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Sep 30, 2006
Seen: Kii Arens - La*La Art Show and Launch Party @ Munky King (09.28.06)
Kii Arens kept Munky King packed for several hours this past Thursday (09.28.06) for his solo art show and launch event for the new La*La toy. Kii is probably best known for his lightbox art which was on display and available for sale ranging from large panoramic scenes to smaller mono color creature-blots. The event also served as the launch of his tripod like La*La toy produced by Munky King. La*La comes in red, black, white, and an MK exclusive flocked pink. The two standout features are the battery powered light-up "eye" and the magnetic feet which were put to good effect with several La*La's clinging to the ceiling of the darkened gallery -- all the better to appreciate the lightbox art and the glowing eyes. Another artistic passion of Kii's is Spin art, the origin of the La*La shape; it's fitting then that there was a live Spin art station for folks to make their own masterpieces. Enjoy the pics! Props to Kii Arens, Patrick Lam and the Munky King Melrose Staff for a great relaxed night of art.
Click below to see all the images in the full post.
Munky King Melrose
7308 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.938.0091
Continue reading "Seen: Kii Arens - La*La Art Show and Launch Party @ Munky King (09.28.06)"
Jim Woodring's Mr. Bumper from STRANGEco
One of our favorite toys on display at this year's Toy Fair (February in NYC) was Jim Woodring's Mr. Bumper from the folks at STRANGEco. Mr. Bumper oozes Woodring's characteristic colorful
and whimsical art style. The upcoming figure also has a sweet surprise - what first appears to be a creature driving an automobile turns out to be facade. Lifting off the cowl reveals Mr. Bumper's quirky steed. Enjoy these brand spankin' new shots of a recent production sample courtesy of STRANGEco. The figure's looking nice and the box shown above is spot on. Mr. Bumper should be released sometime in December of '06 -- just in time to make a great gift for the winter holidays.
Bwana Spoons - Edward the Gator Color Proto
As we mentioned awhile back, Bwana Spoons' Edward the Gator character is set to make the jump to vinyl with an upcoming figure from Max Toy Company. The figure is moving along nicely; the factory has just recently completed a color prototype of Edward. Here are two nice stunning shots of the latest prototype taken by Bwana Spoons himself. Note that the shoulder bag is not shown in these pics -- we hope to have the fully-decked out gator on Vinyl Pulse shortly. Things are looking up for Bwana's fans, first the long-awaited Steven the Bat vinyl made its painted production debut at SDCC and now Edward the Gator is inching ever closer ;-)
Dragon Eats Knight: Grand Prize Winner
SK - AISK one
The votes are in and have been tallied. The Grand Prize winner of the Dragon Eats Knight art contest sponsored by Go Hero is Aisk One for his SK [#32] piece. Congratulations to SK and all of the participating artists! The grand prize winner will get a “one of a kind” YIRA: DRAGON OF DOOM! All of top 5 receive a copy of Kaijuice and will be a part of the Go Hero release party (tbd) at The House of Fun.
We're amazed by the artistic talent on display in the 37 stunning entries. Stay tuned for upcoming info on the Go Hero release party! Thanks to the artists for the submissions and to everyone who voted. Keep any eye out for more cool contests and giveaways from Vinyl Pulse!
The final vote tally was :
- SK by Aisk One [#32]
- Night of Dream by Edgar Flores Nandez [#36]
- Sunday, Bloody Sunday by Jose Alejandro Ovalles [#29]
- The Knight Aquatic by Lawrence Elwick [#26]
- Wi'nomar's Retaliation by Patricio Oliver [#15]
Sep 29, 2006
Huck Gee - Kidrobot 10 Release Party + Print
Huck Gee's Kidrobot 10 Drifter: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly drops on October 5th with a release party and signing at Kidrobot NY. Huck's no doubt has some surprises up his sleeves for the event but we do know that he's done these sweet "poster" prints for the event. They are giclee printed on 13" x 19" watercolor paper, limited to 40 pieces and will sell for $25. So come on out to the show, meet Huck, buy art and have a blast.
