Transformers Tiny Titans Series 3 Leaks!

I don't have to tell you how legendary Transformers are in toy collecting, in general.  They've even forgone their transforming nature from time to time and did keshi figures, with Decoys being the most popular and collected.

I have to say, though, these Tiny Titans mini-figures for their Robots In Disguise cartoon series, have always caught my eye.  So, with the new bit of news floating about, there isn't really a better time to talk about them.

Tiny Titans are small, inarticulate, plastic mini-figures of characters from the cartoon series.  They are sold in blind bag form, for what I can gather, only a couple bucks a piece, so the price is certainly right.  What catches some collectors, and what has me on the fence, is, of course, the paint.  Keshi purists despise paint applications on a mini-figure probably more than anything else, but from what I can tell, there is actually, aside from Optimus Prime, only small paint applications.  So, that being that, has me interested.

I've had my eye on them, but never really pulled the trigger on them before, but with third set of mini-figures, it looks like they are releasing a Shockwave, who has always been a favorite of mine.  I think what I'll do is purchase the Shockwave I want in auction, check it out in person, and see if it's something I could continue to collect.  That way, I'm not buying a ton of blind bag toys I don't particularly want just to get the one awesome Decepticon.

What do you guys think?  Think they are far too removed from traditional keshi to collect?  Voice your opinions below!

New MWOTR Evolution: Goliath Colorway!

For those uninitiated, the guys at Mystical Warriors of the Ring released their first super-sized minifigure last January to much success.  Just as I warn in just about every drop, the first variant sold out quickly, the same day in fact, leaving a lot of collector's without a shiny green alligator.

But announced today, both off their website and their Instagram, Goliath is back and ready to rumble for round two, and this time, he's more sicker and twisted, with that ink black heart.

Well, maybe not that far, but this new metallic black colorway is very awesome indeed, especially if you have the other figures in the toy line metallic black as well, like the ones pictured.

Goliath's first release shocked a lot of people, but not me.  Despite the early criticism I gave it, I had a strong feeling this guy would fly out of the MWOTR webstore, and he did just that, maybe even faster than I expected.   I'm glad to see this variant allows collectors who missed the first drop to finally get in on some gator goodness, but like before, you have to be on point or else you're going to be watching this one sell out on you too.

Collectors were more than impressed with the metallic green colorway, which means there is a good possibility those same customers will be back for the new variant.  I know I will be, so people who missed the metallic green need to be extra aggressive, even to the minute, when the release day comes around.

The exact time and day for the drop is slated for sometime next month, April, with also a showing at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, so I'll post more exact info when I have it.  It certainly sounds though, if you want it before anyone else, the MWOTR booth at C2E2 might be the place to be.  If you're not around the Chicago area or not travelling to attend the convention, follow the links below for your share in a virtual blitzkrieg when this guy is released next month.

http://mystwarriors.com/blog/

http://mystwarriors.com/shop.htm

New Rise Of The Beasts Update!

The LittleRubberGuys team have been working diligently on all their new characters coming to the Rise of the Beasts line.  Despite the fact they are putting out twice as many amazing minifigures than the first wave, progress looks to be going really well.

Released on their Instagram account, these photos give a great inside look to see how well these cool guys are coming along, but keep in mind, these are still in prototype stages.



One thing to note here is that the ant character has had some serious work done to him.  In it's initial stages, it had longer, thinner, antennae, but it seems the team had to complications with that.  I like the bulkier look they have now, however I feel that a large ant abdomen and/or an extra set of arms would have really made the ant character stand out as this sort of exotic insect warrior.

The lizard character has been seeing some work too.  His tail has been fine tuned and worked into having Glyos pegging.

But there's also a couple other characters to look forward to seeing as well, like the lion character and the gorilla character, not to mention, this wave of minifigures will also see our first parts of weaponry.

For more information, follow LittleRubberGuys on Instagram for all the hottest information, and check out the link below for all the rest of your Rise of the Beasts goodness.

http://littlerubberguys.storenvy.com/

MIMP 2016 Prototype Leak and Auction?!

