SoftoyHobby Archives

MAN-E-NEWS// A trifecta of ToyConUK exclusives from Sergey Safonov x The Hang Gang…

Whilst unfortunately unable to make ToyConUK in person next week, Russian toy artist Sergey Safonov has created a number of new releases, collaboration pieces and even prints that will be available at various booths- the first of which to be revealed coming in the form of 3 exclusive colourways for UK designer toy emporium, The Hang Gang. Consisting of a ‘Grape Juice Drop’ Chorus Boy Godot, a ‘GID’ Darkest Night Moon Mouse and ‘Super Glossy Black’ Luno, each piece has been hand cast and painted by the artist, coming in extremely limited quantities. Pricing on the pieces is still forthcoming, but Safonov has stated that any remaining stock will be headed to the Hang Gang online store soon after the con.

MAN-E-NEWS// Mystical Warriors of the Ring’s ‘Sheldon Sabre’ revealed…

Mark Vasquez, the mastermind behind the upcoming ‘Mystical Warriors of the Ring‘ mini figure series is proud to present the line’s 6th and final character from this year’s line-up, Sheldon Sabre! The first ‘AWF World Heavyweight Champion’ and arch nemesis of Ulric Wolfrom, Sheldon has proven to be the most ambitious sculpt yet, and the only to feature both ‘robed’ and ‘action’ variants. The last figure to drop in the series, expect a number of different colourways from resin maestro Marty ‘The Godbeast‘ Hansen towards the end of the year. We’ll be bringing you more info on the series as soon as we hear anything, but in the mean time, be sure to keep track of the dedicated blog here for up to the minute developments…

MAN-E-NEWS// Unbox Industries announce future collaborations with The Disarticulators…

Yet another HUGE project we’ve been finding extremely difficult to keep to ourselves over the past few months, we can finally reveal today that Unbox Industries will be will be teaming up with The Disarticulators to produce a brand new range of vinyl figures in a variety of shapes and sizes! To get the ball rolling Unbox will be introducing the team (including our very own Tru:Tek!) to the public on their stand at Toycon UK… The guys give us a little heads up on what will be on offer-

“The Disarticulators are proud to be bringing a number of different exclusives to the Unbox booth including the long awaited aluminium ‘K-1000’ KESH-E-FACE, the ‘Not So Standard’ TTFTD mini figure 3 pack, and the ‘Midnight Assassin’ Higekami, all cast in a mix of both resin and super-flexible rubber. Figures come bagged and headed with mini art print…

Joining the plethora of Disarticulator releases, Tru:Tek will also be offering up Wave 1 H.U.S.T.L.E in a ToyCon exclusive ‘Regal’ Gold/Plum, as well as strictly limited preview sets of upcoming Wave 2 figures from Lunartik (a joint release with the artist’s booth), UME Toys and sub-brand the H.O.R.D.E.”

Stay tuned all next week as we reveal in detail the various figures that’ll be on a staggering 15+ releases in total!)…

MAN-E-NEWS// ToyCon UK B.A.S.T.A.R.D teasers from Triclops Studios…

Joining the full set of 12 all-new B.A.S.T.A.R.D creations teased last week, the Triclops boys come with yet another 2 projects that will be making an appearance at ToyCon UK… As always, the guys are remaining tight-lipped until the con, but from what we can gather from the limited pics and info, 2 new mini B.A.S.T.A.R.D sub-series will be rearing their ‘ugly’ heads; a full blown B.A.S.T.A.R.D artist series under the ‘Universe’ banner, plus a limited run in a similar vein to the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Tortoises featuring one of the most inappropriate, yet insanely awesome 90’s cartoon series, Toxic Crusaders! We’ll be bringing you guys a full reveal on the day of the con, but if you can’t wait until then, be sure to keep track of the Triclops blog here for all the latest information…

MAN-E-NEWS// The ToyConUK exclusive ‘Libertas’ resin skulls from Jon Paul Kaiser x Tru:Tek…

