Jul 12, 2009
TTF 09 – Groninger Museum Bear Qees
Among the many new figures on display at Toy2R’s booth, these two Qees done for the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands caught our eye. Very nice – from the super shiny metallic-like surfaces to the simulated mosaic pattern. These will apparently be available later in the year.
Jul 11, 2009
TTF 09 – Coarse Toys Signing
On Saturday afternoon, Mark Landwehr of Coarse Toys drew a very large crowd for his signing @ the Pixie Booth. Coarse Toys has in quick order captured the imagination of collectors looking for high-quality distinctive figures. The new Milky Bliss Paw and Jaw Switch proved quite popular, not surprising given the instant sell-out of line sales on Coarse HKG.
Coarse collectors not only purchased the new figures but also brought their prized pieces for signing including at least one 1:3 pain spotted in the line. Mark mentioned that one collector brought their entire collection featuring basically every Coarse toy including the old school switch/cream figures.
The popularity of Coarse toys starts with Mark’s fresh characters and continues with an extremely high-quality collecting experience from the pristine figures to the lust worthy packaging. While this may be known – it was a pleasant surprise to learn that Mark and his team personally hand-check each and every individual figure before it is boxed and have done so since the company’s start. Additionally, they have exacting QC specs including details such as an extremely tight scratch policy, how boxes are to be taped, and the alignment of stickers or labels on packaging. Mark feels strongly that collectors deserve the very best experience possible. Very impressive.
Next up? SDCC :)
TTF 09 – Nate Van Dyke – Last Samurai
Nate Van Dyke is back with another bad ass monkey. Last Samurai due from adFunture in the Fall brings a Far East flair and should look great next to Van Dyke’s previous Payday figure.
TTF 09 – The Prostitute by Parra
adFunture is showing several upcoming figures at their TTF booth including The Prostitute by Dutch illustrator and street artist Parra. His sexy and bold figure is a strong translation of his art which features his unique take on the wilder side of life. Fall 09.
TTF 09 – Ron English x Secret Base – MC Supersize
Ron English’s MC Supersize takes a sweet turn thanks to Secret Base – clear Japanese vinyl with a skeleton insert. SDCC 09. Nice packaging – anyone want fries with that ?
Jul 10, 2009
TTF 09 -- Raymond Chan's Suriyo
Every year we're blown away by the hand-crafted 1:6 scale mastery that is Raymond Chan's (rcwork) Suriyo. This year, his man on a floating futuristic yet rustic vehicle is too cool for words. Yes, it's almost 2k but once you appreciate the detail and craftsmanship, that seems pretty reasonable. The artistry here is stunning and undeniable.
TTF 09 - Jukai's Mini-G
adFunture is showing most of the figures from Jukai's new Mini-G Series One in their booth. While we loved G-Robot, the smaller version is perhaps even cooler with a strong shape, cool hand articulation and a metal 'pin', not to mention a great lineup of artists. While many of the figures are NFS, a few are available for purchase including Dacosta!'s. There's a scarcity of cool futuristic, robotic platforms, so Mini-G will definitely fill a need for those that are tired of yet another cute animal. And yes... we're stoked on the black 'n green one spied at the booth.
TTF 09 -- Usugrow - Golden Rebel Ink
Oooh... Look what we spied at the Secret Base booth. Previously only available via lottery, this one goes on sale on Saturday (which actually is right now...). A very nice edition of Usugrow's best figure.
TTF 09 -- Coarse Toys x Pixie
For this year’s show, Pixie is offering a nice mini Coarse Toys exhibition featuring incredible resin sculptures and two new vinyl figures from Mark Landwehr. The highlight of the booth is without a doubt the large (3 ft ?) Noop Jaws figure which is flanked by several of Mark’s Noop sculptures that have been seen at his various shows in Chicago and Berlin.
For new releases, there’s the Milky Paw ($160) and the military themed Jaws Switch (~ $300). Both look great though, we’ve still got a soft spot for Paw which happens to look great in this new edition. Coarse Toys is one of the hottest brands out there and this mini-exhibit leaves no doubt as to how and why.
TTF 09 – Famous Faces
Part of the reason we go to ‘cons is to meet and chat with artists. Here’s just a sampling of the talented folks who made the trip to Taipei for the love of the game and their fans.
Kenny Wong x Ashley Wood – Sea Monkey
Kenny Wong + Ashley Wood + 3A = Sea Monkey = 20” of Awesomeness. This sweet collabo project was shown in proto form at the Kennyswork booth. The massive diving machine has an impressive distressed look thanks to a great paint application. The design of the outer figure was done by Kenny while Ashley Wood is creating the 1:6 female pilot which will fit inside the deep sea loving beast. Btw, the Copperhead-18 figure show next to the Sea Monkey is for size comparison only. One to watch for sure – no word on pricing yet other than it’s going to be $$$$, but then we knew that and it’s bound to be worth every penny. High-end projects like this are definitely a welcome jolt of excitement to the scene.