Mondays are a bummer, or so cartoon cats would have you believe, but it certainly softens the blow when enormous news hits the social media outlets and causes a storm in discussion and interest.  But let me step back and change that.  It's potential enormous news, because the details of which is a bit strange.

As if I was lucky enough to plan it just a few days ago, news about the rumored Monsters In My Pocket minifigure line rocketed to the hottest topic today.  Dubbed with the nickname MIMP 2016 by collectors now, although it was originally planned to be a lot earlier than that, these images found themselves on a French Ebay auction, claiming to be resin prototypes of the rumored series.

But the question remains.  Is this the real deal or a hoax done by someone looking to make a quick buck at the expense of the keshi community.

If you're a talented artist, in all honesty, it's not a hard thing to hoax.  However, looking at the sketches, 3D models, and resin prototypes, you'd be surprised an artist or a team of artists would waste this much effort and talent on a few Ebay auctions to dupe collectors.

If a studio out there had the ability to produce something to the level of Monster In My Pocket, making a competing product will pay ten-fold what dishonest auctions could possibly bank.  Plus, the community isn't very large.  You can't imagine you can go to the well with fake prototypes too many times, before you're without an audience for all that talent and ability.  That is why, despite the decent chance I'm wrong, I think these guys are 100% legit.

As real as I believe these are, how did they ever find themselves on auction?  And why now when the series hasn't officially launched already?  I had to take a double-check and look over some extra details.

Evolution, the marketing and design company behind the new series, or at least as we knew it, has three offices:  China, South Africa, and their head office in California.  The auction was listed under the French version of Ebay, so it makes me think they outsourced some heavy-lifting to another studio, maybe even a French one that was only commissioned for this set.

Even with all these assumptions, it's hard to think this can exist without legal strangeness, but I'm a larger law novice than I am a keshi novice, so I can't say that much.  Let's just take a look at the figures, as if they are a look into the future, and see if there's anything worth looking forward to.

There's a lot to look over for sure, from the chunky centaur character to the nimble goblin, but there are some common threads from the bunch we can guess will be in the final product.

Firstly, it looks like they will be painted, if not fully, than in a metallic rare variation, however that just might be the sort of resin used for the prototypes.

Secondly, the ogre character's 3D model was rendered with a base.  In  my previous post about the rumored set, I guessed the new franchise would take inspiration from NFC video game toys like Skylanders, Amiibo, and Disney Infinity.  Although he's the only one given one, they obviously gave it some thought, which is suspicious, and the base certainly wouldn't be part of the figure's mold, which is why it's nowhere else.

Lastly, but quickly, the figures look too large to be considered anything related to keshi, but at least at first-glance, perfect size to hang out with your Skylanders and Amiibos.

If this really is what we can expect the new Monster In My Pocket will become, I'm excited for it, but much in the way I described in my previous post about it.  These weren't designed with me in mind, but that's completely OK.  I had the chance to grow up with some really amazing MIMP minifigures, and if I am lucky, this set will be really successful and bring knowledge of those old-school amazing toys to the kids of today.  Maybe some will even want to collect them.

OTMFG March Colorway Drop!

Convention season is in full-swing, but that doesn't mean all the good stuff is there.

Dropping tomorrow at noon Pacific time, the cool kids at October Toys have a couple hot color variants to round out your expanding collection.

The beloved Mini Gwin gets to have his orange version, while the impressive Zombie Pheyden gets a variant called tarred.  I imagine, like others before it, this is a heat-sensitive color change variant between a flesh tone and the new black.  Pretty neat indeed.

I have a ton of OTMFG minifigures, and I've been following them pretty closely since I've returned to this toy thing a year plus back.  I enjoy them very much, but although I like these two, I wish they had more of a spring theme to then that usually went along with the monthly releases from October Toys.

Like many other minifigure drops, if you nap on the release time, you might wake up to find them all sold out.  So make sure you find yourself at the October Toys website, so you don't miss out.  The link is right below.

www.octobertoys.com

JoJo's Bizarre Keshi Adventure!

Probably by today's standards, I wouldn't really be called much of an anime fan.  I still watch it from time to time, but nothing like I had in the past.  Back in the day, as some may agree, anime was a rarity of a sort and getting it was often tricky.  Now, you can trip over websites begging you to watch their free streams of 24 hour anime, but that's not to say it's a bad thing.  It's just a long way from where it was with Akira, Dragon Ball Z, Gundam, Evangelion, and all that.

