Calliope Jackalope

Calliope Jackalope: An Anatomy, Pt. I

In continuing with our CP x Tomenosuke sofubi anatomy series, we now turn our attention to Kathie Olivas’ Calliope Jackalope, who we anticipate to see at Le Carnaval des Spectres this September at Artoyz Paris.

Unlike Brandt’s Stingy Jack, there was no pre-existing master sculpt for the Calliope Jackalope, which meant she had to be made from the ground-up. With Teodoru Badiu again at the helm of 3D rendering, he created the digital turns of the figure. Stingy Jack sculptor Yohei Kaneko of Mirock Toy would return as sculptor for this project.

One of the really interesting features of the CP sofubi project is the goal to have interchangeable heads between all of the figures. That also presents many obstacles, however, as was discovered while sculpting Calliope: in order to support Jack’s head and have it look natural, Calliope’s backline and shoulder width had to be adjusted. This element of interchangeability will have to be taken into account with each subsequent release and, while a challenge, may very well yield both impressive and playful results.

And here she is, in all her glory: after repeated modifications and adjustments to the figure to accommodate Brandt’s Stingy Jack and preserve Kathie’s signature style, the prototype was approved the evening of the Monsters & Misfits II opening in Takayama, Japan, last April.

Which means: we’re off to get waxed!

[via the Tomeno blog]

Stingy Jack: An Anatomy, Part III

Previously on Stingy Jack, An Anatomy II: Stingy Jack sees double after he’s made into a wax model! Five metal molds are created and the folks at Obitsu start casting Stingy’s individual parts. Now: we return to the factory and watch as Stingy’s clone army comes to life one by one.

After all of Stingy’s parts have been poured, spun and popped, the sculptors at Obitsu are left with dozens of lone limbs that need to be reassembled. But before doing that, the flashing needs to be cut off — these are the cone-like scraps you see on the left side of the picture below. The flashing makes it easier to extract the vinyl from the mold, so it can be discarded after the figure is pulled. That’s when the fun of reanimation begins …

Read More »Stingy Jack: An Anatomy, Part III

KO’s Calliope Jackalope Coming ‘Very Soon’

Woo, all this sofubi talk is getting me antsy for some vinyl goodness and what happens to pop up on the @circusposterus Instagram just recently but a GORGEOUS shot of Kathie’s Calliope Jackalope — a few, in fact — in a beautiful spectrum of colours. The cutline beneath the photo reads a short and sweet “very soon!!”

Leading the trio is the sofubi paint master for the factory, with two resin handpaints in behind. Exactly when these beauties will be dropping is anyone’s guess. Paris, perhaps? AFA? Oh the anticipation — don’t wander too far!

First Peek: KO’s Calliope Jackalope … in Vinyl!

Speaking of projects that I’m genuinely excited about: Kathie shared some snaps of the first vinyl test pull of her Calliope Jackalope via Instagram yesterday. This thing is looking seriously beautiful, especially given the complexity of the sculpt by sofubi standards. The figure is comprised of 8 interlocking pieces, some of which can be switched out … like this!:

Errrrmahgerd, mash up madness! Just wait till there’s a whole series of CP sofubi figures with body parts you can switch out … it’s a toytastic acid trip just begging to be happen. Seriously, could you imagine the trading parties?! What if there were unique chase pieces/custom pieces or booster packs you could buy? Would y’all be down?! There are so many exciting possibilities with this project … can’t wait to see where it goes!

More info on Calliope as soon as she’s through test painting — as for Brandt’s Stingy Jack, I actually have an interesting piece of (semi-related) news on him, so stick around!

CP Sofubi: Kathie’s Calliope Jackalope Finished in Wax

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The CP x Tomenosuke sofubi vinyl project continues to blaze along with an update from Shinji that Kathie Olivas‘ Calliope Jackalope is now finished in wax and will be moving into the molding phase!

For those unfamiliar with the process, the cone-like extremities on each of the figure’s parts is flashing, which is used help extract the figure from the mold. It’s then cut away when the figure is assembled. As you can see, the Jackalope is a more complex sofubi figure as it comes in multiple parts: head, body, legs, ears, hat and tail.

To get a sense of what’s next, check out this video from Andy of Kaiju Korner. He recently had the opportunity to visit a small sofubi production house in Tokyo. Prepare for the chemical bath, dear Calliope!

CP Sofubi: Stingy Jack Goes Into Production!

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*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!!

 

Sneak Peeks from KO & CMR for Spectrum 5.18

We have some fresh tasters from Kathie Olivas and Chris Ryniak for everyone heading out to Spectrum next weekend in Kansas City (damn, this came up fast!). First up is a Calliope Jackalope hand paint from Kathie: the first-ever to be revealed! This little lady is one of the resin prototypes (it will also be sofubi), which we’ll see more widely released later this year. I’ve always been a sucker for those floppy ears and big eyes … and now they’re throwing broken antlers into the mix … can’t. handle. iiiiiit. (Kind of curious about the painting in behind, as well; here’s hoping KO’s been slingin’ some fresh paint!)

And please accept our apologies in advance if you’re swarmed by fruit flies while visiting the booth; Ryniak is bringing along some Rotten Banana Mini Crumbeaters, whose siren song of sweet stink is sure to create a buzz.

Sounds like a blast, really. Spectrum Fantastic Art Live kicks of May 18-20 at the Kansas City Convention Centre in  lovely Kansas City, MO. Party’s in Bartle Hall; the CP booth is #919, right near the main stage. Brandt Peters, Archer Dougherty and Travis Louie will also be attending.

 

Circus Posterus x Tomenosuke: The Sofubi Figures Revealed

Cue the victory fanfare for our weary artist travelers have returned home from the magical land that is Japan! There was sight seeing, and spa soaking, fan signings and bad karaoke (still awaiting evidence), and of course, the opening of Monsters & Misfits II.

Apart from all this, the quartet also managed to squeeze in a couple of projects: namely the planning of Monsters & Misfits III, slated for Summer/Fall 2013, and also the new Circus Posterus x Tomenosuke sofubi vinyl project. Yes, ladies and gents, we’re going to smelling some fresh CP vinyl very soon — one of the first pulls of BP’s Stingy Jack is pictured above, alongside KO’s Calliope Jackalope prototype, which has just been OK’d and should be hitting production soon. Chris Ryniak also put the finishing touches on his Stinky Ginger prototype, which we first saw a few weeks back. Hand-painted resin versions will be released as well this year. In other words: we have plenty to look forward to! Release details are still emerging, so keep checking back!