Tim Tsui – Da Sturm @ TTF 09
Tim Tsui once again shows why he’s the master of apes with the release of his newest primate, Da Sturm, at TTF 09. Da Sturm is stylized after classic Japanese masked heros and is the first Baboon in his lineup. What sets apart Tim’s work is the life and energy he captures in the sculpt – Da Sturm continues this achievement. Check back later for closeup first-hand shots of this one.
A Look @ TTF 09
This year Taipei Toy Festival moves to a new venue at the Huashan Culture park. The venue is an interesting experiment by Taipei – taking long since dormant factory buildings and reconditioning them into cultural spots – exhibition space, galleries, restaurants, etc. Here’s a quick look at some of the sights on Friday. Beyond the cool toys of which there are plenty, people are always taking about the weather here. This is summer and how … 94 degrees + humidity off the chart. No wonder so many people flock to the portable air conditioning (in fact, a certain artist who’s known for his line of vinyl apes can always be found in the coolest spot of any room). Toy coverage coming right up…
Seen: TxT #2
Taipei Toy Festival, one of our favorite toy cons opened on Thursday (7.9) and continues through Sunday the 12th. So we made the 1.5 hr plane trip from HK to Taipei to bring you up close and personal coverage. The opening of TxT #2 featuring the art and kaiju toys of Tim Biskup and Japanese artist T9G @ Paradise Toys was Friday evening's clear highlight.
The show celebrates both artist's figure collaborations in which each artist created a new sculpt of the other's signature character. A show exclusive matching T9G Helper and Biskup Rangeas were released at the event in a wild paint scheme which at a close glance might be mistaken for a custom (and that's a good thing in our book).
Speaking of customs, both T9G and Biskup went all out customizing their collaborative figures with hand-sprayed designs that are clean and tantalizing. Tim also offered several mash-up customs combining one or more of his toys together for a distinct look. There's plenty of great work here, be sure to hit the jump to get an eyeful. Rounding out the show, he offered several original paintings including two gorgeous Rangeas paintings on wood.
TxT #2 continues through July 25th, so if you're in Taipei or in the region -- definitely check it out. There are plenty of nice pieces still available for adoption.
Jul 08, 2009
Itokin Park – Robby the Spaceman Shared Exclusive
Itokin Park’s new Robby the Spaceman from Kuso Vinyl will debut at Taipei Toy Festival tomorrow (Thursday, 7.9) in a shared TTF / Kaiju Korner exclusive version -- half of the run of 50 will be available at TTF while the remaining 25 will be available to collectors outside of Taiwan exclusively through Kaiju Korner ($65 including shipping to USA/Asia, $75 for all other locations). Robby looks to have turned out well and is a great example of Itokin Park’s style and approach.
Jul 05, 2009
Incoming: adFunture x Remix – Mini G-Robot
Eddi of adFunture shared with everyone the Mini G-Robot they’ve got going on with the Streetwear Label Remix. Most, if not all of the figures from the Mini-Robot series will be revealed that this years TTF at booth B40 and B41.
Jul 02, 2009
Pixie x Coarse – TTF Jaws Switch
In the final stages of his life, Jaws Switch emerges from his decrepit barracks and into the unforgiving wild. The military themed Jaws Switch, the latest from Mark Landwehr and Coarse Toys, will be released on July 9th as Pixie's exclusive at TTF. This new Noop stands 13” tall with his shark crown and comes in a high-end cardboard box, featuring an elastic band closure and foam insert which is apparently standard Coarse packaging issue now. It will go on sale on July 9th at Pixie's TTF booth and also for those not in Taipei, on Coarse HKG on July 9th @ 10 AM HK time (7 pm PDT on 7.8) for HK$2200 (~$275) which includes global shipping.
As a companion to the new Jaws Switch, Coarse is also releasing a Jaws Switch Keychain (2.5") on July 9th for HK$80 (~ $10).
Mindstyle TTF Scavengers & Serv-O-Matics Exclusives (07.09 – 07.12)
MINDstyle will be releasing three exclusives for this years Taipei Toy Festival from Kathie Olivas Scavenger series and from Brandt Peter’s upcoming Serv-O-Matics series.
