Brandt Peters’ Stingy Jack recently received a cracking review from premier Japanese toy culture site, Kaiju Korner! In-depth, charming and deeply insightful, blogger Andy B wholly captured the essence and charm of the figure and the intent of the T+CP initiative. Now sold out at Circus Posterus and Tomenosuke, the response for Stingy from collectors worldwide has been incredible. Click here to find out why!
Following last week’s Instagram teasers, Teodoru Badiu has since put the finishing touches on his handsome herd of Wippos, due to embark on their trek to Artoyz Paris for Le Carnaval very soon! From left, say hello to Espirit Bleu, Fantome Green, Ame Noir, Rugueux Rouge and a second Espirit Bleu to round out the bunch.
After seeing these and the Dark Wippo test handpaint a few months back (below), the level of anticipation for these is off the hook. Bring on the edition!!
We saw quite a few editions release this month as part of Travis Louie’s stellar Spirits exhibition at Stranger Factory. Among them was the Ecto-Stan bust, which is now officially in production at CP HQ (i.e. Santa’s workshop). An exciting redesign of Travis’ Stan Skelve, Ecto-Stan is the first to utilize CP’s brand-new 7″ bust platform. The lovely handpaints are an edition of 20 at $250 a pop and are available now, should you fancy some old-fashioned Cyclops ‘stache. Send your inquiries to strangerfactorysales@gmail.com.
We also have some more gorgeous resin Calliope action goin’ on from the lovely Ms. Kathie … there’s going to be a few of these, some headed to Paris, some to AFA. And hopefully more after that, because these are precious.
And is that a Travis Lampe Skelve?! You bet your buttocks it is. He’s been a long time coming and what a coincidence that he should make a cameo a week shy of the opening of The Pit Of Unease. Hmmm …
Amanda Louise Spayd’s Instagram teasers (@amandalouisespayd) continue to trickle out in anticipation of her solo show, Origins of the Forest, opening this Friday at myplasticheart. Faux fur has never looked so good.
The reception will take place this Friday from 6pm to 9pm. Amanda will be there! For those looking to pick up a little guy from this show (who wouldn’t?!), be sure to sign up the for mailing list by emailing: previewme@myplasticheart.com. The critters will have full run of the gallery until October 7th.
With Le Carnaval des Spectres opening at Artoyz Paris in just under two weeks, Travis Louie is finally indulging us in what he has planned for the CP group exhibition. Kicking things off are a pair of custom Stan Skelves, who are sporting some pretty snazzy Cyclops eyes. “Here we spend all this time planning and perfecting [the eyes] and I’m scraping all that off and painting them entirely from scratch,” Travis laughs over the phone from his studio in Red Hook, NY. “I’m a lot happier with this batch … I feel like I’ve finally figured out how to paint these.”
Travis anticipates having nine custom Stans for the show, along with some small paintings. In other words: we have a lot to look forward to. Save your pennies!
Le Carnaval des Spectres opens Sept. 13th through Oct. 20th at Artoyz Shop + Galerie in Paris, France. The exhibition includes new works from Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Chris Ryniak, Amanda Louise Spayd, Teodoru Badiu and, of course, Mr. Travis Louie.
Hello CP fans! For those who don’t know, my name is Mikee and I work behind the counter at Stranger Factory. It’s an amazing job and to be honest I got it because of my one true love … Toys! Some would say I have a problem, others would exploit that problem for their entertainment! So in honor of the latter, we bring you Mikee’s Mail Day! I get a lot of packages and we are gonna start showing off some of the fun goodies I collect and why I collect them.
This week being the first, I opened a great package. Today I got in my Splurrt Usir. Usir is the third vinyl character release from rebel toy company Splurrt. Following in the footsteps of his prior releases, while still departing for a slightly different tone, the Usir is just plain evil! Not going to lie, Splurrt is one of my all time favorite toy companies and this is a prime piece of Sofubi to use as an example why. The Usir is a new head mold but the body is actually from a previous Splurrt release called the Diggler. This type of adaption through simplicity is why Kaiju and Sofubi are so amazing! Granted Mattel does this with He Man parts but it’s not because they have to and more because they prefer to cut cost. We Toy Rebels live and thrive on a budget, so finding ways to make something new out of something existing is what this is all about.
