Wednesday, May 24, 2017

My Five Points Festival Review




    Did you make it out to the inaugural Five Points Festival? If you did, then you know it was the convention that the East Coast has been begging for.  If you didn't make it, I'm sure you were glued to your social media checking out all the excitement and planning how to make your way there next year.  It took the best parts of much larger conventions and parred them down so that nearly every booth appealed to my wallet.  Ok, I'm not really into comics, but the designer toys were so plentiful I had more than enough to look at and drool over.

   Usually when I attend a convention I have one or two things I really want on my list, then I inevitably find a few more as a bonus.  Not here though, as everywhere I turned I was literally bombarded with figures I'd never been able to see in person and desperately wanted.  Tons of artists that rarely exhibit in America let alone the east coast had tables full of toys that made me wonder how long I could go without paying my mortgage before it became a problem.  The Sunguts booth alone could have sent me to bankruptcy court.




   There was also a line of food trucks and a beer garden outside.  The beer I passed on but let me tell you about Phil's Steaks, which Sharon and I consumed both days.  Good Lord I would smack your momma to be able to eat from that truck every day, which is strange for me to say because I am so freakishly weird about where I'll eat. I have never once eaten from a food truck because food from a gas station will kill you, so food from a gas guzzling vehicle can't be much different right?  I was so wrong and wonder what else I've been missing out on.  Not that I'm willing to be bold to the level of eating a hot dog from a street cart, but I'm closer than I ever have been to being a culinary adventurer.  My wife is still amazed.

Other highlights from our adventures:

- Meeting tons of artists and collectors that I've known for years online but never met in person until now.  Literally I was standing next to people, heard them mention their names on Instagram, and we started talking as if we'd been life long friends.  That's the beauty of collecting.

- On day two we walked from Battery Park to the venue, which was approximately two miles.  Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge we saw a completely nude man laying face down on a large rock.  Was he sunning those hard to reach areas, was it performance art, or was their an issue involving chemicals?  As weird as it was to see it was weirder how many people passed by him without taking notice, as if it were commonplace.  I never want to be that comfortable, either as the man or the passers by.

- We went to The Statue of Liberty and took a photo holding up one of the exclusive Gary Ham Dunnys from Kidrobot.  A hopeful seagull thought it might be edible and nearly made off with it as my wife's outstretched hand tried to get it into position, which would have been a funny story, but would have also cost me $14.99.



- I actually ate at a food truck and loved it.  Did I mention that yet?

-  I tried to not be a germaphobe for once and didn't ask for hand sanitizer after holding onto the pole in the subway.  A few hours later I used that hand without thinking to remove a hair from my mouth.  Somehow I did not become patent zero for the next great plague.

-Someone dropped a can of chicken noodle soup and a bag of grapes on a different subway trip and a roach the size of a Chihuahua appeared and said "back up hungry eyes" with a perfect New York accent.

 - I never once had to stop in the middle of an aisle because someone was taking pictures of a half dressed woman from a comic book.  Cosplay is cool I suppose, but not when it causes me anxiety because I'm trapped in between sweaty people trying to take pictures of it.

    All in all I had one of the best convention experiences ever and would like to thank everyone at Clutter Magazine and Five Points Festival for letting me be a part of it.  I'm already saving up for next year.  

Check out all of the photos I took over at our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thetoyviking


Thursday, May 18, 2017

Teddy Troops 2.0 from Flying Fortress x Artoyz



    Things aren't always better once they're "improved".  Not everything is gonna be awesome like Robocop, or Windows 95.  Most things that are "improved" go the way of Coke 2 and are terrible.  A personal example for me would be Vitamin Water, whose orange drink I was in love with and consumed at least one a day, every day.  That is until they changed what they were using to sweeten it with which rendered it disgusting.  I was heart broken, disgusted, and very dehydrated.  Every once in a while I'll check the label in hopes that they've come to their senses and sometimes I'll even buy one, but it's never the same.  Let's move on before I get angry again.

