Keeping It Simple, Stupid!

I like the expression 'keep it simple, stupid', and I think it relates to keshi toy design.  With such a rich history and collecting scene, trying to reinvent the wheel with your new minifigure line could be it's downfall.  Look no further than to figure lines like Mutant Mania.  You'll see a ton of people loving the figures, with many people excited to collect them, but almost unanimously, the flexi-spine piece and open back slot are things no one is too thrilled about.

Something I wonder is '...then why do it?'  I wonder why companies would try to do too much with keshi.  Let's be honest, keshi was never supposed to be sophisticated toys.  They were cheap gumball machine treats, and the people that love them now, may have been the kids that dropped tons of quarters in the machines.  I could understand the need to explore evolution.  Keshi has been around for quite a while now, if you have a new keshi line, do you try to stand out or join the pack?  I suggest there was already a form of exploration in evolution.  We can look at action figures and PVC statues and see millions of great products that reach to different aspects of toy design, I just have doubts that room exists in small, rubber, slug figures.  I think that's all they can be, but that's not a bad thing.  I say we do what we can to perfect the art and 'keep it simple, stupid.'

One surprise to this, maybe accidentally, but hopefully not, is a new toy line showing up at Walmarts from Imperial Toys.  It's called Invincible Army Men and it's packaged to be something of a rubber gun game but with marvelous keshi minifigures inside.  For only $5, you get four figures, a gun, three grenades, and some sandbags and defenses.  The minifigures inside are the main attraction.  They are slightly larger than convention, but not by much, with absolutely zero paint.  They are solid soft rubber, blue and tan in my packages, and a little softer than normal.  They feel a bit soft, like Trash Pack softness, but again, it's far from a deal-breaker.

On the back of the package, it advertises all the extras it has in the set.  There are two sets of four figures, so I have all eight molds, but there are two more color variants - army green and red.

Imperial Toys' Invincible Army Men are not perfect, but it's a great stab at it and a surprising addition to the American keshi scene.  They certainly do the 'keep it simple, stupid' thing and I think it works out for them.  I hope this toy line gets a lot of attention and gives Imperial Toys the impression to explore more lines like these guys.

The Hunt Is On!

Convention exclusives are sometimes the most coveted miniatures in a line.  Primarily, I think this is because there is such a small amount of them and so few lucky people that can actually attend.  The same goes for this year's Designer Con, with October Toy's OTMFG Vincent minifigure.

Vincent is an impressive bulky keshi, and they previously released the flesh color not too long ago.  With Vincent being D-Con's mascot, I had a feeling October Toys would have some sort of plan with this guy, I just had no idea it would be this.

They are doing a scavenger hunt, with five color variants at five different booths at the convention.  Once you've bought them all, you win the glow-in-the-dark variant for no additional cost.

I had figured something was up their sleeves, but this was intense!  Luckily, as soon as I saw the announcement, I quickly found a mule on the forums.  A mule is term used for someone who is paid to buy something in someone's behalf.  In this instance, there is a forum member who seems to have a desire to be the number one mule.  So I quickly reached out to him and we came together with a fair price for it all.

More Mystical!

Yesterday, I came across a picture on the Mystical Warriors of the Ring's website that made me believe a translucent blue variant of the series one was coming on the horizon.  Although it still may, but I doubt it now - I think I confused it with the metallic blue set, they made an announcement about their Designer Con plans, and they are big!

They are calling it Mystical Warriors of the Ring: Evolution, and from what has been leaked it will include a brand new PVC set!  That's amazing news, because the set I have of the first series are just amazing models.  I would love to add more to them, and although they have resin releases occasionally, they are very rare and actually priced a little far out of my range.  Not to mention, like I've said before, I'm not a fan of how brittle resin is.

But when it comes to Evolution, there is more than just the series two PVC set.  It's mostly still speculation, but it looks like some hippo sumo wrestler pictures have leaked, so maybe there's something with that character too.

It's certainly going to be fun seeing all the announcements and reveals at Designer Con.

Icy Blue!

It looks like a new color variant for the Mystical Warriors of the Ring toy line is coming out very soon.  This image was posted on their website, but it's not available yet.  If I had to guess, it's likely to be released for Designer Con, which is happening November 7-8, and then later off their site.

The variant is a translucent blue and looks really sweet.  They have a metallic blue for sale right now, which it's possible I am confusing the picture for, but the figures in the picture look very different for me.

I can't wait to see what happens.  It's an exciting time to be a minifigure collector.

Toy Haul 10/31/14!

Happy Halloween, fellow Earthlings, and today we are opening another package sent in for purist examination and slanted, half-educated, opinions only I know how.  Today is a special, not-so-special, Completely Unrelated to Halloween version of Toy Haul.  The mailman just happened to deliver it today.  Spoooooooky stuff!

A while ago, I think early last spring or summer I helped fund a Kickstarter called Kaiju Kaos by Acheson Creations.  The creator of it was a regular forum member of October Toys' forum and Littlerubberguys, and I felt, sure, why not.  I wasn't going to go all-in, but I'll throw in for a couple minis and see what happens.  And in all honesty, I kinda forgot about it until today.

