Coming up at Superfestival 55 from US Toys

Superfestival 55 is just around the corner! US Toys will be there with plenty of new figures in hand!

Chaos Next 1 and 2: Side by Side

Chaos Next is one of my favorite new Real Head figures, combining the Mirock Chaos Head with the Nextman body. Both the scale and overall look go really nicely together.

The two December releases were shown in this month's Hyber Hobby. The first (green and metallics on flesh body) was a Shinto Gangu store release. The second (metallics on black body) was released at the store's Dec 26 four-man show).

Here are some side by sides for a comparative look at both figures. (Click on each hi-res shot to see the original size):

Super clear vinyl

Luke of Lulubell Toys clued me in on a new type of clear vinyl that seriously ups the ante and opens the door to even more amazing possibilities with clear figures (which are some of my favorites.)

Here's a test shot of a mini Fortune Cat in super clear vinyl. Mori says s.c.v. Real Head toys are in the testing stage, and hopefully we'll see some releases using this amazing vinyl in 2011!

Here's another test shot of an incredibly nice super clear vinyl figure. The figure is Max Toy's Lady Maxx. Photo courtesy of Mark Nagata:



Group show at Shinto Gangu

Today, four designers - Real Head, Atom A, Cord Viper, and Skulltoys - got together in Aoto for a group show hosted at Shinto Gangu. Besides a ton of releases, it was a good chance to hang out with fellow toy nerds.

On a chilly December morning, the sofubi faithful were lined up ready for the show!

One mega collector passed the time by taking shots of custom figures.

As we were waiting, Mori came over with hot drinks for everyone. Classy!!

The whole enchilada.

More after the jump.

Christmas in Tokyo

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

 More pics after the jump.

News from Shinto Gangu

Kind of a slow day at Aoto, since Mori is gearing up for the next show. Still, a couple of mini releases, and more shots from the shop.

Today's releases.

Before the eye insertion.

Unpainted version of this popular collab

Alien dude with GID Head body. Freakishly cool.

Return to Harajuku for photo reshoot of Beauty/Kaiju events

I wasn't happy with the way some of yesterday's shots turned out (too yellow), so I headed back to Harajuku for some resnaps. I also wanted to take a longer look at the prints, art, and toys.

I especially enjoyed checking out Mark Nagata's prints, since they do a great job bringing out the character of the characters! Alien Argus as a fugitive on the run...Drazoran hanging out with his head literally in the clouds and sporting a very chill look....Alien Xam wearing a thoughtful, evil genius expression...

I also fiddled some more with Dream Rockets' fantastic new toy Gibaza. The lines and angles are so nicely balanced, and the sculpt and articulation are top notch - can't wait to see some painted versions.

I've updated the original post with replacement pics, new pics, and some more details about new releases. Check it out!

Beauty and the Kaiju + Kaiju Invade Harajuku 2 in 1 event!

Back to Harajuku! For the third time this year, Max Toy and friends hooked up at the Design Festa Gallery in Harajuku. This time they upped the ante yet again, combining two shows in one: Beauty and the Kaiju (featuring the kaiju-inspired art of 6 woman artists) and Kaiju Invade Harajuku (featuring the work of the dynamic quadruple: Max Toy, Dream Rockets, Dead Presidents, and Sunguts).

This time, the group rented a space on the western side of the gallery.

 I rolled up an hour before opening and snapped some set up pics:

They really went to town souping up the gallery space, which was well-packed with toys, art, and Christmas cheer!

Kaijette Tulip setting up the tree.

Santaguts in the house! Is this dude ever not in a good mood?

All the hard work came together in a gorgeous kaijucopia of mind blowing sofubi.

Tons more after the jump!

New sofubi at OneUp

At Nakano Broadway, OneUp (4th floor shop) has a really nice Tripus for sale:

The Japan X Bowl

We were given tickets to today's Japan X Bowl, which is the championship game in the X League -  Japan's American football league. I had no idea they even played football here, but I figured what the heck, let's check it out.

The game was held at the Tokyo Dome, an indoor stadium which houses the Yomiuri Giants (baseball team) and hosts concerts, boxing matches, etc.

It's a pretty nice dome - not large by US standards, but clean and comfortable. The football field is at a weird angle to the main rows of seats.

It was open seating, so we found a spot close to the field at around the 30-40 yard line. It felt like being at a college football game.

 More after the jump.

Tokyo Overground After Dark: Koiwa to Aoto

Yesterday, I redid the 45 minute trek from Koiwa (where Third Uncle is) and Aoto (for Shinto Gangu). This time, I left Third Uncle at around 5:00 PM. In winter in Tokyo, the sun is already on its way down by noon, and by 4:30, it's starting to set. So this was a night trek, which I thought would be another interesting side of the walk.

I didn't have a tripod, so the pics are all pretty dark, and some are blurry - so sorry about that. I opened the light meter up to +1 whenever I had a chance to set the camera on a steady base, but even then the shots are less than vivid. In a way, I think that adds to the ambience!

Yamato delivery bike. You can see the yellow sticker with the cat silhouette logo on the rear case.

I took the same route as last time. So, I just headed west from Third Uncle, and once I hit the river, I followed it north.

Tunnel looked kind of spooky

More after the jump.

New from Real Head: Chaos Stereo!

The intrepid faithful who braved the cold to head to Aoto today were not disappointed. Out of the blue, Mori dropped an insane collab with Nerd One: Chaos Stereo. The figure features Stereogon's body and 2 mini Chaos heads.

I love the way the colors capture the classic look of the first Mutant Chaos release.

 Also released today:

 More shots from the store:

More after the jump.

(Secret) Base Mag Latest Issue

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