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Nov 30, 2008
4 Million Visits -- Thanks to You
When we started Vinyl Pulse nearly four years ago (April '05) , we had one goal -- create a toy blog that we wanted to read. Recently we logged our four millionth visitor. It's hard to believe we've averaged more than a million visits a year and it's all thanks to you, our loyal readers. We're working on some special treats for our Fourth Anniversary, stay tuned.
Seen: Bispop Holiday ‘08 Party
Tim Biskup held the fifth Annual Bispop Holiday Party earlier this afternoon @ the Bispop store located inside Johnson Motors in Pasadena. A nice broad selection of goodies tempted fans and collectors.
On the toy side, the highlight was Tim’s reimagined version of T9G’s Rangeas. In addition to the clear pink production Rangeas, Tim offered up several sweet hand-painted customs of the new figure. One eagle-eyed collector noticed several previously unseen base colorways of the new toy – so far we know there’s Yellow (released in Japan), Green (used in customs), Red (also seen in customs), Clear Yellow, and GID.
While the focus was on Tim’s Rangeas, he also found time to create customs of several of his previous Kaiju inspired creatures including Dragamel, Alpha Gaichou, and of course the large Pollard.
Tim unveiled several previously unseen paintings for the show including a large number of new Jackson 500 micro-paintings which ran the gamut from his older style to his newer approach and also offered a middle ground. We shot some pics but you definitely want to check these out in person – many are excellent. In addition to the smaller paintings there were a few standout larger pieces including the one of Dragmel (originally painted but not shown in his Paris show as the size did not mesh well with the show project theme).
Tim also dropped "Liquid Vampire Wedding" -- a hand-colored monochromatic serigraph. Each one features different colors and is quite nice.
Quite a few artists dropped in to chat with Tim throughout the event and at least one couldn’t resist doing a little toy shopping. Seen throughout the day were Touma, Tristan Eaton, Amanda Visell, Michelle Valigura, and Joe Ledbetter.
While it would have seemed somewhat absurd about a month ago – the center of the toy universe beats in Pasadena during this holiday season. VTN is next weekend and two weekends after that, Bwana Spoons will present a very special release in you guessed it -- Pasadena.
Click through to enjoy a full gallery of sights from this year's Bispop Holiday Party.
Continue reading "Seen: Bispop Holiday ‘08 Party"
Seen: Touma @ mixi-bang ! (11.29.08)
Each winter since it opened, mixi-bang! has welcomed Japanese artist Touma for a solo exhibition featuring hard-to-get exclusive figures, customs and more. Last night, Touma opened his ‘08 show with several new figures including a mixi-bang! exclusive Bone GID edition of his brand-new Beak Falcon figure, clear blue editions of Kazu (mad and normal) and Mao Cat, three large hard-to-get Destodons, and the recently released Knuckle Bear Guardians. On the custom side of life, he presented a massive army of one-off and super limited (ed. of 3) Mao Cats and Kazus.
While Touma offered several one-off special figures, the best customs of the show were tantalizingly not for sale. As a few collectors pointed out, his four custom Mao Cats painted in gorgeous swirling metallic/prismatic designs were truly incredible. Had these been available, they would have been sold immediately. Check out closeups of the purple/blue and green/yellow customs after the jump to get an idea of Touma’s paint wizardry.
As a fun tradition, Touma typically signs and sketches for fans wearing a luchador style mask of one of his many characters. As we entered tonight we expected to see the familiar Knuckle Bear mask – but instead he was rocking something much more sinister : a jet black Goon mask. Wicked.
Touma was kind enough to oblige our current fascination with quick spur-of-the-moment videos. We asked him to talk about his newest figure Beak Falcon. Caught off guard and put on the spot, he briefly introduced the figure as the newest creature in his Knuckle series. Touma + Japanese + Goon Mask – watch it (above).
If you missed the show, go check it out. Out of town ? mixi-bang! has the Beak Falcon and Guardian Knuckles up now in their web shop and will make the other figures available shortly. Click through for plenty of pics of the opening.
mixi-bang!
36 W. colorado blvd. #5 (Mills Alley)
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.507.8095
Continue reading "Seen: Touma @ mixi-bang ! (11.29.08)"
Nov 29, 2008
New Vinyl & Apparel Spot: Chuckwa in Fullerton
While there are a handful of vinyl stores in LA, there are far fewer in the surrounding counties. So we’re happy to hear that Chuckwa a new boutique carrying designer vinyl + lifestyle apparel has recently opened in Fullerton (Orange County).
Based on a quick look through their web shop, the store carries a fairly broad selection of vinyl including figures from Kidrobot, Play Imaginative, Toy2R, Muttpop and more. On the clothing side, Chuckwa carries Gama-Go, Little Dragon Girls, Martin Hsu, and Oddica.
