Nov 08, 2012
A Quick Look at DesignerCon 2012
Designercon 2012 has come and gone. Here’s a quick look / overview of this year’s successful edition including snaps of the expanded show floor and just a few of the talented artists and personalities that fuel the art and toy scene we all love. With a unique mix of toys and art from a diverse set of artists and brands in a friendly, accessible format – DesignerCon is hard to beat. From year to year, the show continues to grow under the direction of Ayleen Gaspar and Ben Goretsky. This year the show space doubled from 25k sqft to a cavernous 50k sqft. Next year? 2 days! Keep an eye out for a slew of detailed posts of key booths and sub-events (Suck-Con anyone?) shortly.
Nov 05, 2012
Paul Kaiju, Guf Stuf, and Butcher Brand @ Designer Con
There were many hot booths at Designer Con, with the Paul Kaiju, Guf Stuf, and Butcher Brand being one of them. These fellas brought some amazing toys along for the DCon ride and caught a bunch of curious eyes. It was also at Designer Con, where PK brought out his all new Morning Man and Unchiman vinyl figures. Guf brought a ton of his rad King Swine and Larry figures. Butch brought some Grinders, Ugly Little Bastards and a various number of customs.
Nov 03, 2012
Preview: The Loyal Subjects x Hasbro – G.I. Joe Minis
The Loyal Subjects are showing several of their upcoming (2013) G.I. Joe Minis at their DesignerCon booth (#429). In the selection shown we see Cobra Commander, Destro, Zartan, Snake Eyes, Duke and several more Joes. In addition to several different head sculpts, the series also features numerous detailed weapons and accessories. Want to know more about the minis? Drop by the booth at 1 PM for a signing with figure designer Les Schettkoe. In addition to the Joe action, TLS has the much anticipated Chaos Lava Bunny drop from JLed (10 AM).
DesignerCon ‘12 : Setup Day
After plenty of anticipation and hype, DesignerCon is almost upon us. With a short drive from VP HQ, I walked the aisles and chatted with folks during show setup on Friday. Here’s a quick look at some of the booth layouts and some of the artists that will be exhibiting at the show. In terms of quick observations – this year’s exhibition floor is much bigger than last year, Bad Juju’s urban themed-booth (above) might just be the most impressive booth setup, and Sucklord almost has his own fiefdom with multiple booths featuring the Super Suck Up, Suckcarnival, His retrospective show, screening room and more. See you all bright and early Saturday (in umm 6 hours or so).
Nov 02, 2012
BAIT @ DesignerCon (11.3)
New SoCal lifestyle brand BAIT will be exhibiting at DesignerCon for the first time. For the show they’ll be releasing two BAIT exclusive toys – Erick Scarecrow’s Little Spiker (16 pcs, $150) and the Big Bad Buddha Stone Edition from BeeFy & Co ($100 pcs, $95). And as you can see above, BAIT will be offering their Sponge Bob Shoes in collaboration with Creative Recreation. In addition, Erick Scarecrow will be signing from 11 am to Noon and Menh Voong (BeeFy & Co.) will be signing from noon to one. Be sure to drop by BAIT’s massive booth (#101), it’s right at the front of the show.
DeKorner @ DesignerCon (11.3)
For DesignerCon, DeKorner (booth #204) will be showcasing new customs from four artists – Malo April, MaloOne, MannyX, and Joe Flow. In addition, DeKorner will have twelve of their signed WonderCon exclusive White Morksta by MAD, 5 of their exclusive Red Deathshead that is sold out except for these few that were reserved for the show, as well as ThreeA figures, Squadts, and various blind boxes (KR and Android).
Here’s a quick run-down of some of the customs that will be on offer at the Dekorner booth. Malo April will unleash her 3” Tiffany Wing Dunnys ($75, edition 5) as well as her as 8” ‘Tiffany’ Queen Wing Dunny ($250). Both versions feature sculpted roses and acrylic paint. MaloOne has created two one-off customs – a Captain America Mork w/wood shield ($225) and a Bobba Fett inspired 12” WWR Dropcloth ($800). MannyX’s Smoke Break Dcon2012 is an edition of three custom Gobi/Rat Skull and comes with sticker and card ($35). He’s also offering his Candy Corn Zombie resins (3”) which were sculpted by Cash Cannon ($30 unpainted, $35 painted, sticker packs $5) . Finally, Joe Flow’s customs include a 7” tribal brain monkey ($150), 2.5” tribal skull fatcap ($75) and a 3” possessed dunny ($75). Drop by the Dekorner Booth (#204) to check ‘em all out in person. Hit the jump for pics.
kaNO for Designer Con
kaNO will be having his very own booth #822 at this years Designer Con. Feel free to stop by the booth, have a chat, get a sketch, or pick up any of his toys, prints, artwork, or customs that will be available at the booth.
