« January 2019 | Main | March 2019 »
Feb 19, 2019
Infected Lions by Scott Wilkowski
If you haven't yet picked up an Infected Lion (3.5") from Scott Wilkowski, there's still time to do so. The latest double pour, embedded skeleton resin creation from Mr. Wilkwoski is perhaps one of his more eclectic releases in recent memory. The infected man lions are available in three shades—Jade, Clear Pink and Royal Purple—for $70 each directly from the artist.
Michael Jordan Figure On the Way Enterbay x Eric So
Eric So has teamed up with 1/6 specialist Enterbay on a brand-new Michael Jordan figure. While all we have so far is a terrific tease, the concept of His Airness designed by one of the pioneers of urban vinyl will tide us over until a full reveal. Based on the Jersey and branding, this appears to be an officially licensed release.
While the picture is all we have to go on at the moment, it does seem to suggest this will be a hybrid figure of sorts. The posed arms suggest this is more of a vinyl toy than a highly posable 1/6 style figure. However, it also appears that the figure features a cloth uni, and potentially removable gear—all hallmarks of deluxe 1/6 figures.
Unbox Teases Splatterhouse Series from Retroband and Zectron
Unbox has revealed a near-final sculpt of the dual chainsaw-wielding baddie from the upcoming Splatterhouse series from Retroband and Zectron. The series celebrates the horrific action of the classic Namco side-scrolling beat 'em up game (1988). In addition to Biggy Man (above), we're expecting to see Rick, the hockey mask-wearing hero.
Knuckle x Headlock Studio — Sick Boy Lottery
Headlock Studio is offering the Sick Boy sofubi from Japanese artist Knuckle of Little Chop Design via lottery. First released at the recent WonderFestival event in japan, Sick Boy lives up to his name with his namesake cap, tee with the 'Sick' logo on the reverse and green + orange design. If he looks familiar, it's likely because he's part of the same Kustom Monsters toy series as Lil' Franky and features the same body sculpt.
Sick Boy is available now via lottery for ¥12,000 (~$108) until 3 AM PST on Sunday (2.24). To enter, visit the official lottery page, read over the details and then submit the lottery form.
Tony Riff x Unruly Industries -- I see Colours Pre-Order
Unruly Industries has launched pre-orders for its first four vinyl art toys today including I See Colours by illustrator/graffiti artist Tony Riff. Based on one of the artist's most enduring characters, the piece is a vision of what an acid trip might look like through the eyes of a vintage cartoon character.
An excellent translation of the original illustration, the I See Colours vinyl bust features a dynamic sculpt with the hands thrown back, hat flying off, and the colorful torrents streaming out of his eyes. The streams of color are nicely done with the way they mix in a pool in front of the character and splash back up in varying heights.
Limited to 750 pieces, I See Colours (6.5") is available for pre-order now for $115 from Sideshow Collectibles and is scheduled to ship in the June - August 2019 time frame.
Five Points Festival Early Bird Tickets Now Available
Ready for the next big stateside art toy convention? The third annual Five Points Festival takes place June 1-2 2019 at the Brooklyn Expo Center. Early Bird tickets have just launched today with the 'worm' being savings, especially on the VIP Pass.
The VIP pass is available now for $125 (versus $150 at the door) and includes a weekend pass with VIP preview (1 hour early entry), DTA ticket, Exclusive Toy, Exclusive Badge, Saturday Night Party and more. The Early Bird Weekend passes are $35 versus $50 at the door while the Early Bird Saturday ($25) and Sunday ($20) passes each represent a $10 savings. Head on over to the official ticketing page to check out all your options to attend NYC's premiere art toy event.
Feb 18, 2019
Jesse Hernandez x Unruly Industries — Mictlan Unruly Variant
Jesse Hernandez's Mictlan has returned from a much too long hiatus. The new Unruly Variant featuring a black light-reactive paint design is a collaboration with Unruly Industries, Sideshow Collectible's new art toy brand. Inspired by Mictlantecuhtli—the Aztec God of Death—the figure features a blue, turquoise green and red design complete with matching Skull Serpent staff. Hit the jump for ambient light photos.