Until next time, live that 24/7 Toy Life!
Previously on Stingy Jack, An Anatomy 4: We get our first look at Stingy in coloured vinyl and apply new paint mods to help show off his assets. And then, the unthinkable: the unforgiving heat of New Mexico warps Stingy’s feet, causing him to shelf dive. So, we rebuild: his feet are remodeled and repositioned for better stability. He’s tested and stands. And now: the exciting conclusion!
After a year of planning and production, 120 Stingy Jacks arrive on Tomenosuke’s doorstep from Obitsu. Half will head to New Mexico for the North American release, while the remainder will stay back for international collectors. An overwhelming feeling of relief and pride spills over Tomenosuke store owner and T+CP partner, Shinji Nakako.
“Since it took a full year to complete, I think that’s all the more strong feelings towards this piece,” Shinji reflects on the experience.
“I assumed that I had acquired plenty of experience in toy making from the resin figure Lady Butterfly and the high-end prop replica Tomenosuke Blaster, but what awaited me were the challenges and excitements unique to vinyl.
“The task at hand was to create a model for mass production without sacrificing the nuance of the original sculpture, while clearing certain limitations involved with forming from metal mold,” Shinji continues. “I thought that I knew fully well of the material’s characteristic of being sensitive to heat, but due to the high temperatures in the summer, the base of the figure’s feet had deformed and could not support itself. As a result, We had to make the feet from scratch.
It’s only sofubi, but it’s still sofubi… not something that could be done in a brief period of time.”
Up next: Brandt Peters sits down and, in a rare afterword, explains Stingy’s creation, his passion for sofubi and what’s next for Tomenosuke + Circus Posterus.
[via the Tomeno blog]
Night vision goggles. It’s one of those choice accessories that work so well with a Squadt you wonder why it’s only now that they’re being added to the arsenal. No matter: FERG’s Jack s003 [Fort Burnout – DSRT] Squadt is packing a pretty sexy pair and the figure is now up for grabs from your favorite purveyors of toy goodness.
Tri-lens goggles aside, Jack comes with all the usual bells and whistles: modular tactical vest with assorted pouches, Fort Burnout shirt (hidden under there somewhere), bandana, sUMP w/red dot and suppressor, tanto knife with Velcro sheath, classic and 2.0 articulated arms, smoke and yellow lenses and a removable helmet. That’s a whole lotta kaboom for $95. Want one? Giddy up.
As part of an impressive display of new 2D works for Le Carnaval des Spectres, Vienna-based CP artist Teodoru Badiu will also debut his long-awaited Wippo figure at the exhibition, opening next month at Artoyz Paris. Five custom Wippos will make an appearance at the gallery, each hand-painted with love and affection by the artist. Looking great, so far!
Le Carnaval des Spectres opens Sept. 13 through Oct. 20th at Artoyz Shop + Galerie in Paris, France. The exhibition marks CP’s first group exhibition on European soil and features a collection of new two- and three-dimensional works from Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Travis Louie, Chris Ryniak, Amanda Louise Spayd and Teodoru Badiu.
Professor Teslastein jaggedly cuts, bending back the metal flesh. Feverishly he works to create new vehicles of destruction for his nefarious exploits. Two models take shape from the scraps: in one he plants a vine to give it strength and in the other he gives a piece of himself. The Frankendunnys come alive. He leaves his laboratory, happy with his success, not noticing a third figure has risen from the decay. Concealed in the shadows, its eyes are glowing, gears are turning, and electric current is pulsing with life.
Doktor A fans, prepare to render your F5 key inoperable on September 6th. Rising from the steel slab of Professor Teslastein’s lab is the Ironclad Decimator Dunny, a riveted Rupture robot hardwired for destruction.
The 8-inch dunny is available in two editions: Regular and Mecha Rupture, as well as a chase that has yet to be revealed. The Regular, fashioned in a metallic silver and gold with a electric blue lightening bolt, will be available exclusively through Kidrobot stores and Kidrobot.com. His counterpart, Mecha Rupture, is a retailer release (store list here). He sports a matte pink with high-gloss black and white palette and black translucent lightening bolt. Both editions are a limited run of 600 pieces and the chase is 200 pieces (1:6 ratio). They retail for $75 per. Buckle up; things are gonna get nutty.
[via the KR blog]