Chuckwa will also soon host art shows in their large gallery space. Great news for OC and SoCal. We wish Chuckwa well – congrats on the opening.
Chuckwa
2453 E. Chapman Ave
Fullerton, CA 92831
714.441.0801
Nov 28, 2008
Michelle Valigura’s Brass Knuckle Bob (12.6)
Michelle Valigura will release her Brass Knuckle Bob plush on December 6th [7-10 PM] @ the VTN Afterparty / Switcheroo open house. This plush with a punch is the followup to her Pedro Pistol plush and the 2nd release in the Concealed Weapons series. Next up? Something you’ll get a blast out of.
Variety makes the world go around (well that and green paper). Brass Knuckle Bob comes in a standard yellow (errr brass) edition limited to 500 pieces and a silver ‘Sal’ edition limited to 200 pieces. Each edition has a suggested retail of $20 per plush weapon.
Don’t miss your chance to pickup some cool art collectibles, hang with some rad people, and visit the Switcheroo Workshop which is normally not open to the public. More pics after the jump.
Switcheroo Workshop
543-B Raymond
Pasadena, CA 91105
Continue reading "Michelle Valigura’s Brass Knuckle Bob (12.6)"
Span of Sunset’s Bounty Hunter Black Friday Sale
Do you wish you could rock more Bounty Hunter clothing but just can’t find the room on your credit card? In the spirit of Black Friday, Span of Sunset is running a Black Friday Weekend special (Through 11.30) on all Bounty Hunter Items – 30 % off.
Black Friday Sale @ SURU
There are only a few hours left… But… If you live around/in/near Hollywood then you might be stoked to know that SURU is rocking a Black Friday Sale until 8 PM tonight – 50% of all apparel, 20 – 50% off toys + books. They’ve got a good selection of stuff including some really nice art books. The SURU Tees are pretty sweet too.
SURU
7662 Melrose
Los Angeles, CA
323.655.0770
Back in Black : Goldorus and Skullskin
French toy label Bonustoyz is celebrating Black Friday with two special jet black releases from MIST and Ajee. Don’t miss the chance to pickup the Black Goldorus and Black Skullskin. The production runs are unknown at the moment, but we do know there are 10 Goldorous (119 euros / 153 dollars ) and 20 Skullskin (90 euros / 115 USD) for this drop. Both of these figures are quite cool – the all black puts both over the top (esp. the take-no-prisoners Goldorus). Get ‘em at the Bonusztoyz Web Shop. More pics after the jump.
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Sancho GID Today (11.28)
Happy Black Friday. So you’ve gone and lined up at 5 am for the massive deals at your favorite big box store. What now ? How about a Black (‘n Green) GID Sancho from Angeles and Gringos. Limited to 150 pieces, this one looks great lights on or in the dark.
And… since it’s the crazy holiday shopping season. Sancho GID is ready to go at a special $75 Black Friday Weekend price (will be $100 on 12.1) exclusively from Vinyl Pulse exclusives.
Nov 27, 2008
Peskimo – Monster Burp drop on Burp Friday (11.28)
Peskimo’s cute and innovative Monster Burp figure drops this Friday – Burp Friday (11.28) directly through crazylabel.com. To celebrate the toy and the tradition of holiday discounts, Crazy Label is offering a one-day only 30% discount this Friday for orders over $10 – just use coupon code THANKS ).
Quite a few toys flow through the Vinyl Pulse office and Monster Burp has gotten some of the most positive feedback from visitors, artists and friends. The strong character design and concept are matched by the execution – the slightly opaque Burp bubble is pretty sweet.
This original edition is limited to 800 pcs, stands 6” tall, comes in a cool window box and has a suggested retail of $29.00. If you’re looking for a cool figure to add some life to your collection or better yet a figure to introduce someone to the crazy world of designer toys – take a look at Monster Burp.
Kozyndan’s Bunnyfish Crotchet Plush Toys
LA artists and creative geniuses Kozyndan have just dropped their Bunnyfish Crotchet plush toys on their web shop. The idea of turning Bunnyfish into a production plush figure was inspired by Australian fan Jellibat who gave the artists a handmade crotched Bunnyfish.
Developed and manufactured by Bigshot Toyworks, the Bunnyfish is 5” long and is available in two editions – blue and green, for $18 ($17 through Kozyndan). The charming plush toys will be available from designer toy boutiques shortly. More pics after the jump.
Yes, Bunnyfish is a cool toy but it’s also a way of life. Check out photographs of Kozyndan’s Tales of the bunnyfish on their flickr.
