« July 9, 2009 | Main | July 11, 2009 »
Jul 10, 2009
TTF 09 -- Raymond Chan's Suriyo
Every year we're blown away by the hand-crafted 1:6 scale mastery that is Raymond Chan's (rcwork) Suriyo. This year, his man on a floating futuristic yet rustic vehicle is too cool for words. Yes, it's almost 2k but once you appreciate the detail and craftsmanship, that seems pretty reasonable. The artistry here is stunning and undeniable.
Continue reading "TTF 09 -- Raymond Chan's Suriyo"
TTF 09 - Jukai's Mini-G
adFunture is showing most of the figures from Jukai's new Mini-G Series One in their booth. While we loved G-Robot, the smaller version is perhaps even cooler with a strong shape, cool hand articulation and a metal 'pin', not to mention a great lineup of artists. While many of the figures are NFS, a few are available for purchase including Dacosta!'s. There's a scarcity of cool futuristic, robotic platforms, so Mini-G will definitely fill a need for those that are tired of yet another cute animal. And yes... we're stoked on the black 'n green one spied at the booth.
Continue reading "TTF 09 - Jukai's Mini-G"
TTF 09 -- Usugrow - Golden Rebel Ink
Oooh... Look what we spied at the Secret Base booth. Previously only available via lottery, this one goes on sale on Saturday (which actually is right now...). A very nice edition of Usugrow's best figure.
Scribe - SDCC Rumpus Customs Preview II
Our second look at Scribe's customs of his Rumpus resin for SDCC was due yesterday, but got melted in the blistering heat and humidity of the Taipei sun. This week we're looking at his tribute to the incomparable Bruce Lee as well as cool 'Rabbit' custom featuring one of his popular characters -- sweet to see a mini-painting on a 3D surface. All ten of Scribe's customs will be available at the Cardboard Spaceship booth at SDCC. Check back next Thursday for our final preview -- it'll be worth the wait.
Continue reading "Scribe - SDCC Rumpus Customs Preview II"
TTF 09 -- Coarse Toys x Pixie
For this year’s show, Pixie is offering a nice mini Coarse Toys exhibition featuring incredible resin sculptures and two new vinyl figures from Mark Landwehr. The highlight of the booth is without a doubt the large (3 ft ?) Noop Jaws figure which is flanked by several of Mark’s Noop sculptures that have been seen at his various shows in Chicago and Berlin.
For new releases, there’s the Milky Paw ($160) and the military themed Jaws Switch (~ $300). Both look great though, we’ve still got a soft spot for Paw which happens to look great in this new edition. Coarse Toys is one of the hottest brands out there and this mini-exhibit leaves no doubt as to how and why.
Continue reading "TTF 09 -- Coarse Toys x Pixie"
TTF 09 – Famous Faces
Part of the reason we go to ‘cons is to meet and chat with artists. Here’s just a sampling of the talented folks who made the trip to Taipei for the love of the game and their fans.
Continue reading "TTF 09 – Famous Faces"
Kenny Wong x Ashley Wood – Sea Monkey
Kenny Wong + Ashley Wood + 3A = Sea Monkey = 20” of Awesomeness. This sweet collabo project was shown in proto form at the Kennyswork booth. The massive diving machine has an impressive distressed look thanks to a great paint application. The design of the outer figure was done by Kenny while Ashley Wood is creating the 1:6 female pilot which will fit inside the deep sea loving beast. Btw, the Copperhead-18 figure show next to the Sea Monkey is for size comparison only. One to watch for sure – no word on pricing yet other than it’s going to be $$$$, but then we knew that and it’s bound to be worth every penny. High-end projects like this are definitely a welcome jolt of excitement to the scene.
Continue reading "Kenny Wong x Ashley Wood – Sea Monkey"
Tim Tsui – Da Sturm @ TTF 09
Tim Tsui once again shows why he’s the master of apes with the release of his newest primate, Da Sturm, at TTF 09. Da Sturm is stylized after classic Japanese masked heros and is the first Baboon in his lineup. What sets apart Tim’s work is the life and energy he captures in the sculpt – Da Sturm continues this achievement. Check back later for closeup first-hand shots of this one.
