Today, I understood something about what we do. Insights on the giant robot should be done with. I am suprised that one resonating discovery remains.

At the core of every Tetsujin and Mazinger is a beacon of hope that a child looks to for the future. From out of the rubble of massive destruction and human loss, a new tower rises forth that will not be destroyed.

Upon this machine the child pins his hopes. The people around us all too precious and fragile. A hole in the earth and a hole in the sky, and if we are to fill it, we do so with a giant carved forth from our suffering.

The robots are a symbol of strength; this I always knew. That they were born forth from tragedy was a comic book joke I had long forgotten.

Today I understand something more about what we do. May the faith we have in the symbols of good help us to mourn, rebuild, dream and survive.

Michael, wherever you are, our prayers are with you,

hen Day-Old Antiques pulled out, I cut my last emotional tether to Cambridge. 4.5 miles south to the heart of Boston proper, it's my new groovy pad. Not too far to move your ass, but an epic story of human triumph when you fathom moving...the Shelf!

For a entire week I do nothing but "visualize" this debacle. After a quick statistical crunch I realize that odds are much higher I'll fuck something up by trying to repack it in its original box than if I come up with some alternative scheme.

So I come up with an alternative scheme.

100 yards [yes -- 100 YARDS] of bubble-wrap and 36 large cardboard boxes later, I've bulletproofed with an overlapping layer scheme for weaving in and out of the precious. Around Day 4, I'm still being cute and trying to stratify the boys by "historical era." By Day 7, I'm numb and fiddling with Nike-like sweatshop efficiency. The sound of packing tape ripping along its plastic wheel kicks in my gag reflex. Three weeks later I have the cubic area of 6 refrigerators. The box boxes show off my savant aptitude for Tetris. The toy boxes are Arks of the Covenant swollen with metal from top to base.

Have you ever tried to properly answer a perfectly normal civilian -- say, the dispatch operator from the moving company -- when asked if you "have anything fragile that requires special handling?" We'll skip the part where I watch the boxes loaded onto the truck and angina kicks in.

* * *

So I'm just around 4 weeks in the new pad and have only gotten three boxes unpacked. In many ways, the move is cleansing: I'm leaving the pieces that don't call out to me for a rainy day. The stuff I love I'm dusting off for display on the temporary ToyboxDX Abridged Shelf.

One little bummer: no DSL and no Cablemodem in my area. I'm connecting to you live on a blazing-fast 33.6k, courtesy of Big Science. So here's the accumulated Ramble spool I could upload overnight...

No pictures yet of his three-case, pore-sealed museum-quality exhibit. I have never, in my life, seen such a saturated density of Gaiking perfection. Josh's shucking and foot-shuffling about "his small collection" is charming, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to bop him on the head and grab his C-10 Popy DX Daikyumaryu.

Instead, I dope his Ovaltine and grab some of his C-9.9 castoffs, including this SOC Daikyu and an [extra!] Uni-Five Gaiking JM.

(Okay -- enough has been written about this, but I really have to fire one more shot. I'd like to take the Bandai "engineer" who came up with this pathetic mini-Gaiking scheme and cram this poor excuse for a figure limb by floppy limb straight into his tiny misshapen-ear so that he can feel sharp, aggravated piercing sensations applied directly to the brain EXACTLY the way I feel every time I try to make this godforsaken Jenga-bot stand up. On the otherhand, I, um, really adore the baby vinyls!)

When I grow up and start de-collecting, I want to distill a collection like Josh's.

What is it about these Nomura diecasts? There's something so austere and refined about them. Distinctly toy-like, but austere, as if the makers took the idea of making Yamato objects seriously.

The landing gear is spring loaded, and the arsenal of launchers is satisfying. Of course, it's solid metal. There's a soul in these pieces. My love of this line just grows with time.

Here's a shameless plug from a fan: go visit GundamShop.com and help these guys out.

Nanonekosaur!!! Stereolithography and a new Duncan Hsu/Chris Taylor 3d-model generate this stunning plastic Kubrick-scale Nekosaur. I'm genuinely surprised: metal has always fascinated me, but seeing mathematically-perfect non-biodegradable output of my baby gives me the tingles.

With the prototype in hand, it's a short hop to...

..an Army of Nekosaurs! Making things has been fun. Making a butt-load of the same thing is shockingly more fun. It seems there's interest in these dangerous little objects, so I'll be doing my best to push these out the door for those who want them shortly...

Best,

irthdays are nostalgia -- the primary darkness from which we cast our reflections upon past and future. Time passes; the objects with which we surround ourselves mark this time. Somehow, age and wear render familiarity into meaning. The digital ether -- the bits -- will not be immune.

