November 2012

Dril’s SD201 Red Star Drones for Circus Annual @ Stranger Factory, 12.7

After the amazing response for his custom Drones at DesignerCon earlier this month, DrilOne returns with the SD201 Red Star Drone, a 12-piece squadron of resin military bots who have their laser sights set on Stranger Factory! Ten of the hand-cast, hand-painted figures will be available for purchase next month as part of the gallery’s Circus Annual group show, so stay sharp!

Circus Annual and Derek Yaniger’s A One Way Ticket to Flipsville open Dec. 7th with a reception from 6pm to 9pm.

Coming Soon to the CP Store!

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Are you ready for some awesome news? It is time for some updates on NEW RELEASES from Circus Posterus!

The Tomenosuke + Circus Posterus sofubi will be released in sets of 3 consisting of Stinky Ginger, “Toxic Marshmallow” Stingy Jack, and Calliope over the next 2 weeks on circusposterus.com .

Stingy Jack and Calliope will be available by themselves, but due to the smaller edition size, Stinky Ginger will only be available individually in-person at the Stranger Factory store.

Look for the remaining Sour Peach Zombambies to graze their way on to the Circus Posterus webstore this week!


The very last few Green Fade Masao Skelves and Frostbite Masao will show up on the Circus Posterus webstore in increments over the next month. Keep checking the store, because these may show up at any time!

 

Colin Christian’s ‘Cosmic Godhead’ Cthulhu Sculpture

Lovecraft fans, do I have a treat for you: new from Colin Christian is Cosmic Godhead, a new edition of wall-mount sculptures of our favourite demon from the depths, Cthulhu. Cast in resin and measuring an impressive 17 inches, each of the 50 heads are hand embellished by Colin with holographic paint. And if the excitement of a new Christian series hasn’t made your tentacles curl, the price surely will: these beauties are only $200.

Take a peek at the video below to see the Godhead in all its glory. Contact Colin via email at colin@hotboxdesigns.com, on Twitter or via Facebook if you’re interested in purchasing.

Mikee’s Mail Day: Super7 x Secret Base Zombie Fighter!

So to switch things up a bit a this week, I’m actually going into the mail vault to discuss a toy I have a very strong love affair with:

In the picture above stands the awesomeness that is the Zombie Fighter. A collaboration between vinyl toy legends Super7 and Secret Base. This is the most recent collaboration figure the companies have done and is actually the best place to start my rant:

I am a huge fan of the “fight figure” genre of vinyl toys. The fight figure, to me, is the cornerstone of second generation Japanese vinyl toys. If not for the fight figure, Pushead may not still be making toys. If not for the fight figure, Napalm Death may not have a toy at all (which is not a world I’d want to live in). The fight figure is a “must” in any sofubi or kaiju collectors’ collection. Even if you only have one, a fighter is necessary. A good half of my collection is fight figures but I tend to enjoy the classic look and adaptability the fight design offers.

The Zombie Fighter presents a new head and arms on a very familiar fighter body: the same used for most Secret Base fight figures, from the Skull Brain (above) to the Skull Wing, to the Pumpkin Brain. It’s that versatility that gives the fight figure an advantage in the vinyl toy world. Some people say you have to fight to live, I say I live for fight figures.

Until next time, live that 24/7 Toy Life!

Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum: Derek Yaniger’s Aloha & Hukilau Hand Drums!

Grab your ukuleles and leis, Albuquerque, because Stranger Factory’s hosting a luau this December! For his upcoming sideshow exhibition, A One-Way Ticket to Flipsville, Derek Yaniger has transformed two real-deal hand drums into gorgeous, retro-and-Tiki inspired paintings. The Aloha (above) and Hukilau hand drums are each painted with acrylics and measure 12″ x 12″ and 22″ x 22″, respectively. Now all we need are those fruity drinks with little umbrellas. Should beat the winter blahs, no?

A One Way Ticket to Flipsville and Circus Annual open Dec. 7th with an opening reception from 6 to 9pm.

The Classic Jack & Lucky: Indigo Fade

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We all know getting some of the CP pieces can be interesting at times, but have no fear fans of the circus because we got your back. We have the classic piece Jack and Lucky by Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas in “Indigo Fade” available in the Stranger Factory online shop.

Jack nestled on top of a Lucky Skull has become an iconic work in the CP archives, and ready for all collections old and just starting out. Limited to a small run of 66, this amazing sculpt comes signed by Brandt and Kathie. Available now for $100 here.

Chris Ryniak’s Nuggleworts for Circus Annual @ Stranger Factory 12.7

Chris Ryniak is switching things up a bit this year for Circus Posterus’s annual winter group exhibition at Stranger Factory: instead of customizing pre-existing sculpts, he’s casting his very own critters! That’s right, Ryniak has become something of his own production house: the molds, the pouring, the pulling, the cleaning, the painting, all overseen entirely by the artist. So what’s first to come sneaking out from the monster dungeon? Why, Nuggleworts, dear boy! You may recall the brief teaser we posted a couple months back, or the small run he did for Septenary back in July. Well, these little dudes are BACK and a herd of six, 6-inch one-offs are making their way to the Factory next month for Circus Annual. The show kicks off Dec. 7th with a reception from 6-9pm; stick around for more sneak peeks of the exhibit as we draw closer to the date.

 

Stinky Ginger: An Anatomy

Chris Ryniak’s Stinky Ginger sofubi made a heck of an entrance at this year’s DesignerCon as a low-run, unpainted edition dubbed “Raw”. Retailing for 65 bucks per and run of just 65 pieces, most of the little Stinkers flew off the table before noon (did you see the photos?!), along with Kathie’s Calliope Jackalope and Brandt’s Toxic Marshmallow Stingy Jack.

Stinky is the third release from the Tomenosuke + Circus Posterus line of sofubi. If the name and header card weren’t any indication, she reeks something fierce with an equally-snarky attitude to match.  

Chris’s original model stands on the left, accompanied by Yohei Kaneko’s modified version on the right. The figure was resized in scale with Stingy Jack and Calliope and slight adjustments were made to her features.

Read More »Stinky Ginger: An Anatomy

Recap: SUBTERRANE @ Stranger Factory, 11.9

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Hot on the heels of the DesignerCon hustle, the CP crew packed up and hightailed it back to Albuquerque to prepare for SUBTERRANE at Stranger Factory — a group sculpture show featuring new works from emerging 3D artists Carisa Swenson, Yosiell Lorenzo, Shing Yin Khor, Valency Genis, Shea Brittain and Melita Curphy … the majority of whom also attended DCon! With almost all of the artists in attendance (we missed you, Melita!), the reception was a riot and a sugar-laden one at that, thanks to our friends at Rebel Donut.

SUBTERRANE is on display through Dec. 3rd and works can be viewed here. A full gallery of the evening’s tomfoolery awaits you after the break.

Read More »Recap: SUBTERRANE @ Stranger Factory, 11.9

SHOP TALK: Magic Sculpt with Valency and Kathie!

I was lucky enough to be able to sit in on Kathie and Valency’s Magic Sculpt workshop at Stranger Factory last Sunday(with special guest star Brandt). It’s always a pleasure watching skilled craftsmen work, and it was extremely educational and fun to get a chance to pick the brains of talented sculptors.

Here are some of my notes from the event! It’s a bit light on images, but where possible, I’ve included some images from workshop participants and my own post-workshop experiments to illustrate methods.

Read More »SHOP TALK: Magic Sculpt with Valency and Kathie!