Round 5 Teams up with Jeremy "MAD" Madl to produce Bruce Lee's Temple of Kung Fu... AWESOME!

You may recall our UFC figure giveaway HERE a few months back with the folks over at Round 5, and in that post we had mentioned that they were teaming up with an artists in the designer toy community... well the time has come to officially announce that they have called upon the skills of art toy design legend Jeremy Madl, aka MAD, on their first ever release of Round 5 X Bruce Lee X MAD figures and the debut of Bruce Lee's Temple of Kung Fu line of collectibles... HOW RAD!!!

This has been in the works and under wraps for quite some time now, and it's really great to see it announced to the public as it's a great crossover product for not only the designer toy community but for all the fans of Round 5 figures and most importantly the culture that is Bruce Lee! Round 5 really called upon MAD for his expertise in the designer toy field, how products were produced, how they were released, what collectors look for... and MAD delivered with this fantastic new series! The first Temple of Kung Fu figures scheduled for global release this summer will feature a 3" blind box assortment of 28 characters including a variety of mystery characters, and will be available at select retailers around the world. In addition to the standard figures, Temple of Kung Fu will include hyper-limited chase figures featuring alternative colorways, costume designs, and accessories, making for a truly unique collecting experience! Oh, and can you say playability... check out all that articulation... SWEET!

The folks over at Round 5 really went all out for this release and they sent a camera crew to Jeremy's home town of Kansas City to do a cool little interview with MAD about his process in creating these new figures, and we even get a really rad glimpse into his home studio! As most of you know I am a HUGE fan of all the work that MAD does, and this project is super exciting. I personally can't wait to see these launched. More info along with teasers and releases will soon follow, but until then... sit back, digest everything above and prepare yourself! Oh, and for those of you lucky enough to be in NYC and more importantly attending Toy Fair from February 12-15, you can swing by booth #4517 to see this new product line in person!

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N.C. Winter's "Abandoned Menagerie" at Gallery1988: pop culture painting nostalgia

There's an old saying that "you can never go home again" but, for the sake of argument, let's say you could. And once you returned to your childhood home, you delved into the basement or the attic or whatever dark recesses those things you treasured in your youth were now unceremoniously stashed. Perhaps you'd find old Nintendo game cartridges, the kind you had to blow into so that they could load properly; or some scuffed up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, most missing their accessories; or that metal Gremlins lunchbox that you once treasured and made lunchtime that much cooler; or… whatever nostalgia inducing items you once had. Someone with a poetic bent might refer to these as your Abandoned Menagerie. N.C. Winters certainly calls them that.

Winters is gearing up for his solo show at Gallery1988 Venice, which is entitled "Abandoned Menagerie." A collection of all-new paintings and drawings by Winters, the exhibit will have a special emphasis on revealing the imagery that molded his young artistic mind. Winters has quite a few stunning teaser pics posted to his Tumblr site and we expect more sneak peaks to materialize prior to the show's March 10th opening. "Abandoned Menagerie" will run from March 10th until April 7th at Gallery1988, 214 Pier Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405.

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Star Wars fan will be sad that they already missed this "Lord on Board" resin release

Almost a year ago, we revealed the "Lord on Board" release by Abell Octovan/My Royal Ego and now a new colorway has unearthed. Indonesian designer Octovan sculpted a crisp and clean Darth Vader wearing a t-shirt & shorts while carrying a skateboard, then released it as a limited edition 8" resin run. He's now returned to that design, having made the figure black with golden helmet, board and kicks. Absolutely stunning, is the only honest reaction one can have. Alas, this colorway was limited to two copies and is already sold out. While he doesn't have a Twitter or Facebook that I know of, you may wish to follow his Flickr account as he posts releases a tad early there… you know, to avoid future disappointments.

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We love Dust… and the custom Munny he's working on

Here at the SpankyStokes offices, we like to casually sit around while sipping margaritas and chatting about toys. No, wait, we don't do that… but I like to imagine we do. And in these imagined scenarios, we talk about Dust from time to time. Longtime readers will recognize that customizers name from the various amazing pieces he's done and we've revealed (like HERE and HERE). Thus finding a teaser pic for his upcoming "36th Teddytank Batallion" mini Munny custom is cause for us to rejoice. Not much to report yet on this glorious vinyl piece, but I'm sure we'll have a full release information post in the near future about it.

