Toy News

Mattel may own the Matchbox brand, but it’s Hot Wheels that’s the real star and continues to perform amazingly well. And this upcoming Hot Wheels Star Trek Wave 1 Vehicle Case* is just one reason why Hot Wheels continues to dominate the “toy cars and diecast vehicles” shelves in stores. Great designs and these are sure to be a hit... Read more →

Tanin Tumth of Ministry of Kongz (www / Facebook) updates us on his upcoming KRUZZILLA vinyl figure with these snaps, since my last teaser feature. Expect these 4.5" tall vinyl figures to drop soon-ish (available here for US$26 each), as well stay tuned for a review on TOYSREVIL in a couple of weeks' time too! Thanks Tanin!WHAT: "THE KRUZZILLA was inspired by Thai Mythical Bird KHRUT (or Garuda) and KING KONG…"

Launching Friday, May 31st, 2013 at the SubUrban Gallery in New Jersey, is the GI JOE TRIBUTE SHOW - where SubUrban Toys and Tenacious Toys have teaming up to present a custom toy show based on the recently released GI Joe mini figure platform by The Loyal Subjects.

Be on the lookout for works from 30 artists contributing about 100 customized GI Joe figures to the show. We've had an earlier feature, and posted today are more (from images culled via the events Facebook page / further event info via).


(Above-Left: customs by James Fuller / see more here / Above-Right: Evilos)

(Above: 3 x custom GI Joes by Shawn Wigs)

(Above: "Rep-Killian" by Dave Webb / this is his 2nd submission)

(Above: trio of customs from WE WILL NOT BE A WASTED TALENT / @WSTDTLNT)

(Above: "Conscious and Temptation" by Liz Sanquiche aka Blazon Brikhaus)Participating artists include: Les Schettkoe / Forces of Dorkness / Blazon Brikhaus / Dead Hand Toys / Ian Ziobrowski / Carson Catlin / Cash Cannon / Shawn Wigs / Miss Zukie / JC Rivera / Juan Muniz / Mark Maher / Nasty Neil / ChipSoup / Mr. Munk / Nati513 / NEMO / AVES / Don P / Evilos / JFury / Fuller / Matt A* / Jay222 / DeeTen / Billy Roids / Rusted Halo / Joe Scarano / Dave Webb / Tasha Zimich / Bryan Collins / Jacob JAMS / Jason Chalker / KiD iNK iNDUSTRiES / Mike Die / Cash Cannon.

Releasing this Friday, May 24th, is the POP BOMB Edition of Nathan Hamill's CURIOSITY resin figure! Exact drop time is at 12PM CST online via nathanhamill.bigcartel.com, and as well physically at Comicpalooza, in Houston, Texas!

Limited to only 5 pieces, they are priced at US$80 per and is a 5" Tall Translucent/Opaque Resin designed by Nathan, sculpted by Julie B. and produced by Oni Creations. Looks a good licking, don't it? :pppp

"Anthology of the Abysmal" is a solo exhibition by ZERO @ Chan Hampe Galleries (Raffles Hotel Arcade, Unit #01-20/213), happening May 9 to May 26, 2013. I managed to snag some snaps before heading off to Jakarta, and they seen in the video slideshow above, and as well THIS Facebook album. For imagery of the artwork itself, check put THIS dedicated album.


ZERO is part of the local collective known as "RSCLS (he set it up actually) and is primarily known for their Street / Urban Art. A look thru his bloodspot sees a myriad of aesthetics and styles, but retains his iconic depiction and portraiture.

Armed with his BA(HONS) in Fine Arts and his tenacity for social commentary, Zulkarnaen Othman had embarked to depict a series of self-portraits utilizing the traditional mediums of street artists: aerosol paints and stenciling work - for this show - which you can see the making-of-scenes in the swish video below. And the effect is mesmerizing, as it is viscerally scratching at your subconsciousness.

"Anthology of the Abysmal" exhibits thru May 26th, 2013.

Included in the video is also a look at the launch of his show, and his "tagging" on the window display at Chan Hampe Galleries.

First we had the splendid Snake-Eyes, then the spectacular Storm Shadow, now we have ROADBLOCK in 1/6th-scale from Hot Toys! From the live-action feature film G.I. Joe Retaliation, I'm still not convinced about the headsculpt-likeness to actor Dwayne Johnson, with this looking a bit "vacuous" (to put it "exceedingly mildly") … or perhaps we/I are/am too used to the crocked eye-brow stance of "The Rock" … nevertheless, the military gear is top-notch, but then again Hot Toys had always been fantastic with their military accessories, IMHO.