Previewed here last week as an early test-paint, we can now proudly share the ‘Libertas’ resin skulls in all their glory! Designed, sculpted and painted by Jon Paul Kaiser and cast by none other than our very own Tru:Tek, the incredible figures will be making their debut in 2 different colourways; the previously revealed ‘standard’ black and white in an edition of 10, plus the beautiful new addition above, the ‘Scribed’ edition, which has been limited to just 5… Priced at £65 and £85 respectively, the Libertas skulls will be up for grabs on Jon’s ToyConUK booth next Saturday, April 6th.

MAN-E-NEWS// The ‘Sexy Ronald’ custom bootleg from Wizard Skull x The Sucklord…

The Sucklord reveals details of his latest collaborative project with Brooklyn based illustrator Wizard Skull, the ‘Sexy Ronald’ custom bootleg! Based on the legendary weirdo’s infamous lampooning of a certain fast-food chain’s mascot, the guys have gone all out with the release, mounting the as-yet-unrevealed figure on a wooden backer with ‘real’ McDonalds Cheeseburger wrappers, plus a full-color hand painted Ronald unique to each piece… This unfortunately comes at a pretty steep price though- expected to be upwards of $250, but if you’re still interested (and of course live in the New York area), be sure to head down to the SUCKSHOP in the East Broadway Mall (88 East Broadway #150, NY) at 5.30pm today to secure yours…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Tru:Tek x Killer Bootlegs ‘Joba the Hurt: Star Flaws Edition’ H.U.S.T.L.E for the Toys Are Us group show…

Whilst our writer and editor Tru:Tek was too late to make the press for Killer Bootlegs‘ upcoming Toys Are Us group show, he did manage to get an impromptu entry sent off this week… Introducing Joba the Hurt: Star Flaws Edition! Taken from the recent H.U.S.T.L.E Artist Series: Wave 1, the Killer Bootlegs kit-bashed/ Tru:Tek produced mini figure has been cast in a red/gold super flexible rubber. Coming packaged in an authentic bubbled backer with an ingenius mash-up creation featuring elements from both vintage Star Wars and M.U.S.C.L.E packaging, the mini run has been limited to just 3 pieces, with pricing still TBC… More than just a one-off design for the show, Star Flaws is soon to form the latest sub-brand from H.U.S.T.L.E, featuring Star Wars inspired M.U.S.C.L.E creations from The Disarticulators, Edge of Doom and Killer Bootlegs. Expect further details soon!

In association with Killer Bootlegs and Monster Kolor, the “Toys Are Us” group art show will be taking place at the Rockford Art Deli between April 5th-6th. Participating artists are as follows…

2bitHACK, 5.5 Customs, Battle Babies, BigManToys, Broken Pigeon, Cash Cannon (4 the Luv of Toyz NY), Concocted Curioddities, Davemarkart, Dead Hand Toys, Dead Presidents, Dubose Art, Evilos, Forces of Dorkness, Galaxxor (Ben Spencer), Giest Lab, Goodleg Toys, GUUMON, Hamfx, Hoakser, Kid Ink Industries, Killer Bootlegs, ManOrMonster?, Mechavirus, MonsterArm, Motorbot, Suckadelic, The Mark Ultra, Wasted Talent and We Become Monsters.

MAN-E-NEWS// The ‘War Pugs’ custom Armorvor heads from 1Shot Toys…

“Meanwhile… on the war-torn planet Snort57z the WAR PUGS with their bowls empty, no water or treats in sight they head out cute and cuddly to destroy the universe looking to fulfill they needs! So look out for the WAR PUG!”