Limited to 750 pieces, the Mictlan Unruly Variant vinyl art toy is available for pre-order now for $100 direct from Sideshow. The new Mictlan is expected to ship sometime between May and July of this year.
BlackBook Toy x Ron English — Leopard Mousezilla Micro Run (2.21)
Next up from BlackBook Toy is the Leopard Mousezilla micro run of Ron English's whimsical kaiju figure. This internal micro run from BBT features the instantly recognizable wild animal pattern realized with a mix of dry brush and air brush. Limited to six pieces, the hand-painted run features three colorways: 4 in brown (Beige) as well as one mint and one clear blue (w/purple spray).
The Leopard Mousezilla Micro Run (9") will be available for ¥16,200 (~$147) on Thursday (2.21) at 7 AM PST from BlackBook Toy in blind fashion with the color chosen randomly. Five of the six pieces will be available, with one Beige going to Ron English.
Feb 16, 2019
Kentanworks — Coco: The Astrochimp OG Edition (2.17)
Kendy Tan celebrates the critical role Chimpanzees played in the early days of space exploration with his brand-new Coco: The Astrochimp soft vinyl art toy. After his aborted mission to find a new home in the stars, the intrepid primate now seeks his way back to earth, making new cosmic friends along the way.
With character development input from Clogtwo, the OG edition of Coco is a fun blend of cute, snazzy and spacey. The space suit design is a big draw with lots of sculpted-in technical details throughout including a striking helmet, control unit, life support hosing, boots, gloves and more. Coco's helmet is quite sophisticated with a functional visor complete with stylish hinge and an inner support/liner system. Oh, yes, Coco also has a retro-styled ray gun.
Limited to 30 pieces, Coco: The Astrochimp OG Edition will be launched on Sunday (2.17) at 6 PM PST from the artist's Kentanworks online shop for $60 each. Kendy Tan's Coco joins a growing trend of great space exploration-themed art toys from talented indie artists such as Itokin Park, Kasing Lung, 009, Ciecy and more. More space art toys? Yes, please!
Feb 15, 2019
Too Natthapong x Unbox Industries -- Burger Elfie Silver Lunar New Year Edition (2.16)
Collectors just can't seem to get enough of Burger Elfie by Too Natthapong and Unbox Industries. Each edition seems to vanish upon release, so much so that Unbox offered the Kingsize Burger Elfie as a timed-release this past weekend. Now comes the Burger Elfie Silver Lunar New Year Edition. This shiny, metallic edition of the standard 3" size Burger Elfie celebrates the Lunar/Chinese New Year which began last week.
Unbox will release the Burger Elfie Silver Lunar New Year Edition soft vinyl figures on Saturday (2.16) at 7 AM PST from their web shop for $40 each. Stay sharp—these will sell through quite quickly. Also, keep an eye out for the Gold Lunar New Year Edition which should be coming shortly.
Amanda Visell Bat Centaur and Board + Fawn Bust
Amanda Visell has just released two new resin figures. First up is Bat Centaur and Board ($90), a fun riff off her popular Bat and Board releases from a few years ago. Limited to 15 sets featuring the 5" Bat Centaur and his trusty board, complete with centaur graphic on the grip tape.
Amanda's second release is Fawn Bust ($90), celebrating the beauty and power of nature. Limited to ten pieces, the Fawn stands 5.25" tall. Both of her new resins are available for pre-order now from Switcheroo and should ship in 2-3 weeks.
Feb 14, 2019
Kidrobot x Clutter — Kaiju Dunny Battle Series (2.15)
The invasion begins on Friday with the release of the Kaiju Dunny Battle Series (3") from Kidrobot x Clutter. The newest Dunny series fuses the iconic designer toy platform with fierce and not so fierce Kaiju monsters from Candie Bolton, Chauskoskis, James Groman, Jeff Lamm, John Rampage and Bwana Spoons.
Based on the reveals so far as well as the group case shot, it appears that there are 18 designs—four from Jeff Lamm, three each from Bolton, Groman, Rampage, and Bwana and two from Chauskoskis. The blacked-out dunny (chase/mystery?) in the case shot would seem to be Groman's green Dino-inspired design.
