AND1 Philippines: And1 kicks immortalized in (toy) plastic

[Shoe Session – 12.26.11] - And1 kicks immortalized in (toy) plastic – Part 1 of 2

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls
Images: Spawn.com (McFarlane toys – Basketball action figures); various sources

Greetings, And Juans! Merry Christmas to everyone and may you have had a meaningful celebration of the season. As a Christmas treat for all you And1 fans out there, I’m posting below a blog article that I’ve been wanting to come out since early September. Having asked my fellow And1 Ph administrator Luis A. aka L.A., I finally decided to post this write up about And1 shoes being made into plastic form courtesy of action figure company McFarlane Toys.

As most of you basketball fans know, McFarlane Toys produced action figures of popular NBA players since 2002 under the McFarlane Sports Picks (MSP) line. It features lifelike renderings with minimal/limited articulation of selected NBA players, with accurate jersey and uniforms including the player’s distinct shoe for that particular NBA season. That being said, popular basketball shoe producers such as And1 was able to have certain shoe models produced as part of the featured player’s action figure counterpart, and I have posted some of the action figure pictures below alongside the shoe model for your viewing pleasure.

First up, the inaugural year of McFarlane Sports Picks (Series 1) in 2002 featured erstwhile And1 brand endorser Kevin Garnett in the KG Select Mid. I’ve also included a Youtube video (click HERE) of the And1 advertisement for the said shoe model.

During the 3^rd wave of MSP, another (former) And1 endorser was included in the line-up, then-Knick Latrell Sprewell. Sporting his trademark cornrows, ball cocked back for a two-handed tomahawk jam, and wearing the And1 Spree Mid, this was one of my most favorite McFarlane basketball figures (2^nd only to Gary Payton).

The following wave, former Pacer Jermaine O’neal was included in the Series 4 line-up. While he was not an And1 endorser, it was just interesting to note that since he was basically a repaint of the same Kevin Garnett mold from Series 1, he was also wearing the And1 KG Select Mid but in IND colorway.

Series 5 of the McFarlane Sports Picks line featured two former And1 endorsers, Ben “Big Ben” Wallace of the Detroit Pistons and Coney Island native Stephon Marbury who was then playing for the Phoenix Suns.

Former Defensive Player of the Year Big Ben Wallace rocked the Desire Mids...