Brandt Peters’ sofubi Stingy Jack inches ever nearer to completion from the looks of these new snaps showing off the mischief makers’ first colourway: a regal transparent purple. The figure is still undergoing some tweaks (gloves and eyes will be brighter, a fade will be added to the body), but we now have a general idea of what to look forward to. A release date will be set once these adjustments are made, which should be very soon!
It’s official: the boys have touched down in Japan and Shinji at Tomenosuke has announced that Trouble Boy No.7 [Drifter] is releasing at MIDNIGHT Japan Time on June 16th for $150 USD. Given that this is a retailer release, shipping is likely extra. The edition is limited to 150 so prepare yourself for an Olympian-level race, folks!
Also: be sure to check a time zone calculator to determine the release time for your region. I’ve linked one here.
OK so SPECTRUM RECAP! In case you missed the earlier coverage, the Circus Posterus caravan (Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Travis Louie, Chris Ryniak and Archer Dougherty) rolled into the fine city of Kansas City, MO, for the first-ever Spectrum Fantastic Art convention. Held at the Kansas City Convention Center from May 18-20th, the show was essentially an offshoot of the annual mag, celebrating the cream of the crop of the contemporary art community.
Not surprisingly, the level of talent in Bartle Hall was unprecedented: more than 200 creative professionals from all over the globe exhibited at the event. But that didn’t stop the Circus from making its presence known, with some fans lining up as early as 6am and most editions selling out in the first 15 minutes. (Biznass.)
Talking toys specifically, Spectrum saw the introduction of the Frostbite 4 Legged Masao and the first resin Calliope Jackalope handpaint from Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters. Travis Louie brought along a trio of gorgeous custom Stan Skelves and Chris Ryniak let loose some custom Bubblegut and Crumbeaters.
And there was also some pretty sweet surprises: do you see what I see below?
IS THAT AN ULTRA SQUID GIRL?!
Indeed, it is! I’m going to wager that it’s one of the resin editions and details on this project will emerge soon. A Classic Stingy Jack, Octopus Girl and some Ghostly Stans also made an appearance. Seriously: I’m jealous, Kansas.
And if that wasn’t enough, the 2D art was off the hook, as well: small original paintings, drawings and prints from each of the artists. A nice change of pace; here’s hoping we see more of this at future cons.
That’s a wrap for this year! There’s a whole whack of event photos below and also via the gallery. Enjoy!
*Sniff* *sniff* … ahhh … you smell that? That, my friends, is the scent of sweet, sweet sofubi vinyl going into production. Following his big first reveal during the Monsters & Misfits Japan tour last month, Brandt Peters’ devilish Stingy Jack (in collaboration with Tomenosuke-syoten) has since been improved in a couple of areas, making the toy thicker and better supported. Level up, baby … this little mischief maker is hitting the conveyer catwalk looking better than ever.
The first colorway is anticipated to drop at the end of June (fingers crossed). We’ll drop a sneak or two closer to the date.
In other news: Kathie Olivas’ Callipe Jackalope is just about finished in wax and is on its way to molds. We’ll keep y’all in the loop on that project as it develops as well. So much goodness in the works right now! *Asplodes*
For those new to all this awesome, Circus Posterus’ sofubi vinyl is a brand-spankin’-new collaborative project in conjunction with Japan’s Tomenosuke-syoten. Three figures in this series have been revealed thus far: Brandt’s Stingy Jack, Kathie’s Calliope Jackalope and Chris Ryniak’s Stinky Ginger. The figures are slated for release throughout 2012, with Stingy Jack making the first exit around end-June(ish). Since it’s a collab project, the editions will be shared between CP and Tomenosuke, with each party receiving half. In other words, these will be limited, there will be chaos and you’ll feel freaking INVINCIBLE when you score one after stumbling with anxious fingers and a pounding heart. Welcome to the league of F5.
Stick around, folks — things are just starting to heat up!!