I received a small box and inside it was two yellow keshi miniatures and a few cards.  They are minifigures for Kaiju Kaos game that got funded, but I just bought the figures separately.  If I hear good things about the board game, maybe I'll go back and see if there is any for sale later.  But it didn't take long for me to be completely blown away by the figures inside the box.  One was yellow and the other was clear yellow, both were made of a harder plastic than usual.  In fact, I was so impressed, I think I enjoy this hardness over the convention.  The sculpts are fun and neat and the minifigures came really clean and professional.

I just love these two.  So much, I sort of wished I backed more of the project, but right now, I am just glad I was a part of it in any form.  These two will be instantly in the main collection, and I will certainly be keeping an eye for more of this independent toy maker's work.

For more information, check out his website here!

And of course, to check out any other projects you may love, check out Kickstarter here!

Rise of the Beasts!

Littlerubberguys.com could arguably be the community hub for all serious keshi collectors.  I've met and traded with tons of awesome members there, and it seems, no matter what your need is, someone there has it.  It's pretty crazy, but in a good way.

Set for a November release, they are releasing their own independent minifigure line called Rise of the Beasts.  Set in a word with anthropomorphic animal warriors, these minifigures stand slightly taller than convention, but not by much or at least by enough for it to matter.  They are monochromatic, releasing first in a flesh and a black colorway, with painted options available as well.  They also have articulated jointed for some extra poses, and parts can be removed and interchanged between figures.

I can see the interest in making things interchangeable and articulated, but the purist side of me isn't particularly thrilled about it.  However, I understand the difference between a multipart keshi figure and an interchangeable line like this one might just be the style of joint pegs and some superglue, so I know it really shouldn't be a big deal.

What really makes it for me, at least as a supporter and a casual collector of the line is the price point.  To be honest, I really like the style, but there's a lot of it I wish fell on the traditional, purist, side, but I can't turn away from seeing them in person for only $4 a piece.  That's a killer price and an absolute steal, even just to see if they fit in the main collection or not.

When they go up for sale, I'll certainly snag some monochromes, and maybe do a fuller review on them when they arrive.

If you're interested in purchasing them for yourself, check out this link here!

Also, visit the LRG forum at this link!

Purist Ramblings: Colorways!

It's not the most uncommon thing to see figures in certain toy lines get various number of color variants or colorways.  Some companies use it to expand the collectibility of the set as a whole, and some use variants as chase or super rare versions.  It's done any number of ways, but today I'll share my thoughts on whether or not it's worth getting into.

Of course every collector is different, so you'll find a vast array of viewpoints, even when it pertains to one toy line to another.  I think that's exactly it for me, some toy lines have certain keshi I want every variant of and some I'm OK with just having one.  I think a couple factors decide that.

The first, for me, may be artistic quality or aesthetic appeal.  If I just love the figure and how it looks and feels, I'll want more.  At this time, to justify an uncontrollable collection, I try to keep my main collection without duplicates, but variants are accepted.  This allows me to extend my affection for a particular figure.

The second would be rarity.  I wouldn't necessarily call myself someone who chases after all rarest figure variants, but if there is one that shares a cool feature that would separate it from rest, I might just go after it.  Examples of this might be glow-in-the-dark, glitter, color changing, artist customs, and artist proofs.  Also, rare figures hold their value a lot more than standards do.  Getting a rare figure that's valuable for a steal is always fun and feels good to accomplish.  However making it too rare or too valuable, may make turn off some collectors from even chasing.

Another one would be timing.  I find if I am following a toy line from it's infancy, I'll be more likely to be interested in the variants that get released over time.  On the flip side, if I am just starting out collecting it, and it has billions of colorways, I'll be hesitant to care that much, but maybe over time as the collection grows.

I think variants and colorways, if used in controlled limited doses, are awesome additions to any collection.  For me personally, I am a sucker for glitter.

Following Limiteds: USA Edition!

I had written a previous post about how awesome it is in Japan to see cross-promotion limited-edition keshi, and how exciting it is to chase after those miniatures.  Well, speak of the devil, maybe literally, it looks like America is doing their own just in time for Halloween

Adam Quesnell is an American-born stand-up comedian.  He has a new CD coming out very soon.  What makes this even more interesting, is that he's an toy-collecting crazy-person too, so with the release of his album, he's releasing a limited-edition minifigure of his own design.

It's called 'Despair' and it looks really awesome.  It's sculpted and made by some of my favorites in the toy scene right now: October Toys and Disarticulators Studios.  It looks like some devil-version of him holding his microphone, and looks to be released on or very close to Halloween.

What's the coolest, is that it's not a marketing ploy to get extra money.  Each Despair figure comes with a code to download the album for free. There is no price for the figure yet or definitive date of release, but I'll share those details when I get them myself.

Grossed-Out 4: The Muckening!

