Monsterarm & Blurble's "Melt Wizard" chase variant custom Munny!

In the aftermath of yesterday's announcement regarding Kevin "Monsterarm" Herdeman and Blurble's "Melt Wizard" custom 4" Munnys, we've acquired for you a clear picture of the one-off "rainbow face" chase variant version. Like the others in the mini series, the "magical" glowing goo that Herdeman skillfully applies actually ups the height to 4.5-inches and Blurble application of paint on the face matches the body perfectly; it's a quite stunning effect. The blind bagged "Melt Wizards" series, which this is part of, will go on sale June 1st at 10AM PST exclusively from the Toxic Kaiju web shop for $45 each.

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'Trunks' a new DIY platform figure

Newly formed Canadian based designer toy company, Urban Elephant, just sent word that they are excited to announce the release of their very first figure "TRUNKS". This very apparent elephant figure stands 3.5", has 3 points of articulation, both arms and the head... and its flagship releases is in all white Do-It-Yourself vinyl. That being said... I am feeling kinda underwhelmed with this figure, and I am not quite sure it will make for a good platform. Hopefully I am proven wrong as I would love to see this new company be very successful, but just upon my initial viewing, the figure lacks that certain glitz/glamor/intrigue that will help propel it into the mainstream vinyl community. This little guy is up for grabs right now HERE for just $14, a good price point... and if any of you decide to pick one up to customize it, send some pictures our way so we can better judge this new figure.

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LilJapan is set to Kickstart his "NOBORYU" figure!!!

First spotted at the "Year of The Dragon" group art show at Dragatomi back in February of 2012, Hiro aka LilJapan showed off and gave away an amazing version of his "NOBORYU" dragon resin that he created... and I was seriously blown away by how cool this figure looked, as was Jay222 - who ended up winning the piece in a random drawing! Now, Hiro tells us that he will be taking this figure to the next level by getting is actually produced is light resin... and he plans on doing so with a Kickstarter campaign! I for one plan on supporting this once it gets posted up... and I'm sure a ton of others will do the same. That being said, I will post updates once we hear more!

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Task One's Back To The Future, Sons Of Anarchy & The Shield custom Munnys!

As we teased yesterday, the next revealed custom Munny for the previously announced upcoming Task One solo show "As Seen On TV" is… Marty McFly from Back To The Future. I love how he captured the completely out of time nature of the character, juxtaposing his very '80s vest against the impromptu wooden skateboard that Marty made. But wait, we have more treats for you…

Yes, two more custom 7" Munnys for the show: Clay Morrow from Sons of Anarchy and Vic Mackey from The Shield. Task One keeps nailing those frighteningly frozen life-like faces, but I actually love the care and detail in making those guns… they're insanely detailed given their size.

Task One's "As Seen On TV" solo gallery show opens on June 9th with a reception from 6-10PM at Plastic Chapel, 3109 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206.

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"The Rise of Pain in Dreams" 1:3 scale vinyl figure from Coarse Toys... is magnificently desolate

We teased you all with images and what info we had HERE, and now, marking the 5th anniversary of their first 1:3 vinyl figure release, Coarse presents "The Rise of Pain in Dreams"... an interesting art toy that really evokes a ton of emotion. Hand sculpted by Mark Landwehr in the distinctive Coarse style and first shown in Chicago in 2010, it has taken coarse 2 years to transform the original sculpture into a vinyl piece... and no wonder as it measures 27’’ x 14’‘ x 7.4’’... an exceptional large scale vinyl figure! This figure is set to go on sale starting June 12, 2012 exclusively at coarsehkg.com for around $750 a piece. The figure itself is limited to 200 pieces... all of which will most likely sell out. The work from Coarse always interests me, especially this one as it's so morose in nature... very depressing actually. I really admire the craftsmanship of this piece, and the photos taken are so surreal... I could not, however, imagine adding this to my collection as the looming connotations of death are very disturbing. So, all you Coarse fans out there... are you planning on adding this to your collection, I would love to know your thoughts on it... what types of emotions are evoked for you?