  Teddy Troops are back, baby!  They've been resculpted in two different versions; the standard one we all know and love and a new version that has a spray can-like helmet and gas mask feature.  These awesome little dudes from Flying Fortress and Artoyz are up for preorder from now until June 15th with a few different options to fit your needs.  You can get the standard versions, the alternate colorways, or you can get em all and save some cash.  Whichever way you choose, the only place to get them is at www.artoyz.com.



Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Clutter Magazine Exclusives for Five Points Festival




   Having a severed head laying around the house is just asking for trouble.  Just ask anyone who has and they're sure to tell you the cons outweigh the pros.  Shockingly I have found an exception to that rule courtesy of Luke Chueh and Clutter Magazine.  Exclusive to this weekend's Five Points Festival,  the Black and Bone edition is limited to 50 pieces and comes with a nice pool of blood display stand all for only $100.  It's a bear, it's a skull, it's a crime scene and it speaks to me.  Not literally like voices in my head or anything, I meant aesthetically.  The pills take care of the voices.

   


    I think I found the culprit behind the whole severed head business.  Everything Splurrt makes looks like it has bad intentions and the Masterworks Cadaver Kid is no exception to that rule.  This behemoth is cast in a milk-white vinyl thats filled with purple glitter, limited to only 12 pieces in the entire world, and will sell for $165 each.  These things will go quick so make sure you have fresh laces in your Air Jordans if you want one.  






    Things are starting to get a little cuter as we go down the list.  This is Luna from The Bots and Urban Vinyl Daily and she is limited to just 50 pieces in this pink colorway and can be your forever companion for $60.  


    And don't forget about the amazing Dunnys from Gary Ham and Kidrobot.  The yellow one is only for VIP ticket holders while the other two will be available for everyone for $14.99 each.  

All of this will be at booth #234 for your shopping pleasure.




Tenacious Toys Exclusives for Five Points Festival



    Five Points Festival is this weekend which means it's time to forget any sort of budgeting I've been doing and spend some cash like there's an asteroid headed towards Earth.  They say you can't take your stuff with you when you die, but you could glue it all together beforehand and make a pretty banging tomb that celebrates your love for inanimate objects.  Tenacious Toys will be there to help you decorate your inner chambers in high fashion with all of their convention exclusive releases, such as the Resin is King series 4 blind boxes.  At $30 a pieces. each blind box will contain a resin figure from one of the following artists: Renone, TobyArt, UME Toys, Forces of Dorkness, Eyehart Toys, Pickman's Vinyls, Leecifer , One-Eyed Girl , Kyle Kirwan, Dollar Slice Bootlegs, and Abe Lincoln Jr (with sculpting by NEMO and casting by Jacob JAMS).   There will be tons of different paint schemes and even golden tickets hidden throughout that are redeemable for awesome things.  

    You'd probably think that would be all, but you'd be so wrong that you're parents now feel ashamed of you.  Now check out this list of other items Tenacious Toys will have available just for you:

Forces of Dorkness (Nature Warriors 6in OOAK resin figure series) 
Nerviswrek (Inner Child Greyscale handpainted customs) 
Rampage Toys (Cyclops Dinos Painted sofubi sets of 3) 
Taylored Curiosities (Huoli Guadians resin figure sets) 
Dollar Slice Bootlegs (Blue Chrome Slaughterbots) 
Cat Atomic (pins & customs including a Finalist in Custom Category in the DTAs!) 
• Jason Adams (Will Work for Toys resin figure) 
Pickman's Vinyls (Dick Wood - Log Private Eye resin figure) 
Naptime Noah (various customs on many platforms) 
• NEMO & Dead Hand Toys (Danger Dog blue resin figures) 
Manly Art (stickers and more

   That's a lot of stuff and it's all going down at booth #229.  


Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Five Points Festival Exclusive Soul Collector from Huck Gee x Mighty Jaxx



    No, you are not looking at the latest piece of jewelry from some rapper whose name makes no sense; you are looking at the first eight inch Gold Life figure from Huck Gee and Mighty Jaxx.  The Soul Collector looks like he takes his name seriously, with a giant cleaver looking thing to help separate your spirit from its fleshy cage.  My wife collects Pyrex so maybe I should get her a mean looking knife for when we're searching the local Goodwills.  Things can get pretty competitive in the hunt for vintage cookware and she would absolutely cut you for a five dollar Pink Gooseberry bowl, so don't test her.

  This beauty has been painted in Mr. T's favorite color and is an exclusive for this weekend's Five Points Festival in New York.  This will no doubt be an extremely desirable figure to obtain so if you're going I would hunt down the Mighty Jaxx booth first thing so you don't miss out on what would be an MTV Cribs-level addition to your collection.  


Thursday, May 11, 2017

The Arcane Divination Dunny Series from Kidrobot



    While a rarity anymore, we still have a few fortune tellers at the Jersey Shore that set up in tiny shops on the boardwalk for the amusement of tourists.  Sandwiched in between stands offering temporary tattoos and cheaply bootlegged t-shirts, they are content to sit and wait for you to enter their business rather than applying their fellow merchants more aggressive tactics.  I've been to one once and while I can't say I was enlightened, it was an interesting experience.  Then her daughter tried to upsell me on all kinds of knick knacks and very expensive cleansing spells, which were supposed to remove a curse of someone had put on me.  Suddenly what was a weird try anything once moment turned into buying a used car.  I opted for a snow cone and a couple rounds on the crane machines instead, which I totally owned so obviously my curse had nothing to do with whooping the behind of carnival games.  

    I don't think I've declared anything "The Greatest Dunny Series of All Time" recently, so allow me to do that right now.  This is the greatest Dunny series of all time.  Based on the tarot, this series was curated by J*Ryu and features his work alongside that of Jon-Paul Kaiser, Godmachine, Tokyo Jesus, and Camilla d'Errico.  Certainly the darkest set produced to date, these feature a crazy amount of new sculpted shapes an intricately printed designs to give each figure the most otherworldly of feels.  Add a heavy dose of the supernatural to your collection when these release tomorrow (May 12th) at www.kidrobot.com and wherever designer toys are sold.  







Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Plush Merboston Kickstarter from Shlii



    Oh, science you have gone to far this time.  I accepted when you invented laser swords and the Millennium Falcon, but splicing dogs and fish together is something beyond anything I thought possible.   Now the sea will be filled with puppies great and small and all the plastic chew toys that go with them.  This seems like a serious environmental threat that will throw the planet completely off balance.  Next thing you know cats will have wings and be raining dead mice on our heads.  Is there no end to the madness?

   Just kidding, this adorable sea pup is just a plush toy.  I had you going though didn't I?  Now I'll probably be labeled as fake news and lose all of my journalistic credibility that I never had in the first place.  But screw credibility when you can own cute things from Shlii.  She has a Kickstarter campaign going right now to make this precious genetic freak a reality so check it out at this link and help make it happen.  There's only 10 days to go and she's a little more than half way there.    


    

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Watch Parts Dunny Series 2 from Dan Tanenbaum x Kidrobot





    These things are beyond insane. I would have so much anxiety working with these tiny watch parts, so I give Dan Tanenbaum all the credit for not only using these as his medium but doing so in a way that is so jaw droppingly beautiful.  These Dunnys are geometric mechanical wonders and you can own one for yourself when Kidrobot drops series two of these guys.  Exclusive to www.kidrobot.com, they will be available today (May 9th) at 10am MST.  Make sure you set an alarm, cause these won't last long.  Set an alarm, lol, I kill me.





Friday, May 5, 2017

JFury x Playful Gorilla Present "Animal Instincts" Tonight at Mothership Gallery





    The weather outside today sucks.  it's supposed to rain and be overcast and depressing which means if you're like me (my condolences to your family) then your motivation level will also be stuck on zero.   Break out of that meteorological funk by checking out JFury's and Playful Gorilla's Animal Instincts show tonight at Mothership in Philadelphia.  It's bunny versus ape in a flurry of custom figures featuring their very recognizable styles.  There's even an after party with a DJ and everything!  The show is tonight from 6-9pm at 223 W. Girard and will feature giveaways, food, and of course tons of custom toys to purchase.  