As befits the Dunny platform, the series steers away from scary and focuses instead on curious, cute, and mystical. While only 5 of the 18 designs appear to be 'stock' Dunnys, this series seems to preserve more of the Dunny DNA than others, partly because many of the custom sculpts preserve the iconic head shape. That said, Candie Bolton's two Baku Dunnys with the excellent Asian-influenced elephant head are among our favorites from the series. On the flip side, Groman's designs impress with super tight, printed textures.
Kaiju Dunny Battle Series launches on Friday (2.15) from select retailers and Kidrobot for $11.99/blind box. As of this post, NYC-based myplasticheart has their stock online. KR will release the new series at 3 PM PST on Kidrobot.com to coincide with the official NYC release party, presented in conjunction with Five Points Festival.
Nouar x Martian Toys -- Chocolate Mint Mister Self Indulgence (2.15)
While Valentine's Day may have come and gone, Nouar and Martian Toys have another treat lined up to satisfy your sweet tooth. The brand-new Chocolate Mint Mister Self Indulgence vinyl celebrates the classic ice cream flavor with the pie character sporting a light mint green shirt and Lil' Scoopy serving up the go-to alternative to chocolate chip ice cream.
Limited to 150 pieces, the Chocolate Mint Mister Self Indulgence vinyl art toy drops on Friday (2.15) at 9 AM PST over at Martian Toys.
Feb 13, 2019
JP Toys x Litor's Work -- Rainbow Umasuo + Boogieboy Exclusives (2.15)
Thailand's JP Toys continues its string of exciting exclusives with several rainbow-hued soft vinyl toys from China's Litor's Work. First up is Angel Umasou which features a rainbow edition of the angelic variant of the very popular girl+dino figure. Limited to 50 pieces, Angel Umasou will be available for 2700 baht (~$85) via a form-based lottery on the JP Toys Facebook page on Friday (2.15) at 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM PST.
JP Toys will also release the Devil Umasou + matching rainbow Boogieboy set as part of the same lottery. The set is limited to 50 sets and will be available for 3600 baht (~$115).
Coarse — Paw! Apex (2.19)
Paw! is back. The toy that captured collectors' imaginations and made Coarse a household name in the Art Toy scene, has returned to terrorize all the other toys in your Detolf. Looking back, the second coming began with the Instinctoy Tokyo Comic-Con exclusive Paw. At the time, it was unclear if that release was a one-off, a special last hurrah or marked the beginning of the character's return.
Thankfully, the return has at least two acts as Coarse will celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of their signature figure with the brand-new Paw! Apex edition.
Paw! Apex offers a fun dichotomy—a fierce rabbit-ish creature presented in the stereotypically cute blue + pink bunny colors. As one has come to take for granted, Coarse delivers the goods with a shiny metallic blue (and pink) design punctuated with a rainbow-hued right paw. And of course, the creative packaging is on point, yet again.
Limited to 299 pieces, Paw! Apex will be released on Tuesday (2.19) at 7:59 AM PST from the Coarse Shop for $290.
KAWS Companion Blush at KAWSONE (2.14)
The KAWS Companion Blush open-edition vinyl Art Toys are back and slated to drop on Valentine's Day (2.14) at 9 AM PST from KAWSONE. This is the second KAWSONE drop for the regular + flayed Open Editions of the red/pink Companion and follows the initial drop back in June of 2017. Goes without saying, but these will sell out quickly — an alarm or reminder is a must.
Juce Gace x Mighty Jaxx -- A Wood Awakening Love Edition (2.16)
Mighty Jaxx is set to release their new A Wood Awakening Love edition by Juce Gace as a pre-order this weekend. The very pink follow-up to the OG vinyl—released in 2017 and set to ship out this month—revisits the artist's clever, if naughty take on a wooden puppet's dream to become a real person.
The A Wood Awakening Love Edition vinyl toy (10") is set for pre-order this Saturday (2.16) at 6 AM PST from Mighty Jaxx's web shop.
Playge — Chamfered Sqube Lanyard Beads
Having transitioned Playge from toys to lifestyle over the past few years, Ferg has released some of his signature designs characters as a series of metal lanyard beads. Today brings the Chamfered Sqube Lanyard beads. The .55" beads are crafted in medium-blasted titanium for high-end matte finish, work great at the end of a lanyard, or even interlock for a fun desk toy/display. They are available now for $56 each (includes USA shipping0 from the Playge shop.
