May 30, 2015

Purist Ramblings: Too Much of a Colorful Thing?!

In this installment of Purist Ramblings, I'd like to toy around the idea that too many colorways and/or variants of a certain keshi figure or set can result in a decrease in value, and if there is any sort of merit to that.

Before I get into the thick of it, I want to say a lot of these topics root into how and why you returned into toy collecting as an adult.  I believe this central point might decide what side of the argument you may fall on, if after all, we can even agree there is actually an argument.

For me, in not just keshi but many other toy lines, I collect them now as an adult because I have a tremendous amount more freedom and budget to do so.  Now, maybe aside from the most rarest of finds, I can own every childhood toy I never had.  I can collect those set that were pictured on the back of the action figure card.  It's all just a matter of cost.

Cost as a kid is very different for an adult, and for many obvious reason.  Where some common actions figures barely find themselves double digits on auction websites, as a younger one, these toys were worth birthdays, Christmases, lemon-aide stands, and/or being a brutal little brat in the toy aisle.  Most adult toy collectors have vivid memories of the toys they had as a child, and playing with their small collection far beyond the brink of boredom.  Some of us remember being so bored with the same few figures, we tore them apart and reassembled them as new characters.

As an adult, cost relies on a few different things like materials, age, size, condition, and rarity, but overall, things are much easier to obtain, in no small part with the creation of the internet.  Now, with some clicks and some paypal credit, you can get many if not all the toys you never were able to get, but now that you have it all, what is it worth to you?  Is it okay if it's not as much as you thought or if you find it decreases?

This is the part of the discussion that may split the collectors, asking them how and why they found themselves getting back into toy collecting, but I suggest the proposed value we invest back into these toys are different than the value we have instilled in our heads from childhood memories.  I haven't said it all that often, maybe just a few times, but I've gone on record and saying I'm a 'quantity' keshi collector, if there really is such a term.  I feel this way because instinctively, maybe from as far back as childhood, I would rather have two or three commons than one rare figure, if given the choice.  In a hypothetical situation at a hypothetical playground, I certainly would be the kid that trades that super rare away for that handful of figures I didn't already have.  For me, rarity is a fun thing, but nothing I chase.  I just want that super large collection, because I grew up with no more than ten or so.

In the current scene, you'll see toy releases, especially of the independent sort, come with various colors and batch quantities.  This will create an arguably real or artificial economy for certain toys in the same line than others.  For example, a small batch of glow in the dark weasel figures may find more value between toy collectors than the flesh tone that found a release of a much greater quantity.  You'll also see the same happen to the first release of a figure more than it's future releases, but over the course of many different colorways and variants, those glow in the darks may not be that desired, considering the mold of that particular weasel has been used so many times.  On a toy maker's level, it's best to use a mold to the very furthest extent you can, because out of all the pricey parts of production, the mold is the most expensive.

So, another train track question, should a toy maker continue to reuse his or her mold, effectively decreasing the stock collectability with every variant and colorway?  There certainly is a fine line somewhere in there, but there hardly is a perfect number.  I'm not sure we can suggest toy maker's to risk future releases to maintain collectability, because after all, they only have value to us because we easily couldn't pay for them in the past.

If you couldn't guess already, I enjoy as many colorway, variants, and anything else I can get my hand on, only because I couldn't get my hand on many in the past.  The money I spend on keshi figures now isn't an investment to turn around for profit later.  It's a pile of money to burn in the backyard, satisfying an urge to enjoy a mass of figures, and while I know I do own some really rare figures, they are only as valuable as my nostalgia allows them to be.

May 27, 2015

MWOTR Announcer Figure Leak!

Released off their Instagram and Blog, the dudes at Mystical Warriors of the Ring have been teasing what they have been working on.

3D sculpts like this, along with one with a microphone, have been cropping up, teasing the idea of their announcer characters finally seeing themselves in the palm of your hands.

What's particularly cool as this adds a necessary element to your MWOTR play set.  They have the wrestling figures and the rings, that everyone knows of already, but they've had play mats occasionally too, when they don't sell out.  The announcer figures would add to that expanding play set just that much more, and will likely yield those awesome dioramas  across social media.

Keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground!

http://mystwarriors.com/blog/

May 25, 2015

Robo Toy Fest Con Exclusive Black Colorway!

Sculpted by George Gaspar of October Toys, this giant robot miniature has surfaced in a few Robo Toy Fests of the past.  Some may even recall some of the color variants, from flesh, green, glow in the dark, and now black with this years convention underway now.

Exclusive to the convention first, check with the con's web-store in the coming days to see any survivors available for purchase.  At the very least, a good amount of past variants are still available, and are totally worth the look.

You'll find these guys generally for $5 a piece, which I feel is pretty fair for convention exclusives.

Check them out here!


May 22, 2015

FreeKarateChops Sluggo Bootleg Drop!

