The State of the Sofubi World: Osaka

As the tide of the sofubi world ebbs and flows, I wanted to provide a look at the way things are in Osaka, from the perspective of the indy toy world.

First, Mandarake. This staple of all things in toydom does not hold up well in Japan's second largest city. There are two Mandarakes in Osaka: Umeda and Shinsaibashi, Both, as of this post, have very limited selections of indy sofubi, and the selection has been shrinking bit by bit over the last few years.

So let's move onto the shops that do have some nice offerings:

Psychedelia
Located in the Namba City shopping complex in Namba, this has long been a favorite with toy collectors. They have some nice stuff for sale, including Grody Shogun, Real Head, Dehara, etc:

 

Original sculpt, made from sculpey.

Grody Shogun and Velocitron figures leftover from the recent show in Osaka:

 More after the jump:

New Popsoda + Refreshment Shop (International shipping OK!)

Popsoda has a new location in Osaka. The shop also features Refreshment Toys figures and merch, as Refreshment moved to the new location with PS.

The Popsoda and Refreshment websites are in Japanese, but if you see anything you like here (or on the sites) and want to order, they will ship anywhere and can accept payment via Paypal. No need to go through their online shopping system. Just send them an e-mail at: info@popsoda.jp

The basics:

Address: 〒550-0027  大阪市西区九条2-26-13
Tel: 06-6599-8056
Hours: 12:00-8:00 PM (Closed Wednesdays)
Map: Click here for a pinpoint map to the shop.

More shop pics:

 More after the jump:

Interview with Paul Kaiju

Paul is in Japan to travel, visit with friends and fellow toy makers, and attend some shows. At his exhibition with Uamou at Studio Uamou, I sat down with him for a few minutes. We talked about his trip, upcoming releases and plans, and thoughts on the indy toy scene.

Images from the Bits show at Lot F Gallery

Images from the Bits show, kindly sent over so we can share with the interverse. The show, featuring the work of Bob Conge, Todd Robertson, and Will Long, is being held at the Lot F Gallery, and it runs through May 30.

From Plaseebo's Bob Conge:

HD-2 by Bob Conge

Concept sketch

More after the jump:

Paul Kaiju x Uamou Exhibition @ Studio Uamou

Today and tomorrow, Studio Uamou in Akihabara is hosting a show featuring customs by Paul Kaiju and Uamou. There's a really nice assortment: Paul's take on Ayako's figures (and vice-versa), as well as some awesome mashups.

The releases are being tiered between the two days. These went on sale today:

 More after the jump:

Peter Kato's Goldies resin series

Beautiful new resin releases from Peter Kato:

In his own words:

"They are called the  Goldies: made with an intense mixer of golden yellow clear resin & a drop of clear amber-ish gold this color-wave picks up light very nicely. I really love the intensity of the golden yellow...they feel like they were carved from fossilized amber."

Peter made eight pieces each of Kawako, FrightBite & Man-Nie.

Each figure will be $10 & will be sold on Peter's webshop this Thursday May 17th, 5pmish EST.

Factory fresh uncut black Itokin Park Lucha Bear

An amazing end to a glorious visit to the vinyl factory:

Toy nirvana...

Design Festa 35 Part 2: Visual Medley

Other sights from Design Festa 35 at the Tokyo Big Sight:

 More after the jump:

Design Festa 35 Part 1: Indy Toys

Lots to see at today's Design Festa: new figures, upcoming figures, and more. First up, indy toys:

Akaisatsu Club + Nakayoshi:

 130 pics after the jump:

GUUMON x Kaiju Korner exclusive KRUNK - SOLD OUT

Welcome to the release of Titanium KRUNK, a GUUMON x Kaiju Korner exclusive. Each figure was painted by GUUMON's Brian Mahony using a gorgeous new paint application he developed: titanium.

The header card features an image based on a watercolor painting by Kaiju Korner's Irene Fu. Irene's art features her usual levity and unique sense of perspective.

Here are more pics of the figure:

 

 Front and back pics of the figure bagged with header card:

This release is limited to 5 figures. Each order includes a large GUUMON sticker and a drawstring backpack.

The release is now sold out.


Thanks everyone!!!

KK Andy + Irene

KK Reviews: Greasebat

Greasebat, designed by Jeff Lamm and produced by Monster Worship, is not only a faithful realization in sofubi of Jeff's line art, but also a very fun toy in its own right. From the excellent header card art, it's immediately obvious how well-sculpted the figure is - a 3D form that has leapt straight from line art to vinyl.

Let's start with a look at the packaging:

The figure is packaged in traditional bag/header style.

Classic rampaging monster art by Johnny Sampson.

 More after the jump:

GUUMON x Kaiju Korner KRUNK: Coming May 9!

Next Wednesday, May 9, we'll be releasing an exclusive version of GUUMON's sofubi figure KRUNK. The release features a gorgeous new colorway developed by GUUMON's Brian Mahony called "Titanium." And, the header will feature artwork by KK's Irene Fu.

The Titanium KRUNK will be super limited to just 5 pieces, at a price of $150 each (+ shipping). Ordering info will go up right here on Kaiju Korner on May 9 at 12:00 noon EST. Figures will be sold first come first served.

See you Wednesday!

New Medicom exclusives

Released today:

Real Head:

 Frenzy:

 Bullmark/M1 and Yamomark

Very classy day in the streets of Shibuya.

May 2012 Pandemonium show at One Up Akiba

This month's custom show at One Up's Akiba Zone shop. Contact Ken at One Up if you're interested in something. They ship overseas. His e-mail: oneup.webinfo@gmail.com

 More after the jump:

Monster Mayhem show at FOE Gallery

Once again, the Northeast is flexing its indy toy muscles and showing the world what's what!

From May 11-June 3, the FOE Gallery in Massachusetts will host the second incarnation of the Monster Mayhem show. The show will include work by a host of monster masters from around the world:

Brian Mahony, Bob Conge/Plassebo, Monster Worship, James Groman, Koji Harmon, Elegab, Miles Nielsen, Michael Nordstrom, Ricky Wilson/Velocitron, Martin Ontiveros, Bob Eggleton, Michael Skattum, Eric Talbot, Joe Merrill/Splurrt, Dennis Hamann/Shirahama, Steven Erst, Mark Nagata, Paul Kaiju, Stephen Blickenstaff, Mark Masztal, and Michael Bracco/Spaghetti Kiss


If past is prologue, this show is going to be a rocking event. The opening reception is on May 11 from 6-9 PM.