We’ve been meaning to feature artist Eric Villanueva of 1Shot Toys for quite some time now, and with his latest custom Glyos head, the War Pug, just receiving a restock in his store, we thought now would be just as good a time as any… Well known amongst the Glyos community for his prowess in both sculpting and production, the War Pug is the latest in the artist’s line of anthropomorphic Armorvor head sculpts, coming cast in a variety of different resin finishes including clear, GID green and orange. Priced at just $10 plus shipping, the piece can be found in the 1Shot Toys store right here… Stay tuned for more from the artist soon!

Note// Armorvor body shown above is for display purposes only.

MAN-E-NEWS// The Instagram Toy resin samples from JC Rivera x Shinbone Creative x SmallAngryMonster…

It’s been coming up for 10 months since we last heard anything on the infamous “On Your Desk” Instagram Toy, but far from dead and buried, the awesome figure has finally seen the light of day as a limited batch of ‘NFS’ samples! Originally designed and sculpted by JC Rivera, with digital retooling from Shinbone Creative‘s Scott Wetterschneider, the little guy, currently named “Iggy”, has been hand cast in resin with paint duties handed over to the more than capable hands of SmallAngryMonster. Presumably created with a view to producing a full vinyl run soon, we’ll keep you guys up to date with any news as soon as we hear anything…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Fossilised Morrow resin figures from Taylored Curiosities…

“Many thousands of years ago, long before you would remember; a strange species inhabited our planet. They are totally extinct now, but whilst out fossil hunting quite recently, I came across some fossilised specimens of these odd beings.”

Penny over at Taylored Curiosities has been busy working on a new range of designs that will be be debuting at ToyConUK next week, the ultra-cute Fossilised Morrows… Based on a previous creature by Penny, the faux-fossils have been hand cast and painted in 3 different designs coming lovingly packaged will real moss affixed. Accompanied by an original poetic back story for the beasties in the form of tiny, professionally printed, concertina book, the impressive package will be available from the TC ToyConUK booth for £15, with a custom order option and Morrow ‘rings’ heading to the online store soon after…

MAN-E-NEWS// The ToyCon exclusive ‘Boxen of Oxen’ from alto x Creo Design…

ToyConUK sees alto and Creo Design team up once again for the release of ‘Boxen of Oxen’, a series of four Con-exclusive ‘mix and match’ Little Ox colourways… Designed by Alto and produced in Creo Designs’ signature weathered metallic resin, each hand cast edition has been limited to just 10 pieces, retailing at at a very reasonable £25 ($40) per piece… A Little Ox herd has also been branded by a variety of UK artists especially for the show, with customs from the likes of Sneaky Raccoon, UME Toys, Drew Millward, Mr Lister, RunDMB, Lisa Rae Hansen and David Stevenson, all on display and on sale at the alto booth… Expect a full reveal from us on the day!

MAN-E-NEWS// New resin and custom drop from turboPISTOLA…

Daniel Smith aka turboPISTOLA continues his onslaught of releases this year with yet another jaw-dropping horde of OMFG customs and original Elephantos resin figures, this time around with a distinctly 80’s ‘saturday morning’ cartoon vibe… So without further ado, we bring you a quick rundown of the various figures available to purchase in-store right now-

Scam edition Elephantos set: Taking inspiration from He-Man’s evil doppelganger Faker, the stunning orange-on-blue figure comes with a painted mini canvas, sword accessory and hand made box. An open edition available through April 2nd, the figure has been priced at $45 plus shipping.
Scam edition custom Baby Deadbeet and Shirtle: As with Scam Elephantos, these guys have once again been painted in an orange/blue/purple combo with black detailing. Priced at just $20, they are available in strictly limited numbers.
Glow in the dark Elephantos resin figures: Back by popular demand, turboPISTOLA is offering up both painted and unpainted GID versions for $25 and $30 respectively.
5 Lions edition custom Cuddlehard: Inspired by the classic Voltron colours, this edition of 5 custom Cuddlehard APs (turboPISTOLA’s very own entry into OMFG), these have been priced at just $20 a piece.

