We’re adding a new money shot everyday, I think for no particular reason. Oh wait — that’s right. You’re a toy FREAK. That might be the reason.

If you’ve got ’em, share ’em…

Best,

Alen

OK — I was too hung over to get this stuff in here before, but here’s my Wonderfest preliminary report as first published in the BBS. More photos coming later; it was an interesting show.

1) As Roger mentioned in the BBS, CM’s is releasing a fully-transforming Legioss (Alpha) and Tread (Beta) fighter set. Looks to be about the size of the Toynami Masterpiece version, but with really different proportions, particularly around the intakes on the chest. Beta/Tread looks amazing. The Japanese site Yacolog has great photos posted already, but here’s one I took from an angle that shows some of the transformation mechanism. They’ll be releasing three color variations, starting later this year.

2) Yamato is releasing a fully-transforming Bubblegum Crisis Motoslave in 1:15 scale (same as their recent Megazone 23 Garland). Interestingly, and a little sadly, the late Taku “Professor Robo” Sato was involved in its production, apparently one of his last projects. (Fewture’s also releasing his Mazinger 1969, the very last design of his that went into pre-production before his unexpected passing.) It comes with a “Hardsuit”-wearing Priss and is about half the physical size of the Garland.

3) Also on the Yamato front, they’re releasing a DX-sized, fully-transforming Bryger from the “J9” series of shows. Could a perfectly-transforming Sasuraiger be next? One can hope.

4) Yet MORE on the Yamato front: a fully-transforming, ultra-realistic Groizer X is in the works. Who’d a thunk it?

5) The One Million Yen Evangelion: made of fiberglas and standing 2 meters tall, it towers over the average person…. Got a spare $10K to blow? It’s yours. The scary thing was, there were no shortage of people dropping by who seemed to be actually considering it.

6) A built-up resin kit of the Manon Type Gorg. Garage kits like this are really what WF is all about.

7) Desslar sofubi!! Nearly anything’s fair game for garage soft vinyl figure makers these days. These Gamilas baddies from Space Cruiser Yamato were being sold as completed items, not kits. If more “urban vinyl” looked like this I’d be happy.

8) A huge 1:48 Blizzard Gunner from Dougram. This was a very limited-edition, one-day-only amateur model kit production. I wish Takara had made a Dual Model (or even a 1:144 collection series version) of this sucker!

9) A new manufacturer by the name of “Honkytonk” has announced their plans to release “the largest Votoms product in history.” No pics yet, but the guys behind the table said it would be a 1/6 scale Scopedog made out of FRP (fiberglas-reinforced plastic) and retail for… Wait for it… Somewhere around $3000. Ouch. Release date: this summer. Or so they hope.

I love kanji on cardboard. So I was close to completion till Harkavy reminded me of the need to secure the latest High Complete Models. Fresh from Japan thanks to Hobby Link Japan, it’s Bandai’s newest entries into the classic line. HCM 26 and 27 come shrinkwrapped together like a box set. There’s something Fraser-esque about the look and feel of it. I’d never be able to open this if these were vintage toys.

The Gundam RX-178 Mark II Titans and HiZack RMS-106 EFF repaints go beautifully together. My sole complaint? The white boxes. Once you start accruing the dirty gray ones, these seem chintzy compared to the old-school recycled sleeves. I’ll let pics speak for themselves.

This is a test of the Emergency Rumble System. Hide the women and livestock.

Collect and Play: Have Fun With a Toy Hobby

Collection has been great at Yahoo Japan Auction

Some adults never seem to grow up. They seem to retain their childlike wonder at the world around them. These are the adults who have started a toy hobby. Kids like to hang around with these adults because they seem more like kids. Sometimes having a child or a grandchild can spark an interest in toys. Be that as it may, a toy hobby will keep a person young at heart.

Many women love dolls and never outgrow them. Some prefer baby dolls, some fashion dolls, and still others go for antique or decorative dolls. Often an interest in dolls will spill over into a craft interest, as the doll lover begins to craft clothing and accessories for favorite dolls. Sometimes the hobbyist becomes skilled at crafting the dolls themselves. Some types of dolls that are often hand-crafted are rag dolls and cloth bodied dolls with ceramic heads. It is not uncommon to find older women who have an entire room of their homes filled with special dolls on display.

Older men, on the other hand, (and sometimes women, too) often like cars and trucks. Antique metal cars are hot collectibles, with some older ones being quite valuable. Matchbox cars have always been loved, but so have the large Tonka dumptruck, road grader, and bulldozer. You can bet the grandkids will want to play with your trucks and cars.

A toy hobby that is extremely popular is collecting Beanie Babies. These small velour animals, made by the Ty company, each have a personality all its own. You can find Beanie Babies in every type of animal you can think of. A similar hobby is collecting teddy bears. There are many Beanie Baby teddy bears, but a teddy bear collector will probably want to branch out to collect other types of bears. In fact, many bear collectors have figurines and other items collected in addition to their teddy bears.

Wooden toys are popular among adults, both to craft and to collect. There is something quaint and pleasant about a child playing with a handcrafted wooden toy. Wooden toys make attractive home accents wherever they get dropped, which is not something you can say about the latest plastic gizmo. People who like country decorating often prefer wooden toys for their kids.

You don’t have to outgrow toys! A toy hobby will keep you young at heart and make you a favorite among the kids in your neighborhood. Whether you collect toys or craft them, a toy hobby is something you can play around with!

Taku “Professor Robo” Sato waxes eloquent about his upcoming Getter One diecast figure, Japanese versus American approaches to technology, and the impending invasion of Earth by the Dinosaur Empire.

Click here to read the exclusive world-first English language interview at AltJapan!