Kidrobot NY
126 Prince St.
New York, NY 10012
Sophisticated Sasquatch
What is a Sophisticated Sasquatch you ask? They are the lovable creations from a lovely girl, Rosey. Her family of Sasquatch consist of 3 members. The leader of the pack is brown furred Brother, with his hard-to-miss red lips, he is the one giving orders. His "subjects" includes Shy, a pure white creature who lives in ice caverns and Crazy, yes you guessed it...he is the one with the wildest personality. Limited run of different Sasquatch are available with funky fabric such as the hot pink, Electric Sasquatch seen here. All Sasquatchs stands at 12" tall and are hand made with soft and huggable material. Like to adopt one? Check out the home of the Sophisticated Sasquatch.
Red Demon Revealed Part 12
Here is the Pantone breakdown for Muttpop’s Original Red Demon figure. Muttpop kept things clean, simple and true to the character. To create a bit of contrast between Red Demon’s eyebrows and mask, a subtle bluish tone was chosen for the mask, shoes, and tie. This color choice was also made to better complement the maroon/red of the dominant suit color. Colors were applied over a photo of the gray toned sculpt by Monster5. As such, the colors have a gray undertone that will not be in the final production piece. You guys will soon become very familiar with one of Les Formidables (check out the illustration by Bill below). Who? One can only guess…Don’t forget the Muttpop’s Blog
Thomas Han's Pushers - Painted Protos
Fans of Thomas Han have been anxiously waiting for news about the upcoming Pusher figures from Munky King which made their first public debut as unpainted resin protos this summerat SDCC. We're stoked to bring you a look at the next step... We ran into Thomas and the newly hand-painted Pusher protos (props to Sano) at Munky King this past Thursday and of course couldn't stop taking pics. And as for the burning question of release date, it's officially sometime in '07. Seeing the painted protos, makes the wait even harder ;-)
Sep 28, 2006
More Sneaks of Artvsts' Displacementary (09.30.06)
Updated: Artist attribution corrected. Sincere apologies.
Yesterday we posted about the Artvsts' Displacementary show (9.30.06) in Singapore and showed off some of Phuek!'s amazing toy customs. Today, we have sneaks of 2D pieces from OneTwoDelta and Zero. If you happen to be in Singapore, check out the show which opens on Saturday, September 30th at 7:30 PM at the City Gallery.
City gallery @ Basheer Graphics Books
Level 4 Bras Basah Complex
Singapore
Blu's Custom "Merrick" Munny
We have seen many customs, especially Munny customs, and thought we had seen it all. However, once in a while one comes by and bite us in
our ass and this is one of those times. This Munny was customized by Elizabeth Berdann aka blu,
who is known for the vivid facial details she incorporates into her
designs. Masao626 commissioned blu to create a custom Munny vinyl portrait of her cat, Merrick. Blu immortalized Merrick in a lovely flocked creation with extra attention paid to the 3d rendering of the head and face. Don't you wish you could adopt this friendly creature? Pics courtesy of Elizabeth Berdann.
Cameron Tiede's Cheshire Cat
We always expect sweet customs from Cameron Tiede. Here's a peek at a Cheshire Cat vinyl (Span of Sunset x Disney) he painted in his usual vibrant colors and vivid details for the We're All Mad Here show at Gallery 1988 which opens on October 7th. Be sure to mark your calendar.
Gallery 1988
7020 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323.937.7088
Sep 27, 2006
Attaboy's Cheshire Cat Paintings
Here's a look at Attaboy's creepy and amazing renditions of Cheshire Cat for the upcoming We're All Mad Here show at Gallery 1998. These two pieces are spray painted on transparent acrylic. Remember to swing by the show on opening night, October 7th.