MAN-E-NEWS// ‘Cowababa’ Giant Monster Embryo custom WIP from Creo Designs…

Chris Alexander over at Creo Designs kindly shares details of his custom piece for Taylored Curiosities‘ Giant Monster Embryo debut at ToyCon UK next week, the TMNT inspired ‘Cowababa’… Despite working on a plethora of original sculptures, models and toys (including the Giant Monster Embryo itself!), this is actually Chris’ FIRST EVER custom art toy, and we’ve got to say, he appears to be tackling it with ease! Created using TC’s humungous 8″ resin figure, the all-new platform has received a ton of additional Epoxy sculpting, coming complete with some incredible detailing including a pizza clutching paw, life like shell and of course, the all important bandana… Chris is keeping tight lipped as to which turtle this little ‘Big’ guy will be at the moment, so be sure to stay tuned to find out in our full reveal next week!

MAN-E-NEWS// The ‘EASTER Chicks Gone Wild’ resin kaiju from Plaseebo…

As promised earlier in the week, Bob Conge aka Plaseebo treats us to a full reveal of his latest resin monstrosity, ‘Chicks Gone Wild’. Similar to the recent Misfits custom series, the stunning 8″ piece will form the basis for several ultra-limited customs over the next year, the first of which coming in the form of the pictured EASTER edition. A unique one-off piece, the figure has been hand cast and painted by artist, coming complete with blood splattered car and miniature human accessory. No news with regards to pricing on the figure, but Plaseebo has stated that it’ll be heading to his store this Sunday, March 31st… Head over to our previous post here to check out the Chick’s extensive backstory!

The Disarticulators FAQ…

With a number of different mini figure series poised for general release over the coming months, it has come to our attention that some confusion has arisen as to who exactly The Disarticulators are and what they (we!) produce, so without further ado, we bring you a comprehensive FAQ from our very own Zectron which should hopefully clear up any questions you guys may have…

What/who are you?

Three separate toy artists (Man-E-Toys’ Tru:Tek, Zectron and Bigmantoys) who have joined forces to release what we hope will be great toys with a strong emphasis on authentic presentation and creative packaging peppered with more than a hint of nostalgia.

Will everything the three of you make be a Disarticulators release?

No, not at all. We will sometimes release toys independant of one another (i.e. Tru:Tek’s H.U.S.T.L.E line and Bigmantoys neo-vintage action figure TREEGAR). Think of it like the old Super Friends cartoon (or better yet the Legion of Doom), where we can do things by ourselves but at the same time we realize working together lets us pull off even more daring crimes. I mean make cooler toys. Yeah, toys…

What brought you together?

Like any good team, a lot of what made us want to work together was a similar passion for toys. Pure unfiltered love for all the toys we had as kids and a keen interest in the international world of art toys. At the same time the fact we all have very different strengths and weaknesses makes us much more capable as a whole then we are individually.

Will your toys be resin or rubber?

We enjoy toys made from both and we have an expert in each material on our team so we don’t feel the need to just do one or the other.

Will your toys be impossible for fans to get?

No, of course not. We believe firmly in giving customers what they want and hope to be able to produce a “general release” colorway for everything we make. At the same time there will be some colors that are much more limited and that are specific to certain shops/cons/times. Hopefully that will cater to both the people who just want a cool toy and those who enjoy the thrill of the chase and the joy of a complete color collection.

Why is your packaging so awesome?

