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More pics to come. A PACKED house at Super 7 San Francisco tonight!

Today a double feature: A few sofubis and a single.

What has Columbia Records in common with Bullmark?
Not much, but Columbia also released a Rockbat vinyl…stereo sofubi.
When I saw this 7” on Yahoo a few months ago, I thought this
single is a MUST for a serious Rockbat collector ;-)

Funky sound for a funky TV series!
The single comes with a real nice fold-out cover.

Now having the soundtrack, playing with the sofubis makes even more fun.
Apropos sofubis…also got one of the 2 Bullmark carded sofubi-sets.
This is the 4 figures set. The other set is a bit cooler, because it contains 5 figures
and they are more detailed. But, I’m happy that I scored this one here!

…and now…premiere…I finally found out how to post thumbnails linked to bigger pictures. Yeah!  ;-)
Here are a few detail shots and scans of the fold-out cover of the single.

Thats it for today.

More fotos in the BBS.

I have for some time been trying to figure out if Angel, was associated with Bullmark. I have only seen two tins with the Angel logo alone, but no outward connection to the other company.

Until now.

Found on yet another tin, is a clear indication the direct connection between the two.

More to come.

This is one of those toys I never expected to get. I mean, I’ve certainly lusted after it, but the few complete ones I’ve seen sell have gone over a grand. There are very few toys I will break the four figure barrier for, and this just wasn’t one of them.

This guy showed up on ebay for a reasonable starting price. I figured I would poke the seller to see if he would do off ebay and save myself the hassle (and likely dissapointment) of butting heads with collectors in a straight up auction (sorry for those who were after it). He was willing to play ball, but was straight up and said there were no stickers or catalog, it was missing a couple of missiles, and the arm wasn’t working. I hesitated on that last one, but figured I would try and fix it. It wasn’t an ideal specimen, but the pieces were complete and the price was right for me. I figured, shit, these don’t exactly show up every month, so I bit.

It was lighter than I expected, but I chalk that up to being used to diecast toys to this point. It comes with a couple of different arms and attachments, but if all you want is a drill and claw arm, save yourself some cash and get the standard M11 Baratak.

This guy is all about THE ARM

When it arrived, sure enough, it wasn’t working when attached to the shoulder. I quickly figured out the problem with a battery and a couple of wires – that small pin next to the ball joint needs to be touching the metal ring in the shoulder socket. It was loose and would not stick out. So out came the screw driver. Turns out a spring that keeps the pin pushed up for contact had come off inside the casing. It was an easier fix than I expected, but a note to self – take a picture of the thing your taking appart, idiot! It took me a while to get those damn gears back in the right place.

Once that was settled, in went the batteries for a trial run. I’m actually glad this wasn’t a deadstock. Not just for the price premium I saved, but with the missiles already off the sprue’s, I could enjoy this guy to the fullest with no guilt/worry about value etc.

I was just going to show a shot of a missile coming out, but that wouldn’t do it justice…

…so I took some video of it in action. 2 missiles don’t fire and, well, I cant have that now. But that’s a fix for another day.

The cutter spins REALLY fast. If you attach a metal one you have a dremel, but that wouldn’t be too smart as you’ll see at the end

I tried both the gatling gun and cutter at the same time, but the weight and vibration just drags the arm down and it loses it’s electrical connection. But I certainly display it with both.

If you can stomach the price, or be lucky enough to spot a deal, I would certainly recommend it. It really is a fun toy. Now I just gotta get those last 2 missiles firing.

I think the illustrations by N. Maemura really ROCKS!!! This card insert was for a Blazer sofubi. I knew I had to add it to my collection the moment I saw it.

This is the back side to the card insert above. Now, where do I find that retro looking base station?

So what do you get when you have half a dozen toy nerds descend upon an unsuspecting Dim Sum joint, with a box full of protos and a mind full of marketing ideas?

Regan and I arrive before anyone else and soon get a message from Alen he is almost there. I imagine him zipping in and out of traffic with a passenger seat full of Nekosaurs and think about how crazy he drove when he had a damn Volkswagon new Beetle, and not his monster of a Solstice. He is likely listening to the Gatchaman soundtrack and blowing past Honda Civics, humming along, wishing he was dressed in his Condor outfit.