Thursday, May 4, 2017

Insanely Large Ron English Figures Available Now from Strange Cat Toys




    There's a very large house not far from where I live that has an equally large wall surrounding it, which obstructs your view of the main structure.  The person that owns it has ensured you have plenty to look at when you drive past, as he has gathered every fiberglass creation he could find and strewn them about his property.  There are elephants, and giraffes, and dinosaurs peaking over the wall, while the outside has dragons, Gundam robots, and even Jesus and the Virgin Mary.  The place looks like a temple built to celebrate someone's deep mental instability and I love it.  That's the kind of crap I would pull if I had a lot of money.  My home owner's association would probably get butthurt about it, which will distract them from the fact that I bought the townhouse next door and turned it into a petting zoo.  They're so dumb!

   If you happen to have a spare $15,000 laying around then Strange Cat Toys has a deal for you.  Some of Ron English's most recognizable creations have gone huge, like in the realm of 4 to even 7 feet tall huge.  They ain't cheap as I mentioned before, but they're way more fun than paying back your student loans or trying to erase credit card debt.  Check out the selection at https://strangecattoys.com and just remember that one day you'll be dead and thus out of reach from collection agencies.









Hang with The Sucklord this Saturday at Woot Bear




    Any opportunity you have to hang out with The Sucklord is guaranteed to be an interesting time.  What will he say?  What will he do?  Will anyone be wearing a shirt?  Find out for yourself when The Sucklord opens his solo show "A Little Gay, A Little Star Wars, a Little Bit of Everything!" this Saturday at Woot Bear in San Fransisco.  Bring your money and buy some awesome bootleg figures that will make you happy.  Like for real, you can't be upset when you look at his creations and if you are maybe you're a sociopath.  You should get that checked out.  

    All the details you need are in that picture there, so I really don't have much more to do here.  How's your week going?  Mine has been okay, same old same old ya know?  Good talking with ya.


Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Draculobster and Alien Lazer from Michael Skattum




    I'm not a beach person.  I enjoy the boardwalk and the carnival games and the really bad food, but you won't find me baking myself on the sand or frolicking in the surf.  People are surprised to hear that being that I live so close to the Jersey Shore, but there's plenty of other activities in Southern New Jersey besides just the beach.  There's throwing old food near groups of people and watching the seagulls attack, there's road rage, and there's days spent hunting for the mines that Zoolander claimed were here.  See, my plate is full.  

    Not being at the beach also gives me a head start when these dudes emerge from the waves to lay waste on humanity.  I've been telling you it's gonna happen for years yet everyone is worried about zombies because that's what they want.  They perpetuated the zombie nonsense with their incredible marketing skills to lure you into a place of comfort.  The sharks have been trying to warn us too, but you don't listen, as their attacks are quickly forgotten.  Let's move on.  

    These vinyl Draculobster and Alien Lazer figures from Michael Skattum and will in no way have the fishy smell that their real life counterparts will bring with them from the bottom of the ocean.  Each figure is available right now for $85 each or get a bundle deal on both for $150.  Oh, and those prices include free shipping all the way from China.  Snag em at http://michaelskattum.bigcartel.com.  


Thursday, April 27, 2017

3DRetro is Hosting a Release Party/Signing for Kidrobot's Adult Swim Mini Series


    Have you ever wondered what kind of twisted people create your favorite shows on Adult Swim?  Come face to face with them without the worry of a restraining order tomorrow (Friday April 28th) as 3DRetro and Kidrobot proudly present the new Adult Swim mini series.  Creators and cast members from Rick and Morty and Robot Chicken will be there to sign your toys, answer your questions, and tell you how awesome your show idea is though somehow that contract they swear they're going to fax never seems to make it (Octo-Pope is the hero we all need right now and you know it).  