Gallery 1988
7020 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323.937.7088
Displacementary, An Artvsts Exhibition (9.30.06)
The Artvsts (n) - Seven talented urban artists from Singapore and Malaysia. Conceived in 2003, the Artvsts are about to hold their first group exhibition, Displacementary at City Gallery in Singapore on Saturday, September 30th @ 7:30 PM. For Displacementary, each Artvst: LilPinkDevil, Maes2ro, OneTwoDelta, Orkibal, Phuek!, TheKillerGerbil, and Zero will be exploring what it means to take their art from the street to a foreign environment -- an art gallery. On the agenda? Custom toys and original paintings.
Here are some pics of three sweet customs by Phuek! which will be part of the show. We should have pics of pieces by the other Artvsts shortly for your viewing pleasure. We're happy to support Displacementary and street art in a place one would least expect to find it.
DGPH: Molestown, The Happy Happy Moles World
DGPH brings you their newst book, Molestown , The Happy, Happy Moles World. This limited edition book is filled with 64 illustrated pages of visually entertaining characters. Along with the artwork, you will also find fun filled stories about the characters. The book also features works from guest artists like Jeremyville, Acampante, Christopher Lee, and Human Empire. Visit the website to learn more.
Sep 26, 2006
More Cheshire Cats from SoS
The Span of Sunset folks gave us the heads up on some toys that are about to come out soon. So I went down to Span of Sunset store only to find... brand new editions of the Cheshire Cat Vinyl Figure coming soon from Span of Sunset X Disney . Details are sparse but we do know that the 'Pirate' one will be released in October. Where? Downtown Disneyland. Also coming are two mysterious Cheshire Cats (not shown on pictures) exclusive to the upcoming Vault 28 store in Disneyland. One of these will be limited to '28' pieces only and will be available during the opening of the store. The second one will be limited to 200 pieces. Stay tuned for more details...
20" Munk Dunny by Huck Gee
Huck Gee created this custom 20" Munk Dunny for the relaunch of the Kidrobot New York store which happens on Thursday, September 28th from 7 to 9 PM. Huck usually channels Japanese culture in his customs though this one looks to be inspired by Thailand. Munk Dunny is a nice change of pace theme-wise wrapped in Huck's usual excellence.
Kidrobot NY
126 Prince St.
New York, NY 10012
212.966.6688
Pics: Bordeomsqueezer's Walking Paradise Exhibition
Boredomsqueezer's Walking Paradise Exhbition at LCX in Hong Kong showcases their 1:6 wizardry through the concept of a fasion show. Thanks to Regina of BS for sending us these nice shots of the figures decked out in their hand-made 1:6 scale threads. Best dressed action figures, hands down.
Continue reading "Pics: Bordeomsqueezer's Walking Paradise Exhibition"
Win a Winson Ma x Danny Chan 10" Trexi
Itching for free toys? Not only do we bring you the best news in designer toys, Vinyl Pulse also brings you the best contests in town for you to win free toys. This time around you will have the chance to take home a 10" 2006 We All Speak Football Trexi designed by the dynamic duo, Winson Ma and Danny Chan. This was a part of the series released to celebrate the 2006 World Cup and although the soccer event has come and gone, this 10" Trexi is still really cool. So, here are the rules:
1. Enter by leaving a comment in this thread only.
2. One entry per person, multiple entries will disqualify you.
3. Contest ends on October 10, 2006 @ 8:00 PM.
4. Shipping is covered within the Continental USA. Shipping anywhere else is paid by winner.
5. Winner will be notified by email and must respond within 72 hours of notification.
Martin Ontiveros's Cheshire Cat
Gallery 1988 will play host to the We're All Mad Here-The Cheshire Cat Show opening on October 7, 2006. Here's a peek at Martin Ontiveros's piece, Grin-Go. This whimsical Cheshire Cat is perfectly executed with Martin's playful color scheme, the photo does not do justice to this beautiful piece. Be sure to swing by the show to see all the custom cats in person.