Today, we revisit the Slimy Sludge toy line, if I can still call it that, that appeared in a previous post, but this time on stranger conditions.

Now I had said that Blip secured the name of Slimy Sludge from the European company that created them originally.  I had said their original name was '...In My Slimy', and it had many more sets to collect than what was just available under the Slimy Sludge name.  The strange name was generally used in context of what set, for example 'Monsters ...In My Slimy'.  Still not the best sounding name ever, which is why I guessed they changed it.

There is some news now coming out that another company or new company to replace Blip is releasing '...In My Slimy' blind pouches. They are called Super Impulse and it seems they have also renamed the line Monster Muck.  Hey, sure, whatever.  Just get it into stores.

I am curious now though, because the Monster Muck packaging says this set only has eight figures, but apparently mixed between the Rotten Zombies and the Slimy Monsters sets.  Strange, but like I said before, whatever makes their presence stronger in the States.

Lucas Would Have Drowned Them In Paint!

As much as I like Japanese keshi, I do wish American toy companies would add more to the mix.  Granted great companies like October Toys and all kinds of artists are doing their part, but I think I mean something more mass-produced.

Is there anyone really any bigger than Hasbro?

If not out now, coming very soon, is a new Star Wars toy line from the toy giant.  It's called Star Wars Command and, although not perfect, a good stab for Hasbro, for sure.

But first, let's be honest.  Command is not meant to be keshi - they just meet a lot of qualities keshi collectors like.  I see Command as trying to be their own Star Wars-themed army men.

They are two-inch scale, virtually-monochromatic, minifigures of all the characters, troopers and jedi, alike.  They do have vehicles, but they don't really appeal to me.  They are neither in-scale or single piece.  I do however dig a lot of the infantry figures, even with the goofy bases.

There are a few rare figures sprinkled in when you purchase certain sets, as well, which is a smart move   for the hardcore collectors.  As for myself, I doubt I will go crazy for this line, but I think I will support it with a purchase here and there, just enough to get a couple cool droid figures.  American minifigures always need the love.

It Came From A Vending Machine: Bumping Weirdos!

Halloween is just right around the corner, so there is no better time of the year for some frights and scares.  Today, fellow Earthlings, let's scream in horror as we venture into the world of It Came From a Vending Machine!

Before we get chills down our spine, let's first just say vending machine toys can still be collectable, or to be precise, American vending machine toys can.  Japan still has keshi in theirs and are still very much popular.  Ours here have sadly been reduced redneck teeth and stickers, but I bet here and there, you could still find a hidden gem.  I still hope for the day something catches and ignites the craze once more.  Until then, let's look at these sad guys.

I went to Super Walmart and found these guys hanging in a 75 cent machine.  They were called Bumping Weirdos, and they looked silly enough, if not a tad unimaginative.  Silly-looking, but your standard lumpy plastic character with goofy googley eyes.  I didn't have a lot of hope, but it was worth a look anyway.

Inside the capsule, was a yellow figure and a long checklist and game rules.  The checklist says there are 45 figures to collect, but there are actually a lot of color variants.  In fact, I was turned off quite a lot by this checklist.  It felt very forced to make this toy line a collectable game.  Not only are there a lot of duplicates with minor differences, the names for each figure are nonsensical and seemingly random.  On the opposite side, there are rules about flicking figures into each other and knocking each other down.  Complexity at it's finest.

The figure is a little sad too.  It's a chunk of hard, cheap, plastic - the sort that would shatter and blow apart if dropped at any sort of considerable height.  The paint application is a transfer sticker that may flake away if I stare at it hard enough.  Surely, if this guy was in a child's pocket for any period of time, his face would be chipped off in a day.

It's a cheap toy and certainly will be sent to another collector as a freebie, but it's nothing I plan on collecting in the future.  I keep an eye out though, because I still would like to support vending machine guys.

An Exciting Day To Be Outlandish!

With their Kickstarter drawing near and with a little bit of money to get, October Toys is making the keshi world take notice, and this can only be good news for the collectors.

Right now, they are releasing a new character to their OTMFG line as an added bonus to Kickstarter backers.  The figure is called Brainwaves, sculpted by Joe Whiteford, and it looks amazing.  If you are backing the project for at least $27, you're getting the flesh version and the kickstarter-exclusive black variant for free.  Very neat!  I hope this gets everyone excited and gets the project finally funded.

Also today, they are releasing another couple monthly variants for their OTMG line.  OTMG stands for October Toys Minifigure Guys, and are virtually identical as OMFG, but without the community support.  The studio creates these characters with the help of friends and releases them individually.  Still, very awesome.

This month, they are releasing a color-changing Baby Deadbeet, which goes from black to white or white to black depending on temperature, and the Glyos character Zombie Pheyden in an awesome 'Ghoul' purple-grey.  I'll be certainly snagging these guys off their website today at 3pm EST.

For more information about their kickstarter, check out this link!

Also, check out there site here for more OTMFG releases!