Itokin Park's Kawadoji

Itokin Park has been a busy dude this summer, he is at the tail end of sculpting his next resin toy, Kawadoji. This 4" tall toy consists of ten parts. The head and hards are articulated.  Like the toys before him, Kawadoji is all hand made by Itokin Park. It will be available sometime the end of August. Want one? Just stay tuned and you will find out how to own one of these cuddly cucumber fellas. Till then, check out these pictures Itokin sent our way, "The Making of Kawadoji"!!!

Secret Base x Usugrow Box Set

Today is the 13th and Span of Sunset just released the final Secret Base/13th release: Secret Base X Usugrow box-set. This will set you back $110 and is available through SoS website. It is uber limited so if you have the itch, grab it while it lasts!!

Toby on Vacation

Wanna know what Toby has been up to lately? Let's just say he went south of the border, Venezuela to be exact. Along with the ride was Gary Baseman who gave a nine hour lecture, attended a political demonstration, flew on a 1953 DC 3...don't believe me?? Well, just check out the vacation photos Toby sent.

The Release of Super7 x Blobpus

Just a quick reminder. This orange and black  Super7  exclusive Blobpus, Pumpkin Guts, will drop on April 15th  @ 12 noon. Snag one @ $75 either at the store or online . There will be a live instore music performance by   Mike Park, Shinobu and Sanawon @ 2pm.  So why not swing by to get your toy and stay a bit to enjoy an afternoon with the folks at Super7.

Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo

The Vinyl Pulse store is now officially open for business!!! (I always wanted to say that :-) Click here to buy your Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo. Thank you all for your support!!!

Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo

Hey kids!!! They have arrived!!! All 30 Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse exclusive green Robos are sitting in my living room waiting to find new homes. They will go on sale Thursday March 30th at 10:00 a.m. PST. Here's the link to our store. He is priced at US$50 each excluding shipping and if any CA tax. Currently we only take Paypal. Be first in line to snag one before they all disappear!!!

Broken Heart Robot Update

We have a update for the Broken Heart Robot we featured a while ago. Here's the 411....Broken Heart Robot will initially come in 3 colorways with a tentative price tag as follows:

* Standard Edition - $39.95 (limited to 500 pieces)
* GID Edition - $59.95 (limited to 250 pieces)
* SDCC Exclusive Clear Edition - $75 (?)

The Standrad and GID edition currently has a release date late April/early May. The SDCC clear edition will be available at SDCC in July at the DKE Toys Booth. There will also be a very limited number of Blanks (around 50 pieces) for customizing which will be available directly from GENSHI:TOY at a tentative price of $39.95.

Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo

Yesterday we revealed the finished Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse exclusive green colorway resin Robo. Today let's take a look at all the extra stuff he comes with. Besides the background, he also comes with a Collector Card with the edition number,  Kazuhiko's signature and a cute little doodle of Robo.  A Fukusuke tag is also attached to Robo. Fukusuke is a Japanese symbol inviting happiness and money, which we all need lots more of, don't we??? There is also a cute little Fukuzuke button. The Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse  Robo, limited to 30 numbered pieces, will go on sale next week. And yes, that is Kazuhiko on the left!!!

 

Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo Part 4

Ta Da!!!Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse exclusive green Robo colorway is all completed!!! Here you see him on a background, Itokin Park created just for Vinyl Pulse. Be sure to check back tomorrow and see all the "extras" he comes with !!! And you also get a peek at the elusive artist himself!!

Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robot Part 3

Today we take a look at the completion of the  Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse exclusive green colorway Robo. Having done the head and body, Itokin Park now focuses on the multi color "tie". He had to mask off each individual section separately to paint the 4 different colors. He not only did this once, but over and over again until all Robos got their "tie".  With all the parts ready, Itokin Park moves on to assemble the toy piece by piece. The window box also received its final treatment and  was prepared for packing. Come back tomorrow and you shall see the completed Robo and we are just 2 more days to see all the "extras" he comes with!!

Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo Part 2

Part 2 of Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo reveals the painted heads and bodies of our exclusive green colorway. Sticks of green nobs that hardly looked like anything were set out to dry. Rows of freshly painted bodies waiting to be "installed" onto the heads. And finally the insertion of the painted face into the hollowed space. It is always amazing to see the  process of making a toy, but I am in greater awe that this "factory" is actually Itokin Park's cramped apartment in Japan. Imagine that!!! Check back tomorrow to see Robo near its completion.   

Itokin Park x Vinyl Pulse Robo

Japanese toy artist, Kazuhiko Ito aka Itokin Park is famous for his hand made hard vinyl toys. For all of his works, from his earlier Rabbit Pilot to his most recent creation, Itokin Park  meticulously hand designs, hand crafts, hand paints and hand assembles them all.  His effort does not stop at just the toy. He also self-designs the box and the background that compliments his cuddly creatures. It is with this  passion that Vinyl Pulse chose him to bring you our very first exclusive toy!

Itokin Park's newest toy, Robo, is 3 inches tall with articulation in his head  and both robotic arms. For the next few days,we will disclose the "making of" VP's exclusive green colorway Robo. You will get to see each step Itokin Park took from early sculpts to the finish painted toy. At the end of the series, Robo will be available for adoption. Details will follow, so check in for daily updates.

Today, let's take a peek at the early sculpts of Robo and the construction of the window box it comes in. The first 2 photographs shows  unpainted Robo heads and bodies neatly lined up, waiting for Itokin Park to work his magic. The next 2 photographs show how Itokin Park prints and constructs the box Robo comes in. The boxes were held together with rubber bands waiting for the glue to set in. Check back tomorrow to see more  of this special little fella.

Ultra Monstrous Beast

Check this out!! This is a creature that appeared in the ever popoular Japanese TV series, Ultra Man. He is now a PVC toy standing at just about 6.5 inches tall. I find him oddly attractive. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear he's available state-side.  What do you guys think him?

Camille Rose Garcia's dolls

A few months ago, at her show "The Saddest Place on Earth", Camille Rose Garcia revealed her first set of vinyl toys by Necessaries Toy Foundation. The 4 sister dolls set consists of Cherry, Lulu, Patch and of course the conjoined twins Katie and Sadie. At 14 inches tall, they are among the most impressive toys within my collection. However, to some collectors, their height may have been the source of their stability problem. Some collectors also have concerns with the glue marks on the toys. With further inspection of my set, there are some slight glue marks and Katie/Sadie's middle foot is shorter. With some effort I managed to prop her up sturdily.  One point I would like to  make about the dolls is the wonderful color scheme they are painted in, which brought out each doll's playful personality. These dolls are definitely keepers since they may be Camille's only ever vinyl toys released. Being environmentally conscientious, Camille has expressed that she may not make any more vinyl toys in the future. So, you must get at least one of the dolls if not the whole set. Or you may be a lucky winner in a VP contest coming soon.

It was raining through out New Year's weekend but I managed to sneak in a few no-rain moments with the dolls at a local park. Take a look at the sisters taking their turns on the slides!!!

LuLu
Patch

Cherry
Katie and Sadie

Mizuki's Spirit Toys

Shigeru Mizuki is one of my favorite Japanese animators. Needless to say his toys are even more  desirable. A month ago, I had a post about his "spirits" toys and today I found new additions to this devilish collection. Currently, they are unavailable overseas so I guess I'm gonna have to wait until I visit Japan next month. Hopefully, I will be able to come home with cases of toys...can't wait!!!

Gyobu

Yokaizyu

Kitaro
Happy Yak-i
Youkai Set

JLed's Mr. Bunny Triplets

Joe Ledbetter's Mr. Bunny vinyl figures from Wheaty Wheat Studios have made a huge splash on the scene.  The ultra-limited (50 pieces) black/yellow KR exclusive Lava Bunny sold out immediately.  The regular edition Yellow Mr. Bunny (400 pieces) has been completely distributed to retailers and is pretty hard to come by for retail price.  The coveted blue Sno Bunny edition (just 100 pieces) should be available any day now from retailers.