Continue reading "Tim Tsui – Da Sturm @ TTF 09"
A Look @ TTF 09
This year Taipei Toy Festival moves to a new venue at the Huashan Culture park. The venue is an interesting experiment by Taipei – taking long since dormant factory buildings and reconditioning them into cultural spots – exhibition space, galleries, restaurants, etc. Here’s a quick look at some of the sights on Friday. Beyond the cool toys of which there are plenty, people are always taking about the weather here. This is summer and how … 94 degrees + humidity off the chart. No wonder so many people flock to the portable air conditioning (in fact, a certain artist who’s known for his line of vinyl apes can always be found in the coolest spot of any room). Toy coverage coming right up…
Continue reading "A Look @ TTF 09"
Amanda Visell & Michelle Valigura @ Rotofugi (7.10)
Tonight's (Friday, 7.10) the night... Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura both open new exhibitions at Rotofugi in Chicago (7-10 PM). Visell's Volcanoes for Beginners and Michelle's Slap Happy both feature new work in a medium relatively new to each artist.
Amanda has worked closely with Fully Visual to create 2.5D metal sculptures. Each sculpture is limited to just 3 pieces (Lost, Dark Ages, and Super Nova editions). From the Jackalope to the Pegaphunt, the hand-made sculptures are impressive and substantial -- the bases alone weigh 10 pounds (and no, that's not a typo).
While Michelle is well-known for her plush and her wood sculptures, she's found a new outlet for her creativity -- ceramics. For Slaphappy she's produced a large body of work ranging from bowls and mugs to stand-alone sculpture. From the use of various glazes and a willingness to relax symmetry concerns, Michelle has stepped outside her comfort zone to hone her artistic vision.
Both artists will be at the opening and Amanda will hold a sketch/signing session from 7PM to 8:30 PM. Volcanoes for Beginners and Slap Happy both run through July 31st. Please with Rotofugi to check on the availability of show pieces -- lots of great spots available.
Rotofugi Designer Toy Store & Gallery
1953 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
312.491.9501
Continue reading "Amanda Visell & Michelle Valigura @ Rotofugi (7.10)"
Seen: TxT #2
Taipei Toy Festival, one of our favorite toy cons opened on Thursday (7.9) and continues through Sunday the 12th. So we made the 1.5 hr plane trip from HK to Taipei to bring you up close and personal coverage. The opening of TxT #2 featuring the art and kaiju toys of Tim Biskup and Japanese artist T9G @ Paradise Toys was Friday evening's clear highlight.
The show celebrates both artist's figure collaborations in which each artist created a new sculpt of the other's signature character. A show exclusive matching T9G Helper and Biskup Rangeas were released at the event in a wild paint scheme which at a close glance might be mistaken for a custom (and that's a good thing in our book).
Speaking of customs, both T9G and Biskup went all out customizing their collaborative figures with hand-sprayed designs that are clean and tantalizing. Tim also offered several mash-up customs combining one or more of his toys together for a distinct look. There's plenty of great work here, be sure to hit the jump to get an eyeful. Rounding out the show, he offered several original paintings including two gorgeous Rangeas paintings on wood.
TxT #2 continues through July 25th, so if you're in Taipei or in the region -- definitely check it out. There are plenty of nice pieces still available for adoption.
Continue reading "Seen: TxT #2"
Follow Friday On TwitterPulse
15 weeks and going strong! We found some more awesome artists and also got hit up by a few as well. So here is the 5 artists you should be following for the week! It is only 2 more weeks until Comic Con. So expect a bunch of tweets from us during the event at @Vinylpulse. Also our sister site @VPeast has been going on strong with tons of news as well. It looks like we may be taking a break from the FF’s here on TwitterPulse for the Friday of SDCC. If you want to be apart of next weeks feel free to DM us.
@Luke Chueh Location: Los Angeles
Web: http://www.lukechueh.com/
Bio:I'm a Los Angeles based painter, and aspiring foody. Note: this is the REAL Luke Chueh.
Follow Luke Chueh on Twitter.
@Tracy Tubera Location: Killa Cali
Web: http://www.tracytubera.com/
Bio: Uber Illustrator Supreme/ Art Director for WILD GRINDERS
Follow Tracy Tubera on Twitter.
