With a website that displays figures of Terrorist leaders dressed in cocktail dresses or S & M gear, as well as a listing of hate mail sent to the site. Herobuilders.com seem to be having great deal of success in this time of war and controversy. The company also offers personalized figure heads to be made as well as clothes and uniforms for the 1:6 figures.

The President of Herobuilders.com, Emil Vicale, graciously allowed Umpire to ask a few questions about this exciting company...

UMPIRE: How long has Herobuilders been making Action Figures?
EMIL VICALE: 14 months but our company company is 12 years old and designs and develops product for industry including the toy industry

UMPIRE: What started you creating Action Figures of political figures?
EMIL VICALE: President Bush

UMPIRE: How has the response been to these figures?
EMIL VICALE: Great "for now"

UMPIRE: Your products are proudly made in America, how has the response been from overseas?
EMIL VICALE: The heads are molded and painted right here in our offices, clothing from a connecticut company, boxes from a Connecticut company, acccessories right here in the studio. All molds and mechanics right here in the studio

UMPIRE: Who sculpts the figures faces?
EMIL VICALE: Our sculptors do or we use our 3D programs and scanning we also have 3D printers that make the masters, SLA and 3DP

UMPIRE: How quickly can you go from concept to production line since world leaders seem to pop up very fast in the news?
EMIL VICALE: If we choose to 1 day to a pre production mold. But about 3 days to a week

UMPIRE: You offer personalized action figures for those of us who wish to immortalize ourselves in plastic, how does that process work?
EMIL VICALE: We make a sculpt, get that approved, make a rubber tool then cast a material into that, then we hand paint em.

UMPIRE: Are the bodies for your figures of your own design? How many points of articulation?
EMIL VICALE: No they are not, those are from overseas kinda like a GI Joe we think better.

UMPIRE: Can you tell me about the Pop-Sculptures? How large a part of your business do they comprise?
EMIL VICALE: Very Small just part of us

UMPIRE: Are your figures available at retail outlets or only through the internet?
EMIL VICALE: We are getting orders from retail stores but I don't see many takingthem until our line expands which is in the works

UMPIRE: Who are you marketing these items to? Men, Women, both, young, middle-age?
EMIL VICALE: Not looking at any of that as a market, we are moving in the direction I decide and that changes many times during a given week

UMPIRE: Any plans for female figures, like actor activists, such as "dumpy comedienne" or "washed up Banger Sister"?
EMIL VICALE: NO!

UMPIRE: I love the fact that you post your hate mail on your web-site, how much do you get?
EMIL VICALE: Not much considering how many visitors we get, but enough to make it fun to read

UMPIRE: Where is your company located?
EMIL VICALE: Connecticut

UMPIRE: Have you manufactured other items either toy or non-toy oriented?
EMIL VICALE: OH yes that is what BBC Design Group the parent company specializes in and we own Toybuilders.com a company devoted to 3D manufacturing using 3D files and 3D printing technologies

UMPIRE: Might there ever be a "Pvt. Jessica" (Lynch) action figure in the works?
EMIL VICALE: Well if a deal was made I would not let anyone know till we launched the product

UMPIRE: Do the figures come with any colorful packaging?
EMIL VICALE: NOPE not at all nice BLACK box with GOLD HOT STAMP BANDING that says HEROBUILDERS.com

UMPIRE: Are the figures scaled to Gi Joe, bbi etc. figures, and are their accessories interchangeable?
EMIL VICALE: They should be although this summer our bodies get a heroic body upgrade so they may not fit

UMPIRE: What would you like the American people to know about your products?
EMIL VICALE: We are a small company that takes pride and care in the quality and execution in our products. We do hope to grow with our clients needs and we will be launching our own great American hero action figure very soon to compete with the big guys.

UMPIRE: Where can we order these figures?
EMIL VICALE: Herobuilders.com

Our thanks to Emil Vicale, the president of Herobuilders.com, a Division of Vicale Corporation.

UMPIRE