Kaiju Korner

New Shikaruna Marine Kong head sculpt

2012-02-03T23:29:00.000+09:00

Shikaruna is putting out a new head sculpt for its Marine Kong figure. The sculpt has the beastie with a laughing expression. He always struck me as a jovial chap, so I think the new look works great. It also fits in nicely with the lighter vibe of Shikaruna's anime series.

New sculpt:

Pics of the original head, for reference:

Astro Zombies store visit

2012-02-02T21:54:00.000+09:00

Trying to get caught up on store visit reports. Astro Zombies has long been a staple in the Osaka toy scene, both as a shop and as the sponsor of the Pushead Skullwing. A couple of years ago, the store moved to its current location in the heart of Namba, which is Osaka's equivalent of Akihabara.

First, the store details:

Address: 〒556-0005　大阪府大阪市浪速区日本橋3-6-9
Tel: (06) 6630-8796
Hours: 12:00～20:00 (Closed the first and third Wednesday of every month (or the following Thursday if Wed. is a holiday). Also closed New Year's Day.)
Map: Click here for a pinpoint map to the shop.
Contact e-mail: email@astro-z.com
Website: http://www.astro-z.com/

The two-story shop is one of Osaka's best, with a mix of indy sofubi, mainstream action figures, vintage toys, monster masks, magazines, and a bunch more, not to mention a mouth watering Skullwing display.

Store pics:

Chock full sofubi case

More after the jump:

It looks, but it does not touch these preciouses...

...or these preciouses.

OK you can touch the Batman.

Up we go.....

Some very nice cabinets in the stairwell

second floor

New from US Toys/Ultraman Exhibit in Tokyo

2012-02-01T22:16:00.000+09:00

There's another Ultraman exhibit in Tokyo, which is currently ongoing. Once again, it's at the Parco department store in Shibuya. The show runs through April 8. Click here for all the event's homepage.

Some very limited US Toys are being sold at the show:

Baltan. Size:80mm

Price２５００ yen

limited to １０

Lagon. Size:１１５mm

Price３５００ yen

limited to １０

DX Neronga. Size:160mm

Price: ４９８０ yen

limited to １０

DX Gabora. Size:160mm

Price:４９８０ yen

limited to １0

Baltan. Size:160mm

Price:３９８０ yen

limited to １０

New from Real Head (1.31.2012)

2012-01-31T23:09:00.001+09:00

New Chaos Fighter Next:

Plus its clear!

More after the jump:

New from Real Head (1.30.2012)

2012-01-30T22:33:00.001+09:00

New releases:

Kamen Rider tribute colorway, based on Kamen Rider Meteor from the currently airing season, Kamen Rider Fourze. (Thanks for the info Hatetriot!)

Just one of these

There were a couple of these with slightly different color apps

Peter Kato resins

2012-01-29T22:35:00.004+09:00

I don't often get a chance to cover resin figures, mostly because they rarely cross my desk. But recently New York-based artist Peter Kato sent over a couple of his super cool figures, which are a ton of fun.

I first met Peter and covered his work at an exhibition he had at Studio Uamou last year. More recently, I posted info about his initial Turtle Tetsujin release.

His figures are 1-2" tall and feature well made resin with detailed sculpts and line work.

Onto the images!

Intial Turtle Tetsujin (with custom lettering by Peter) and Jet Black Fright Night.

Closeups:

This fellow would make a cool sofubi figure too!

More after the jump:

Hanging out with some friends their own size.

You can check out more of Peter's work and pick up his resins in his webstore here.

Miazawa-san (Shikaruna) painting Tetsujin-28 (video)

2012-01-28T22:45:00.000+09:00

The other day I visited the Shikaruna studio. While there, Miazawa-san was kind enough to let me film him painting some Tetsujin-28s, one of the figures in Shikaruna's popular anime line.

A couple of still shots:

Tokyo Toy Shop Map Updated! (1.28.2011)

2012-01-28T12:21:00.000+09:00

I've added Shikaruna to my Tokyo Toy Shop map, with the store hours, website, etc. I've also added all that info to yesterday's store visit post. Make sure to stop by the shop if you're in Koiwa. Third Uncle is also nearby.