These figures are an excellent representation of Joe Ledbetter's unique 2D drawing style.  JLed's signature character has made the jump to 3D as  one of the most unique designer toys available today.  Wheaty Wheat is quite proud of the JLed series toys and rightfully so.  The design of these toys is meticulous right down to the metal inserts in Mr. Bunny's ears to prevent droopiness.  Beyond the figure, the packaging is sweet.  The box panels contain 3 amazing JLed illustrations including a nice yin/yang pair - one featuring a dolphin and the other featuring a ravenous shark. 

Many collectors are frustated about the relatively small edition sizes for Mr. Bunny.  Wheaty Wheat decided on the print runs back when JLed was not the mega star that he is today.  Believe it or not, there was some question as to how well these would sell due to their very unique design.  Hindsight is 20/20, but the end result is an extremely desirable and highly sought after piece.  No doubt about it!

Melto-Fu from Meltdown Comics

To celebrate Meltdown Comics & Collectibles' 10th Anniversary, Mel the Logo Man, which was first created in 1996 for Meltdown by Oscar nominated cartoonist extraordinaire Dan Clowes, is brought to "life" by artists across the globe. Sculpted by the mysterious Japanese sculptor Monster5. Designed by To-Fu Oyoko creators, Devilrobots. Brought to you by Meltdown Comics & Collectibles. Standing at 8 inches tall, the Melto-Fu is a collaborative work years in making.  He is available in 2 versions, green and translucent blue both retailing at $40 each. The edition size for the green is 700 and the blue is 300,  which we have been told is running out fast.  These playful little fellows stand solidly on 3 feet, balancing their oblique squarish heads on a ball joint. Their heads and arms are articulated and move with easy without any hesitation, which makes them very poseable. The overall design of the toy and box gives them a 1960s feel, something you might have long forgotten you had packed away in the basement. But you don't have to go in search for them anymore, just hit Meltdown's website and snag a couple.

Giga Brain's Sin&Wombat

Just a quick post to show you Giga Brain's special edition of Sin&Wombat's garbage  monstrous beast ゴミラ, which is making an appearance at the World Characters Convention in Tokyo next month. Boy, don't I wish I can get my hands on one of these...hummmm...maybe I can??? (brain wheel is turning...turning.....)

Super7 Exclusives!!!

You love Kaiju toys??? Well, this is for you.  From the wonderful people at Super7, here are some of the exclusive toys available from them. Check it out!!

Update: Sold out (11/22 @ 10:00 a.m.)
HEDORAN & MINI HEDORAN SET SUPER7 SUBSCRIBER-ONLY VERSION
This set of 2 vinyl toys from Gargamel features a 9" translucent orange Hedoran with dark orange, red and yellow sprays and a mini 5" Hedoran cast in clear orange with the same color scheme. Only 15 were made and are only available for purchase by subscribers to Super7 magazine. At only $89.95 a pop (+$8 shipping), they are gonna to go fast!!!

TOYGRAPH CLEAR 50% MECHAGODZILLA
This is an awesome toy!! The transforming Mechagodzilla is available for the very first time states side. Towering at 9", this fellow is cast in clear vinyl and painted with metallic blue, red and gold spray. A must have for the Godzilla hard core fan. It is priced at $69.95 ($6 shipping) from Super7.

HEDORAN & MINI HEDORAN SET
This 2 piece vinyl figure set is a bit different from the one previously mentioned. The 9" orange Hedoran has a color scheme of blue, black, red and silver and its mini 5" Hedoran is cast in clear orange with the same color scheme. There are only 60 sets, so hurry and order yours from Super7 today!!

Check here to order any of the toys mentioned above.

More Trexis!!!

Butt Bears

I love sets!! They make it easy to have a "complete" collection of a certain series, without too much hard work. Just in time for the holidays, Play Imaginative are coming out with several sets of 3" Trexis. Some of them are available individually and some are sold as sets. Make sure you get your hands on a few for yourself or for someone to get them started with their toy collecting hobby. They will love you for it....or maybe not!!!! I particularly like the Butt Bears...you can embed a cool message with your gift!!!

David Horvath
King Kong Mania

Valentine's Day
Semper-fi

10" Trexis are coming!!!