The first of three vinyl art toys for Taipei Toy Fair, MINDstyle’s 9″ Two-Faced Hazel from Kathie Olivas. This is a larger figure based off of the chase figure of the same name from Scavengers Series 1. The TTF edition of Two-Faced Hazel will be released in Taipei for USD $100.00 and is limited to 200 pieces. [VIA MS Blog]
MINDstyle is pleased to announce the limited edition release of Daisey. Taken from her tremendously popular Scavengers series, this TTF exclusive mini figure will be released in Taipei for USD $20.00 and limited to 200 pieces. Dedicated fans know that Kathie Olivas’ art and toys regularly sells out and instantly command higher secondary market prices. So, don’t miss your chance to get a Scavenger collectible! [VIA MS Blog]
Finally… one of summers hot new mini figure series launching in July; MINDstyle’s Serv-O-Matics by Brandt Peters. This is the first exclusive outside the states from his highly anticipated mini figure series. The TTF exclusive mini figure of Testbot will be released in Taipei for USD $20.00, limited to 200 pieces. Serv-O-Matics are ready to serve and protect! [VIA MS Blog]
Jul 01, 2009
Preview: Tim Biskup for TxT Project #2 (7.10) in Taipei
The TxT Project #2 featuring Tim Biskup and T9G on July 10th @ Paradise Toys during TTF is a must-see if you’re lucky enough to be in Tapei at the time. In addition to the new edition of the T9G Helper and the Biskup Helper, there’s also the big yellow pollard, and plenty of customs from both artists.
Here’s our first of two previews of just a portion of Tim Biskup’s customs and Jackson 500 paintings for the show. Today we’re featuring his customs of the Biskup Rangeas and his first T9G Helper customs. These are work-in-progress shots with finishing touches still to be added – eye detail and such. There are also 2 new Jackson 500 mini-paintings in this preview. Enjoy!
Jun 29, 2009
Tim Biskup gives a taste…
Tim Biskup posted up this picture of a Pollard with a speaking bubble reading “Daddy?
”on his blog with the title as “Has Anyone Seen His…” Then he gives us a little hint saying he should be searching in Taipei. Now we think he found his Daddy, only at TTF will be the Big Pollard Yellow Father Paradise Toy exclusive. The Yellow Father exclusive figure is limited to only 100 pieces and we cannot wait to see these two reunited!
William Tsang - Leo Qee at TTF
HK artist William Tsang, 1/3rd of the legendary Brothersfree, has reimagined his Leo character as a Qee. Toy2R will debut all three editions of the 3.5" Leo Qee (Ah Leo, Skull Leo, and Clown Leo) featuring new head sculpt at TTF (7.9-7.12) in their booth (#53-54) in limited advanced quantities (20 of each) for 600 NT ($19.95 USD). While all three are pretty cool -- Clown Leo stands out.
Jun 26, 2009
Devilrobots - Smery and Bad Friends II Minis
Following up on the stinky but oh so cute Smery tofu mini series one, Devilrobots is back with the misbehaved sequel -- Smery and Bad Friends (1.5"). Produced by Phalanx Creative, series two features 10 total designs -- 8 regular characters(Angry, Allury, Drunky, Theafy, Bully, Poory, Sicky, Gobly) and 2 secret. The new series launches at TTF (7.9 - 7.12) for $5.99 per blind-box.
David Horvath – Bossy Bear & Friends Galore
If you’ve David Horvath’s Bossy Bear series, Toy2R is going to make your summer with four separate releases spread across TTF and SDCC. First, TTF will see the debut of the new 5” Just Bossy Bear assortment (assuming this means blind-boxed) featuring all Bossy Bear, all the time – different colorways and expressions. Next up, the Lemony Fresh Special Edition Bossy Bear and Friends (previously referred to as ‘yellow' edition)of Bossy Bear, Turtle, and Crocadoca (300 each, numbered).
Finally, the newest member of the BB family, Crocadoca will be available in two extremely limited two tone GID editions each featuring five figures (eds. of 50). For TTF there’s the GID Primary edition and for SDCC there’s the GID DIY edition (unpainted). See pics after the jump – don’t let the product names on the fliers confuse you – apparently they were changed at some point.
Jun 23, 2009
Tim Biskup x T9G @ Paradise Toys during TTF (7.10)
Taipei Toy Festival just got a little hotter, ok maybe ALOT hotter. Paradise Toys will host the TxT project featuring matching wild colorways (silver, black, green, and hot pink ) of Tim Biskup x T9G Rangeas and the new T9G x Tim Biskup Helper. produced by intheyellow. Both artists will be signing at the opening on July 10th (7 PM) @ the Paradise Toys spot.
Paradise Toys
No. 17, Lane 187, Sec. 1, Dun Hua S. Rd.
Taipei, 106, Taiwan
Jun 22, 2009
Coarse x Pixie – TTF JAWS
With the release of a tantalizing teaser pic, Taipei Toy Festival (7.9 – 7.12)just got even hotter. Looks like Coarse Toys has teamed up with Pixie to drop a new camo-style Jaws figure. According to the Coarse Facebook page, this one is Taiwan only. Additionally, Mark Landwehr will be at both TTF and SDCC. Perhaps we will see a San Diego drop as well? PAWS ?