Feb 12, 2019
Tony Riff x Unruly Industries — I See Colours (2.19)
As Unruly Industries has just lifted the lid off their initial collection of new art toys (original and licensed), we're posting a few that have caught our eye. On the originals front comes the quirky and visually striking I See Colours from Tony Riff. The curious black and white character features streams of color pouring out of his eyes. This apparent bust style vinyl is set for a pre-order on Tuesday (2.19)
Psuedo5 x Unruly Industries — Stairway to Hell..0
Unruly Industries from Sideshow Collectibles is launching with an impressively broad collection of art toys, both original and licensed. On the original front,there's some wild stuff including Stairway to Hell…O by Pseudo5. The new vinyl is based on the artist's signature clown character. The disembodied clown head is creepy, crazy, and cool. Look for a pre-order next week (2.19)
A Trio of Marvel Art Toys On the Way from Tracy Tubera and Unruly Industries
Sideshow Collectibles new art toy brand—Unruly Industries—is going all in with a wide-range of toys from out-of-the-box original designs to stylized interpretations of iconic superheroes including a trio of new Marvel-licensed toys coming from Tracy Tubera.
While there are no photos the figures yet, Unruly has released concept art of Tracy's takes on T'Challa from Best Picture nominee Black Panther, Wade or Mr. Pool to you and Miles from Best Animated Feature nominee Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. We can't wait to see more of each these Unruly x Marvel drops.
Feb 11, 2019
Celebrate the Day After Valentine's with Black Ahwroo by Gary Baseman and 3DRetro (2.15)
Valentine's Day is right around the corner as seen by the wave of light pastel pink toys set to drop shortly. Turing the holiday on its head, Gary Baseman is eschewing "light and pretty" for "dark and vicious" with the new 3DRetro Exclusive Black Ahwroo vinyl. Though it's definitely not pink, it does have plenty of bright, crimson red to go around.
Pick up the 3DRetro Exclusive Black Ahwroo from 3DRetro.com and their Glendale location on Friday, February 15th.
'Chelone' 24-hr Timed Edition by James Jean (2.12)
James Jean will release a deluxe Chelone giclee print as a timed edition available for 24 hours starting on Tuesday (2.2) at 8 AM PST for $220 each from his web store. The painting is Jean's interpretation of the eponymous nymph from Greek mythology who was forced to carry around her home as punishment for spurning an invitation to Zeus's wedding.
Transformed into a tortoise, Chelone is seen bathing herself as water surges past and around. The 20.5 x 18.5" signed and numbered print features raised texture on the nymph's hair, shell, and the hitchhiking Octopus. For an added touch of dimensionality and flair, details of the water and shell are silkscreened with diamond dust. Finally, the print is finished with an embossed hermit crab, centered at the bottom.
Unruly Industries Teases the 'Fish Face' Art Toy by Ian MacDonald
Another day, another intriguing teaser from Unruly Industries. This time around we're treated to a partial reveal of Fish Face by Canadian artist/designer Ian MacDonald who also happens to be Associate Art Director at Uruly's parent company, Sideshow Collectibles.
While many of the initial Unruly toys are interpretations of popular entertainment properties, Fish Face Appears to be an original design. We like what we see so far, especially the fins and the sculpted-in details. For now the question is, legs or big tail of some sort?
Kidrobot x Hello Sanrio Micro Vehicle Series
Kidrobot's collaboration with the charming world of Hello Sanrio rolls on with the new Micro Vehicle Series (1.5") featuring Hello Kitty, Keroppi, My Melody, Gudetama and other beloved Sanrio characters. Whether it's an egg-toting Gudetama or Hello Kitty's milk truck, each tiny, roving delivery comes in its own matching cotton pouch—a nice touch indeed.
This fun take on the wondrous world of gourmet food tricks is available now from Kidrobot and select retailers for $9.99/blind bag. Even more good news? The ratios of this series are extremely collector friendly with the rarest figure being 2/24 — meaning 2 per display carton of 24 figures.