Good thinking! Here’s a comparison to the TOTS Tramer to the NightOwl Psycho, as well as some pics of the new TOTS Elrod, courtesy of Boheric.
First off, it appears that the Elrod mask has a thinner pull than my Psycho. I don’t know if this is just my particular copy, but the thinner pull IS closer to the Hero. However, the paint of the Elrod is very basic H1, as one would expect for a massed produced mask. The mask has minimal weathering, all of it under the chin. It’s not bad, but it might not be to everybody’s cup of tea. I’ve also noticed that the TOTS Elrod has a pinhole, which is not something original to the Psycho sculpt.
I feel like it’s important to point out that, while keeping in mind that this IS an indy mask, that the Tramer/Elrod’s paint up does not bring the Psycho’s sculpt to it’s full glory. The pull on some of the Elrod/Tramer masks are also less detailed than the Psychos, and so you don’t get the FULL experience of owning this sculpt with an indy pull.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Psycho mold does NOT have glue lines in the original sculpt. Because of this, neither does the Elrod. The glue lines were something Justin Mabry added and then sometimes painted over. All of the original 2005 Psychos that I’ve seen do not have painted glue lines (not unless they’ve been repainted afterward by a separate artist), which makes them stick out as unique. I also notice that the eyes on the Tramer/Elrod are more “buggy”, a lot like the Proto, but a detail lost on later copies.
The hair on the Tramer is VERY good, and it’s so manageable and fluffy it’s really great to pose. I can’t speak for the hair of the Elrod because I’ve never had it on hand. The hair on the Psychos vary a lot from copy to copy, some of it’s tough and stringy other copies have loose and soft hair. It’s really dependant on the copy you get. The Tramer is more on the loose and soft side. It’s a very nice hair job, and I love it. In fact, I remember contacting Justin and Chris after I got my copy of the Tramer and complimented them on the hair of the Tramer. Suffice to say I was very impressed with it.
I would love to put one of these posts together comparing my Maniac and the TOTS H2 Hospital mask if I can get enough pics of that one together.