I still keep up from time to time, but with only so many hours in the day, and only so many hobbies to dedicate time to, I have to be a bit more picky on what to watch.  Not to make this an anime review so much, but one of the series I have actually been getting into and really enjoying is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, so you must guess the sort of curiosity and excitement I've had when I've see pictures of a gorgeous Japanese vending machine keshi line find themselves all over social media.  So much so I think I'm going to flood this post with like six pictures or something!  That much!

I'll be honest, so please anyone that has more information about this set than I do, please comment below, I don't know much about this set yet.  It appears by the copyright information in the photos, they are done in some regard by Bandai, but I have no idea if they outsourced any studio for the actual sculpts.  I would love to find out more on this, because I find these miniatures really amazing and capture that over-the-top wildness and style the anime has.

What's notable about this set, up front, are two things.  One is that the set is rather large, which is a pleasant surprise.  I am unaware of a previous line to traditionally build up to a large set like this, but the anime has been around for quite some time now.  The second thing is it's combination of clear plastics and traditional keshi plastics that seem to really make this series stand out.

I'm really excited to see these guys find their way to the States, but from what I've read from a couple auctions, they seem to be coming single-file in gumball capsules.  If this is true, it's going to be difficult seeing these guys travel in complete sets, but who knows.  I'll certainly love to get whatever I can, if not the full set.  They need a real review for sure.

It Came From a Vending Machine: Los Tremendos Luchadores!

So this, believe or not, was something I've wanted to do for a while.  I found these guys at a local supermarket and dumped as many quarters as I could, but as much as I enjoyed these cheap goobers,  I had lost them all during a move.  Or at least I thought I did.

Yeah, you heard me right, I really like these Los Tremendos Luchadores guys.  Sure, they are awful-looking, super tiny, and painted by a wild ape, but there is just something inherently special to me about finding micro wrestlers in vending machines.

I know I do my "It Came From a Vending Machine" posts to pick fun at the strange oddities inside these things, but I wonder if I owe this set for getting me back into collecting keshi, at least subconsciously.

You see, I was in the middle of a move.  All my things were packed up, and we were crammed in the back guest room of the parent's old place until our new place was ready for us.  Sure, actually playing with toys at this point is something I probably wouldn't feel inspired to do, but I love the stimulus of having them nearby and on display.  Yet, everything I had at that time was in boxes, and the old person decor wasn't really doing it for me.  However, after a random grocery run, I had a few ugly wrestlers in my possession for really no reason, and they filled a void.

Not did they just fill a void, I was reminded of the MUSCLES I had, or more likely the bootleg MUSCLES I had, and the Monster In My Pocket figures I begged to pick up at a department store.  Maybe I never considered running out and collecting the Los Tremendos set, but I think they caused me to put MUSCLE in a search engine some summer afternoon later.  And today, just rustling through some old bags, I find the most tremendous of strange vending machine wrestlers I thought I lost.

So thank you, Los Tremendos Luchadores.  You're alright in my book.

Gargamel X Eric Nilla Micro Kaiju News!

If you're a Japanese vinyl collector, or Sofubi if you're in the know, you know all about Gargamel.

Gargamel is one of the more popular companies out there for your nostalgic fix of old-school Japanese kaiju figures.  You know the type:  hollow, semi-soft plastic, with maybe only waist movement.  If you haven't seen authentic sofubi, you have likely seen bargain bin knockoffs at the dollar store, trying to pass off as the real thing.  Emphasis on trying.

Traditional sofubi figures are rather larger, at least compared to keshi, but Gargamel has released micro versions of the figures they fans love.  They were shrunk down to what appeared to be three inches of kaiju awesomeness, and I imagine this perked the ears and interest of the keshi community.  Ditch the vinyl, we must have said.  Rubber is better.  And who better to do it than American independent keshi artist Eric Nilla?