Gallery 1988
7020 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323.937.7088
Sep 25, 2006
Seen: Scribblin' with Rik Maki @ Meltdown Gallery
I recently had a chance to check out the Scribblin' with Rik Maki exhibition at Meltdown Gallery. Rik Maki,a long-time veteran illustrator and character creator for Walt Disney Studios, loves to scribble on whatever scraps of paper he happens to have around at the time. The exhibtion showcases his original sketches on scraps of paper, many of which are featured in his new book, Scribblin on Scraps. Quite a few pieces are still available and most are under $40 ! So if sweet sketches are your thing, check it out. Exhibit ends in two days on Wednesday, September 27th.
Meltdown Gallery
7522 Sunset Blvd,
Los Angeles. 90046
323.851.7223
Be sure to click below for the full set of pics in the full post
Continue reading "Seen: Scribblin' with Rik Maki @ Meltdown Gallery"
Big Pollard Rainbow Army (09.26.06)
Tim Biskup has just introduced four new unpainted clear 9" Big Pollards: Clear, Clear Red, Clear Blue and Clear Yellow. 25 sets of his Big Pollard Rainbow Army featuring all four figures will be released starting at noon (PST) on Tuesday, September 26th (tomorrow) for $500. Only 60 of each figure were produced with the remaining pieces to be sold individually at a later date. Big Pollard was sculpted by Tim Biskup himself with cleanup assist by Kiyoka Ikeda (Gargamel) and is 100% Japanese vinyl, produced in one of the few factories that still does vinyl figures. Honoring Kaiju tradition, each clear Big Pollard will be packed in a bag with a specially designed six-color screen printed and numbered header card. The header design for these clear figures will differ from future releases.
The Big Pollard Rainbow Army will ship as soon as the printing and packaging is completed (figure is done), which should be around the 3rd week of October. Want to get a set? Get your browser warmed up, set an alarm and be sure to load the Flopdoodle Product Page at High Noon on the 26th (tomorrow).
Angels and Gringos - Chpater 7
This week the boys from Angels and Gringos are ready to unveil the design of the Sancho packaging. Each box will be constructed out of extremely thick stock with a matte finish dyed to match the color and theme of the edition of Sancho contained therein and white silkscreened text on the box. Another cool feature of the box is the window in the back corner of the box that will allow
the viewer to see the edition number (yes, each sancho will be a numbered edition) that will be printed on the underside of Sancho's hat. Up Next (10.09.6) - With the gods willing (or UPS men) we should have shots of the first Sancho prototype!!
Jellymonogram Samples
Jellymon sent along these pics of the first samples of their new Jellymonogram mini-fig set. The colors shown here are for an exclusive set to be released at their upcoming "The Sweetest Propoganda" show at DA>Space in Shanghai, China this November. While these are teaser shots revealing only the backs, the shapes look to have translated well and the intricate detail on the pink one is impressive. We've included the b/w line drawings for comparison.
Sep 24, 2006
Double Dutch - 10" Custom Trexi Show (10.05.06)
Double Dutch, a 10-inch custom Trexi Tour showcasing Dutch artists and designers, opens on October 5th at Outland Records in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and then travels to 3 other venues in the country. Thanks to Trexi Nederlands, the show organizers, we have sneak peeks of pieces by Erwin Weber (based on his Series 1 Trexi), Sjors Trimbach, and Collin van der Sluijs. Double Dutch will be on display through the end of '06 so if you live in the Netherlands, don't miss this rare opportunity.
Sep 22, 2006
Red Demon Revealed Part 11
Now that the wax cast of Muttpop’s Red Demon is approved, it’s time to brand the Muttpop and Monster5 logos! Here are a couple peaks at some beautiful fight sequences from the latest Luchadores 5 comic. Bill continues to destroy the pages with his gorgeous pencils! The man has skills. As always, there’s more to be seen at Muttpop’s Blog.