A while ago, we reported Play Imaginative's plans of making 10-inch Trexis, well, they are almost here. These special toys are not just huge but each comes with a little extra something,a 3-inch counterpart sits in the Trexi's head. They are being produced in 2 phases and here are pics of the first 5 from the first phase.

 

Tokidoki
NYC LASE

Darren Gan
David Horvath

Joe Ledbetter

Marmit Toys Part 2

カネゴン

Creatures from the sea....creatures from space....creatures from long ago..... creatures from WHO KNOWS WHERE!!!!  Check out Marmits's new line of creature toys.   カネゴン ($49US see above), is a character from Ultra Q, a Japanese sic-fi/horror TV series that mirrors our The Twilight Zone. Let your creative juices run wild since this guy comes unpainted and unassembled.  Don't think you can put together your own toy?? Then these are for you (see below). From another Japanese TV series, Ultra Seven comes Star Human ($60US メトロ) and finally space creatures ($40-$53US ドゴラ) from a Japanese sci-fi movie Space Large Monstrous Beast ( ドゴラ). Deadline to order is 11/15 and they will shipped in 02/2006. No words are needed to describe these toys...just take look at the pics and you know these are some odd creatures!!!

Star Human

Space Creatures from Space Large Monstrous Beast  ドゴラ GID Space Creature

 

 

Marmit Toys Part 1

Monstrous Beast 怪獣天国　ジャイアント・メカゴジラ

Marmit of Japan who brought us toys like the Scopedog, Ultraman M-1 and Godzilla 1954, are taking orders for new toys coming out next year. If you like monsters and creatures, well you are in luck. Take a look at  the monstrous beast  heaven giant  mechanic Godzilla ($98US 怪獣天国　ジャイアント・メカゴジラ), towering at over a feet tall, this lizard isn't your average toy. And as if this wasn't enough, Marmit has made    リアルソフビキット モゲラ ($39US) , a character from the Japanese XBox game, Terrestrial Defensive Troop X. Although this guy is under a feet tall, he is still one brutal toy and since he comes unpainted and unassembled, you will have the freedom to make him anyway you want it. Both of these toys are available through Marmit's website and the deadline to order is 12/15 and they will be shipped in 03/2006. If towering reptiles aren't your cup of tea, check out part 2 of this post.   

リアルソフビキット モゲラ

One-Up Exclusive Black Skuttle

One-Up of Japan has brought us numerous exclusive colorway of Touma’s works and this time around is a Black Skuttle. We first saw the Skuttle at the Taipei Toy Festival and needless to say it sold out immediately. This Black Skuttle is made in Japan which can only mean the piece will be exquisite and near perfection. If you own one of his earlier toys, the Fhantom, you will know what I mean.  This exclusive One-Up version will be available for sale in December but with only 111 made, I suggest you pre-order one by writing an email to One-Up. Currently it is priced at approximately $52US and One-Up charges 5% surcharge for overseas orders. Although with shipping you might pay up to almost $100, this utter cool toy is a must have and it is MADE IN JAPAN!!! Now, how often are vinyl toys made anywhere but China nowadays?????

Sin&Wombat's Monster

Ryu Nakamura of Sin&Wombat in Japan, who brought you Chicken Fever has a new toy with Gargamel. The Garbage monster Gomilla looks like a nightmare none of us want or maybe you do??? I love the creature's full set of teeth, all too eager to chomp through just about anything that stands in his way. The metallic paint along with the buggy blood shoot eyes makes him even more so menacing.  The monster is available via Gargamel's online store Thrash Out for about $30US. The website can be difficult to navigate but you can always just order one by writing Gargamel a email. I know I am....and be sure to check out Ryu's website to see the creation process of this ugly sucker!!!