Plus, you can take a very nice walk from Koiwa to Aoto (takes 45 minutes), to visit Shinto Gangu and Real Headz! (But remember to check Mori's Twitter feed to make sure one of the shops is open.)

Also, alas, I've removed Thrashout from the map. One store closes, one store opens.

Visit to Shikaruna shop + studio

2012-01-27T20:42:00.003+09:00

I've visited and written up Shikaruna a couple of times before, but it's been over a year since my last write up, and a lot has changed in the interim. The studio is now a full-fledged shop, selling Shikaruna figures as well as antique toys.

The latter category is actually a throw back to the shop's origins, as they were once an antique shop. Now, they've come full circle - bringing it all together, and the place looks fantastic. It's also a studio, so there are sculpts, masks, molds, and paint bottles adorning the shelves, walls, and ceiling. Subarashi.

The studio/shop is in Koiwa. Given its renewed shop status, I'll soon add details of how to get there and will also update my Tokyo toy shop map. Edit: And here they are:

Opening hours: Tues-Sun from around 1:30-7:00.
Phone number: 03-3659-1990
Address: 〒133-0057 東京都江戸川区西小岩1-10-4-101 ハイメゾン菅野
Location: near Koiwa station (on the Sobu line - about 10 minutes from Akihabara). Click here for a precise map to the shop. (You'll want to print this or save it to your mobile device. The backstreets of Koiwa are a labyrinth!)
Website: http://www.mangajyuku.com/

Images:

New display window in front

A lot of the stuff in the following images is for sale. Some figures are samples. Just ask, and they'll let you know.

More after the jump:

Did you know the Shikaruna masters sculpted Skinner's Ultrus Bog?

Vintage toys: (Quite a lot of these were recently sold and will soon be picked up by the buyer.)

Studio accoutrement:

Toy molds

In a future post, I'll be putting up a video of Miazawa-san painting Tetsujin-28.

Sculpts, some of which will be future releases:

This figure is slotted to debut soon.

I love this image, as it sums up the classic feel of the Shikaruna wonderland.

Rampage Toys x Splurrt Cadaver Kid

2012-01-26T21:26:00.001+09:00

Rampage Toys + Splurrt have teamed up for a fantastic collaboration, entitled the Guardian Daemon Cadaver Kid.

The release, which is limited to 10 pieces, features an excellent paint job by Jon of Rampage Toys on a flesh base vinyl Cadaver Kid.

base vinyl

The highly detailed paint work contains a mixture of nicely blended broad and fine spray with very precise brushwork. Jon really went to town on the figures, and they came out great with fantastic color balance and an intricate, though not overblown palette.

top down view

Can't say I'm crazy about the pentagram on the chest plate, since it seems like kind of a cheap effect that doesn't really add to the design (yeah I get that it's a demon), but it's a small point, and I do like the application of shapes and stencils on vinyl, which Jon has been working with in recent months.

front/back look

The figures are priced at $65 each, and they'll be available on Jon's Big Cartel site sometime around 10:00 PM EST on Thursday January 26. Good bet they'll sell out within minutes, so to all those F5ers out there - ganbatte!

New from Real Head (1.25.2012)

2012-01-25T21:53:00.000+09:00

New releases:

New cupee body! It's the Jolly Green ChaoQ! Six parts + super soft sofubi.

Blobpus x MVH x Medicom Enma Ollie

2012-01-24T23:42:00.000+09:00

Today, pre-orders opened for the latest Enma, which features a head sculpted by Blobpus on MVH's Ollie. This version is on a blue base vinyl with gold, black, red, green, and silver spray. Though it's a Project 1/6 exclusive, pre-orders are up online, starting today and continuing through February 10.

The cost is 13,800 yen. The good news for overseas fans is the release is open to worldwide orders! However, the order page states that buyers will be chosen by lottery in mid-February, which suggests that this is not an "open" pre-order but rather a limited run.

