SoftoyHobby Archives

MAN-E-REPORT// Nerdone Wonderfestival booth recap (and the M.O.T.U.L.O.S sofubi)…

With the hype surrounding the release of the M.O.T.U.L.O.S sofubi reaching fever pitch last week, it came as no surprise to find the Paralyzing Toys Wonderfestival booth swamped upon Nerdone‘s arrival early afternoon. Bringing along a selection of past figures, including a new mini run of Tarman bootlegs plus a new batch of Steregon keshi, the real star of the show was of course the aforementioned tiny green castle. Drawing inspiration from both Neclos Fortress and MOTU, the 3.5″ tall piece had been cast in mint green similar to the original Castle Greyskull playset, complete with subtle dark green/brown sprays and silver hand painted detailing… But that wasn’t all! Taking the recent Tarman sofubi/rubber concept one step further, the figure also played host to an original MOTU/Neclos inspired keshi, PLUS a mini missile shooter to topple the little guy off the castle! Easily stored in the underside, these 2 extra additions really did help to make M.O.T.U.L.O.S one of the funnest releases we saw at the event- and at just 4,200yen ($41), it was one of the biggest bargains of the day too! Unfortunately limited to just 15 pieces this time around, we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for a bigger release soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Valentine’s Day Mr Fly sofubi from Purple Toys…

The duo behind Purple Toys have unleashed the latest edition of Mr Fly (Jeff) just in time for Valentine’s Day! Cast up in what appears to be an orange base vinyl, the 8″ figure has been sprayed in a mix of pastel rainbow fades, complete with a dark purple head and red/green detailing. Coming super-limited as always, interested parties can hit up Purple Toys at anymo666@hotmail.com with any enquiries. Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, but judging by past releases, expect to pay around $120 shipped…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Atomic Uchuujin “Crystallized Corpuscle” watch buttons revealed…

Promised to you guys at the beginning of last week, we can now finally reveal the companion piece to the Disarticulators‘ latest figure Atomic Uchuujin… the “Crystallized Corpuscle” watch buttons! Closely based on the human blood draining watches found in the banned Ultra7 episode “From A Planet With Love” (the very same that influenced AU’s appearance), the 100% hand designed piece was initially drawn out by Disarticulator sculptor Zectron, with colouring from Ralph Niese. Realised as a faithfully scaled 2.25″ button courtesy of Button Lab, the awesome addition will be packed free with every future Alien Uchuujin purchase… Both standard flesh and Zectron’s Artist Proof GID should be ready to drop in the next couple of weeks (once final packaging is approved), so be sure to keep a close eye out for solid release details soon!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Skull BxBxBoogie from Cure x Secret Base…

Cure Toys have just revealed that they’ve teamed up with Secret Base for an all-new Skull BxBxBoogie mash-up! Featuring the Killer Tomatoes inspired Boogie head and standard Fighter body, the figure will be up for grabs in 2 blind-bagged colourways; a purple cast body with red head and green/blue detailing, and an inverse with green, yellow and red. Due to go on sale at the Secret Base store tomorrow for just 5,250yen ($52), expect online sales to commence right here this Saturday, February 15th…

MAN-E-REPORT// Zoomoth Wonderfestival booth recap…

Any regular readers of the blog will know how much we’re digging the custom keshi scene right now, so it came with great pleasure during Wondefestival to be able to head over to the Zoomoth booth and finally check out their wares in person! Bringing one of their most impressive displays yet, the space was filled with a number of gorgeous hand paints (unfortunately not for sale!), alongside the debut of both Dr Bomb and Simon Belmont, the re-release of Samael in a dark purple soft vinyl, plus a surprise release from Gargamel’s sculptor in the form of a Umanosuke Ueda sofubi! Based on the iconic Japanese professional wrestler, the beautifully realised piece was sculpted to resemble the original keshi gomu figures, coming cast in a rather appropriate “flesh” soft vinyl for debut Wonderfestival release- here’s hoping we see more of him soon! Zoomoth have recently uploaded studio shots of their recent figures on their site, so to get a closer look at what was on offer, check it out right here…