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wwwetworks 1/6 MaK Melusine "Tank Girl" custom!!!

Woah... check out the latest custom piece done up by Carlo Cacho, better known by the art world as wwwetworks, as he took a 1/6 MaK "Melusine" figure, and totally tricked it out to create the "Tank Girl" custom that you see above! He tells us that he bought the vinyl kit from Nitto Japan, the makers of Maschinen Krieger plastic model kits. The model is a huge piece of vinyl, with no articulation and paint... but that didn't stop Carlo from adding fully-articulated arms along with an awesome paint-job!!! Oh, and to push this over the top, he created a working hatch for a pilot... which he used a threeA 1/6 action figure to go inside... AMAZING!!! More pictures can be found HERE... and seriously, go check out the progress from where this started to what you see above... this dude has some serious talent!

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Brandt Peters x Tomenosuke - "Stingy Jack" sofubi goes into production!

First spotted HERE and HERE as part of the Monsters & Misfits II group show, the folks over at Tomenosuke have teamed up with Brandt Peters and the rest of the Circus Posterus crew to release a handful of sofubi figures in the very near future... and Brandt's "Stingy Jack" figure is up first! As you can see above, this piece is well on its way, and according to CP, might just see the first colorway released late June... AWESOME! That being said, Kathie Olivas's "Caliopi Jackelope" and Chris Ryniak's "Stinky Ginger" figures are up next for the the sofubi treatment. For up to date info on all CP news, be sure to visit their rad site HERE.

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Eelus's sexy "Smoke Seduction" & futuristic "Foreign Objects" prints!

For Eelus's upcoming solo show at the Black Book Gallery, entitled "Curious" and previously mentioned HERE, the fantastically creative artist produced the above pictured three signed & numbered prints. Limited to a mere 23 copies per design, each screen printed image is 24" x 24" and uses upwards to six colors to achieve the look. This "Smoke Seduction" series is done in a wonderful Art Nouveau style, featuring naked women smoking while in the embrace of the grim reaper. Each is printed on heavy 300gsm Antique Vellum/Milkweed Paper with a Certificate of Authenticity for $345 (shipping within the U.S. included)… or you can buy a set of all 3 prints for $930 (U.S. shipping included). Ordering details can be found HERE.

Eelus has also released the above pictured "Foreign Objects" screen print in regular (left) and variant (right) editions. The "Dusk Variant" was limited to a mere 15 copies for $260 each and has already sold out, but the regular edition still has some copies available at this time. Limited to an edition of 125 prints, this 19.7" x 27.6" five-color print comes signed, stamped & numbered for $170 each and can be found in the Novos web store now.

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Doktor A.'s next Mechtorian Badge "Mr. Edward Geers"

I know you are all itching to get your hands on that next exclusive Doktor A enamel badge... well we just received word that he will be dropping the next version soon... Say hello to "Mr. Edward Geers"!!! This is the third character in the ongoing 'Mechtorian Badge of the Month' series... and these real metal badges are relief cast and then partly enamel filled and antiqued for a vintage look. Dok mentions that this iteration is a natty tarnished Brass with emerald green eyes and a classic black Bowler hat that covers up a head full of gears and sprockets. The edition size for this character has been increased to 150 pieces worldwide, and each piece’s number is engraved on its reverse side. Each badge is 1″ across and comes bagged on a display card. Ed will be available to purchase exclusively from Doktor A’s Spookypopshop HERE on Tuesday, June the 5th for just $10 each!

Source [Doktor A Press]

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Kidrobot Black x Ron English - "America Depress" Art Toy... up for grabs right now!!!

We have been following the progress of this figure for a few weeks now, and after the many teaser pictures, speculation, and the full reveal... the next Kidrobot Black figure, designed by pop-artist Ron English, is up for grabs HERE right now! This piece brings a new 2D painting from Ron to life with this very suggestive wall handing titled "America Depress"! The massive piece of vinyl is 12" tall, limited to 200 pieces worldwide, and will carry a $400 price tag... Oh, and the piece features Mickey Mouse "Crucified" on a credit card... just like his OG painting, except we see now that this piece features a black/gold color scheme! I really can't imagine these will sell out too fast... that being said, if you buy one, I would love to see it mounted in your collection... also, what does Disney have to say about their beloved mouse being portrayed this way?