Check with your fav retailers for availability and pricing, and feel free to check out THIS Facebook album for more snaps!

FYI: Sideshow Toys has it priced at US$219.99 per, for a December 2013 estimated ship-date.


PRESS: 'In view of the popularity of the Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow collectible figure, Hot Toys is proud to present a new addition to our MMS series from the action packed G.I. Joe Retaliation - the 1/6th scale Roadblock Collectible Figure. Roadblock is a force to be reckoned with and the Cobra should think twice before taking on the great one.

Based on the iconic brand from Hasbro, the movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock in the movie, featuring a highly detailed head sculpt, finely tailored costume and weapons.' ~via Hot Toys.

Voting for the DESIGNER TOY AWARDS has begun!  Log in here and get started:

DESIGNERTOYAWARDS.COM

 You can vote in each and every category once per 24 hours, so keep coming back and making your voice heard!

Super7 is very flattered to be nominated in a number of categories:

Best Collaboration (Possessed Pocket Mummy Boy)

Best Media Tie-In (Taoking)

Best Sofubi (Casket Cruiser, Fossilla, Garuru, Honoo, Pumpkin Boy, & Ooze Bat)

Brand of the Year (Super7)

Artist of the Year (Brian Flynn)

Thanks to Clutter Magazine for all of their work in organizing and hosting the DTAs!

The Super7 12th Anniversary Lucky Bags are full of mysterious surprise!  We are sworn to double-secrecy, but we can say that among each bag’s 9 vinyl figures are randomly sprinkled a mix of brand-new sculpts, D.O.A. figures, artist hand-paints, unexpected surprises and more!

Lucky Bags contain 9 figures total, $300 each.
Available Saturday May 25th, 7pm PST at the Super7 Store
Online Sunday May 26th, 11am PST at http://www.super7store.com

We are thrilled to celebrate our 12th Anniversary with our good friends at Gargamel, who are bringing some serious heat to the party!!

Beautifully intricate, hand painted one-of-a-kind vinyl figures from the masters at Gargamel are traveling from Japan to Super7! Come down to the Super7 Store in San Francisco Saturday, May 25th, 7pm Pacific to check them out and hang with Kiyoka Ikeda, the creative mind inside the cube..

Doors open at 7pm PDT, Custom figures available first come-first served.

Remaining Custom Figures will be available online, Sunday May 26th, 11am PDT.

 

 

 

Taking on a slightly different tone with this new trailer (titled: "Fate of Your Planet") featuring relentless action, and a franticness that belies the previous mood of "inner calm" - dude, this is all out WAR!

But with every trailer or video promo, the film is revealed to us again and again, and as exciting as it seems, I am just hoping seeing these do not spoilt the movie for me eventually tho…

UPDATE: Here are a couple of "Character Posters" to add to the trailer (via io9.com)

Check out this splendid set of six postcards from Luke Chueh (purchasable here for US$11.95) featuring 5" X 7" versions of "I Asked For Scrambled", the 3 x "Revenge Of The Dish" (which was derived from bootlegged imagery from Luke's in the first place LOL), and the 2 sushi images that were exclusive prints when Luke was doing his book signing tour for "Bearing The Unbearable". Really nice set and a viable option in lieu of the print, IMHO.

From customizer David Kraig comes WOLVERINE - whom started out as a 4" Munny, with the finished piece now standing about 5.5". You'd be hard-pressed to recognize the base piece from this spectacular sculpt, IMHO. And David also mentioned that he used "really stainless steal" for his blades/claws! Amazing, Much?

I am not wholly sure of this piece was spoken for, but you could always commission David for one, yeh? Would be swellcool to see a "Old Man Logan: version tho! Check out more of his work via www.davidkraig.com and his online store.

From Jeremy Dale aka Valleydweller comes "Saved by Samus" = a painting he did for Gallery 1988's "Old School Video Game Art Show" in September of 2011. In the aftermath of the recent tornado disaster in Oklahoma, Jeremy was moved to list this painting on Ebay, with the proceeds meant to aid relief work."It features Earthworm Jim being carried out of rubble by Samus Aran from Metroid. The original intent of the piece was to play up that Jim had a crush on her. In light of the recent tornado disaster in Oklahoma, I hope that it becomes a bit more about the rescue itself.

I'm listing this on Ebay starting at $25 to cover materials, and everything beyond that I will donate to the Red Cross." ~adds Jeremy.Jeremy also adds: "If you don't want the painting and want to help, feel free to click through and give the Red Cross some cash."