Guf Stu for Designer Con
Guf Stuf will once again be gracing this years Designer Con with a few of his piggies! Available at the Paul Kaiju booth #109 will be some of his resin King Swine figures, all of which can be seen above. From the looks of it there will be a few sets of 2 offs and some gorgeous looking one offs. Guf even had to learn how to properly dress the King Swine in a mawashi. These releases even come with some all new cards featuring his amazing artwork. Want to know more about Guf? Find out from his interview we had with him from last March HERE.
A Better Look at the Joe Ledbetter x The Loyal Subjects Chaos Lava Bunny
It was both HERE and HERE, where we last spoke of the big release of Joe Ledbetter’s Chaos Lava Bunny with The Loyal Subjects at Designer Con. Now we get an even better glimpse of what this release has to offer! As expected, this design doesn’t follow the OG Mr. Bunny sculpt by Wheaty Wheat. Rather in a sitting position, we get this cute little bunny in a standing position. The ears are also a lot shorter than the original and doesn’t feature the little buck teeth. He also comes in this cool Blister pack that he can be displayed with, which is also good for pinning up on your walls. We hope the packaging is reseal able, because who would want to ruin such a beautiful thing. You will find the Lava Bunny available as an Exclusive release at this years Designer Con at the Loyal Subjects Booth #429 at 10AM. Joe will also be signing at the booth at that same time until 12PM.
3DRetro for Designer Con
The 3DRetro booth #102 will play host to a number of exclusives to this years Designer Con. They will be releasing a limited number of Bob Dob’s “Wil” Mouseketeer figure. Only a small number of these pre-releases will be up for grabs, as the remainder will drop later in the year. They’ve also got a hold of an Exclusive Boob Ball by Buff Monster, which is limited to 125 pieces and will retail $35. You will also have a chance to have it signed by the man himself, as he will be at the booth. 3DRetro also has an Exclusive Shrympee “Ol’ Tyme” Edition by David Chung, which are limited to 120 pieces and will cost you $15. You can also find David at the booth signing. Last but not least, 3DRetro has a few surprises from Monster Products. Things such as a Black Grin Bank, Glow and Grey Charlie Grin, and other goodies! There's only one way to find out and that’s by checking out their booth at DCon.
Nov 01, 2012
Frank Kozik @ DesignerCon
Frank Kozik is ready for DesignerCon with plenty of tempting toys including the first results of his new resin laboratory. Let’s start with the new resins – there are Heathrow Hedgehogs in several clear colors in both large ($100) and small sizes ($30). For those that prefer their resin edgy, there’s the Kim Il resins in several clear colors in ‘Slightly Larger’ ($40) and ‘regular size ($30). On the custom front, Frank has hand-painted two editions of Mike Egan’s Bones figures – Green Monkey Virus and Purple Plague ($75 each). And last but certainly not least, the long awaited (and apparently already released) Evil Beaver – a collab with Jeff Pidgeon will also be available ($45). Drop by booth #110 to check it all out.
Furry Bones for Designer Con
Furry Bones will be attending this years Designer Con and will be found at booth #516. Up for grabs will be their resin Furrybones Squeed Rockts, which are available in 5 different colorways and limited to 1 each. They will come in copper, black, metallic gold, black and chrome, and chrome and will retail $25 each. The Squeed Rockets were designed by Misaki and customized by UltimateOneX. For your wall, Furry Bones wil have the Scorchie Digital Prints in a purple version and a sepia version, each for $10.