    All the event details are right here for your viewing pleasure so if you live in the Los Angeles area this is a no brainer. 
    



New Rampage Toys Preorders from Tenacious Toys



    I broke down and watched Suicide Squad last night.  After Batman vs. Superman I expected another crap fest, but it wasn't bad.  The film was entertaining and Margot Robbie was a great Harley Quinn and Will Smith wasn't bad either, which surprised me.  Jared Leto as Lil Wayne/ The Joker however was beyond dumb, surpassing my even my lowest expectations.  And it wasn't merely that he looked like a Juggalo but his performance was so erratic I dreaded any time %1he was on screen.  What makes The Joker interesting is his balance between evil genius and utter psychopath and this version just made it seem like he was at best a low functioning meth head.  Whoever was responsible for that should be asking me whether or not I'd like to make it a combo on my next visit to Arby's.

    Now that I have purged my need for film review, let us talk about more pleasant things.  Tenacious Toys has yet again teamed with Rampage Toys to bring us exclusive sofubi.  Up for preorder now are the 11 inch tall "Rainy Day Revenge" Kesagake and the 3 piece Gold Sparkle Cyclops Dino set.   You have from now until May 5th to get your preorders in for these, unless you just like missing out on opportunities the same way Suicide Squad missed out on having an awesome version of The Joker.  I stand firmly behind that sentiment.  

        Available now at www.tenacioustoys.com    






Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Celebrate Alien Day With Blind Boxed ReAction Figures from Super7



    There's no better way to celebrate something than with new toys.  Whether it's a promotion at work, the birth of a child, or not stabbing someone in the face who was practically begging to be stabbed in the face, you should always mark momentous occasions by treating yourself to something nice.  Since today is Alien Day(the post office still delivers mail today, right?) there's no better way to  have a good time than with some blind box Xenomorphs from Super7.  These ReAction figures come in one of three different colors that will totally be a surprise until you rip open the packaging to see what you've got.  These are available at all Super7 retail locations and will be online starting at non pacific time today at www.super7store.com.  

    On a side note, did you see Kenny Powers is gonna be in the new Alien movie?  I know it's the guy that plays Kenny Powers, but I'm just thinking how amazing a crossover that would have been.  Ideas like this make me wonder why I'm not allowed to make big decisions.  

    






Vote For Me In The Seventh Annual Designer Toy Awards




     Ok, real talk people:  The United States is not known for our prowess when it comes to elections.  World War III is in the tiny hands of a man with a third grade reading level, so now's the time to dust off those Mad Max DVDs and pick up pointers on our future way of life.  We need redemption and we need it fast and while me winning Best Blog at The Designer Toy Awards won't stop the inevitable, I hope it can bring a smile to all of our faces before they are mutated forever by radiation and incapable of showing emotion.  Hopefully our new reptilian overlords will be gentle.  

    The best part of voting in The Designer Toy Awards is that there's no electoral college nonsense to screw it up.  Your vote matters and whoever gets the most wins.  Now don't just vote for me (do it first though) but also the wonderful folks who are up in the publicly voted categories.  Oh, and if I win you don't have to pay back your student loans (that is not true).  Get your democracy on at www.designertoyawards.com.  







Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Color Changing Dunnys from Naptime Noah x Corner 12 x Kidrobot



    Usually when stuff changes color in my house I assume a cat has peed on it.  I've been right a few times, especially when it comes to this chair in my living room, which we got as a bonus when we bought our couch off of a Craigslist ad.  That was when Craigslist was new and exciting and answering a post didn't mean a future appearance on the side of a milk carton.  I'm starting to wonder why they were so keen to make us take this chair as well, which at best coordinates nicely with the couch but in no way looks like they would have been purchased together.  I probably should have had someone from the crime lab check it out to make sure there wasn't any usable evidence for one of their unsolved cases.  I just figured they thought my wife and I looked like a nice young couple who was trying to furnish their first place on the cheap, but the fact that one of my cats is trying to cover a mysterious scent with pee pee makes me wonder what happened on it.  It's probably best I not know.