Opening next month at Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome is Green Blood, a charity group exhibition benefiting Greenpeace and Oceana — organizations that focus on the preservation of nature and its wildlife. Curated by Alexandra Mazzanti and Tara McPherson, the bill includes CP’s master of class, Mr. Travis Louie, along with the formidable Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters. Joining them are:
Tara McPherson, Jeff Soto, Martin Wittfooth, Lola, Brandi Milne, Leila Ataya, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Roland Tamayo, Ana Bagayan, Scott Musgrove, Yosuke Ueno, Sergio Mora, Dave Cooper, Paolo Guido, Afan, Alessia Iannetti, Anastasia Kurakina, Gary Baseman, Ixie Darkonn, Mr. Klevra and Corine Perier.
That’s some serious heat and for a great cause. I have no eye candy yet, but will be sure to share the goodness as soon as it hits my inbox. Green Blood opens June 14th with an opening reception starting at 7pm. Show’s until July 20th!
Some interesting history about [Drifter] and the Yakuza from Shinji at Tomenosuke-syoten. Trouble Boy No. 7 is slated for release mid-June.
At the preparatory stage of the Trouble Boy #7 DRIFTER, I talked about the symbol accessories of the Yakuza with Brandt Peters. One of them was “tanto knife” that comes along with the Mac11. However, some of the ideas were finally omitted. One example was a badge which was drawn on the concept art of Brandt’s. I sent him a picture of real badges which is famous as a symbol of Japanese syndicates; however, I told him that our design should not be associated with the real one. Finally the idea was not adopted, so honestly I was a little bit relieved. It was just like ”Better safe than sorry.”
On the other hand, Brandt had a tattoo idea from the early stage. The special point of the Trouble Boy this time is the hidden tattoo covering the whole body under the clothes presented by so-called Brandt’s specialty touch. The above image is the first tattoo layout sent from Brandt on July 7, 2011.
[via the Tomeno blog]
And the juicy teasers continue to drop: Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters have a whole tickle trunk of tricks up their sleeves for Spectrum, including the debut of the Frostbite 4 Legged Masao. Oh the mayhem … *steeples fingers* … >:)
Pretty much loving everything about the Frostbite; the eyes, the colour: it feels like it’s been ages since we’ve seen a hand painted blue release (I’m more partial to this than the indigo resin). If this edition is being handled in typical CP fashion, a handful of the Frostbites will be at the Con, with the rest releasing online or through the messageboards at a later date. Stoked over here.
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live is on this Friday through Sunday at the Kansas City Convention Centre in Kansas City, MO. Event’s in Bartle Hall and CP is stationed at booth #919 near the main stage. CAN YOU HANDLE IT?!
The second flyer for Brandt Peters x FERG’s next Trouble Boy has been revealed which can only mean one thing: a release date! Tomenosuke’s toy wrangler, Shinji Nakako, has just announced that production on No. 7 [DRIFTER] is wrapping up around May 25th and will be shipping to Japan immediately after. So we’re looking at a mid-June exit.
… Be still, my trigger finger.
More details to come closer to the release date. In the meantime, enjoy the BP sketch that started it all, and a lovely snap of the sweet, cold hardware that No. 7 will be packing (the suppressor is removable!). Pew pew, mthrfckr!!!
Opening this Thursday at Bold Hype in NYC is Suggestivism, a large group show curated by artist Nathan Spoor.
Forty artists are participating in the exhibition, including Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas, as well as familiar faces Chet Zar, Dan May, Nathan Ota, Sas & Colin Christian, Annie Owens, Jason Limon and dozens more.
The concept of Suggestivism, says Spoor, does not center around claiming a title for giving any movement a name, but for introducing a common creative thread amongst several disparate and unique voices within the modern art world.
The full artist list and show preview can be viewed here. Opening reception Thursday, May 10th, from 6-9pm. Show runs through June 30th!
Spectrum Fantastic Art is celebrating its first-ever convention later this month in Kansas City and the Circus is hitting the road to scope out the action!
Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Chris Ryniak, Archer Dougherty and Travis Louie will be hanging out at the CP booth (#919), right near the main stage area (don’t get any ideas, guys). Like most Cons, they’ll probably have a little bit of everything on hand … and like most Cons, it’ll disappear in a flash so shuffle to their booth quick-like!
Sneak peeks and WIP shots to come. Spectrum Fantastic Art Live kicks off May 18th through the 20th in the Bartle Hall in the Kansas City Convention Center. Directions, membership info, exhibitor list and all that jazz can be found here.