@Robschwager Location:Flaw-ree-duh
Web: http://robschwager.blogspot.com/
Bio: Art, illustration, pop-culture manipulation
Follow Robschwager on Twitter.
@Rsinart Location: 610
Web: http://www.myspace.com/prozacrsin
Bio: New School Artist, and collector of cool shit!
Follow Rsinart on Twitter.
@katbrunnegraff Location: Ohio
Web: http://kat-scratch-fever.blogspot.com/
Bio:Eat-Sleep-Paint-Make Toys-Shower-Rinse-Repea
Follow katbrunnegraff on Twitter.
SDCC 09 – Kuso Vinyl x Itokin Park Iti-Pinehead Forester Edition
With several exclusives planned for SDCC, Kuso Vinyl has announced their first release. Designed by Itokin Park, the Iti-Pinehead makes it’s very first debut at the Super7 Booth (#4729) as the Forester edition for $58. This figure is limited to only 100 pieces and can only be found at SDCC.
SDCC 09 – KR Exclusive’s Announced!
Spied on Kidrobot’s new online community magazing KRonikle, they released some vital information on what Kidrobot has coming for SDCC. This is also the first time in 3 years where the reveal the exclusives before the show even starts. Be sure to line up Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for some of these awesome releases from the Kidrobot booth (#4529).
Thursday, July 23rd : Fortune Dunny & Lucky Dunny by MR. Shane Jessup
This release has a lot of people excited. Based on MR. Shane Jessup’s series 4 dunny, Kidrobot will be releasing two 8” Lucky Cat Dunnys. One being gold (1000 pieces) and the other being an SDCC exclusive glossy black (200 pieces), each come with red envelope and gold coin necklace for $75. MR. Shane Jessup will be signing at the Kidrobot booth on Thursday, July 23rd from 11-1PM.
Friday, July 24th : Holy Roller Fatcaps by DEPH
It was just a few years ago where we saw an exclusive from Kidrobot and DEPH. Now we have a new design and new platform. The Holy Roller 6” Fatcap by DEPH makes it’s debut at SDCC in two colorways, Green (1200 pieces) and the SDCC exclusive Purple (200 pieces) and also comes with a DEPH poster for $75. DEPH will be on-site on Friday, July 24th signing at the KR booth from 11-1PM.
Saturday, July 25th : Wood Labbit by Amanda Visell
What used to be Frank Kozik’s Labbit, has now been re-constructed into a 5” Wood Labbit by Amanda Visell. Limited to 300 pieces, this collaberative piece by Kozik and Visell will be available on Saturday, July 25th where both of these artist will be signing at the KR booth from 1-3PM. Each Wood Labbit will retail for $50 each, so be sure to get their early because these will fly off the shelves!
SDCC 09 – DKE x Andrew Bell’s O-No Sushi! Blue Exclusive & Signing Schedule
It’s been announced that the O-No Sushi! by Andrew Bell will be available at the DKE Booth (#4732). The special Blue edition is limited to 150 pieces and will run $30 a set, which includes two interchangeable eyes, a bowl of tentacles, and a piece of tentacle sushi. Andrew will also be signing at the booth on Thursday, July 23rd at 4PM.
Super7 x Bwana Spoons Steven The Bat
Produced by Super7, designed by Bwana Spoons, and sculpted by Gargamel, they bring to you the new Steven The Bat. Spied on Bwana’s Flickr, he gives us some awesome pics of his latest creation. Since the first Steven The Bat released was GID, he decided it was proper to do the same thing for the new Steven. He also shows off the colorways from the WTF tour, which include Grass Hut, Big apple, Schmancy, and London/Paris. Don’t forget that Bwana Spoons is having an exhibit this Friday, July 10th at Schmancy in Seattle from 6-9PM.
Schmancy Toys
1932 2nd Ave.
Seattle, WA
Continue reading "Super7 x Bwana Spoons Steven The Bat"
SDCC 09 – DKE x Dreamland Toyworks DIY Mythos Buddies
Available at the DKE booth (#4732) will be 2 mini DIY Mythos Buddies in both gray and black. Produced by Dreamland Toyworks, designed by John Kovalic, and sculpted by Tom Mier, these 2.75” figures are limited to 100 pieces of each color and will be available for $10 each during SDCC.