Click here for Japanese ordering instructions.
Click here for English/overseas ordering instructions.

Clutter Issue 16 + The Fort

2012-01-24T02:39:00.000+09:00

Clutter Issue 16, which is now out, contains my 6 page article/photo essay on The Fort, where Grody Shogun + Velocitron ply their trade and produce some of the world's best known sofubi. I also go into the sofubi making process, and there are a couple of dozen nice hi res photos which I shot at the Fort. So, lots of good stuff in there.

The mag (which can be ordered from the Clutter site here) is a beautiful glossy publication and only costs something like 10 bucks (full disclosure - I don't see any of the moolah).

Here are thumbnails of my piece:

Karoshi - featuring Velocitron + Grody Shogun - show at TAG gallery

2012-01-22T22:43:00.001+09:00

Karoshi, a two man show featuring the work of Velocitron (Ricky Wilson) and Grody Shogun (Luke Rook) opens at the TAG Gallery in Hollywood on February 3. The show kicks off with an opening reception at 7 PM.

Paul Kaiju x Real Head Biterman Side by Side

2012-01-21T22:29:00.001+09:00

Biterman features a Paul Kaiju head design on an adult Real Head body.

The Biterman on the left was released at Shinto Gangu sold on 12.16.2011. The one on the right was sold at Shinto Gangu on 1.18.2012.

More after the jump:

New Blobpus x Yamomark figures

2012-01-20T21:39:00.000+09:00

Blobpus continues his run of Yamomark collaborations with two new figures:

Nikulu Kamen

Chulantara

The figures will be sold via lottery, with entries accepted from January 25 to January 29. Ordering details will go up later on the Blobpus website.

Disney @ Mandarake Akiba

2012-01-19T20:04:00.000+09:00

Mandarake's Akihabara Complex mega store has a nice Disney display on the first floor. They've got toys, statues, pins, etc. One of the great things about Mandarake's display is it's all up for grabs - like the candy growing on the trees in Willy Wonka's factory. Except it isn't free. And there aren't any Oompa Loompas. Come to think of it, in Akiba...

Anyway, here are some pics from the home of the Everlasting Yenstopper:

More after the jump:

New from Real Head (1.18.2012)

2012-01-18T22:51:00.001+09:00

It was a good day at the Gangu.

OG Chaos colors!!

Just 1 of these

This one too. Check out the tin foil brains!

Sofubi paint masks

2012-01-17T20:57:00.001+09:00

Most sofubi is done free spray, but a lot of makers also have masks made to spray certain areas of their figures. Masks allow for very precise paint work as well as complex designs. The downside is they're very expensive, costing hundreds of dollars for even very small masks.

Here are a few masks used by Luke Rook (Grody Shogun Lulubell).

Masks for Betty Hairy Honey:

Note there are 3 masks just for the eyes!

More after the jump:

Masks for the Lulubell x Real Head mini Fortune Cat:

The character ("love") is so complex that two masks are used (one after the other) to spray the same area.

From the inside. Each mask fits its toy perfectly.

Goodbye Thrashout

2012-01-16T21:02:00.001+09:00

Today, Gargamel's flagship store in Tokyo - Thrashout - closed its doors permanently. Most of the group is moving to Fukuoka, and they plan to keep making toys. But the loss of Thrashout is a big one in the indy sofubi world, as the shop has been a major center of activity for more than 7 years.

Two days ago, Gargamel had a final sale, to clear out some old stock. There were some nice figures and great prices, and it was a good chance to say thank you and good luck to the crew. Pics from the event:

More after the jump:

I picked up a few things. The mini glow set is TOUGH to track down.

New images from the Fort

2012-01-15T20:48:00.000+09:00

Some stills I snapped on Friday the 13th. You can see some of the figures in the video I put up on YouTube here. As before, I need to note that these are shots of Luke's studio, and they aren't necessarily preview shots of what's to come from Grody Shogun.