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David Choe's roll continues… with Barbara Walters?

L.A. graffiti artist David Choe has been in the press a lot lately. First, he was hired to decorate the Facebook offices recently. Then it was realized that he had decorated the original Facebook offices in 2005 and was paid in stock, which reportedly makes him currently worth $200 million alone. And today he was a guest on the Howard Stern show, with a flair to description that is sure to titillate listeners. But Thursday marks quite the weird honor in Choe's career: an interview of him by Barbara Walters will broadcast on ABC's "Nightline." Above are some peeks of Choe teaching Walters the ins-and-outs of street art, courtesy of the Upper Playground blog.

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MeSmithy opens her webstore… KayNids forthcoming!

You've probably seen MeSmithy's amazing KayNid customs (pictured above) and have wondered where you might be able to buy them. You can cease scratching your head now, for Megan aka MeSmithy has finally opened a webstore. While it is a bit light on content at the moment, we've been promised that it shall be filled up shortly… hopefully with the long promised KayNid series release that we've all been dying for. You can visit MeSmithy's store at http://mesmithy.storenvy.com/ and following her on Twitter for updates is probably a good idea too. Oh! and according to Megan tonight is February's full moon, also called a 'Snow Moon', the perfect time for a winter Kitsune to come out and play :) *hint hint*

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The Lil'G Mini Boombox is close to being reality… and you can help out!

Jasin Dollin is closing in on making his Lil'G Mini Boombox a reality but he needs help crowd funding it. This actual, working speaker system blends modern technology (Bluetooth enabled!) with that 80's hip-hop vibe we're all nostalgic for. The project is seeking financing over at ideacious, which appears to be a profit-sharing version of Kickstarter. You can find out more about the Lil'G and how the ideacious system works HERE.

This venture has been a long time running for Jasin, and it's great to finally see his hard work pay off... now it's up to the community to reach out and help make this project a reality. If you dig what you see, be sure to head on over to ideacious HERE and figure out the best way to donate!

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Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant) decorates Dallas, TX

Shepard Fairey, best known for his classic Obey Giant campaign, recently sprayed several murals on the streets of Dallas, Texas. Done the request of the Dallas Contemporary, this Citywide Street Project launched on February 4th complete with a pop-up shop, book signing, artist discussion and Fairy spinning music in his DJ Diabetic persona.

No news on whether the murals are "permanent fixtures" now or if there is a planned white-wash date for them. (Images courtesy of the Arrested Motion blog.)

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Let me show you an impressive two feet… of tattooed Pain!

The Pain figure platform is impressive; if, for no other reason, the vinyl form towers over most others at two feet tall. So when well-known custom collector Johnnyvinyl came up with an idea to customize one of these behemoths into a Yakuza & Samurai flavored butcher design, he turned to talented and detail-oriented artist Early Bird to oversee the process. The end result is a wonderful figure, from the ultra-realistic body tattoo down to the butcher's apron & knives. The bandages and blood marks are almost icing on this cake… that is, they would be, if it wasn't for the fact that Pain's iconic cowlick has been replaced with a beautiful Samurai-style topknot. This is a piece that Jonnyvinyl will surely appreciate for years to come and will likely make him the envy of many a collector. For a full backstory and more photos, check out the post on the KidRobot forums.

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Will You Be My Zukie Valentine?

Alison Perez aka Miss Zukie has certainly been busy this year and it's only February! For this set of "Zukies" she has come up with a special VERY limited edition Valentine Zukie. Although this set isn't as intricate as the "Baby Zukies", I love the simplicity of the Zukie just standing on the hobby grass holding a sparkly red heart shaped balloon. The expression on his face and the set as a whole just seems to be saying one thing, and that is "I love you." Definitely a perfect gift for this Valentine's Day and the loved one in your life. There is only one left in light blue, and can be picked up HERE for $60.