Simply because we like cool packaging. Carefully decorated and folded boxes and backboards with blister bubbles make us happy. We are making toys we want on our shelves so hopefully going the extra mile makes you guys want them as well…

MAN-E-NEWS// New ‘Axeface BC’ resin figure from Monstrehero…

It was no secret that Monstrehero‘s incredible Axeface BC neo-vintage figure was one of our favourite resins of last year (check out our extensive coverage here), so we were more than a little happy to find this morning that a follow-up is planned for release soon! Teased here in what appears to be a pretty complete resin test pull, the retooled Axeface replaces the original head piece and weaponry with an all-new long sword design and equally intimidating cape. As ever, Monstrehero are keeping tight lipped about the release, but you can be sure that as soon as we hear anything, you guys will be the first to know…

MAN-E-UPDATE// Dubose Art’s Driggs “The Hunter” custom bootleg for the Toys Are Us group show…

We’ve been closely following the progress of Dubose Art‘s first custom bootleg, Driggs “The Hunter”, since it’s inception a few weeks back, so it came with great pleasure this morning to find the first batch revealed in all their glory… Created for Killer Bootlegs‘ upcoming “Toy Are Us” group art show, the stunning figure has been kit-bashed from a variety of early 90′s ToyBiz X Men figures and an Alien model kit, coming complete with a ton of original sculpting in Dubose’s instantly recognisable style. Due to feature alongside companion piece, the Devil Dog, and fellow action figure sculpt Malrog, the Monster Kolor dyed resin figures will be limited to just 4 pieces for the show, with a limited batch hopefully following shortly after…

In association with Killer Bootlegs and Monster Kolor, the “Toys Are Us” group art show will be taking place at the Rockford Art Deli between April 5th-6th. Head over to the dedicated web page here for more details…

MAN-E-UPDATE// The Split Kit GPK Cheap Toy custom from NolanJP…

Originally revealed as a work in progress sculpt over 3 months ago now, we were beginning to wonder whether NolanJP‘s ‘Split Kit’ Cheap Toy custom would ever see the light of day… Well fret not GPK fans, as today we bring you pics of the near finished sculpt! Based on one of our favourite Garbage Pail Kid trading cards designs, the half punk/half police officer has been meticulously sculpted in the original Cheap Toy style and scale, making a perfect addition to the limited cast of original figures. Currently in the final stages of sculpting, the figure will hopefully be on it’s way over to Alec of Muscle Things for casting in the near future… Stay tuned for more news as soon as we get it!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Mark Ultra’s ‘Space Pope Vs. The Sphinxecutioner’ for the Toys Are Us group show…

After a brief hiatus, The Mark Ultra returns with his latest custom bootleg release, the awesome Space Pope Vs. The Sphinxecutioner! Kit-bashed from a vintage Voltron ‘Hagar the Witch’ figure and the iconic ‘Pyramid Sunshine’ M.U.S.C.L.E, the ingenius piece has been cast in 2 separate colourways; white and pink for the Pope, and a M.U.S.C.L.E style flesh with black for his arch nemesis. Created exclusively for Killer Bootlegs‘ upcoming Toys Are Us group show, the pair have been limited to just 6 of each in these colourways, coming with a price tag of $40 each… We’ll be announcing a very special collaboration with Ultra and our very own Tru:Tek later in the week, so be sure to stay tuned for the exclusive lowdown right here!

MAN-E-NEWS// The ‘Vandalface’ resin figure and chocolates from Hoakser…

Teased here just last week, UK graffiti artist Hoakser kindly shares details of his latest original figure design… this time around coming in fully edible chocolate as well as resin! Standing at around 2″ tall, the standard plastic edition comes hand cast, sanded, drilled, glossed and sprayed by the artist in a number of different colourways, featuring either ‘clean’ or ‘dirty’ fully articulated ‘nozzle’ heads. Packaged with a sticker and unique laminated art card, the first ‘Pink’ wave has just touched down in the Hoakser store for just £6 plus shipping, with a limited supply of ‘Gold’ to follow soon… Now on to the important part of the release- the chocolate! To coincide with the launch of Hoakser’s upcoming ‘CHOZZLES‘ (chocolate nozzles), he will be offering chocolate versions of Vandalface to the first few purchasers of the figure! Cast using a food grade silicone mould, the little guys are made of a delicious mix of 70% dark and raspberry pieces… Graffiti, toys and chocolate, what’s not to love?!