Initial Turtle Tetsujin resin figure from Peter Kato

2012-01-15T13:58:00.001+09:00

Peter Kato, whose work I covered a couple of months ago at an exhibition at Studio Uamou, has a new version of his 2.5" resin figure: Turtle Tetsujin. This version of the figure is Valentine themed. It's clear red, and you can choose a letter, number, heart shape, or "?" symbol to have added to its chest - kind of like traditional conversation hearts candy (which I LOVE, though the stuff you get in bags and boxes these days is lousy. Fortunately some Tasti D Lite shops in Manhattan continues to stock the GOOD STUFF in bulk. Yum!)

Here are a couple more images:

The cost is $15 per figure. You can place an order on Peter's webshop here. The deadline for ordering a custom initial is Feb 1. You can also e-mail them at: info@peterkato.com

Luke Rook (Grody Shogun) talks toys (video)

2012-01-14T11:51:00.000+09:00

Last night I visited the Fort, and as we munched on cookies, we talked toys, Japanese culture, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash (and Young). In this video, Luke talks about his use of new paint techniques and gets into some of the nitty gritty of applying different paint applications.

Note: The toys you see in this video (and my images from the Fort in general) may or may not be made into production figures. So please don't treat everything you see as "previews" for upcoming Grody figures. A lot of figures in Luke's studio are just concepts he's testing out. So please wait for "official" announcements, images, etc from Lulubell (on Facebook, Twitter, etc.) before contacting them about figures. What I'm doing here is providing a behind the scenes look at Luke's work and the toy making process. OK, end note. :)

Big news from Marusan

2012-01-13T20:33:00.001+09:00

The other day at Super Festival 58, I had a chat with the owner of Marusan. He's a very nice, dapper gentleman, and he clued me in on some breaking news for Marusan. The company is in the process of finalizing a deal with a US distributor to have their figures sold overseas. That will hopefully be concluded within a number of months. As I understand it, the plan is for sales to be through the Marusan USA website, which currently has a few pages of information about the company.

So for all you fans of Marusan's Goji, Hedorah, and other figures - hang onto your hats, cuz the sofubi train is a rollin' westward! Wait, what? Problem with the metaphor? See, it's a hover train, so it will simply glide over the Pacific with its sofubi payload. Du-uh... ^_^

Bwana Spoons Micro Killers

2012-01-12T13:14:00.000+09:00

These are one of our favorite Gargamel micros. On a cool, crisp winter's day, I took the lazy eyed killers to my favorite shooting gallery.

Arial shot of Orca Sofubilinus sunbathing

2011 SDCC glittery purple

More after the jump:

This older fellow wandered over to see what I was up to. I tried to get a pic of him with a killer but he wasn't up for it. He did pick one up for closer inspection. Went straight for the Bwana handpaint. Yeah, dude's got the sofubi bug - caught it from across the park!

Bwana handpaint - from a show at Thrashout last year

Gatcha machine releases. Feller on the left is the painted version of the one on the right. They are tomodachi.

One of the things I like about the park is the variety of textures.

Pullback view

Take the trike!!

Found some friends their own size

Party in the park!

GUUMON solo show at KULTUREZ in Cambridge, MA

2012-01-11T13:36:00.000+09:00

On January 13, overall good guy and friend of Kaiju Korner Brian Mahony will open a solo show of GUUMON toys at KULTUREZ, a clothing store in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). The show will feature one-offs by a slew of top flight artists. Here's a sneak peek followed by the full press release:

"GUUMON aka kaiju designer Brian Mahony is having a solo show of his figures in Cambridge Ma from January 13th thru February 4th.The opening night is this Friday 7:30 pm. The show venue is a modern hip hop/ graffiti oriented clothing store called KULTUREZ. There will be many new GUUMON one-offs as well as new handpaints and customs done by : BLObPUS,Shing Yin Kor, Jerry Gates, Mark Bently, and DLUX . Mahony got DUBMASHPRODUCTIONS to DJ the event, which shold make for a great fit. More info and pics about some of the figures can be seen on the GUUBLOG. Mahony will be at the show signing pieces and raffling off some Daigomi figures. Should be a great show."