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Is That Love I Smell? Or Just A Fart...

Every relationship has good times and some not so good times that you would rather forget. Well Ashley J. from Wumplings has come up with these nifty "Boyfriend Badges" that can commemorate all of these special moments so they can be treasured for a lifetime. For instance if you feel the loved one in your relationship is finally ready to take that next big step, and of course I am talking about instead of running to the bathroom with the sink running before you fart, you just let it rip right in front of her, but the key here is she doesn't get angry but just cracks one right back, that is how you know you have found true love. And what better way to commemorate this occasion then with the merit badge of "Breaking the Fart Barrier." And that's not all she has come up with, the other 5 badges in series 1 commemorate the special occasions of "My Pet Likes You", "You've Accepted My Fetish", "Drunk Make Outs", "Met The Parents" and "Moral Support While Puking". So if you like to laugh and think your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife or f*ck buddy might like one then go HERE and pick one up for only $1.50 each.

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Pepe Hiller unleashes tons of wooden goodness for Valentines Day

Slick Swiss wooden toy designer Pepe Hiller has decided to release several pieces from his vault in celebration of Valentine's Day this year. Most of the pieces, remaining from various shows or sold out production runs, are limited to only one copy being released… so this will be a mad dash to be the first to buy 'em. Going live in his webstore at 10PM CET tonight, the pieces are:

1. Marcos — only one of the original five piece run remains for this 4" tall walnut wood, maple wood and brass fixtured piece with a bees wax finish. Retail: $60.
2. Walter — a one-of-a-kind 5" fir wood with bees wax finish sculpt. Retail: $90.
3. Whaaghblocks — one of the nine brilliant 2.5" elm wood with bees wax finish figures has been found. Retail: $20 (seriously?!?).
4. Aarghblocks — one of the nine fantastic 4" pear wood with bees wax finish toys was unearthed. Retail: $70.
5. Woodsprites — Pepe Hiller found two of the twelve 4" Woodsprites still lurking around, each crafted out of maple and sapele wood with bees wax finish. Retail: $50.
6. Pangaboss — another one-of-a-kind piece, this 4" tall sculpture is made out of panga-panga wood and brass… and he has moveable arms! Retail: $60.

Pepe Hiller's webstore can be found here: http://pepehiller.storenvy.com/

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Cris Rose presents the Valentine Pink Robotones

As announced a month ago, artist Cris Rose will be releasing a new colorway of his Renold and Rourke Robotone Sprogs today as part of his "Bot of the Month" club. Dubbed Valentine Pink, these adorable 3" resin sculpts are sure to sell out as quickly as the January Blues edition did (which was in two weeks time). Each Robotone Sprog costs $25 with a limit of two of each sculpt per person. And remember, if you are able to collect all 12 colors then you'll receive a 13th color completely free! These glorious little robo friends go on sale at Cris's webstore on February 7th at 12 Noon PST... so go now! Order early and quickly to avoid disappointment, because there is a limit on how many Cris can make.

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Hoakser's Dominant Species figure number 4 drops

Birmingham based graffiti artist Hoakser continues his impressive foray into custom toys with the fourth figure in his Dominant Species series. Named "Unknown," he was created by completely modifying an old wrestling figure and Hoakser has crafted this into something straight out of a body horror film with artistic overtures; I could completely see David Cronenberg loving Unknown's spray cap head being fed paint from two tubes. Clocking in at a little over 6" tall, this mammoth comes packaged with an original hand-drawn sketch of himself. Retailing at roughly $110 (£69.99), this one-of-a-kind custom is currently available in Hoakser's webstore HERE.

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Meco makes sci-fi wonders out of junk

In Venezuela, Juan Mendes aka Meco has been quietly honing his craft; recycling and reusing "junk" into brilliant looking custom pieces straight out of a vintage sci-fi movie. The above pictured piece is "The Basupropulsor 2041 A," which was created using random parts & epoxy putty with acrylics & enamels used to give that aged metallic look. Meco is also creating a series of 10 robots that he calls "REbots," of which two are already completed. To find out more, check out his website at: http://mecolab.blogspot.com/

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