It's 3 years since the beta launch of ToyboxDX. That's like, a million in Internet years. If I'm proud of the work we've done, I'm even prouder of the principles we've stuck to. Openness and free exchange irrevocably continue to alter the savage ring that is "collecting."

As I look over this year's pathetic smattering of Rambles, however, I'm surprised by my lack of fluid. It seems I can only get it up to mouse on major holidays and events.

It's not just time crunch; it's the changing face of our expression. Between Duban and Alt, Yappy and Pierce, we've flooded the darkness with sodium halogen. The days of waxing on about the mystery of ignorance -- of digging through the strata of history -- are passing. We are in the midst of our own new history, laying foundation upon foundation for what will be tomorrow's ephemera.

Enough noodle. This is what's on my mind:

On the Nekofront: glorious failure! I close out the cycle with our Boston/Downtown Crossing casting team. They accomplished much in the experimental gokin process, but are ultimately defeated by the massive solidity of Nekosaur's barrel-thick torso which continues to explode in the burnout.

An intial run of silicon-rubber molds for generating multiple wax castings is fairly successful. The molds can be used virtually forever, continually refined across generations of casts. The sprue cleanup work, however, has made this process typically impracticle for large-scale mass-production.

Wax positives are generated and immersed into investmenet plaster, then kilned. The investment negative from the burnout is mounted slideways -- Moonraker style -- into a centrifugal casting arm.

Molten metal is heated and poured into a counter-balanced crucible, which then shoots metal up a series of designed spruing arteries. The resulting metal components burst out of the mold in cold water. Sprues are cut and and hand finished. Voila: we have metal, and it's damn satisfying to hold.

You Must Accessorize On the design side, 3D Master Smith Duncan Hsu begins work on next-generation prototypes. Check out his asskicking cartoon-filter renders.

Next stop: we transport the chest to the low-run artist foundries of New England.

Initiative 01 involves lathe-fabrication of a new aluminum master based on the classic Jumbomachinder missile. The master is scaled appropriately to account for shrinkage in the casting process

Our first run produced a series of high-polish bronze-based alloy missiles [bottom right.] A subsequent run of greater numbers produced white-metal castings of varying qualities. (Incidentally, Popy Chogokin is considered white-metal casting.)

Yes yes, I know: you want to know if you can shoot them. Not yet, gladiator. Not yet...

If you've been emailing me over the last 6 months and haven't gotten a reply, I have to really apologize. The volume of mail has been overwhelming. I am going to redouble my effort to crank through, so forgive me if you get short, stubby correspondence.

Stay tuned: new user interface and a brand-spanking new feature column up next...

Best,

BOSTON, MA - Groggy from last-night's mystery punch, Ramble-Elect Toy-of-the-Year Yamato YF-19 Edition II stumbled out of political darkness into dawn, hoisting a triumphant gunpod at supporters and protesters alike and firing off a winter-morning message of hope and reconciliation.

Highlighting the differences between its current manifestation and the fear-inspiring brittleness of its predecessor, the YF-19 Edition I, Edition II transformed flawlessly between Battroid and Fighter with almost no use of instructions. The combination of drop-dead character execution, ruthless engineering, and dedicated design betray the real treasure: a parent company capable of aiming high to secure licenses and partnerships, but also willing to evolve the legacy of its own work in direct response to the critical evaluation of its fans.

The launch of this toy cements Yamato's ability to give us everything from a decades-old Nomura diecast to a crown-prince of modern mecha. Obvious in their work: a fan's love of artist and animation, and a refreshing dedication to the spirit behind the toys.

The Etarnal Ramble is pleased to honor Yamato for what will hopefully be a footnote in a long line of successful endeavors.

Best regards,

We Drive West

Alt visits town, so we must travel. From the heart of Porter to the Littleton line, we shoot up the dark winding tendrils of Route 2. 26 miles out on a steep hill slick with ice, we hang a left, pulling up to the backside of a looming mill.

In the flood-lit lot, a small wood ramp leads up the stairs to the massive hanger doors that announce Gerry Bunker's ROBOZONE!

Gerry is the gracious host. He takes time out of his hectic holiday packing to give us the tour. He is embarrassed about the cluttered state of his space, but my room has never looked this clean. I will let pictures speak for themselves.


Haul Enumerated:

I am old and feeble, but try out some of the contemporary purchases these young Rumble turks indulge in.

The Miracle House Shin Getta Robo: that's just a fine piece of metal, destined for immortality. It's inspiring that a company's first diecast so easily goes to the mat with Bandai's SOC line. And look: no annoying "assemble this yourself because its cheaper for us if you do" mechanisms. [My only gripe with SOCs. For $150, I'd like it cooked please.]