Fig-Lab Finger Five Series

2012-01-10T11:00:00.002+09:00

Yesterday I posted a pic of the upcoming Finger Five sofubi series being put out by Fig-Lab. Here's that pic again:

The figures shown in the pic are all original sculpts, so the development process is still underway. Each figure is a "finger puppet," meaning there's just one part, and the bottoms are hollow. They're about 2-2.5" tall.

Here are up close pics of each figure with the designers' names underneath:

Lamour Supreme

Suckadelic

Monstrehero

Onell Design

Paul Kaiju

The series is slotted to start rolling out within a few months. Looks like a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out!

Super Festival 58

2012-01-09T19:51:00.009+09:00

Today's Super Festival was one of the most energetic, well-attended, and packed with exclusives in recent memory. Really nice time, and as usual, a casual vibe by lunchtime after the buying/selling frenzy subsided. 200+ pics for you this time, arranged by maker, alphabetically. Hope you enjoy the KK virtual tour. :O)

Bara Pro

Beautiful SF 58 exclusive with strobe light head!

Billiken

200 more pics after the jump:

Bullmark

CCP

Cord Viper

Creative Design

Fig-Lab

Test Shots

Prototype sculpts of figures from an upcoming series, including figures from five designers! (More on these in an upcoming post.)

Frenzy

One of my favorite Frenzys to date. I asked about overseas orders, and they said they will ship overseas!

Galaxy People

Giga Brain

Grody Shogun and Velocitron

MVH paints!

Ilanena

Gorgeous palette. Most figures were for display only.

Ilanena-san assembling a beautiful new wood display set up.

Subarashi. (but not for sale-ashi)

Ilanena has caught mashup fever!

Ilu Ilu

Sakaguchi-san confirmed that these exclusive versions were for sale today at SF 58 only. Pure show exclusives.

These incredible throw-back books, made by Sakaguchi-san, are blank inside. Even the bags have an intentionally worn effect, to complete the "sitting in an old bookstore for 30 years" look. They were for display only.

Kaiju Ken

KIkkake

Kowelly Town and Spooky Parade

Nice resin figures on chains

These sets, featuring nice handmade boxes, came with T-shirts + a resin toy in the egg. Cool!

Marmit

Marusan

Nerf gun game prizes! (I never win but love to try my hand :p )

Nerf gun shooting game.

Mitari

That's a lot of resin!

Monster Worship

Nice grapey unpaints!

Chad did all these rubs.

Monsters Lab

Pico Pico and Sunguts

He was remote controlling the little critter on the floor from inside the suit. Next level crazy! So awesome.

Rampage Toys

Really nice colors on these.

Real Head

Some nice adults. The Pheyosman was new for the show.

Gorgeous Tanuki rub. First Tanuki I've seen sold with any paint.

Secret Base

Sorry they had a very strict no photos policy. They sold a new red Rebel Ink, a painted Devilman, a Toy Story crane game dude, Micro Infection Monsters on keychains, and a couple other things. There was also a display sample of the upcoming Spongebob figure.

Shikaruna

Drop dead gorgeous and drop dead quickly sold out.

Lucky bag all clear unpaints.

I love this one too!

US Toys

Yamanaya

(Correction: I checked, and this is not GID as I was told.) The figure came with a signed illustration by the manga artist!!! (I'll post a pic soon.)

Yamomark

Blobpus Umi poodle was display only.

Dealer Tables and Other Sights

Really nice acrylic cases. But quality comes at a price. (10,000 yen for mid sized cases)

Star Case Governor General Garumaya Final Release

2012-01-08T13:58:00.000+09:00

The other day, Star Case put up a pre-order for the latest Governor General Garumaya (or is it Galaxy Black Robo Viceroy Gulmeyer? The mystery persists!), the first figure in its Space Black Robot series. The release, which was made to order, is the third and final version of he who shall be not be named...pretty much because we haven't figured out what that should be.

