion of the world’s biodiversity, and many species may go extinct before we even know they exist!”
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Words by Chris Krovatin