My grandfather on my mother’s side was a Navy helicopter pilot. His favorite helicopter was the Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight. He never took it into battle – the Navy was a bit squeamish about the prospect of being financially responsible for his seven children and widow – but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

My grandfather passed away in 2009. A few weeks back, my grandmother passed away as well, and my mother and her siblings began the bittersweet process of divvying up their parents’ belongings. My mom asked me if there was anything I wanted, and I remembered the helicopter model that had hung in their breezeway for at least twenty years (and is probably even older than that).

Between the process of getting the model down and bringing it up from Florida, it arrived with all but two blades broken off and covered with decades’ worth of dust. Most of the metal had turned red with rust after years of Florida humidity. There wasn’t a whole lot I could do about the rust, but I set about wiping it down with some Magic Erasers (the best friend of all toy collectors with dusty toys). I did this partly because, for some reason, I thought all the decals and so forth on the model were paint. It turns out they weren’t, and so some of the decals got a bit messed up, as you can see from the pics.

But I did get the dust off (though the Magic Erasers turned completely black, there was so much old dust and grime). There was even a layer of grime inside the cockpit, but fortunately it popped out easily for cleaning, although as you can see, a bit of the paint came off.

The rotors weren’t too difficult to reattach, as they all plugged into small holes and had basically just popped out of the holes. A little glue fixed them them up fine, although for one the peg had snapped off right at the edge of the hole, and so I had to Dremel a new hole and then plug the blade in and glue it (so that particular blade is a tiny bit shorter than the other ones).

One cool thing is the cargo bay door in the back still opens.

I miss my grandparents. I wish I’d had the chance to talk to my grandfather more about his experiences in the Navy. A few years ago, Rotor Magazine has posted an article about the 1955 Disney short film “Men Against the Arctic.” You can watch the entire film here; my grandfather appears at 5:21 – he’s the guy on the right. He helped to fly the helicopters used in the filming of the short, which went on to win an Oscar for Best Short Subject Story in 1956. But the story behind the scenes is just as interesting, featuring a helicopter being forced to land in Arctic waters and a run-in with a polar bear. You can read the article here (PDF). In the photo, my grandfather is standing third from right.

I’d like to do a bit more restoration work on it, but for that, I think I’d need another copy for replacement parts. I’ve been unable to figure out who made this model or where it came from. For all I know, it could be something made especially for the Navy. UPDATE: My uncle informs me that is indeed the case – the model was made especially for the Navy by Boeing.

But whatever its origin, I’m glad I have this small heirloom to help keep my grandfather’s memory alive.

A "surprising" showcase at the recent weekend's Star Wars Day Jakarta's "Art Project", was the display of David The Killer's resin figure! Recently teased, the resin figure donned it's Storm Trooper helmet for his public display debut! Yes, it has two interchangeable heads :)

Dubbed "DTK", the figure had an Ultraman "toy" grasped in one hand, while the other had a stick of cigarette - both vices of David - who mentioned: "…for those who are asking, yes this will be made for sale in the future, still figuring out some colours and concepts, thanks for the support guys!"

DTK was on display next to the illustration by Fredy Chandra (Shown bottom-right). Stay tuned for further product and availability updates, folks!

3A Toys will be releasing Atlas + P-body (from PORTAL 2) on May 25th, 2013 at 9:00am Hong Kong time - available online via www.bambalandstore.com. There will be an exclusive BAMBALAND EXCLUSIVE 2-Figure Set priced at US$340, while singles of ATLAS and P-body is priced at US$190 each.

This is a pre-order. Singles will be offered to retailers at a later date but the 2-Figure Set is exclusive to Bambaland only. Images seen in the slideshow video above were made available in a special 3AVOX. The video shown below features the boot up sequence for P-body and ATLAS' optical light-up sensor display. (The flickering you see is due to the video camera and is not indicative of the final product.)


FIGURE SPECIFICATIONS:
- ATLAS is approximately 27.5 cm (10.8″) in height
- P-body is approximately 30.5 cm (12″) in height
- ATLAS and P-body each need 1 x CR2 battery to power their Optical Sensor light-up feature
- Portal Devices need 2 x AG4 batteries
- Each character comes with their own Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device
- The Portal Devices are removable and not permanently attached to the characters
- Each character features illuminated Optical Sensor displays with animated boot-up sequence
- Both figures feature torso sections that are removable from their bodies
- The eyelids on each character can be manually opened or closed to create different expressions

Modok_Port by jvalent2

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