Nov 09, 2014
Toy Qube's New Signature Series Reveals at DesignerCon
ToyQube Is showcasing their quickly growing Signature Series of resin artist sculptures at DesignerCon in their booth [#213]. They are showing painted samples of the upcoming Migratory Soul (350 pcs, $295, Q4 2014) and The Hermit as well as the reveal of the unpainted proto of The Collector, all from Josh Keyes. TQ is also showing painted samples of the upcoming Brush Knife (150 pcs, $195, Nov 2014) by WK Interact and the Scary Guy in chrome (350 pcs, $325, November 2014) pieces by Kenny Scharf as well as an unpainted proto of Boxing Brain from Ron English.
ToyQube founder Keith Poon believes the Signature Series, with its hyperfocus on accuracy and high quality factory hand-painting, delivers 3D representations of celebrated paintings which could not be faithfully achieved with vinyl art toy production techniques. After seeing these in person, it's clear that they have set a new bar for 3d realization of paintings. TQ has found a new path to fulfilling the conceptual vision behind their previous art toy releases.
In addition to its Signature Series, Toy Qube also has a limited quantity of the highly anticipated 2 Foot Hi-Def (50 pcs, $395) in resin from KaNo. The follow-up to the sold out vinyl figure, is spot-on and looks even better in person than it does in photos.
Dcon Update: Dave Bondi -- Astronocchio Prototype
Dave Bondi revealed his hand-painted, full-size Astronocchio prototype at his DesignerCon booth on Saturday. It looks really nice and might be up to the task of matching or exceeding the success of his previous Akashi figure. If you're going to the show on Sunday, be sure to drop by booth #307 to check out the Proto, all of Dave's toys and to say hi.
Nov 08, 2014
Lulubell at DesignerCon
While they haven’t revealed much about their releases so far, Lulubell will be at DesignerCon in booth #606. We do know that they will be releasing new editions from Shimomoku including Hot Pink and Neon Green Lampus and a mustard yellow Makori-san. We’re expecting some Grody Shogun goodness as well.
BAIT at DesignerCon
Lifestyle brand BAIT will be exhibiting at DesignerCon once again this year. Be sure to drop by their booth [#1121] and check out what they’ve got. Expect a toy-centric selection this year.
Wrong Gallery at Designer Con
We’re happy to report that Wrong Gallery has once again made the trip to Pasadena from Taipei for DesignerCon. The have stocked their booth [#204] with hard-to-find art toys from Asian artists as well as rare Asian editions from western artists. Look for figures from 13 Arts, BanaNa ViruS, Bao Ching Wang, Brainfart55, Cacooca, Daniel Yu, Gary Baseman, Instinctoy, Jason Freeny, Kenny Wong, Mr. Clement, Newsed, Rainbo Aws, Ray Liao, Robin Tang Antics and Shon Side.
Special highlight exclusives in a limited number of the Wrong Gallery Exclusive Creamy Chinese Flower Edition from Gary Baseman and 3DRetro as well as a small number of the Jason Freeny Gold Skull Bomb from TTF.
Check it all out at the Wrong Gallery booth [#204] !
Nov 07, 2014
Carson Catlin – DesignerCon Update #3
Wow, Carson Catlin has been working overtime on his DesignerCon releases. Here’s the third and final, we think… look at what’s in store in his booth [#301]. Up front there’s three Calaverita Skulls ($160 each), followed by five reticulated Dunnys ($50 each), three androids with old metal finishes ($50 each), and finally eleven 4” Munnys ($100). In case you missed them: check out updates #1 and #2.
Cometdebris – Kappa Shonen Mystery Bags at DesignerCon
Here is the last and final release coming from Cometdebris for Designer Con. Available at their booth #1231will be the Kappa Shonen Mystery Bags, which will feature custom figures inside. These will be available for $80 and there is no mention of how many will be available, so best be quick when picking some up!
Gunnzo + Colus + 3Doodler at DesignerCon
Gunnzo will be attending this years Designer Con and this time they’ve brought some friends! Joining them in their booth is Colus, who will be his Impundulu figure, as well as some Artist Proofs of his “The Hunted” 8” Dunny with Kidrobot + a print. Gunnzo will also be exclusively selling the 3Doodler, 3D pen at their booth, which will be on demo at booth #501. The Gunnzo have also got their hands on Mad Ape Vinyl Paints, which is actually their very own brand of vinyl paint. Need a brush to use the paint? They’ve also got you covered with their high quality Mad Ape Ninja paint brushes, which is perfect for pin stripping and delicate details. Check out their booth #711 during Designer Con!
De Korner – Jaded KAWZ Head at DesignerCon
Here’s an unexpected release from De Korner. A bootleg of a bootleg, the Jaded KAWZ Head is cast in swirled GID green + white resin. Limited to 5 pieces, this debut editon is about 2.5” high and 3” wide. Available from the De Korner booth [#822] for $30.
