Fresh off the announcement of the 8” Ultimate Alpha figure, Galaxy Bunch has announced their antidote to the uniformity of the platform. Designed by Chi-Kit Kwong, the Chi-bo project features a planned sixty Chi-Bots – each unique characters with their own stories to tell. Chi-Bo is a combination of the artist’s first name and ‘Bo’ (treasure in Chinese). Quite an ambitious project – one that reflects Chi-Kit’s focus on the variations of personality — “I believe in the significance of individuality. The individual is ultimately the most valuable and main ingredient of humanity. The characters of Chi-Bo celebrate and reflect the beauty of humor”. While all sixty characters have their individual personalities, each shares the common bonds of the Chi-Bo universe.
Prior to the August release, Chi-Bo will debut at Taipei Toy Festival and will also be shown at the Tokyo Wonder Festival and SDCC.The Chi-Bots will be released in waves – five figures + a “secret” Build-a-Figure (BAF) character. The waves will be spaced two months apart – that’s alot of collecting ;-) Each of the five figures in a wave will come with a mini-comic book + a different part of the sixth figure. Collect all five figures and you’ll have all the parts needed to assemble the sixth Chi-Bot.
The Chi-Bo ‘first strike’ features His Royal Highness, Tall Kitty, Action Kwong, Space Funky and Teenage Trackstar (above: first row, left to right). The Miracle Shroom is the sixth BAF figure. They range from 5 to 7 inches.
The Chi-Bo world is woven through three main story-lines: The Royal Zoo, The Great China Athletic Club and the Old East Town. Each figure is drawn from one of these story-lines – whether it’s the quest for his Royal highness to reclaim his kingship, the tale of a band of ping-pong players seeking national glory, or day-to-day urban life.
Chi-Bo’s got our attention – we’re curious to learn more. It’s one of the most ambitious vinyl projects in recent memory — sixty medium size figures slated for release over a course of less than two years. After the jump — pics of each of the first six characters + comic-book sample pages.