Tim Biskup & Bwana Spoons - Killer Dragons from the West (3.17.07)

Tim Biskup and Bwana Spoons are heading to Tokyo for a mini-art show and exclusive toy release party on March 17th @ Gargamel's flagship store, Thrashout.  A  set of Tim's Mini-Dragamel and Bwana's Killer in a special clear pink colorway (no pics yet) will be released at the event (100 sets).  In addition, Tim will release two Gargamel exclusive  Pollards - the Glow Big Pollard (100 pcs) and the Virus Glow Big Pollard (25 pcs). Plus, expect surprises and something brand new.

THRASH OUT
〒166-0003
東京都杉並区高円寺2-51-9 2F
TEL&FAX：03-3315-6570

Incoming, Shows | Permalink|

Span of Sunset x Disney Runaway Brain Preview - Day 3

Today we bring you exclusive shots of the Chrome edition of the  Span of Sunset Inc. x Disney Mickey Mouse Runaway Brain sculpted by Monster5 .  The  chrome edition features chrome-specked drool with a finish that sits between matte and glossy. The considerable articulation mentioned yesterday (10 points) is on display here as is the figure's ability to balance in many seemingly unstable positions. At a 7.5" tall from foot to the hand at the highest point, the sight of Runaway Brain balancing on one foot is quite impressive.

Designed by Nikos Constant and the Disney Hot House design team, the box for Mickey Mouse Runaway Brain was inspired by cereal boxes of the 1960s and 1970s. Runaway Brain rocks the colorful front panel as he devours brains bit by bit on the ridiculously large (6 x 11.5 x 16 inches) box. Art from the animated short is sprinkled across the remaining panels. As with all good sugary cereal boxes, this one hides secret surprises. Check back tomorrow as we dive into the big box.  Wholesale inquiries should be directed to wholesale@spanofsunset.com.

Runaway Brain Preview | Permalink|

Martin Ontiveros - Rainbows in the Dark @ S7 (3.10.07)

Martin Ontiveros opens with Rainbows in the Dark @ Super7 in San Francisco on Saturday, March 10th from 7 to 9 PM.  Martin will offer original paintings and prints which focus on his current attempts to find the silver lining in every situation, no matter how dire.

Super7 Store
1630 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.409.4700

Shows | Permalink|

eBay, Vinyl, and the Invisible Hand

[While some collectors may have misgivings about eBay, it is one of the primary secondary markets for art toys.  Sometimes the best recourse for acquring a rare, hard-to-find figure, it is also an indicator of current popularity and value.  Clay C. will periodically cover eBay trends for Vinyl Pulse. Here's his thorough piece about pricing cycles.]

The secondary market in art toys presents some interesting economic illustrations.  Pricing in the primary market is determined by a myriad of factors external to the immediate transaction - repute, retail profit margins, long-term business relationships, etc.  It is in the secondary market that we can sometimes get a clearer view of supply and demand in action.

 

One recent illustration of supply and demand in the secondary toy market is the Tim Biskup Stack Pack.  (This vinyl set was later released by Tim with Munktiki in two different ceramic colorways, and he has said that he intends to do more colors of the ceramic set in the future.  Your author is of the personal opinion that the ceramic versions of the Stack Pack are among the best 3D realizations of Biskup's art yet released.)  The vinyl Stack Pack was the original Stack, and its recent sales in the secondary market are illustrative.  This pattern, this curve, recurs on eBay with all 'commodity collectibles' - all items of which there is a finite supply and a large but still finite pool of interested buyers.  There are always other factors that introduce pricing variations - a particular item's condition/completeness, shipping costs, seller's eBay feedback rating, etc., and no real-world dataset is perfect, but this item's recent history does illustrate a very commonly seen pattern.  It may be useful for toy collectors to be aware of this pattern, its implications for both buyers and sellers, and its potential for abuse.

 

Here are a series of all recent eBay sales of the Biskup Stack Pack - This item was chosen more or less at random -- It has been out for several years and is now pretty much unavailable at retail, so the secondary market is its only market.  The set was released in 2003 as part of the Sony Time Capsule/Art Capsule Project.

 

       Item #                       Closing Date      Closing Price

190069605888                 1/11/07                $161.38

200068750275                 1/21/07                $141.38

200070530435                 1/25/07                $103.50

120081201393                 2/05/05                $116.50

150088658626                 2/11/07                $105.00

120083851538                 2/12/07                $102.50

200081479791                 2/23/07                $64.00

190085904958                 3/01/07                $56.00

 

six times  easier for scoundrels to artificially manipulate price data.  But, eBay makes its money from sellers, not buyers, they earn more from higher closing prices, and they have no moral or legal duty to provide any  free, searchable data on past auctions.  If you are a steady buyer or seller, it may be worth your money to buy the past 90 days' worth of data (plus some other statistical analysis) from eBay's 'Marketplace Research' service - this search data, once free to both buyers and sellers, now costs $25 per month.