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Nov 26, 2008
Disney’s Stitch Experiment 626 Tour: Camilla d’Errico
Canadian painter Camilla d'Errico has created a beautiful painting, Tony Tony Lollipop, for Disney's Stitch Experiment 626 Project Custom Art Tour -- it just happens to be on an 8" DIY Stitch vinyl. While some painters choose to change up their style when they do custom toys, it's great to see Camilla take the challenge by the horns by approaching the figure as a 3D canvas for her painting. In our opinion, that's what her fans and collectors want.
Presented and Produced by MINDstyle, the tour launches this Friday (11.28) in Hong Kong at MINDstyle's LIFEstyle space in the Delay No Mall. Look for more updates and previews right here on Vinyl Pulse -- official media sponsor of the tour.
Tim Biskup -- Helper Rings @ the Bispop Xmas Party (11.30)
It's that time of year. Tim Biskup's 5th annual Bispop Xmas Party is this Sunday, November 30th (2-5 PM) @ Johnson Motors in Pasadena. In addition to the previously announced goodes including the TB x T9G Pasadena exclusive Rangeas (clear pink), the Liquid Vampire Wedding Print , custom vinyl figs, and several OG Jackson 500 paintings -- Tim will drop these Helper rings. The ruby eyed one is limited to 25 while the other one is open edition. We're expecting a line for this event -- so if you have your eye on one of the limited items or especially a custom, then stay on your toes.
Bispop Gallery (Inside Johnson Motors)
36 West Colorado Blvd #7 Mills Place Alley
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.796.5666
Angry Woebots -- Fearless Four: Painting Drop Now
Angry Woebots has put up four original paintings for sale over on his blog. One has sold already, but look likes the other three are still available. The pieces range in size from 11"x14" to 14" x 18" with prices from $350 to $700. These new pieces feature an evolution of Aaron's work -- the pandas are no longer rabid. In fact some are almost contemplative.
Continue reading "Angry Woebots -- Fearless Four: Painting Drop Now"
Disney's Stitch Experiment 626 Project Tour : Ultraman
HK artist Ultraman is well-known for his mind-blowing custom toys featuring his signature metal aesthetic. For Disney's Stitch Experiment 626 Project Custom Art Tour, he went full bore and delivered Ultra Iron Stitch -- complete with metal rivets, antennas, and eye sockets. A subtle tribalish pattern completes the stunning piece. Is it an intelligent robot, a metal creature, a mech ? We can't say, but it's rad. See more of Ultraman's custom after the jump.
Presented and Produced by MINDstyle, the tour launches this Friday (11.28) in Hong Kong at MINDstyle's LIFEstyle space in the Delay No Mall. Look for more updates and previews right here on Vinyl Pulse -- official media sponsor of the tour.
Continue reading "Disney's Stitch Experiment 626 Project Tour : Ultraman"
Toy Preview: Touma @ mixi-bang! (11.29.08)
We previously mentioned Touma's annual show @ mixi-bang! in Pasadena which opens this Saturday, 11.29.08. Today, we're bringing you pics of many of the toys that will be available at the show (we also expect one-off customs). Touma will release several figures including the brand spankin' new Beak Falcon GID -- part of the growing mixi-bang! line of Bone GID figures. For the Kaiju-minded, he'll also offer the sweet larger Destadons from Monstock in three colors -- Green, Gunmetal, Red. The toy offerings round out with clear blue Mao Cats and two clear blue versions of Kazu (normal and an awesome 'mad' edition), and the recently released Guardian Knuckle Bears (red and white). Pics of each after the jump.
In addition to customs, we also expect Touma to bring prints and other 2D artwork as well. Definitely come on out and meet the man behind the army of characters you know and love.
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VTN Afterparty and Switcheroo Workshop Open House (12.6)
After day filled with toys, artists, and more what will you do after VTN on Saturday, December 6th ? Go to the official afterparty of course. It goes down from 8 to 10 PM (12.6) at the Switcheroo Workshop which is just one mile from VTN. This party / open house is your chance to peek inside Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura's creative space which is normally closed to the public.
Maybe you're wondering if Switcheroo is going to drop any product? Yup! Amanda Visell's Evil Poopicorns (ed. of 25) will be available for sale. On the plush side of life, Michelle Valigura will release Brass Knuckle Bob. And... expect a few surprises (that's all we can say about that). Come for the toys, art, and people and enjoy some free drinks as well.
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Nov 25, 2008
Sancho GID for Black Friday (11.28)
Black Friday is all about waiting in long lines in the wee hours of the morning hoping to get a deal on toaster ovens and underwear... Who says! Wouldn't you rather have a GID Sancho from Angels and Gringos ? It goes down on 11.28 -- online. More details soon.
Van Beater - Tuf-Fluck CrappyCat
VanBeater's CrappyCat is back and he's darker than ever. Tuf-Fluck CrappyCat stands 9" tall and is limited to 500 pieces with a suggested retail of $65. The new colorway does away with the irresponsible preppy drinker vibe of the original white edition -- he's hard all