Feel how you want about the bootlegging scene, but one thing you can't deny is how hard it actually is to make a good-looking resin figure out of bits and pieces.

Luckily, FreeKarateChops' 8 year old apprentice has a natural knack for it, with the creation of this all-new character Sluggo.

Sluggo isn't just staying staying in his slimy nest, but he's also being released upon the world this weekend at FreeKarateChops web-store.

Do the new young artist a solid and check them out this weekend!  I'm sure they have plenty of awesome slugs looking for new homes.

May 21, 2015

Universe of Violence Wave 2 Preview!

The artist formally know as Metal Monkey (now Ironhaus Productions Oz) has revealed the crazy new characters to be released onto his Universe of Violence.

The Wave 2 release will see Deadface II, West Nile, and Hell Chicken, all be cast in MIMP-style soft rubber, as well as new colorways for existing characters Satyrant and Venus Maneater.

These guys have that neat blend of neon color and brutal heavy-metal aesthetic, that I completely approve of.  I really enjoy that sort of 80's style contrast that was once found in a lot of classic toy lines.

For more information about Universe of Violence Wave 2's details or to catch up on previous releases from Ironhaus Productions Oz, check out these sites below.

http://ironhausprodsoz.blogspot.com.au/

http://ironhausprodsoz.storenvy.com/

May 20, 2015

Rise of the Beasts Komodo Dragon Prototype!

The guys at LittleRubberGuys are always hard at work.  With even their Series 2 launch still being produced, they have their eyes locked on the future, already working on whats next.

This image is a virtual 3D sculpt of a working Komodo Dragon character, and you can tell right away, it follows closer proportions to the Battle Beasts toy line that Rise of the Beasts takes much of their inspiration from.

Although having a few figures, I have never really been into Battle Beasts all that much, but that's nothing to say they have one of the largest toy collecting communities out there.  There is a lot people out there, thrilled to see this character a little stockier than previous ROTB characters, like the classic toy line, and I actually enjoy this look too.

I think I never got into Battle Beasts because of the paint, which I'm rather confident it won't be an issue with future characters out of this awesome toy line.  When Series 2 comes out, I'll certainly be following close to this guy's production.  Maybe there will be slug-molded variants as well.

http://littlerubberguys.storenvy.com/

May 19, 2015

New Cure Ukkari-Man Prototype Leak?!

Hey, everyone, sorry for the lack of post the last few days.  It's actually probably closer to a week, which has never been my intention.  I certainly want to add more content regularly than that, but it really has been a slow time in the keshi world, at least when it comes to things reaching my ear.

This however didn't.  Off their Instagram, awesome sticker/keshi studio Cure revealed this crazy-looking imp character.  There wasn't a lot I could salvage from their post, where virtually all of it was in Japanese, but hashtags attached this character with the other Ukkari-Man characters so it's probably safe to assume he's the new guy in town for that world.

I personally love this guy, as well as a lot of Cure's other mini-figures.  I love their squat poses and thick bodies, that show just the right about of detail at the right places to really pull off the theme and feel of the character.  I hope he doesn't get the same release the previous Ukkari-Man keshis did, with them only being lottery prizes for the lucky few that bought sticker packs.

It's certainly something to keep an eye on, for sure.  I know I wouldn't be the only one ecstatic to see a world-wide release.

http://www.cure-toys.com/

May 13, 2015

Atomic Blue Corn Colorway Bearito Drop!

If you remembered my first entry on this guy, you'll be stoked to hear he has his first variant color coming out very soon.  If you missed it, you're in luck, he has his first variant color coming out very soon.

Part wild beast part spicy wrap, this amazing little dude is all from the wild minds of Diehm Studios.  He missed the cut for the latest OMFG set, but he didn't miss our heart.  Now you can snag a metallic blue colorway to go perfectly with your flesh tone one, but unlike before, you have to trap this guy at Tenacious Toys instead of Diehm Studios.

I'm unfamiliar with Tenacious Toys' Super Series Sundays.  I can't say what this program is all about, but I'll certainly be happy if they have plans on releasing all kinds of great stuff every week on Sundays.  I'll certainly be looking into it more.  

As for this one, May 17th 8pm EST, the Atomic Blue Corn Bearrito will be released onto the world.  For $15, you can save one from the havoc it will cause without supervision.  Do the world some good and give one of these yummy bears a good home.

Check out these links here!

May 11, 2015

Ironhaus X Imperfecz Chupacabra and Ushi-Oni Keshi Reveal!

Independant artists Ironhaus and Imperfecz are back at it again, this time with a couple new characters to add to their Doom Gotter kaiju keshi mini-figure line.

Chupacabra and Ushi-Oni add to the city-stomping mix, in a traditional rubber-like material, so if you like your monsters pocket-sized, you'll want to follow these two awesome dudes for upcoming news on their release and/or to catch up on previous Doom Gotter goodness.

Here are their links!  Check 'em!


May 10, 2015

Toy Haul 05/10/2015 Wal*Mart Edition!

