Gargamel: The Thrashout Show (Feb 2014)

Gargamel's The Thrashout Show, Feb 2014 edition.

 

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SDCC 2013: Gargamel

Customs:

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Makaimura/魔界村 (Ghosts'n Goblins) over the years

 

Makaimura (aka Ghosts'n Goblins, but we're focusing on Japanese releases, so we'll stick with the original name) is one of those games you just don't forget. The iconic arcade game, first released by Capcom in 1985, featured its hero - Arthur - on an epic quest to free a princess from side scrolling hordes and, eventually, Satan after you've fed enough quarters into the machine to give it a copper addiction. (Our sources in the Googlesphere tell us that quarters are mostly copper. We're learning things together!)

It was definitely one of my favorite quarter munchers, though I was never very good. Anyway, over the years the game has shown quite a resilience, and I wanted to do a writeup of some of the ways Makaimura, and its iconic artwork and characters, have stayed current over the decades.

Let's start with a look at the Nintendo Famicom game, which features box art that appears over and over in Makaimura products:

Funny story here. I bought this Famicom game loose in Kobe last year. Then, about a week ago, I found a store in Tokyo selling just the box, plastic container, and instruction manual - for 50 yen. Capcommish serendipity!

Here's the manual that came with the game,

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Gargamel Thrashout Show (August, 2012)

Today, at a rental space in Tokyo, Gargamel unleashed an epic custom show, blowing minds and letting the sofubi world know that Thrashout may not exist as a shop anymore, but in style and quality, the Thrashout spirit is alive and well.

The crew brought a grip of large and small customs, one show release (a mini Miborah), new gachapon figures, and a bunch of stuff to display. Let's start with the customs:

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SDCC 2012 Day 1 Gargamel releases

Today's painted Gargamel releases:

 

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Goodbye Thrashout

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:

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Thrashout store visit (video)

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:

News on Gargamel lucky bags

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!

Gargamel's The Thrashout Show

Today's event - The Thrashout Show - may be the final custom show held at Gargamel's flagship store before it closes permanently in January. There were fewer people on hand than I expected, but with the number of customs available, everyone who showed up had a shot at a custom Deathra, Mibora, or Zagoran.

Pics from the show:

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New Gargamel pics from Thrashout

Here are some snaps I took yesterday:

Mishka Zagorans

There were a ton of awesome blanks in the case. None of them are for sale, as they're slotted to be used for upcoming customs. I took a bunch of pics, since we've rarely seen such a large group of unpainted/unreleased large-sized Gargamel figs displayed like this.

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Big news about Thrashout's future

For a while, we've known that much of the Gargamel crew was planning to move out of Tokyo. But Thrashout's future remained uncertain, and there was a possibility that someone might step in and take over the shop.

I just got word today - directly from Gargamel - that this unfortunately isn't happening, and Thrashout will be closing permanently in January, 2012.

I also asked about plans for future shows once the crew has left Tokyo. That's of course down the line, but it sounded like there is a possibility that shows could be held in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it will be at the venerable shop which has been a mainstay of the sofubi world for the past 7 years.

Thanks for all the good times, guys. We'll sure miss the old shop with the wood floors, gorgeous toys, and great atmosphere. ありがとうございました!

Thrashout Update

The other day, I had a chance to swing by Thrashout and get an update on the store's future. Kiyoka told me that though some of the Gargamel crew will be moving to Kyushu in a couple of months, Thrashout's future remains uncertain. It's possible that the store will be kept open by someone new coming on, but that's still up in the air. Fingers crossed that the venerable store can carry on.

Bwana Spoons x Martin Ontiveros Sleep it Off show @ Thrashout

Today, Bwana and Martin's new custom/art show opened at Thrashout, Gargamel's flagship store in Koenji. This may be the last show at the shop, which may be closing for good soon. The pair gave the legendary store a mighty send off with loads of customs and paintings.

The waitroom.

Pulled a nice number this time. :)

Customs and paintings:

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Gargamel Micros

 

Despite their 1" size, Gargamel's growing line of micro figures features highly detailed sculpts. Most are released unpainted. The painted versions are tough to get, but they're really well done. In the past, micros have been sold in gatcha machines, lucky bags, and as bagged/carded single figures or in multi-figure sets. Sometimes, members of the Gargamel crew also paint one-offs and micro runs.

Here's a closeup look at some classic and recently released micros:

Unpainted

 Painted

The newest micro characters from 2011 SDCC