It didn't go like that, I'm sure, but however it went, I'm glad it ended all the same with these amazing looking guys.  Gargamel makes some really amazing kaiju characters, but the sofubi format is just not for more.  I love Godzilla like everyone else, but I never was lucky enough to get too many large monster toys growing up, nor do I have the budget now for some limited-run throwbacks.  I did however drop many coins for knockoff MUSCLES and other strange wrestlers and monsters.  This sort of project looks like that perfect bridge between both worlds, and Eric's resume and work is quickly turning him into the top guy in America for keshi minifigures.

For more information, check out the links below!

http://gargamel.jp/

http://ericnilla.blogspot.com/

http://ericnilla.storenvy.com/

S.U.C.K.L.E. Series 2 Production Update!

For those who followed and hopfully backed the uber-successful Kickstarter last December, the series two set called Revenge of SUCKLE has a lot of minifigures ahead of them to make.  It's quite the workload for sure, but we've been able to get a little glimpse into how it's going before it's Spring/Summer drop.

So far, these guys look just amazing, and I'm really glad to have gotten into the project when I did.

The green shown in the pictures here are a test shot color and plastic, likely leftovers on whatever production the factory was working on at the time.  It's not to say an army green colorway won't be making it to this line, but under a magnifying glass, you might see they might not be completely up to standard quite yet.  It's why they are only test shots.

Revenge of SUCKLE looks bigger and better than the first, and I can't wait to see some in some hot pink and glitter.  I'll certainly keep everyone posted with more news as it comes out.

It Came From a Vending Machine: Panda Erasers!

If you didn't already know, my hometown of Keshiville U.S.A is experiencing some scary and rather chilly winter weather.  What will even send a chill down your spine is what you can find in a vending machine for a couple coins!

Today, let's take a look, if we dare, at Panda Erasers!  They are 'cute and buildable', if that's even a word, or at least that's what the vending machine header advertises.  Heck, if nothing else, these endangered little guys are best in my backpack than still imprisoned in the machine.  And as much as I joke about awful vending machine toys, I always try to throw coins in them and suggest everyone else should too.

That was my intention, knowing very well these guys weren't keshi figures as we know keshi figures nowadays.  Eraser figures, I thought,... close enough!  But really, if you look back into the past of keshi minifigures, you'll eventually start finding erasers.  Now granted these guys aren't really aimed for the collectible market, with all that building you can do with them.  I'm guessing they are meant to be customized.

I'm sure there are a thousand words that would better explain it, because 'buildable' is probably the last thing these cute pandas are able to do.  What they do, actually, is come in three pieces, the front half, back half, and the black middle part that holds it all together, through willpower alone.  I certainly wouldn't slap your pandas out of your hands if you wanted the front half pink and the back half blue, but I might just stand up and shout at you for calling it buildable.

And that's it!  Analysis over!  With a complete set of three: blue, pink, and white, you would be hard pressed to figure out a way to want more.  Sure, I suppose you could get dozens, so you can have every color combination, but that's probably a little much.  But at the end of the day, it's a fun little figure thing for fifty cents.  A lucky draw and a dollar and a half will get you all three, and then you're ready to erase your worries away. 

Tenacious Toys Exclusive Despair Drop!

Everyone favorite microphone-wielding comedy demon is back again, and this time he is exclusive to the Tenacious Toys web store!

That's right.  Just announced on their Instagram, Adam Quesnell's keshi piece from The Disarticulators and October Toys called Despair is getting a new color variant!

Matching Tenacious Toys' love for their shade of navy blue, this guy is dropping Sunday, March 8th, only off the Tenacious Toys online store.

For those following the runs of this character or just like their keshi a little larger than normal, this is a brilliant guy to get into.  As an added bonus, I wouldn't be surprised a digital download of his comedy album was also included with this colorway, like others were.  If I recall correctly, he asks for something in the range of $20-$30, but where that includes a CD, that's really not a bad deal at all.

Be there at Tenacious Toys March 8th, because we know this sort of stuff flies off the shelves quickly!  Follow the link below to get a head start!

http://www.tenacioustoys.com/

WWE Royal Rumble Mini Figure Set Preview!

The 2015 New York Toy Fair has even more news for those that enjoy minifigures and such!   Wicked Cool Toys, the makers of Crashlings, has been working with WWE with some of their oddball releases outside their action figure lines, and this one in particular seems to be a little more interesting than some others.