Taku “Professor Robo” Sato waxes eloquent about his upcoming Getter One diecast figure, Japanese versus American approaches to technology, and the impending invasion of Earth by the Dinosaur Empire. Click here to read the exclusive world-first English language interview at AltJapan!

StudioHalfeye’s Next Big Project: Dangaioh!

I was surfing the net the other day and I went to the R & D section and found out they are going to make a Dangaioh Figure from the 80’s OVA. So far only a sketch and the Breastplate are shown… I can’t wait for this figure ^ ^

Having once “sworn-on” toy collecting, can one ever really “swear-off”?

It is a question that haunts me, and one whose potential answer may have been given when I saw Takara’s Robodachi Gama Ninja Robo up for auction on eBay and could not control my monkey-mad, bidding fingers.

The average Japanese toy collector’s knowledge of Robodachi toys is limited to the few pieces one sees with regularity on eBay and Yahoo Japan, along with an article written by Warren Schwartz for Super 7 Magazine (V1/no.3). As any toy collector can tell you, however, reading about a toy is a far cry from handling it.

Most of what little I did know about the toys didn’t do much for me – sports related figures and simple metal cylinders rarely do – but as with most things, the further one digs with Robodachi, the more interesting things get.

I may never know why I like what I do when it comes to toys but what I do know is that I’m drawn to diecast, robot-toys shaped like amphibians. Takatoku’s Otasuke-Kaeru was a grand introduction to the idea and only served to heighten my interest in this bizarre concept.
Takara’s Ninja Frog is a far cry from the polished luster of the aforementioned Takatoku piece but its delightful goofiness is imbued with just the right combination of gimmick, design, and chintz to push it into my short list of favorite diecast toys.

The metal content of this palm-sized toy is considerable – all the body except for the jaw is zinc – while everything else, again but the jaw, is rendered in two tones of unabashedly lackluster plastic.

Gimmicks include surprisingly articulated legs; a jaw, activated by a roller on the belly, that works to issue a ratcheting croak; and a door on its back that reveals a secreted, little ninja.
This latter busts me up, evoking a scene ala Pulp Fiction wherein I hear Marsellus Wallace intoning: “If Butch goes to Japan, I want a Ninja hiding in a frog ready to pop a cap in his ass.” (can I say “ass” in a Rumble, or am I restricted to just acting like one on the BBS?)

The paint applications are simple; minimal. The frog’s legs are pegged into the body in a primitive, do-it-yourself fashion and thus fall off with too much play. The ninja accessory is laughably useless; a removable sword included on its back that, due to its extreme limitations in design, it cannot wield.

All this and more gives the toy a classic funk and whimsy (as opposed to wagnall) that falls only one step below that of Bullmark’s diecast efforts.

Perhaps most intriguing is the catalog included in the box, depicting a character array of such diverse complexity that one shudders to think what one’s bank account would look like had they all made it to production in zinc (or did they?). I see at least 10 toys here I would kill to own, or at least maim to see photos of, which takes me back to my original question:

Can any addiction ever truly be conquered?

If there are more drugs like this out there, and we all know there are, then in my case, the answer at the moment remains a firm and unequivocal “No”.–cae

Having once “sworn-on” toy collecting, can one ever really “swear-off”?

It is a question that haunts me, and one whose potential answer may have been given when I saw Takara’s Robodachi Gama Ninja Robo up for auction on eBay and could not control my monkey-mad, bidding fingers.

The average Japanese toy collector’s knowledge of Robodachi toys is limited to the few pieces one sees with regularity on eBay and Yahoo Japan, along with an article written by Warren Schwartz for Super 7 Magazine (V1/no.3). As any toy collector can tell you, however, reading about a toy is a far cry from handling it.

Most of what little I did know about the toys didn’t do much for me – sports related figures and simple metal cylinders rarely do – but as with most things, the further one digs with Robodachi, the more interesting things get.

I may never know why I like what I do when it comes to toys but what I do know is that I’m drawn to diecast, robot-toys shaped like amphibians. Takatoku’s Otasuke-Kaeru was a grand introduction to the idea and only served to heighten my interest in this bizarre concept.
Takara’s Ninja Frog is a far cry from the polished luster of the aforementioned Takatoku piece but its delightful goofiness is imbued with just the right combination of gimmick, design, and chintz to push it into my short list of favorite diecast toys.

The metal content of this palm-sized toy is considerable – all the body except for the jaw is zinc – while everything else, again but the jaw, is rendered in two tones of unabashedly lackluster plastic.

Gimmicks include surprisingly articulated legs; a jaw, activated by a roller on the belly, that works to issue a ratcheting croak; and a door on its back that reveals a secreted, little ninja.
This latter busts me up, evoking a scene ala Pulp Fiction wherein I hear Marsellus Wallace intoning: “If Butch goes to Japan, I want a Ninja hiding in a frog ready to pop a cap in his ass.” (can I say “ass” in a Rumble, or am I restricted to just acting like one on the BBS?)

The paint applications are simple; minimal. The frog’s legs are pegged into the body in a primitive, do-it-yourself fashion and thus fall off with too much play. The ninja accessory is laughably useless; a removable sword included on its back that, due to its extreme limitations in design, it cannot wield.

All this and more gives the toy a classic funk and whimsy (as opposed to wagnall) that falls only one step below that of Bullmark’s diecast efforts.

Perhaps most intriguing is the catalog included in the box, depicting a character array of such diverse complexity that one shudders to think what one’s bank account would look like had they all made it to production in zinc (or did they?). I see at least 10 toys here I would kill to own, or at least maim to see photos of, which takes me back to my original question:

Can any addiction ever truly be conquered?

If there are more drugs like this out there, and we all know there are, then in my case, the answer at the moment remains a firm and unequivocal “No”.