Mizuki's "Spirit" Toys

Shigeru Mizuki is undoubtedly among the most popular -- and certainly one of the longest-standing -- cartoon artists in Japan. He is a master of Japanese horror stories of Yokai, which loosely translated means "spirits" or "demons".  Since the 1960s he popularized many types of Yokai in his works, with the manga Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro (one-eyed Yokai superhero) being the most famous . From his stories come drawings of evil demons, mischievous spirits and lonely ghosts. From the drawings come toys. Among my favorites are the Cave Man (原始さん means "Beginning"), the おばけのムーラちゃん(no English name...but look at the pics and you get the idea) and finally Dead God and Raccoon Dog (死神＆狸　セット). If you find them to be  must haves, check out this site for more information. The Cave Man and おばけのムーラちゃん comes in GID versions which were available at the recent World Hobby Festival in Kobe, Japan. All these toys cost approximately $38US each. Oddly, it is somewhat comforting to see Mizuki's spirits "come to life" after so many years of seeing them as 2d art. Hopefully,more of his creatures will continue to make that transition from 2d to 3d, there are just never enough "spirits" to go around.
 

Cave Man
おばけのムーラちゃん
Dead God and Raccoon Dog
GID Cave Man
GID おばけのムーラちゃん

Toys by Itokin Park

Japanese toy maker , Kazuhiko Ito aka Itokin Park wanted to make toys that made people happy and with toys like Robot Suit Boy and Rabbit Pilot, how can one not be?  These adorable little fellows are bound to bring a smile to its owners, cause I sure was grinning from ear to ear when I received my Rabbit Pilot from Oalaworld. It quickly won my heart with his oversized rabbit  ears and the eye catching color scheme. At 4" tall, it is heavier than most toys his size since he is made out of hard vinyl. You, big boys out there might think he is just a little too cute for you...well...let me tell you....Jack couldn't help himself from admiring MY Rabbit Pilot.

Departing from his usual cuddly, cutie toys, Itokin Park has sculpted a new toy, TYPOZIN which is designed by Yuuske Simiz and brought to you by 20001. TYPOZIN gives a feel of street art, a bit edgy and a bit abstract. It will be available in Japan at his December show at Splash & Sammy. Hopefully some will land in this part of the world, and for those in Japan...go to the show, take some pics....make us envious!!!

Rabbit Pilot

Robot Suit Boy

TYPOZIN

Cronic + Ex-Style: Maverasu and Zyurai-Asu

Straight from Japan, Takenaka of Ex-Style sends  us pictures of Ex-Style's Halloween colorway of Cronic's Maverasu figure which stands roughly 5.5 inches tall. This special colorway  went  on sale at HP of CRONIC on 10.26.05 at 10:00 am JP time  for 4500 Yen which is approximately $45 US. I really like Maverasu for the menacing tentacles on its back. They are articulated at 4 of its joints and are interchangeable with the arms in the front.  Besides the Ex-Style Halloween colorway, Maverasu has also appeared in several other colorways including a metallic version shown below.  This toy is very popular in Japan and I bet there are some fans here in the US who are dying to get their hands on one. If you do, send us a few pics!!   Takenaka also sent along pics of what is apparently a custom version of Cronic's Zyurai-Asu.  Zyurai-Asu and Maverasu are apparently mortal enemies.  This info maybe slightly inaccurate as we've had to rely on machine translation to compile this post :-)

Cronic+EX-S Maverasu

Zyurai-Asu

New Kaiju Monsters

There is always something about the kaiju toys that fascinates me but finding updated info about them can be challenging at times, especially when everything is in Japanese. Well, this shall be my first attempt in translating the info I have regarding some awesome toys that just hit the Japanese market, so bear with me!!

The first toy is the ChitanoZaurus Series 2. This guy is at a whopping 9.8 inches tall and with his glowy orange/brown skin tone, it is easy to see how this not so little creature slowly grows on you. He is currently available from Japan for 4200 Yen which approximately is $42US.  You an either fax or email your order and pay by bank or postal transfer. Check out Marusan for more info.

 

The next creature is ジャイガー which literately means anti- large demon animal. From the looks of this fellow, he is sure one not to mess with, so buy at your own risk. Purchasing info same as above. Hurry if you want one...deadline to order is by the end of this month!!!

Touma's BOO

Touma debut his toy "Boo" in the US at this year's SDCC and the little creature with a wide grin was widely received. If you missed out, do not despair!!! Wonderwall and Touma  has more  variants of  Boo and another little friend of his, Baboo (see below). Check it out. If you find them a must have, check out Oalaworld. I did and broke the bank!!

Meredith Dittmar: My Guys

Meredith Dittmar -