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64 Colors "Mushroom Prince" painting for the Supahcute show at Leanna Lin's Wonderland!

Paired with the previously shown "Slo Poke," this 64 Colors painting has been on display at Leanna Lin's Wonderland for the Supahcute Dream Team Show. Entitled "Mushroom Prince," this is a wonderfully crafted 13" x 16" acrylic painting on book cloth. I adore the little slumbering prince with his slightly askew crown. Surprisingly, this piece is still available for $400; interested parties should contact hello [at] LeannaLinsWonderland [dot] com for more information.

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Designer Toys 101: What are Designer Toys?

Countless times in the past, I've begun some sort of romantic relationship with a girl and — eventually — the topic of my passion for "designer toys" would emerge. The majority of the time, mention of this is met with a blank stare behind which the gears of her mind are churning and pondering: "He's into what now?" This, of course, is followed by a lengthy attempt to explain this scene and I've always wished there was a more concise information source for newbies; a "Designer Toys 101," if you would… So if you're an avid "designer toy" collector, then this new weekly column is not really for you; but, should you be a novice to the scene and are looking to understand what "designer toys" are, then you'd be my target audience.

We're going to start extremely simply: What are Designer Toys? The two words, separately, surely are recognizable: "Designers" being those who take artistic inspiration & apply it to practical subjects, such as producing the cover image for a book, outlining the structure of a piece of furniture, or sketching the appearance of a piece of clothing, while "Toys" are those things we played with as children, whether it was G.I. Joe action figures or Barbie Dolls. So, in the most broad strokes, "Designer Toys" are toy-like pieces done with modern art sensibilities; think of them as utilitarian art sculptures, if you will.

"Designer Toys" gets confusing because it is an term used to define an entire industry rather than one specific product. Typically "Designer Toys" are limited in the amount made, anywhere from a couple of thousand copies all the down to only one piece produced. The term applies to the sensibility and aesthetic more than anything else, since not even the material a "Designer Toy" is made in is set… In fact, "Designer Toys" can be made out of just about anything, though the four most common materials are (with example pictures of each):

• Plastic, though commonly the type known as Vinyl;
• Plush, which is the "Designer Toy" equivalent of stuffed animals;
• Resin, a synthetic liquid that permanently hardens once set; and
• Wood, hand-carved and/or assembled into some sculptural toy.

Right now you're quite possibly scratching your head in confusion… and that's perfectly okay. This is more meant to be a rough primer than absolute solution. Each week, as you learn more, you can read our normal posts with, hopefully, greater understanding and comprehension.

Next Week: What does Blind Boxed mean?

Designer toys used in the example set are:
Plastic (Vinyl): "Supermagical Dunny" designed by 64 Colors and produced by Kidrobot, 2012
Plush: "Stroll Cavey" designed & produced by John "Spanky" Stokes & A Little Stranger, 2011
Resin: "Mini MAD*L - Crystal Edition" designed & produced by MAD (Jeremy Madl), 2012
Wood: "Topsy Turvy Croc" designed by Amanda Visell and produced by SecretFresh, 2011

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Huck Gee's "Copter Girl" custom Munny available now!

This brand new Huck Gee custom, entitled Hotaru Copter Squad "Copter Girl," is the follow-up to the Copter Boy piece we announced a month ago. Per usual, all the accessories including her copter pack and goggles look amazing, and the inclusion of some fireworks and the little bird on top are just beautiful.