    Now that I've dissuaded anyone from ever wanting to sit on my furniture, it's time to tell you about something more pleasant.  Naptime Noah may be well known for his spontaneous bouts of micro sleep, but starting today he will now be known for creating an exclusive line of color changing Dunnys for Kidrobot.  They will come in three different sizes (3 inch, 5 inch, and 8 inch)and feature three different ways to alternate their color patterns.  Through the use of heat, cold air, or just shifting them in the light, you'll be able to transform them in ways no Dunny has ever before.  

    These will be available today, April 25th, at 9am pacific time only from www.kidrobot.com.  


Thursday, April 20, 2017

Five Points Festival Exclusive Dunny from Gary Ham x Kidrobot x Clutter Magazine




    This May the east coast is finally getting a designer toy show to put us on par with our west coast friends.  With a show comes plenty of exclusives, including this Gary Ham Dunny from Kidrobot.  The yellow version on the right is extremely limited and only available as an incentive for buying a VIP ticket.  The other two will be available at Clutter Magazine's booth #243 for $14.99 each.  You can get a peak at the edition size to see just how rare these will be in the photo below.  Tickets and further info about Five Points Festival can be found at http://fivepointsfest.com.  I already know where $30 of my money is going. 




Pink Chrome Mister Melty from Buff Monster






       This thing sure is purrty.  Chrome is a great finish for anything because it's somewhat fancy but somewhat trashy at the same time, depending on what it's applied to.  Chrome parts on your motorcycle are fancy, but if you chrome out a the car sitting on cinder blocks in your front yard and turn it into a beer cooler, that's kinda trashy.  Though is you have a car like that in front of your house putting some chrome on it might be considered an attempt at beautifying the neighborhood and thus keeping code enforcement at bay.  I guess it really comes down to perspective.

     You don't need much sense to realize that this pink chrome Mister Melty is fancy as hell.  I don't know how they managed to make this half sofubi half resin dude so shiny, but the results are pretty cool.  You can add one of these rare birds to your collection this Friday, April 21st at 10am est from www.buffmonster.com.


Wednesday, April 19, 2017

How To Improve Easter: A Family Guide for Putting Your Kids to Work




    When people conceive of ways to highjack holidays and turn them into greeting card money grabs they should put more thought into it besides financial gain.  I'm looking at you Easter and whoever it was decided to create the Easter egg hunt.  Now I've partaken in my fair share of them when I was a child, but it wasn't until my later years, more specifically last Sunday, that I noticed a huge missed opportunity.  Instead of hiding plastic eggs filled with candy we should utilize what is already strewn about our Earth and not provide treats for a child's ability to spot garishly colored items, but instead reward them for ridding our landscapes of trash.

    To accomplish this we must change the mythos of the Easter Bunny just slightly.  Now he leaves each child a pair of puncture proof gloves and a metal trashcan that they can spend their morning decorating in preparation for the afternoon's hunt.  Once their Easter cans are as festive as can be the race is on to fill one's container with as much refuse as they can possibly stuff into it.  Barely able to carry the fruits of their labor, each child will then be able to exchange their trashcan for a boatload of seasonally themed candies of their choosing.  Thus, you will have raised little heathens that realize work can be fun AND rewarding at the same time in that it benefits them and their environment.  Of course not every child will jump on the band wagon of the new landfill treasure hunt, and they will quickly learn that laziness means that sugar cravings will not be met for another year.  Don't have a yard of your own?  Find an empty lot and all the fun life lessons it may contain.  You cannot be a man of the world unless you can readily identify what you just stepped on as a crack pipe.

   I'm coming for you next Columbus Day and I'm coming armed to the teeth.  



Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Morgogg amd Ogos Teal Blanks from Skinner



    If you think getting a a blank Morgogg or Ogos figure from Skinner himself was a thing to celebrate, you'd be right.  Just by themselves these figures will elevate your collection to Master P MTV Cribs status.  Their limited availability alone at only 10 pieces each would easily bring you to that baller status, but Skinner is raising the stakes even higher by throwing in 10 original 5x7 art works for 10 lucky people that are able to score one of these plastic behemoths. That's right, half of the people that order these figures will also get some original art to hang on the wall.