MAN-E-NEWS// Uky Daydreamer’s “Invade the Gacha!!!” sofubi micros at One-Up…

On top of the exclusive Lampu, Squilo and Lobzar that will be touching down in the Jungle store this Saturday, February 15th (find out more in our previous post right here), Uky Daydreamer have just revealed that they will be storming Akihabara’s One-Up with a whole heap of gachapon micros tomorrow! Created for the “Invade the Gacha!!!” mini show, unpainted versions of all 4 Uky Daydreamer micros, Octrion, Squilo, Lobzar and Jellien, will be up for grabs “blind bagged” in either blue, orange, red or yellow soft vinyl for just 1,000yen ($10) each. We’re still not sure if the figures will see an online release, but we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for a similar “virtual gacha machine” as Rampage Toys’ recent Gachapon Goiblins release…

MAN-E-NEWS// Sraped Resin’s Battling Bastards: From Parts Unknown…

For a main event luchador, life is all about fame, glory and Cadillacs… But what about the opening-match jabroni’s working for just $20 and a torta? Who are these villainous journeymen wrestlers destined to wander the Mexican wrestling circuit as perennial losers? Well, Robert Rodriguez over at Scraped Resin intends to shed light on these misfit luchadores, as he proudly presents Battling Bastards: From Parts Unknown! Consisting primarily of leftover scraps and unused casts, a total of 6 unique one-off resin wrestlers have been created for the release, each standing at around 4-4.5″ tall, complete with neo-mag articulation. Packaged in deluxe resealable clamshells featuring art from Casey Garcia, each figure comes with a number of stickers plus a limited edition trading card. Priced at just $30 each plus shipping, expect the latest Battling Bastards to touch down in the Scraped Resin store this Friday, February 14th at Noon PST…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Haunted Hawaiian Beach Party micro run from D-Lux…

D-Lux has teamed up with Walter P for the latest round of Bobby Beast and Harry Demon micro figures, present the “Haunted Hawaiian Beach Party” set! Taken from Rampage Toys’ highly popular Gachapon Goblins series, each set comes with both Bobby and Harry in a GID soft vinyl, complete with a number of tropical neon sprays and hand painted detailing from D-Lux. Packed with a header card illustrated by Walter, the run has been limited to just 10 sets, priced at $25 each plus shipping. Look out for the little guys in the D-Lux store this Friday, February 14th at 9pm EST…

MAN-E-NEWS// Secret Base’s “Black Ooze-It” Joke Toy mini revealed…

Following the first official online release of the Ooze-It bootleg a few weeks back, Hiddy over at Secret Base has just revealed that a new companion Joke Toy will be up for grabs soon! We’re still not too sure if the sofubi micro will be cast up in the same squishy soft vinyl as the recent black colourway, but it appears that the standard Joke Toy box will be replaced with a replica of the bootleg’s hilarious presentation tub. Word on an exact release date is still to be confirmed, but we’re guessing the figure will be up for grabs soon at around 3,500yen ($34)…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Ghost Butler resin figure from Peter Kato…

Unfortunately arriving just before we closed up shop last week, we rather belatedly bring you guys the latest figure from Peter Kato, the adorable Ghost Butler! Returning to the cute “ghoulie” style of earlier figures Kawako and Fright Bite, the wonderfully minimal design mixes the likes of the Addams Family, Tim Burton and even Uamou to great effect. Standing at a chunky 3″ tall and 1.5″ wide, the hand cast figure is currently available in 2 different colourways; a standard “White” with black highlights, and a Valentines Day “Violet” with purple. Limited to just 12 of each, the Ghost Butlers can be found in the Peter Kato store right here for $40 and $50 respectively plus shipping…

MAN-E-UPDATE// The Walking Bread mini figure from Zombie Years x Creature Entertainment…

Teased here back in January, Juan Navarro over at The Zombie Years is proud to reveal that his very first resin mini figure, The Walking Bread, is now available to purchase! Based on a t-shirt design created by Navarro a while back (check it out here), the 3″ bootleg toy has been sculpted and produced by Creature Entertainment’s Al and Rene Quesada (the guys behind the effects form THANKS GRANDPA). Coming in an initial batch of 20; 10 in opaque, 5 in the pictured clear green and 5 in clear red, the little guys comes bagged and headed for just $15 each plus shipping. Check them out in the Creature Entertainment store right here!