Everyone soon arrives and we make our way to the table. They smartly stick us in the corner of the back room, out of the way, as the waiters seem to be curious about what this rag tag bunch is up to. Why are they carrying a box of robots to their table anyway?

It does not take long for the waitresses to be amused and pick up various Sofubi Neckos and giggle and comment on how “cute” they are.

We have gained fans, and the pork buns are rolling around the table while Alen in his bemused but stoic Ceo persona, hands out the goodies.

Various Matt Walker painted vinyls make their way into our greasy hands. Chops sticks on one side, and sparkle Monster Color Nekos in the other.

Course two is a new selection of Neko USBs, and before long Alen pulls out the big guns…A licensed VOLTRON USB which Yen has quietly been working on, as well as a Popy style catalog for future releases!

After lunch we head out, and a few other items are shared and traded. Dave thoughtfully brings Regan her three talkers.

She happily puts them in the car, and we plan for a meeting at Mason’s house later for dinner (bacon) and a Godzilla movie.

Not a better time could be asked for.

Next Brog: Mason’s dinner party and collection.

Let it be said that man lives a good part of life in his memory. A vast discombobulated account of his time here on this planet, and a questionable recollection of said time past at best. I mean, seriously, where were you in June 1978 at 7:25pm on a school night? You really want to know? I’ll tell you. You’re sitting in the bathtub succumbing to Mommy’s orders, a 4 inch black and white figure clasp inside your little bitty hand while drowning Greedo in haste.. You don’t want to get out of the tub as you’re kicking some rebel scum ass (not realy), but alas the deed is done. “Get OUT! Drop the Stormtooper!” she screams, and it’s over…

Fast forward 30 years.

Sitting in the Hybrid Design conference room at 10:25am on a Tuesday to discuss the progress of a bigger than life Stormtrooper. Enter Super7 visionary Brian Flynn with a handful of what looks like junk, sporting a shit eating grin.. Upon closer inspection, he’s holding geek gold in his arms. The odds and ends of what were to become the stumbling blocks to a real “Picaso” so to speak. A true crossover of two totally different toy families. The Japanese giant Jumbo Machinders and George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise… Dude.. Seriously?

Well, the rest is history now, isn’t it?

Yep. It’s not like it’s news. This hype has been going on for quite sometime. BUT, honestly this project must be given the respect it deserves. This project, will, without a doubt be the catalyst for something far bigger. I for one certainly hope so.

OK, so on to some behind the scenes highlights!

Check out this prototype wax head:

This was one of countless incarnations of what was to become the “Super Shogun”. It’s really always been about the details with this thing. For example the helmet on this wax prototype was 1/8 inch to far forward and was like clockwork rejected much like the countless others that were to follow.. Honestly though, this project was a true labor of love and these small set backs were exactly what brought this masterpiece to fruition.

Stickers and Jumbo Machinders are a torrid match. Don’t get me wrong here. I LOVE the vintage feel and aesthetics of stickers, but let’s face it, they do fade over time. The PINK rubber in this picture is actually a prototype of the black that appears on the finished product replacing the need for stickers. This is two fold, as the actual Stormtroopers sport rubber suits under their armor and long term, as any JUMBO aficionado knows, stickers die..

Below are an army of prototype PINK Stormtrooper Jumbos awaiting the call to participate in the next “race for the cure”. They only run for breast cancer though..

Alas.. I could talk all day about the wonder of this magnificant piece and why you should buy it, BUT… I really feel you need to see it for yourself. It just so happens we are throwing a party this weekend in its honor. Come on down to Super 7 if you can and see it for yourself this Saturday, June 12th at 6pm clickity CLICK HERE for details. Be there or be rebel scum…

In closing I give you these awesome shots to wet your whistle with.. May the force be with us all.

[Disclaimer: The pictures featured below consist of the actual creative process involved in producing this piece and are in NO WAY a definitive representation of the actual finished product that will be for sale.]