Paul Kaiju For Designer Con
Here’s the skinny on what’s going down at the Paul Kaiju booth for Designer Con! When the doors open, stop by the PK booth #109 to pick up your free raffle ticket. Tickets will be handed out from 9AM-12PM. 1 Ticket per person! Then return back to the booth at Noon, where tickets will be called at random. 1 Full Sized figure per person and resin minis, Mini figures and finger puppets: one per person of each colorway. Paul will also be at the TAG booth from 2-230PM and the DKE booth at 3PM. Good Luck Folks!
Buff Monster @ DesignerCon (11.3)
Newly relocated to NYC, Buff Monster will be making the trip back to LA for DesignerCon (11.3). As you might guess from the photo above, he’s got four separate releases on tap – each from a different booth. Here’s a run-down of what to expect:
- ‘ Happy Cream’ mini sets -- featuring ten hand-painted custom BM minis on a special backer board (20 sets, $150). These will be available from the Sidekick Labs booth (#118).
- DesignerCon exclusive Boob Ball. This brand new edition from 3Dretro features a Peppermint-ish design with silver tips. Get it at the 3Dretro booth (#102) for $35.
- Hand-painted Bootleg Kaiju edition. (5 pcs, $350). This is a follow-up of sorts to Buff’s three NYCC customs of this Lamour Supreme figure. Featuring a new header card and two interchangeable heads, these will be available via Mishka (#507).
- Buff Monster Super Suck Up Customs. These feature an ice cream dude head sculpted and cast by George Gaspar. Limited to 50 pieces, these will be available for $100 from the DKE booth (#124). For those not attending the show, the Super Suck Up figures can be purchased over the phone using the Suckline! @ 323-250-dcon (3266) on 11.3 from Noon – 5 PM PDT.
That’s it. Something for every Buff Monster fan.
Doktor A x Kuso Vinyl – Chester Runcorn Gin & Tonic @ DCon (11.3)
As part of it’s DesignerCon (11.3) plans, Kuso Vinyl will be offering its Chester Runcorn Gin & Tonic vinyl from Doktor A. First released a few weeks ago at NYCC, this mostly mono edition with red accents is limited to 150 pieces and will be available for $65 from Kuso’s booth [#330].
Turtlegod Crouching Zagoran @ DesignerCon (11.3)
Peter Lee (‘Turtlegod’ on the Skullbrain boards) has been struggling with a rare form of cancer for four years during which time he’s had an arm amputated and incurred considerable medical debt. His friends at Gargamel have generously created and donated a benefit Crouching Zagoran figure which Peter will release @ the uh-oh toys booth [#111] @ DesignerCon for $30 (cash only). The sales will help ease Peter’s debt load and a portion will be donated to the Cancer Support Community. If you’re into Zags, this is a perfect pick-up. It’s also a great way to help out a fellow toy collector.
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Kuso Vinyl Presents Fuller Design Customs @ DesignerCon (11.3)
As part of their DesignerCon (11.3) plans, Kuso Vinyl will showcase James Fuller’s impressive customs of Rotobox’s Fahrenheit and Celsius. Here’s a look at three of the four that will be on display including a wicked gunslinger as well as homages to Punisher and Spawn. Be sure to drop by booth 330 which will also feature releases of the PonBurger coin bank the and Gin & Tonic Chester Runcorn by Dok A.
Gary Ham x Suckadelic – Sucklord Talking Plush
Now this is a sick, twisted, and brilliant idea. Gary Ham has immortalized (err…) Sucklord as a talking plush figure. Gary’s design features the hmm… civilian version (‘normal’ would be a misleading description) on the front of the plush, and the full deal Super Sucklord as 'Fett on the rear. And yes, squeezing the hand will unleash one of several Suckisms. Limited to 1000 pieces, the Sucklord Talking Plush will debut at DesignerCon via the DKE booth (#124) for $25.
DKE brings you the Suck-Con @ DesignerCon (11.3)
Building on the success of last year’s off-beat, in-your-face Suckathon featuring Sucklord, DKE is (shamelessly) proud to double down with Suck-Con for DesignerCon (11.3), a heavy dose of the masked toy maker. This show within-a-show features pure Suckiness including ‘The Super Suck Up!’ featuring limited-edition Sucklord toy customs from a select group of artists, ‘A Losing Proposition: 2004 –2012’ – a retrospective of Mr. Suck’s prolific bootleg toy output, an endless-loop screening of the 3 episodes of ‘Toy Lords of Chinatown’, the return of the Suckathon (12-5) featuring Sucklord and various impromptu guests rapping about everything, and the Suckcarnival featuring games of skill with a chance to win Sucky prizes including a special event series of motley bootlegs and the brand-new talking Sucklord Plush by Gary Ham. That’s the Suck-Con, located in the left rear corner of the exhibition floor.