They are calling it the Royal Rumble Mini Figure Set, which from the picture here appears to be a container full of army men-esque wrestlers with a detachable wrestling ring lid.  The minifigures themselves look to be rather neat, maybe aside from those awful bases stuck to their feet, but for the price I'm not really going to hold them to it.

The price these guys are going to be releasing this figure set for is only ten dollars, which is quite the bargain, considering their might not be much to collect after the initial buy except for possible color variations.  Granted these guys are nothing world-shaking, and somewhat disappointing compared to Kinnikumnan figures, but for the price I think it's worth the support to nudge them further down the minifigures path.  Heck, one can only hope tossing ten bucks down on a silly figure set like this will ensure we will see something better in the future.

Now what the heck is up with all this optimism?

New Mystical Warriors of the Ring Prototypes!

Mark looks to be hard at work, putting his next series of Mystical Warriors of the Ring that much closer to production and release.  But if you can't wait, you're in luck, it appears his online store has some resin prototypes you can get your hands on right now!

Three different guys are up:  Tembo Jiwe the elephant, Takeshi Sumo the hippopotamus, and Clubber the horse.

All of these guys look pretty sweet, but I have to say, I am really looking forward to Takeshi Sumo.  I've been getting into sumo fandom lately, and this character is just scratching that itch.  Plus, I love how thick and chunky this guy looks as well.  He's certainly something on my radar for later on this year.

 To grab these guys before they are sold out, go to the Mystical Warriors of the Ring website and online store!

http://mystwarriors.com/blog/
http://mystwarriors.com/shop.htm

24 Hour Toy Break Drops!

All this weekend, the team over at October Toys is doing a marathon event filled with news, reviews, auctions, and special guest visits.  It's starts this Friday at 5pm PST and will end 5pm PST the next day.

There hasn't been much talk to what will be happening through the marathon, but it's always been a fun time, and for the first time, it appears I'll be able to hang out through most, if not all, of the event.  So, come chat with me during the event - just don't outbid me on auctions!


Some things were announced however on the latest Toy Break.  This month's OTMFG releases will be on sale a little earlier than usual and will be hitting their online store during the marathon.

The releases this month are a clear purple Zombie Pheyden and a dark blue Mini Gwin.  Another cool announcement is the light blue Toy Break Mascot character being released during the marathon as well.  October Toys announced that his variant of this figure is quite limited and if a light-blue character like interests you, you better dive into the events quick.

Finally, a pack of 10 flesh tone Mordles, both bare flesh and flesh with black details, from the fine people at Toyfinity, exclusive to October Toys, will also be released upon their webstore.

Even if you're not into keshi, all kinds of designer vinyl and art will be there, as well as hot, hot, news from some of the most talented artists in America.  If nothing else, come by and chat will all us collectors.




For more news about 24 Hour Toy Break and all of the October Toys goodness and minifigures, check out the link below!

http://octobertoys.com/

Onion Fights x Punk Drunkers Drop!

Collaborations in the toy community sometimes bring the coolest products forward.  There's something about the collision of two different artistic minds coming together that brings out the very best for us collectors and supporters, and really, I think this stranger-than-hell guy is a perfect example of just that.

Slated for a February 8th release, this mash-up between keshi studio Onion Fights and fashion designers Punk Drunkers is just perfect for a collector like me.  Let's be real for a second - this guy, and in particular his facial expression, is just bonkers, but I love that.  His body has that thick, chunky, Kinnikuman-esque form we've come to expect from Onion Fights, but wow, this guy is all about that freaky face that the artists involved executed flawlessly.

If you had a curious house guest looking over your keshi collection, I would have to imagine this minifigure alone would spark curiosity and conversation.  This guy, with that almost serial killer-like stare, is so captivating and enthralling, it's hard to not stare, even as odd as he looks.  If that was the intention, then I would consider it a home run.

If you can't see it in the fine print there, he'll be on sale for 1,800 yen (about $15) from the Punk Drunkers web-store.  Readers here may know how restricted my keshi budget is most times, and usually I would say something like this would be a bit too much, but I think this guy is quite the exception.  I'd hate to say it so early in the year, because it's only February, but I am in just in love this figure and I'm not sure if I can connect to another keshi as much as this freak this year.  I just have to own one.  I just hope they ship to the States.