Ah, Copter Girl, don't let her cute demeanor fool you. Her brother's equally talented, tough as nails, troublemaking younger sister was often the ringleader in their mischievous endeavors. And being Whisker's favorite, she would use that charm to wiggle her way out of many a punishment. Not to be content with simply dodging the chore, she would perch herself on a nearby window ledge, fresh apple in hand, to gloat her nimble charms and favored position over her toiling brother. His little sister meant the world to him but oh how he hated when she would do that. Copter Girl, the motivator of the hotaru copter building, formerly bumbling, later high flying, Three Wars tide turning monkey duo.

Even the gourds with the kanji for "Fire" written on them, implying the are rudimentary bombs, is brilliant. This figure is signed, numbered, comes with all shown accessories, is limited to only 10 pieces, costs $875, and is available now. Interested parties should e-mail sales [at] huckgee [dot] com ASAP to reserve a figure and arrange payment.

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Peter Kato is feeling a little Blue… And he's giving you a great deal because of it!

Peter Kato is throwing a special Blue Harvest Sale, wherein all his normal kaiju-inspired resin figures will be cast in anything from an icy clear light to a deep royal blue. Beyond which, he's discounting the prices for this wonderfully blue pieces… Sky Babies for only freakin' $3! Man-Nies, Fright Bites, and Kawakos for $8 a pop! There will even be a new blue-themed, fully-detailed Turtle Tetsujin for a lower price (we're guessing $20 on that one). The sale begins on May 31st at 5PM EST in Kato's web store!

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Cache's custom Munny for "They Came From The Streets 2"!

Street artist Cache is known for doing cartoonish graffiti murals, in which he tends to use chickens a lot, so it makes sense that his custom 7" Munny for the upcoming  "They Came From The Streets 2" group show is poultry based. He kept things simple and clean with this piece, and it does look amazing. I love the red comb on the head, the expressive face, and — of course — the feathery body. I'd love to see Cache try his hand at customizing again… he certainly has an aptitude for it!

"They Came From The Streets 2," organized by the guys of Urban Vinyl Daily, opens on June 1st at UNHeardof, 323 W 4th St., Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Contributing artists include: Frank Kozik, Scott Tolleson, Gary Ham, DrilOne, Eyeone, 64 Colors, ValleyDweller, Steve Talkowski, Rsin, Lunartik, VISEone, Task One, Luke Cheuh, THARP, Nerviswr3k, Ian Ziobrowski, Abe Lincoln JR., Scribe and Alisa Ross, Squink, A Little Stranger, JFury, Jon Chase, JC Rivera, Maxx242, Chase Tafoya, Chris Brett, Dez Einswell, Terribly Odd, Jason Gallo, and Cache.

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Rampage Toys's SDCC 2012 "Cycloptic Dinosaurs" Mini-Figures!

Jon M of Rampage Toys has finally revealed his paleontologically inspired creation: the "Cycloptic Dinosaurs" (though I'm calling them Cyclopsosaurs and no one can stop me). The young boy in me that loved dinosaurs can instantly recognize the Anklyosaurus, Bronosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex forms, even with their modification to only having one eye each. The above picture is of the clay-sculpts for the pieces, from which wax molds have been made and sofubi (soft Japanese vinyl) figures will be manufactured. Each one is Bullmark Mini-sized (3 to 4"s) and sports multiple points of articulation. If all goes according to plan, the trio will be sold as a pack (in a choice of three colorways) and make their premiere at the San Diego Comic-Con this year.

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Matt JOnes's ultra-limited "The Art Of Tea" series available now!

Matt "Lunartik" JOnes has never been shy about his love for a cuppa tea; heck, he made his fame based on it. So it should come as no surprise when he begins his next major series — the "Tiny Art Gallery" — it starts with an ultra-limited "The Art Of Tea" sculpture. Made in an edition of 18 signed & numbered copies, these 1-inch-tall plastic tea cups are carefully filled with a resin brew and individually crafted miniature resin paint brush, all of which was hand-finished and detailed in acrylics. The whole thing is lovingly displayed on a 2"-tall wooden plinth with rubber feet and silver nickel plaque. These wonderful looking pieces are available now in JOnes's web shop for £49 (approx. $75) each.

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