Today's Toy Haul is unfortunately not a interesting mail bag of cool minis, but brought to you by Wal*Mart, low expectations, and an evening of morbid curiosity.

That might actually be the wrong term to use.  I've seen the Wal*Mart exclusive Jurassic World blind bags cycle around the Interwebs, so I sort of knew what I was getting into, but for a mere dollar and so, I figured it was worth the drive over for a good chuckle.

Boy, these dinos are bad, and really, so bad, they are almost bootleg-awesome.  I half expected them to have a 1983 trademark stamped on them, from some reused mold of a random dinosaur set.  Sure, in all actuality, maybe they still are, but at least they had the decency to file off the old date and replace it with this year's.  One thing of a positive note, is that the plastic used is of better quality of what you'd expect from dollar store dinosaurs, so take that for what you may.  Also, they are single-cast, at least these two are.  One solid chunk of utter trash... I mean awesome.

On my way to the checkout, I found this tiny blind bag for Trash Pack.  For another mere handful of pennies, I could get a random trashie and trashie tag, whatever that was.  Inside was a cool little purple sofa character, I don't believe I owned already and a Gutter Grub key-chain tag-thing that ended up being a holofoil chase super rare thing.  Wow, the excitement.

I went to the big blue box, spent three dollars and got four things, I suppose it wasn't as horrible as I make it sound out to be.  Sure, nothing here was that mind-blowing, but I knew that was going to be the case from the start.  Still fun to uncover some Grade F dinos though, so really no complaints.  

May 9, 2015

Scott Wilkowski X Jeff Lamm Mini Greasebat!

Produced by Monster Worship, these two collaborations between kaiju designer Jeff Lamm and skeletal master Scott Wilkowski are more than absolutely stunning.

Using the original design of Greasebat, Scott sculpted what this character's skeletal body would look like, and with the double cast style that has made him famous in the art toy scene, created these two amazing minis for the upcoming Monster Worship art show that's happening later today, 6pm EST, in Beacon, NY.

As much as I absolutely adore these guys, I know there is no way these guys could be mass-produced to fit inside my budge.  As it stands now, at least to my best understanding, these two are sitting as art pieces for sale at an art gallery, so if these are must-haves for you, take that you'll be paying art gallery prices into consideration.

I really expect nothing less from these miniatures, however.  When sometimes I talk about the beautiful simplicity of keshi, yet perfecting the slug format, these two personify that extra mantra.  From the edible-looking translucent fades, to the glowing skeletal remains cast inside, and even to how symmetrical and balanced the design is, you can see it's more art than toy.

I won't be able to visit the art show, but if you're in the New York area, please stop in and show the guys some love.  It's not all lost for us Internet visitors though.  Check out the link below to sign-up for the preview list, which allows people outside the art show to view and buy pieces.

http://www.cluttermagazine.com/about/gallery-preview-list

May 5, 2015

Toy Haul 05/05/15 Korean Ddakji Edition!

Today's mailbag we see a little package from all the way from the home of rubber ddakji, South Korea.

Some may remember my first post, showing my curiosity and interest in these types of figures or game pieces, however you look at it, and I'm really glad to say I have my first four to share today with all of you.

These guys are from a bootleg Pokemon set, as I'm sure anyone could really notice, with characters having guns, knifes, scars, and all kinds of hilariously insane things added to the original designs.  

In the two packages I received, I was able to get Mr. Mime, Lickitongue, Meowth, and Golbat, all of which look really nice in the translucent purples, pink, and clear.

I really like these guys, even for not-for-kids-anymore bootlegs.  I've never owned any ddakji before, and really, just weeks ago, and I never even heard of them, so I think I'd be happy with just about anything.

Of course, I have no plans of turning Keshi Drop into Ddakji Drop, but I do plan on picking up some more in the future.  Let me know in the comments below, if that's something you want to me to cover when they arrive.

Thanks for dropping by, everyone!

May 3, 2015

Candie Bolton x Toy Art Gallery Minifigure Prototypes!

Shown off on her Instagram, these prototypes come of the mind of Candie Bolton and might just the out-of-nowhere star of the year.

As a collaboration with Toy Art Gallery, this eastern-inspired gacha-style mini-figure set already look full of life and expression, even in this stage of development.

I particularly enjoy the dragon-looking character, shown first in the first still, who reminds me of my dog with his ears set back.

I'm usually not into sofubi toys in general, even mini-figures.  As you could guess, I love the weight and density of keshi rubber or PVC, but I'm not sure I can resist the curiosity of checking out at least one of these guys when they hit shelves.

It's perfectly understandable, where these guys are so influenced by traditional Japanese art, to also use traditional Japanese toy formats like sofubi vinyl.  It's a no-brainer as a toy developer for sure, just to complete the package, but maybe will enough interest we can get a keshi version too.  Crazier things can happen!

Check out other wares from Candie's store here!