MAN-E-NEWS// Medicom Toy’s Cosmos Alien prototypes at Wonderfestival…

Medicom Toy provided one of the most expansive displays of soft vinyl at Wonderfestival over the weekend, and whilst unfortunately none of the figures were for sale, we did get a glimpse at some amazing upcoming projects- the first we’re posting coming in the form of all-new Cosmos Aliens! Building on the recent resurrection of the iconic gachapon manufacturers Cosmos, it appears that we’ll be treated to a whole host of new Alien designs over the coming year, with a total of 3 new mini sculpts, plus upscaled versions of the original Octopus (Ooze-It) and Fish designs all on display. No hint was made to when or where any of these will be seeing the light of day, but we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for more information over the coming months…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Novelty Haus exclusive Sparrow from Blurble…

Coming just in time for Valentines Day later this week, Novelty Haus have teamed up with Blurble for a special “Pink” version of the highly popular Sparrow figure! Cast up by none other than DuBose Art in a retina melting hot pink resin, the 3″ figure comes with opalescent pink and blue sprays with hand painted detailing. Packed with his signature removable hat and skateboard, the little guy has been limited to just 5 pieces priced at $30 each plus shipping. Check him out in the Novelty House store right here whilst supplies last!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Robert Cop resin action figure from Ralph Niese x Goodleg Toys…

Our good friend Ralph Niese has teamed up with the chaps at Goodleg Toys for the latest incarnation of the mighty Robert Cop! Designed and sculpted by Ralph based on the classic 80’s action flick RoboCop, the crazy figure comes complete with 4 points of articulation, a mounted hand gun, plus an additional bayonetted assault rifle. Cast in resin by Goodleg and hand painted by Ralph, the 5.5″ tall Robert Cop is currently up for preorder in the Goodleg store for just $75 plus shipping- the window will be closing on Sunday, February 16th. Limited to just 7 pieces, we suggest heading over ASAP to avoid disappointment!

MAN-E-REPORT// Cosmo Knight Alpha store visit…

One of the many, many highlights of our trip over to Japan, we were lucky enough to make the pilgrimage over to the legendary Cosmo Knight Alpha shop on our last day. Run by Longneck’s Yoda-san, the modest sized space in Sakae-cho is home to easily one of the biggest collections of rare soft vinyl we’ve ever witnessed, featuring a staggering selection of vintage kaiju, original Cosmos gachapon figures, hard to find blow moulded minis, Bemon, and of course, THAT Longneck display window in the front. Anyone with even a slight interest in soft vinyl needs to visit this place at least once in their life- the following pictures after the drop simply do it no justice… Continue reading “MAN-E-REPORT// Cosmo Knight Alpha store visit…”

MAN-E-NEWS// The MetaSlug wooden toys from Psycho Scimitar…

Following the release of the Crystal Lady back in December, Alex Gavryushenko over at Brooklyn based toy and apparel brand Psycho Scimitar has just unleashed his latest batch of unique wooden toys, the MetalSlugs! Following a similar approach to past figures, the beautiful pieces have been hand cut and screenprinted, coming with interchangeable articulation at the waist that can be swapped out to produce a total of 6 different combinations. Packed in sets of 2 complete with one 9″ and one 6″ design, the MetalSlugs are currently up for grabs in the Psycho Scimitar store right here for just $40 plus shipping…

Whilst we wait with baited breath for news on the first soft vinyl figure from PS, we can share with you guys another fully 3D from the brand, this rather awesome resin/plush mash-up! Details are still pretty scarce at the moment (we’re still not even sure of a name!), but the creepy Plaseebo-esque figure should hopefully be making it’s debut later in the month. Stay tuned for some solid info soon!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Incredible Zulk resin action figure from Falcon Toys…

A man most certainly after our hearts, Mike Woods over at Falcon Toys has combined the best of both Star Wars and Kaiju for his latest resin figure, the Incredible Zulk! Looking like a mutated, overgrown Zuckuss (or 4-LOM depending on which SW line you grew up with!), the insectoid beastie has been cast in a batch of 6 one-off resin colourways for the first release, each coming dyed and airbrushed with both articulated and static versions present. Coming packed with a custom header card plus 3 micro resin tanks, Zulk will be touching down in the Falcon Toys store this Friday, February 14th at 5pm CST…