Nov 06, 2014
Blurble’s DesignerCon Releases
Blurble will have several releases for DesignerCon via the Lulubell Booth [#606]. First up there’s Sparrow Christmas (3”, $30), cast in Christmas Red + Green resin. Next up is Ooze in my Pocket ($12) cast in neon blue, pink and black rubber which comes with sticker and button. Next is the newest Blurble figure – The Muckster (6”, $40). A collab between Blurble and Selfishlittle, the Muckster resin is painted in layers of colors. Finally, expect some surprises.
Grimsheep Custom Show at DesignerCon (11.8 – 11.9)
Happy Panda Toys will present the Grimsheep Custom Show at DesignerCon featuring artist interpretations of their new Grimsheep figures from Owen ‘Grimsheep’ DeWitt. The show roster includes Sergio Mancini, Igor Ventura, Run DMB, Reactor-88, Bill Hewitt, Betso, Ian Ziobrowski, Pocket Wookie, Nike Jerk, Hugh Rose, Jalos, Otto Bjornik, Fiona Ng, Mike Fudge, Juan Muniz, Mark Troup & Grimsheep (above). Check out the show at the Happy Panda Toys booth [#734] throughout the ‘con.
October Toys at DesignerCon –- GID PVCs
October Toys’ DesignerCon theme this year is Glow in the Dark. First up are the November OTMFG figures in GID editions : Brocotal (1.5”, $2) designed and sculpted George Gaspar and Zombie Pheyden (2”, $2) designed by Matt Doughty and L’amour Supreme with sculpting by George Gaspar. In addition to DesignerCon, they will be available online on Saturday, November 15th from Octobertoys.com.
October Toys will also unleash the GID OMFG S3 sets. The five figure set ($10) includes Pugnacious by Mill MacKay with sculpting by George Gaspar, Barbarianaut designed and sculpted by Charles Marsh, Dr. Decay designed by Jonathan Wojcikand sculpted by George Gaspar, Fruit Punch designed by Scott Tolleson and sculpted by George Gaspar and TenCan by Richard Brown and Nikolos Sardos with sculpting by Fulk.
Be sure to drop by the October Toys booth [#402] for all your GID PVC mini needs!
3DRetro DesignerCon Releases
3DRetro will release four new vinyl figures at DesignerCon from their booth [#428]. They’ll have the Suited Birdie Diamond Edition by Nathan Ota (200 pcs, $55) which Nathan will be signing on Sunday at the 3DRetro booth. From Gary Baseman there’s the Creamy P.P. Puppy Edition (200 pcs, $55). Gary will be signing at the booth on Saturday from 2 to 3 PM. 3DRetro will also release the Bitta Cream Soda Pop Edition ($50) with Scott signing at his booth [#301] and the Ralf Bluze Azul figure from Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins (200 pcs, $70) with Craola available for signing at the show.
Toy Art Gallery DesignerCon Exclusives (11.8 – 11
With an impressive list of exclusives and prototype sneak peaks, Toy Art Gallery [booth #223] should definitely be high up on your ‘must-visit’ list for DesignerCon. Here’s a look at what TAG has in store in the way of exclusives and releases.
Diving right in there’s the Masked Uamous and Masked Bastards by Uamou, exclusive painted Kitsura sofubi by Candie Bolton, YUGLA the GLORG by Scarecrowoven, Bukimi Blasters One-off, One-off Broken Bones figures by Splurrt, exclusive white + red Brainade by Emilio Garcia, Lonny by Bwana Spoons, Resin Heads from David Arshawsky, MOTULOS Castle + Nekos in my Pocket Keshi figures from Deathcat Toys x NERDONE, Merryners from Doubleparlour, My Little Grizzli and Backbiter Resins from Grizzli Atom, Crossbone Zombie from Kenth Toy Works, Wizards from Martin Ontiveros, resins from MM Toys, Gacha Mini set and Luftkaiser from Paul Kaiju, new TOTIMS from Tim Clarke, Doublethink by TKOM, and Takoshi by Yakimon.
Yukinori Dehara’s Original Tiny Objects at DesignerCon
In addition to offering a range of art, collectibles and books, Giant Robot will be showcasing new Original Tiny Objects by Yukinori Dehara in the DesignerCon (11.8 – 11.9) booth [#814]. Be sure to drop by and check out this fun mini-show.
Giant Robot at DesignerCon
LA’s own Giant Robot will be exhibiting at DesignerCon once again in booth #814. Eric and crew will be bringing plenty of art and collectibes including signed copies of the new David Choe Snowman Monkey BBQ book, customs from the SuperAwesome show, Godeleine de Rosamel cermaics, Sean Chao art, Yoskay Yamamoto’s whimsical flower sculptures, James Jean books and more.
GR will also present several artist signings on Saturday (11.8) including Katsuya Terada (1 PM) whose ‘Return of the Hot Pot Girls’ opens on 11.15 at GR2, Mari Inukai (1 PM) and Edwin Ushiro
Finally these will also be hosting ‘Tiny Objects’, a Yukinori Dehara mini-show in their booth featuring brand-new small figures created by Japan’s wild man.