And you can own one too!  Click the link below for info and more awesome things Punk Drunkers have up for sale!

http://www.punk-d.com/news/

Newtervision Black Karnov Wonderfest Drop!

Recently revealed on their Instagram feed, there is more keshi goodness on the horizon if you're in the Land of the Rising Sun this weekend.  February 8th is the winter-version of the Wonder Festival, and we've already seen all kinds of limited-edition offerings from various artists and studio.  Today, we can add one more to the bunch.

The talented Newtervision will be releasing a new black colorway of his licensed Karnov keshi.  Any retro gamer will recognize this Russian brute and his ladder.  If you haven't played it on the old Nintendo back in the 80's, check out some gamers on Youtube and Twitch that cover Karnov and all kinds of 8-bit awesomeness like him.  They'll catch you up to why Karnov is such an enjoyable character, despite being so obscure.

This won't be Newtervision's only offering at Wonder Fest.  The previously released variants in blue, green, and classic flesh, will also be there, just in case you've missed them last summer.

I honestly wish I can make it to Japan for an amazing keshi trip, but it's just not in the cards at this moment.  It's not all lost though, these great little dudes will be reaching the secondary market for sure.

Newtervision has a blog about his work and stuff going on.  Check it out sometime, and if you can show up and support him at Wonder Fest, I assure you, you won't regret it.

http://newtervision.blogspot.com/

MWOTR Evolution Goliath Review!

So, the time has come!  I have received the sold-out metallic green Goliath minifigure from the Mystical Warriors of the Ring line today in the mail.  I have it in my hands.  I can smell it with my nose.  So let's do this already and review it, no holds barred!

First off, the color looks great.  It's a very natural and fitting choice for this character, however I never really felt the standard flesh tone took away from the figure.  I was curious and somewhat suspicious to see it launch in this green, but I think it works well.

The details are nice, but maybe a bit too safe in some areas.  Maybe this can lend itself to the Glyos compatibly, because I'd love to see a Goliath head and face that tells us what sort of character this guy is.  Is he cruel or kind?  He's certainly huge, and really that's all he conveys for me.  I do really like his elbow pads, however, which I have forgotten to show, but the gator logo on them is a pretty awesome touch.

He feels really nice in my hands.  There's quite a lot of weight to this guy and even pieces like his tail don't feel like an afterthought.  As a complete figure, he's pretty chunky and spiky, and that's never a bad thing.  Sure, he'd never fit in a gumball capsule, but maybe in some alternate world, you could imagine this guy part of a "collect and built him yourself" set, which thinking now, may be a pretty neat idea.

I know how weird it's going to sound now that I gripe about it's lack of articulation, but don't lose me quite yet.  Sure, I would have loved one hunk of gator, but a good alternative to that, would be a hunk of gator in a sweet pose.  Goliath is full of all sorts of articulation:  head/neck, shoulder, wrists, tail, and legs, but I think it's missing some elbow love.  Bending this guy around, you get a few neat and interesting poses, except when you want this guy to grapple another character of the MWOTR line.  He sort of Frankensteins forward, and I think an elbow cut before or after the elbow pad would have helped him out with that, just that much more, but this sort of stuff should really be the last thing I complain about.

And finally the smell - perfect.

Overall, MWOTR made a really decent figure, and what's strange is this guy is so adaptable, any gripes I had could be adjusted in future releases.  They could release a new, nasty, snarling, face, and some jointed elbows, and he could be a completely new figure.  That could be the most exciting part.  Will there be a hand with a steel chair in it?  Will there be arms with 80's arm tassels?  Who knows, but there's nothing stopping them.

With all the suspicion I gave it earlier, I think it changed my mind on most categories, at least the ones that matter the most.  And as inexpensive as they charged for this guy, he was vey much worth the review alone, but this guy certainly is in the collection, chilling out with the rest of his MWOTR brothers.

For more information, drop by their website and give them some love, and hopefully some greenbacks too.  Click the links below!

http://mystwarriors.com/blog/
http://mystwarriors.com/shop.htm

Kinnikuman X Georgia Coffee Series Two!