MAN-E-XCLUSIVE// The Rampage Studios “Keshi Party” recap…

We’re back!!! After an amazing few days with Rampage Toys‘ Jon Malmstedt over in Japan, we’re finally catching up with the stack of news and reports we plan to share with you guys- and what better way to start than with a recap of the Rampage Studios Keshi Party?! Featuring a ton of mini figure bootlegs cast up by our very own Tru:Tek including the final appearance of the Cupcake Luchas, hilarious new gachapon micros and Nama Niku’s Kentucky Fried Muscle, these were also joined by exclusive versions of both Tankhead and Eraserhead courtesy of Eric Nilla, plus the debut of The Disarticulators’ latest figure, Atomic Uchuujin- a strong showing all round we’re sure you’ll agree! With a high calibre of attendees including a number of high profile keshi collectors, the boss of Mandarake and Longneck’s Yoda-san, it truly was an honour (not to mention completely surreal!) to be in the company of so many cool people & awesome toys…

Now onto what you guys really want to know about, the online sales! Whilst unfortunately Atomic Uchuujin sold out during the show, a number of the other figures remain, including limited flesh versions of all the new keshi customs, Nama Niku’s pachi battle sets, a whole horde of gacha figures, plus one of only two flesh Oozeball and Claw sets in existence! Currently being offered up to newsletter subscribers (sign up here if you haven’t already!), any remaining figures will be up for grabs in-store later this week…

But that’s not all… On top of the Keshi Party figures, Jon is also offering up a slew of leftovers from last weekend’s Wonderfestival! On top of a number of different painted and blank Cyclops Dinos and Gachapon Goblin micros, there’s all-new minis from Grumble Toys, a Justin Hillgrove UU micro run, more Frenzy Dino mash-ups, plus the first 100% soft vinyl Cupcake Fighter with keshi omake. Again, these are being offered up to newsletter subscribers first before heading to the store, so if you’re looking to be first inline for the next leftover drop, be sure to head over to the Rampage blog here and sign up ASAP…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Rampage Studios exclusive “Preview Edition” Atomic Uchuujin from The Disarticulators…

Whilst we’ve had to forgo regular posting in preparation for our trip to Japan later in the week, we have time to share one exclusive with you guys… the first production shots of The Disarticulators‘ latest keshi, Atomic Uchuujin! Inspired by banned Ultra 7 character Alien S’Pell (head over to Ultraman Wiki here to find out more), the little guy was designed and sculpted by Zectron, coming in at around 2.5″ of irradiated menace. Making it’s debut at Rampage Studio’s Keshi Party this Friday in an exclusive Japan-only preview run, the rubber figure will be up for grabs in both flesh and a secret “gift only” colourway, limited to just 10 of each. Packed with an exclusive blueprint header card, plus an extra special companion piece that we’ll be revealing later in the week (believe, you are not going to want to miss it!), Atomic Uchuujin will be priced around 3,000yen ($29) a piece… Stay tuned for news on the first Western release in just a couple of weeks time!

MAN-E-UPDATE// The “One Night Only” Keshi Party at Rampage Studios…

Following our announcement of the “One Night Only” Keshi Party over at Rampage Studios next Friday, we thought we’d share with you guys a few of the figures that’ll be making an appearance! Joining the previously revealed Catfighter keshi, Rampage Toys’ Jon Malmstedt has got to work on a trio of all-new bootlegs for the infamous Rampage gacha machine; the bike headed Otobai Man, plus micro 2 pack Robo Racer and Tank Titan, all 3 of which will be joined by a generous helping of the original Cupcake and Super Cupcake Luchas (not pictured). Also headed for the gacha comes the debut of the latest figure from Nama Niku, Kentucky Fried Muscle! Featuring a hilarious kit-bashed drumstick head plus Nama’s signature belt branding, the figure, along with all the above, is currently being produced by our very own Tru:Tek in a mix of vintage keshi red, blue and of course flesh… Stay tuned for further reveals throughout next week (including the debut of Atomic Uchuujin), plus a full show account from Tru:Tek next weekend!