Martin Hsu – ‘The Originals’ Custom Dragon Boy and Blacky Figures for DesignerCon
Martin Hsu has got his hands on his own set of Dragon Boy and Blacky figures and did a bit of work on em! This is the first time he has customized his own figures and he is super excited to share it with you all! Here we have ‘The Originals’ custom Dragon Boy and Blacky figures, which will be available at this years Designer Con at his booth #601. Not only will he have these beauties available, but will also feature customs by Jeremiah Ketner, Oddfauna, Mark Nagata, and Angry Woebots.
Shadoe Delgado – DesignerCon Exclusives
Shadoe Delgado will be posted up at his booth #1133 all weekend with a bunch of original art toys available. First up is his first original art toy, “Shadow(howdoyoudo)”, which is an 8” resin figure that will be available in two colorways, blue and yellow. Each colorway is limited to 5 pieces and will be available for $100 each. Then there is the “shadows and ghosts” 3” resin figures in a black and gold (20 pieces) or black and white (12 pieces) colorways for $25 each unboxed.
Craola x 3DRetro – Ralf Blue Edition at DesignerCon
3Dretro will release the new Ralf Blue Edition vinyl figure by Craola at DesignerCon. By our count this is the third edition of the toy based on the main character in the upcoming I’m Scared Movie. Featuring gold deco accents, Ralf Blue will be available for $70 from the 3DRetro booth [#428].
Mystical Warriors of the Ring - Evolution Goliath at DesignerCon
Mystical Warriors of the Ring will be debuting their newest figure in collaboration with Onell Design, THEGODBEAST, and TrueCast Studio, Goliath from their new Evolution series. Made from PVC and totally compatible with the Glyos system, Goliath will be limited to 40 pieces for $30 at their booth #300. This brown release will never be made again, so be sure to pick one up before they are all gone!
Designer Con 2014 –- Bigger and Better (11.8 – 11.9).
So we’ve been posting Designer Con 2014 news seemingly non-stop, but with the event just two days away (11.8 – 11.9) in Pasadena we thought we’d pause for just a second to focus on this year’s show itself. As big as last year’s show was, it’s even bigger this year with the addition of two ballrooms at the front of the convention center to the exhibition floor. Take a minute to check out the new floor map after the jump –- the front of the show now faces Green street.
Beyond the booths, this year’s event schedule features several interesting panels including a primer on Crowdfunding (Sat @ 10 AM) and an exploration of the ethics of ‘Bootleg’ resins (Sunday @ 4 PM). And… for the first time – a Pajama Party (Saturday, 8 – Midnight), free to 2-day pass holders, in the Dcon lobby. We’re not quite sure what to expect, but we’ll be there snapping away :)
If you’re looking for more collectibles, Designer Con has several official show goodies including free DCon buttons from Button Lab, the Touma Dcon Coin ($10, booth #122), Dcon Mascot Vincent Mini Figures and more. For an extra bit of fun, the Vincent minis will be available in five colors at five booths for $2 each. If you collect ‘em all, you can get a bonus sixth GID figure from the official Dcon booth [#122]. Oh, and did we mention that that there will be free ESC Toy plushies for the first 200 attendees each day ?
Tickets are $5 a day if you purchase in advance online or $7 at the door. With the impressive vendor lineup (300+) and expanded floor, Dcon 2014 is the equal of SDCC and NYCC in terms of the designer/indie market. See y’all there.
Designer Con 2014
November 8th (9am – 6 PM) and 9th (10 am – 5 pm), 2014
Pasadena Convention Center – Exhibit Hall
300 East Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
Scott Tolleson – Grumbus at DesignerCon
While Scott Tolleson’s generally a happy guy, his DesignerCon exclusives are another matter. First there’s the glum faced Kookie Glow Good and this grumpy blue Grumbus. Limited to just ten pieces, the Grumbus resins (5.5”) will be available for $60 from Scott’s booth [#301].
Touma at DesignerCon – Knuckle Bear Sofubi + More
Japanese artist Touma is bringing three new sofubi releases for DesignerCon. Let’s start with the big news, Knuckle Bear is back. Knuckle Bear Cosmic (6”, 45 pcs: 30 pcs Dcon) looks great in what appears to be black vinyl with glitter. Staying with the Cosmic theme, there’s Pico Mao Cosmic (1.5”, 20 pcs) and Pico Hitch Bear Cosmic (1.5”, 20 pcs).
Scott Tolleson x Lana Crooks – DesignerCon Beetlings
Scott Tolleson and Lana Crooks are following up Old Beetaronomy with their new, smaller and 100% cute Beetlings plush. Deubting at DesignerCon, the Beets (14” x 16”) are handmade and come with a farm official signed/numbered screenprinted bag. The first crop of ten will be available from the Tolleson/Crooks/Catlin booth [#301] for $150 each.
Manny X x DeKorner – Radioactive Spill DesignerCon Edition Androids
De Korner will release Ma nny X’s new Radioactive Spill DesignerCon Edition Android customs. A sequel of sorts to the Wondercon ‘13 release, these new pieces feature radioactive GID gasses spewing out of the Android body with the head floating above. Limited to 8 pieces, the Dcon Radioactive Spill Androids include a mini-crate (not shown) and will be available for $40 from the De Korner booth [#822].