    Look at these drawings!!!!!  Hell, these are alone worth the price of the figure and will make some lucky sons of guns very happy.  Once you own original art I imagine the invitations start pouring in for museum openings and you probably get to sit next to Kanye at fashion shows.  Can you imagine all the crazy stuff he'll try to talk to you about?  It will all be just about him, but you'll just have to realize that any connection you make will be completely one sided and he's not the dude to call when you're feeling a bit depressed.  Not that I know anyone like that who just can't let me vent for two seconds without trying to one up me on the "had a bad day" scale.  Just listen Kanye, just listen.

    These will be available at noon pacific time today (Tuesday April 18th) from https://shopcriticalhit.com.


Friday, April 14, 2017

WWE's The Undertaker Bearbrick from Medicom




    When I was around 12 or so the WWE came to the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia for one of their non-televised shows.  After much begging and pleading I convinced my stepfather to take me and we were able to get tickets along the railing where the performers would walk on the way to the ring.  The Undertaker hadn't been in the WWE long, but already he was one of my favorites and the sole reason I wanted to attend that day.  I remember when his ominous music came over the loud speakers, the lights of the arena dimmed, and out came the largest human being I had ever seen in my life.  I don't remember much else about the day, just the sense of awe I had standing next to someone who was bigger than life both physically and through the character he portrayed.

    I wish I could have been there this year when he retired at Wrestlemania, but my wife and I did have the chance to see one of his last matches a few years ago and that was cool to share with her such a memory from my childhood.  You can relive your favorite moments of The Phenom with this new Bearbrick from Medicom.  The 100% version is on sale now from this link for around $14 US dollars, while a much larger version is teased in this pic:



    I might just have to break down and order one of these for myself.  


Thursday, April 13, 2017

New WWE Pop Vinyl from Funko



    The WWE merchandising team must have done one of those '80's movies freeze frame high fives when they first saw Finn Balor in his Demon makeup.  I would have lost my mind as a kid and wanted everything I owned to be covered in it.  Give me the officially licensed hoodie, backpack, book covers, Trapper Keeper, Halloween costume, dog sweater, and whatever else you could possibly put it on.  And he has one of the best entrances of all time.  I really think that to start a business meeting off every participant should have to do an entrance as dramatic to assert their dominance in the situation.  Get some music, a fog machine, and let everyone know that negotiations are only going in your favor.  Bring some extra folks holding signs up for added drama.  

    Funko is set to release its latest wave of WWE Pop Vinyl figures and i'm going to have to track down at least one of Finn in his makeup.  I think I like the FYE exclusive one the best but I wouldn't leave the chase figure sitting on the shelf either.  They are also featuring AJ Styles, Goldberg, and Mick Foley in his former role as general manager of RAW.   These should be available everywhere in May. 










Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Meat Marbled Cestoda Preorder from Miscreation Toys x Toy Art Gallery x Lulubell Toys



    This is pretty much what the back of my neck looks like after spending three hours at the flea market on Sunday.  I have no regrets because I did score a huge Steiff tiger and a small bunny with the button still in its ear for practically nothing and my wife made out like a Pyrex bandit.  I carried countless bowels to the point that I was sure I could have flipped the car over.  I should have known better about the sunburn though, because just thinking about going outside makes my skin turn a little pink.  I suppose if my cats were to eat me in my sleep I'm at least well cooked for them so they can rest easy without the fear of foodborne illness.  

    The Cestoda figure from Miscreation Toys and Toy Art Gallery is a beast that will make you have to rearrange your house in order to own one.  Standing at 11 inches tall and as wide as a Volkswagen (ok, it's a little smaller) this marbled meat version is available right now for preorder through Lulubell Toys.  You have from now until May 21st at 5pm pacific time to pull the trigger on this $250 Japanese vinyl beauty exclusively from https://www.lulubelltoys.com.