But wait… There’s more! On the merch side, DKE will offer the talking Sucklord Plush designed by Gary Ham for Suckadelic (1000 pcs, $25), the ‘Sucklord Sleeps with the Fishes’ Color-It-Yourself Poster Pen set by Bill McMullen (50 pcs, $25) as well as a 1st Annual Suckathon 2 DVD set ($15) featuring all five hours of last year’s multimedia event. Get it all at the DKE booth (#124).
Touma @ DesignerCon (11.3)
Japanese artist Touma will be holding it down with his own booth (#603) for his first DesignerCon (11.3). The booth will feature a preview of the upcoming TOUMA x Power Rangers Super Samurai vinyl, several exclusives, new original art work and toy customs. The new Touma x Dokutoku460 (D460) kaiju figures (50 pcs, $50) featuring a common body and artist-specific heads headline Touma’s DCon exclusives. Other exclusives include Red Pico Mao Cat Keychains (20 pcs, $19), Tuma x Nathan Hamill buttons, Touma x Thomas Han limited-edition mini print, and the 10th anniversary posters (50, $15).
Touma will be signing twice during the day – once alongside Thomas Han (12:30 – 1:30) and then with Nathan Hamill (2:30 –3:30 PM).
Oct 31, 2012
Mishka and L’amour Supreme at Designer Con
The Mishka dudes will be attending this years Designer Con with a few things up their sleeves. One thing being an all new sculpt that L’amour Supreme and Greg Mishka have been working on for a couple of years, which stands a nice foot and some change (13”). L’amour will also have some Painted Mixed Parts Bootleg figures, limited to only 9 pieces, as well as his first ever custom painted M.O.T.U.K.O’s figures. Be sure to stop by their booth #507 to take a look at this two headed cycloptic ape!
Bad Juju DesignerCon exclusive ‘Kickstarter’ Dripple
For DesignerCon (11.3), Bad Juju will make their public debut with release of their ‘Kickstarter’ Dripple – the 1st edition of the limited-resin designed by brand co-founder Sket-One. Limited to 100 pieces, the 6” clear blue Dripple resin in its swanky clear paint-can style packaging will be available at the show from Bad Juju’s elaborate urban-themed booth [#829] for a convention special price of $95, a considerable discount over the standard $135 pricing. In addition to the Kickstarter Dripple, Bad Juju will offer a raffle for one-of-a-kind purple ‘Kickstarter’ proto signed by Sket One – one entry per person.
Franken Factory at Designer Con
The Franken Factory booth #113 will be playing host to the official sneak peek up Dynamite Rex’s Raar! Artist series! They will also have a limited number of 3” and 6” Rotocast resin Raar!s available for purchase. Be sure to stop by her booth to check out the Raar! designs by Shea Brittain aka Franken Factory, Jerome Lu, Martin Hsu, Gary Ham, Squink!, and Scott Tolleson. Also expect to find some Resin Wolfgirl figures available too!
Joe Ledbetter x The Loyal Subjects – Chaos Bunnies Lava Bunny at Designer Con
Here we have some information that I’m sure a lot of you have been waiting for! News on the Loyal Subjects x Joe Ledbetter Designer Con Lava Bunny Release! this is the first vinyl drop of their new Chaos Bunnies line and will be limited to only 99 pieces at $135 each. Joe will be signing at the TLS Booth #429 from 10AM-12PM.
The Loyal Subjects will also have Les Schettkoe (Transformers and G.I. Joe Designer) signing at their booth from 1-2PM, where they will also have their new Transformers Tee line available for $25 each. Check after the jump for a video of TLS giving Hasbro a visit!
Jester Studios for Designer Con
Jester will be bringing his resin Mini-GibbyGops to Designer Con. There will only be a total of 16 available, 4 of each colorway (Black, White, Orange, Pink). Cute, no? Jester will also have some apparel available for the ladies and the kids, featuring his BettyGop character. Find him at booth #624.