The figure is being released unpainted and unassembled, and it will come in a large box reminiscent of the ARII plastic model kits on which the series is based. It also comes with instructions showing you how to put it together.

So with this version, Star Case has made a sofubi style version of the original plastic model kits. Brilliant homage!

Here are pics which I snapped at Star Case yesterday:

Box

Box contents- laid out plastic model style

Instructions

Assembled figure

Finally I've got to repost this amazing video made by some friends of Star Case:

Multiple Medicom Sofubi Exclusives!

2012-01-07T18:04:00.000+09:00

Today Medicom's flagship store Project 1/6 sold its latest round of sofubi exclusives, this time featuring figures from Dream Rockets, P.P. Pudding, and Paul Kaiju.

Paul Kaiju + P.P.Pudding. The last of the Salamander Joes (which were extremely limited) literally disappeared before our eyes moments after I took this shot.

PK Salamander Joe

P.P. Pudding

Dream Rockets. Beautiful colors.

More after the jump:

More store shots:

Tokyo Toy Shop Map Updated!

2012-01-06T22:52:00.001+09:00

I've added two shop locations to the KK Tokyo Toy Shop map. The map now includes Kotobukiya and Akiba Zone (which houses One up Akiba, Robot Robot Akiba, etc.). Click here to check it out.

The resource now includes 26 locations, which includes individual shops as well as complexes like Broadway + Akiba Zone. Also, some locations cover multiple shops if they're in the same building (ex: Star Case + Ichibanboshi; Secret Base + Bounty Hunter + Erostika). Anyway, all that's indicated on the main blog post.

I've also started adding links to KK store reports, as the idea is to make the post a one-stop resource for Tokyo toy shopping. (I'd like to do one for Osaka and Nagoya, but that would be a ways down the line.)

I'll be adding more shops to the Tokyo map in the fullness of time. Please bear with me. It takes quite a while to nail down each shop location, as Google Maps is like a crocodile - extremely powerful but a PITA to wrestle down!

ThreeA @ One Up Akiba Zone

2012-01-05T14:40:00.000+09:00

I don't collect ThreeA toys, but I know a lot of people do, so I thought I'd post the 411 for ya'll. One up has a bunch in stock. Plus they ship overseas!

Contact Ken (the owner) to order: oneup.webinfo@gmail.com

New from Real Head 1.4.2012

2012-01-04T22:35:00.000+09:00

Today was the first day of 2012 that Shinto Gangu was open. The hours were irregular (2-6 PM), and there were some new releases.

Shuzenji Temple

2012-01-04T13:04:00.000+09:00

Welcome to the latest in KK's Travels in Japan series. This time we're visiting Shuzenji Temple, located near Mishima on the Izu Peninsula.

I don't typically go out of my way to "see the sights" in Japan, since I prefer my stay here to unfold organically. So it was with Shuzenji Temple, which we came across in a little town near Mishima. We were there for the hot springs (which were very meh...Come to think of it, the free foot soaking springs we found were a lot nice than our hotel's!) But just a sort walk from our lodge was Shuzenji Temple, which is very nice.

It was founded some 1200 years ago, though the current buildings are around 100 years old. I love wandering through spaces like this. Though the religious and cultural underpinnings are far beyond my purview, the temple and its adornments have an unmistakable aesthetic which has resonated through the culture for centuries. Matter of fact, more than a few indy toys draw their inspiration from this well.

OK, enough of my thoughts. More pics:

More after the jump:

Alter Beast by Monster Worship

2012-01-03T09:59:00.001+09:00

Alter Beast is Monster Worship's newest sofubi figure. The two-part figure, which was sculpted by Monster5, stands in classic monsterific bonzai pose at 5.5" tall. The first painted version of the figure, shown here, went on sale just a few hours ago and can be found on the Monster Worship webstore here.

Here are a couple more shots of the figure:

Blobpus x Yamomark Umi Poodle

2012-01-02T22:37:00.000+09:00

The Blobpus x Yamomark Umi Poodle was just released, and I love everything about it. This is a Kaji-san masterpiece, with a truly exquisite paint job. It features the classic Blobpus palette on GID base vinyl, with rich metallic colors brilliantly paired with subtle undertones. Free spray is complemented by fine details, and intricately designed individual sections work together across the figure to create an organic, perfectly balanced whole.