Last year, Kinnikuman did a promotional deal with Georgia Coffee, where inside limited edition canisters of their coffee, they received one of six free Kinnikuman keshis.  These strange but cool figures were exclusive to the Japanese products, but they found themselves on trading forums and auction websites pretty quick.  A set even found a way to travel to my own collection, which was certainly a highlight of my collecting last year.

Well, it appears they are at it again, bigger and badder, with a second series!  I don't read Japanese, so someone please help me out on this one, but it looks like these limited edition cans with have a pair of promotion Kinnikuman keshi inside, depending on the character on the bubble.  And with eight bubbles, that brings the total miniature count of this series to a whopping sixteen!

That's pretty rad, if you ask me.  I really enjoyed the last set, so you best believe this set is high on the priority list.  I'll certainly be keeping an eye out on forums and auctions to see if they surface anytime soon, but I wonder, what sort of worth would this series generate?

The first set came out of the gate red hot.  It was getting top dollar for a Kinnikuman keshi, but as time went on, the market found there was more than enough of these guys in Japan to share with collectors everywhere else.  Series One is still very awesome to collect, and I believe you should, but it's not going to be your rare find.  I wonder if the same effect, if not more, will happen to this set.  That effect happened to a set of six.  This set is sixteen.  Are they flooding it or have they build enough interest with the first set to expand?  

Either way, I hope the promotional is successful and they continue what they are doing.  I sure will be looking out for this set, and future sets they release, really no matter how common.

http://www.georgia.jp/chojin/

Winter Wonderfest 2015 Shamrock Arrows!

If you thought the last few drops I've covered were easy-peasy, well I have a challenge for you!

Wonder Festival is a toy convention that happens twice a year in Japan.  It's big selling point, among the sea of vendors, are the one-day license limited editions.  These guys are just that done by the amazing artists at Shamrock Arrow.

These two packs are color variants previously released at the last Wonder Festival, and include some of the more gorgeous keshi in the world.

I have limited knowledge about the Japanese studio, Shamrock Arrow, but I am already a fan.  At first, I had actually confused their miniatures as Zoomoth's, but in fact, I guess I wasn't the only one.  I've seen multiple eBay auctions incorrectly listing them as Zoomoth.  I suppose, if nothing else, it makes you wonder if it's a new studio from a familiar artist or just a team equally as talented.

Wonder Festival is February 8th, and that will be the only time these sick puppies will be able to be sold.  If you can't make it there, you'll may be looking at a giant price increase on the secondary market.  A mule would be the most reasonable option, but still these guys, and getting these guys, are hardcore.

I personally love this quality of stuff.  Zoomoth is one of my favorite studios and these guys rocket Shamrock Arrow right up there too.  I would love to travel to Japan sometime, meet the artists, and throw wads of yen at them for these gorgeous keshi, but at this time, it may not be in the budget.  One day, I hope.  Of course, when I do, I'll cover every bit of it for the blog.

ROTB Army Green Drop!

Another awesome drop is right around the corner!

The artists over at LittleRubberGuys have been teasing their Army Green variants of their Series 1 Rise of the Beasts minifigures, and now we have a set date and time for their arrival.

Tomorrow, Thursday the 29th, at 7pm PST these guys will be available to purchase, both in painted and unpainted goodness, in what I am sure will be limited quantities.

If you followed the recent release of Goliath from Mystical Warriors of the Ring, you'll know it took only hours after their release on their website for that guy to sell completely out.  That's more common than you expect.  These are independent artists releasing high-quality minifigures in small batches.  There is simply no room in this community to wait.  You have to mark drop dates on a calendar and jump on the opportunity to get what you want before you potentially lose it forever.

These Series 1 figures came out in a variety of colorways the first time they were released, and still, some miniatures in some variants sold out.  This drop is one color way, so you have to imagine, like Goliath, this is going to be quite the competitive release.  These guys may not be available much longer than a couple hours after their initial drop, so make sure you're in it to win it.

Don't let this classic green army beasts pass you by!  Click this link down here and push your way to the front of the line!

http://littlerubberguys.storenvy.com/