Then some toy-crack: this bizarre Marmit diecast Getta One, which I eventually try to pawn off on Josh Fraser. He is too clever to accept. Heavy, and a far cry from the pathetic days of Shogun 3-inchers. I can't make up my mind about Getta One without Two and Three. Which is exactly what Popy always had in mind.

Now let me say that this Le reve Mazinger has something going for it. I can't put my finger on it, but the rubbery sculpt and good proportioning are kind of charming. And I love the articulating Hover Pilder. Then again, maybe I'm getting soft in my dotage.

Dessert:

On the way out, one final acquisition: I used to keep a 4-cell Maglight under my bed to greet unwanted visitors with. I'm pleased to be upgrading it for something heavier, namely, the 1/850 Nomura Space Cruiser Yamato!

I've been admiring this toy for about 20 years, having lost my first opportunity to own one. Feature-fixated Popinica phreaks will no-doubt argue the superior capabilities of the Popy DX Yamato. "Listen Mister -- I owned Popy Yamato; Popy Yamato was a good friend of mine. You're no Popy Yamato." I choose the metal.

Boomerang:

It's an inspiring thing, to confront a massive gathering of power objects under one roof. Our etarnal gratitude to Gerry for his hospitality and his warm treatment of our staff. Thanks!

Finally, you may have read the Rumble about the recent break-in at Gerry's. Take a moment to visit his site and send him your positives thoughts.

Best regards,

11/26/00: State of the 'Box

Thanksgiving in the colonies, and we have much to be thankful for.

By the grace of our two-headed Doublas -- a.k.a. Yappy and Darren -- ToyboxDX Rumble has rocket-punched the news to a terrifying height. (Saddam himself checks daily for the latest from Palm Beach.) So whilst you're chewing your leftovers and fondling that fistful of Kubricks, spare a thought to honor them and their bleeding fingers!

Remember Thanksgiving of 1997? There was no "collecting community" to speak of. If you had the fetish, you were hiding in your attic like Warren and I. In Y2K, together we've all built this site into a community and a resource that's become transcendent.

In keeping with big dreams, tactical localization droid "Matt Alt San" has been busy machining the first bolts to ToyboxDX JP. We're taking the first chisel at fashioning ToyboxDX into a universal Rosetta Stone of communication and collecting. The ultimate goal: to create a worldwide bridge back to the homeland. So start downloading those font packs and keep fingers crossed.

(I uploaded a spanking new UI last weekend which will foreshadow some changes on the regular site. Matt's busy creating all new original content. So check it out and let us know what you think.)

---

Meanwhile, watching the Rumble team code is like eyeballing the cold claw of obsolescence as it clutches my slipper.

To compensate, I've been foraying into real-world, cheap wares for the ToyboxDX Nightmarket.

"Yeesh -- 'mousepad' you say?" Yes "mousepad." I know you don't need another, but for goodness sake, it's awfully colorful.

---

"Yeesh -- 'mousepad' you say?" Yes "mousepad." I know you don't need another, but for goodness sake, it's awfully colorful.

---

Click on the thumbnail to see the new ToyboxDX Mousepad. It's got Grieg and screenshots of the site, and like everything we're selling, is sold at cost to us.

---

Finally,
Forces are at work in the universe. The same algorithm of self-expression and defiance of structure that spawns a global information network demands a new awareness and attitude towards the consideration of the giant robot.

What the hell am I talking about?
I'm talking about making your own robots, Popyboy. Your own robots, and not mine or anybody else's.

Expression of words and pictures is the first wave of this new interconnectivity we share. The second wave is physical: assembly will be required.

One year ago, I "doodled" that image while on the phone with Matt. I made some quick changes, checked out some sites, sent an email, and Bam. 24 hours later I had a prototype. The experience was closer to teleportation than communication. The first hurdle of designing and manufacturing real-world robots was solved.

The robot's name is Nekosaur. Consider him a towering homage to Purcell, Sanrio, and my cat James. My intention is to complete a short run of diecast toys, document and share the process, and facilitate a forum for a worldwide pantheon of new creations.

It's time to shatter the Bandai hegemony.

The real problem, for chogoheads like myself, has always been the metal. How to diecast without a minimum run that costs more than your house? The lateral solution: don't "diecast."

If the goal is to make your own robot, then utilizing mass-production techniques is suicide. The initial experiments have been promising but need work. More on this later.

---

We've all witnessed endless speculation and dialogue about the possibilities of self-manufacturing. I'm convinced that a convergence of timing, technology and human energy is about to hit, and that together we're on the cusp of a truly special moment in history. We will see just how full of this cusp I am.

In the meanwhile, Happy Turkey Day. May the rest of your year be filled with fine things to be grateful for.

And stay tuned. Long live ToyboxDX!

Ramble Index | August 2000