It's one of those figures that you expect to step down from the shelf and engage you in small-talk (or, you know, deep talk, if you're into existential discussions with kaiju seahorses).

Here's the figure from more angles, followed by closeups:

More after the jump:

Pop Soda store visit

2012-01-01T10:28:00.002+09:00

It's been a while since I posted my last report about Pop Soda, a mainstay in the Osaka toy scene. Hossy-san has been running Pop Soda for an incredible 9 years! They changed locations a few years ago and remain strong and steady at their current location in the America Mura (near Shinsaibashi) part of the city.

Pop Soda still has some sofubi and resin, but the emphasis now is more solidly on American toy lines like Toy Story. (Hossy-san is always up for a chat about the films. His favorite in the series is the first movie. He actually flew to the US in 2011 to attend the opening of Toy Story 3!) Other lines include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, superhero action figures, Madballs, and lots of other good stuff from the 80s and 90s, with some recent releases mixed in for good measure. There's also apparel and other fun stuff for sale.

The store is located near Triangle Park (which is identified on most maps of the city) in America Mura. It's very easy to get to on the subway. Plus, it's in the same building as Refreshment Toys! Popsoda is on the 5th floor, and Refreshment is on the 4th. Here are all the details:

Address: 〒542-0086 大阪市中央区西心斎橋2-18-6アベニュー心斎橋508号
Tel: 06-6212-4161
Hours: 11:00-9:00 PM (Closed Wednesdays - and sometimes other days. The monthly schedule of rest days is at the top of the first page of the Pop Soda website.)
Map: Click here for a pinpoint map to the shop.
Contact e-mail: info@popsoda.jp
Webshop: http://cooltoys.shop-pro.jp/

Here are more pics from the shop:

More after the jump:

Atom A Armwrestler Atom Trooper unpainted test shot

2011-12-31T10:22:00.000+09:00

AAA Atom Trooper unpainted GID test shot:

US Toys Super Festival 58 exclusives

2011-12-30T12:22:00.000+09:00

To be released at Super Festival 58 on January 9:

sold as a set. limited to 15 sets. price is 8800 yen/set

Here's a shot I took of the set the other day:

Real Head Not Dead Show Day 2 surprise releases

2011-12-29T20:28:00.000+09:00

Surprise releases from Atom A Armwrestler on Day 2 of the show:

Limited to 3

Extraordinary detail and paint work.

More after the jump:

Limited to 4 or 5

RFM Factory (Refreshment Toys Shop and Studio) Store Visit

2011-12-29T10:46:00.001+09:00

In mid-2011, Refreshment Toys, which has rapidly expanded its line of original sofubi figures, opened a retail shop in Osaka. The store has many Refreshment figures for sale and display, as well apparel, stationery, and other goods. Aya's a very friendly person, and her shop is well worth visiting if you're in Osaka.

The shop is in the America Mura district of Osaka. In fact, it's in the same building as Popsoda. (Refreshment is on the 4th floor. Popsoda is on the 5th.)

First the basics:

Address: 〒542-0086 大阪市中央区西心斎橋2-18-6アベニュー心斎橋402号
Tel: ０６－６４８４－７０８２
Hours: 12:00-8:00 PM (Closed Tues, Wed, Thurs)
Map: Click here for a pinpoint map to the shop.
Contact e-mail: info@rfm082.com
Webshop: http://rfm082shop.shop-pro.jp/ (They will ship overseas!)

Store pics:

Display only

More after the jump:

New figure! Baby Cuppy

Super cool custom for the JUNX show.

Real Head Not Dead show

2011-12-28T22:59:00.000+09:00

Joint show featuring the work of Real Head, Atom A Armwrestler, Skulltoys, and Cord Viper.

Show pics:

Chaos Carrion debut

More after the jump:

unpainted display only

Atom A Armwrestler

Cord Viper

New Rockin' Jelly Bean sofubi figure: Mr. Drag

2011-12-28T09:53:00.000+09:00

Rockin' Jelly Bean is best known for his poster art, apparel, and Erostika - his Tokyo and Nagoya outlet stores. But he's also done a good bit of figure design, including his very well received take on the Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman.

Recently, RJB released a new original sofubi figure: Mr. Drag. Two versions have been released so far. The figure captures RJB's blend of 1950s rockabilly and surf scenes. It's also very nicely painted. Plus, given the angle of the joints and limbs, the balance is a real feat of design!

The sofubi figure is based on RJB's art.

More angles and up-close shots:

More after the jump:

There's some joint articulation, but not much given the figure's bold pose and balance.

I just checked, and the 2nd version of the figure is available on Erostika's site here. Plus they ship overseas!

RESTORE Debris Japan test shot GID figure

2011-12-27T08:11:00.000+09:00

Test shot blank made as part of the preparation for the run of Medicom GID figures:

US Toys store visit (video)

2011-12-26T19:38:00.001+09:00

Video I shot at US Toys (best viewed in full screen mode):

Click here for my first report on the store. It has directions, hours, etc.

Thrashout store visit (video)

2011-12-25T00:23:00.001+09:00

1/16/2012 edit: The store is now permanently closed.

Before Thrashout closes, I wanted to shoot a video of the shop. To date, it's the longest store video that I've shot at HD. Though it's far from perfect, I hope it helps preserve the memory of such an iconic, one-of-a-kind store:

More from the Fort (Grody Shogun, Paul Kaiju)

2011-12-23T23:12:00.000+09:00

Some more images I shot yesterday:

This was the MMMM proto. In the final release version, the body parts were the same, but some joint positioning and other adjustments were made.

Paul Kaiju Seagool (released yesterday on lulubelltoys.com

More after the jump:

such a cool color

Subarashii! It's like Ovaltine!

News on Gargamel lucky bags

2011-12-23T07:31:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I stopped by Thrashout, and I asked about lucky bags. They confirmed that, despite the big move and upcoming closing of Thrashout. there will be lucky bags released in January 2012. (However, the release date isn't set yet.) Good news for Gargamel fans!

New Grody Shogun En Man mashup - more angles

2011-12-23T02:06:00.001+09:00

Here are more angles of the new Grody Shogun En Man mashup. It's also a different example of the figure shown in the previous post.

New from Grody Shogun 12.22.2011

2011-12-23T00:24:00.000+09:00

New Grody Shogun figures:

Karakuri GID base vinyl

Oji-san counterpart. Also GID

Not sure if this is GID. Maybe.

Another GIDer. Insane new figure, combining parts from En Man, Karakuri, and Monster.

In development

New from US Toys/ Kyoto Ultra Q Returns Exhibition

2011-12-22T13:08:00.000+09:00

The Ultra Q Returns train moves on to Kyoto. The show, featuring Ultraman related artwork, toys, etc. is being held from Dec 26-Jan 16 at the Kyoto Loft. Click here for all the show info.

US Toys is releasing three more super limited toys for the event:

Pegira size: 80 mm cost: 2100 yen limited: 20 pieces

Garamon size: 80 mm cost: 2100 yen limited: 20 pieces

DX Garamon set. cost: 8800 yen limited to: 5 sets

Garamaniacal Show

2011-12-21T11:09:00.000+09:00

Coming up in February 2012 at FOE Gallery (in Northampton, MA) is a star-studded show paying tribute to Garamon. The show will feature the work of dozens of artists, including GUUMON, folks from the Gargamel crew, Ralph Cosentino, Mark Nagata, Plaseebo, and dozens more. Really sounds epic. Here's the show poster:

The show is being curated by Mike Nordstrom, who runs Garamania. Speaking of Mike, as further testimony to his unwavering devotion to all things Garamon, he's running a Kickstarter to raise funds to have a full-sized Garamon suit made! Click here to check that out.