MAN-E-NEWS// The Peter Kato x Giant Robot SDCC exclusives…

Whilst busy working on a plethora of future productions, our good friend Peter Kato has still managed to squeeze in a whole load of exclusives for next week’s SDCC! Teaming up with Japanese toy shop Giant Robot, Peter has created a limited series of Turtle Tetsujins with the GR logo embedded in the chest. Cast in a sea-foam green resin on request of Giant Robot’s Eric Nakamura, the beautiful figure has been finished with accents of gold leaf and clear green. Limited to just 20 pieces, the GR Turtle Tetsujin will be available from the Giant Robot booth (#1729) for $20 a piece…

Joining the GR Turtle Tetsujins, Peter has just put the finishing touches to yet another awesome mini-series, the Tasty Rainbows! Featuring three fan favourites, Fright Bite, Kawako and Man-Nie, the figures have been cast in an assortment of clear resins, each coming complete with a stunning mixture of metallic sprays. Priced at $10 each, Peter has stated that there will be just 5 of each character available at the booth… To sweeten the deal even further, Peter has also promised a free Kato/Giant Robot team-up pin with every purchase! Stay tuned for news on Peter’s forthcoming projects soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Cyclops Dinos from Rampage Toys final reveal…

We mentioned last week that Rampage Toys‘ Jon Malmstedt had finally put the awesome Cyclops Dino sofubis up for pre-order… well today we bring you the first production shots of the cute little critters in their full colours! Available in either neon green, purple and orange (or mixed parts), the three mini-figures, T-Clops, Bronto-Clops and Anklyo-Clops are available for just $18.50 each or $55 for the set. The pre-order will only be up until Friday (July 6th), so be sure to head over to the Rampage Toys store before time runs out… Stay tuned tomorrow for a look a Jon’s next custom project, the Rampage x Frenzy Serius and Frenzy barbarians!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Seedlings “Delphinium” and “Pom Pom Dahlia” from Taylored Curiosities…

“Seedlings are the tiny creatures that help your plants grow!”

Penny Taylor of Taylored Curiosities kindly shares with us the latest release in her extensive line of aromatherapy designer plushes, the delightful Seedlings! Coming packaged in a beautiful custom box, each 2.25″ Seedling has been lovingly hand stitched in  gorgeous moss green wool felt with a tiny white felt face, complete with hand embroidered eyes and super soft stuffing… Sitting alongside each Seedling, Penny has also included  a deep green organza bag with a bundle of little seeds inside (either Delphinium or Pom Pom Dahlia)- ready to plant anywhere you decide! Priced at just £8 each plus shipping, these adorable little fellows are already being snapped up fast… be sure to head to the Taylored Curiosities store now to secure yours!

MAN-E-NEWS// The custom Chibi Meatgrinder from Nama-Niku…

As we loom ever closer to the release of our very own NamaNilla exclusive colourways (find out more here), we’ve decided to take a little look at a custom of one of the figures that will be featuring, the Chibi Meatgrinder! Created by the Meatgrinder’s original sculptor, Tyler of Nama-Niku, the rubber keshi-style micro has been given a realistic paint application that does an amazing job of bringing out the figure’s easily overlooked detail… No news as to whether this piece will be available to purchase, so your best bet is to head over to the NamaNilla Muscle Things thread for the latest info.

MAN-E-NEWS// The Monstrehero x RealxHead SDCC Leechface…

Heavyweights from both the resin and Japanese vinyl scenes, Monstrehero and Real x Head have revealed that they will be debuting a very special collaboration at this year’s SDCC, the absolutely stunning Leechface! It appears that the figure will be a vinyl/resin mash-up, with Monstrehero creating the head and Real x Head producing the Chaos-style sofubi body… Currently awaiting a lick of Monster Kolor from Monstre Sean, expect a full reveal plus release details on the figures soon.

MAN-E-TOYS// Eric the Jawa from UME Toys…

Originally a sketch created for ToysREvil‘s “Draw a Jawa”, Richard Page over at UME Toys has since gone on to create the adorable “Eric the Jawa” as an impressive 5″ tall one-off sculpt! Being lucky enough to have seen and held the beautiful figure in person on our visit to UME towers yesterday, we can confirm he’s every bit as great as in the pictures… the size and weight feel just right, whilst the level of detail on the little guy’s straps, holsters and cloak were quite simply stunning! Unfortunately (for us!), Eric is now winging his way over the pond to one lucky collector as I write, so if you’re looking for something similar your best bet is to hit up Rich through his blog here…

MAN-E-NEWS// JC Rivera’s Condah Transporters at Toy Invaderz…

After teasing us with the Condah mini/skull drop a couple of weeks back (find out more here), JC Rivera proudly presents the full size Condah Transporters in all their glory! Created for the past weekend’s Toy Invaderz event , the series of hand sculpt and cast figures feature the same beautifully realised winged skull alongside Rivera’s signature Chicago Bull… now on top of some amazing looking bodies! Some of our favourite original figures from the Chicago based artist yet, the elongated arms, clean lines and (largely) mono-chromatic colour schemes are reminiscent of early Michael Lau. Unfortunately, these guys in particular were only available for the show, but anyone looking to pick one up will be glad to know that Rivera will be creating various editions for his store soon… Stay tuned tomorrow for the reveal of another special Condah Transporter- the MAN-E-TOYS DDLM skull one-off!

MAN-E-NEWS// The custom carded Soundwave GI Joe from Airmax…

Slipping under our radar upon release a couple of months back, we couldn’t resist sharing this amazing project from Airmax after laying eyes on it last week… Taking 2 of the 80’s most iconic cartoons/action figure lines,the 4″ tall GI Joe has been meticulously customised to look like the Transformers’ Soundwave! Replete with accessories, real lenticular chest piece and some of most realistic card art we’ve ever seen (created by Gorilla), the figure, unlike many of the similar customs we’ve seen before, has been completely recast! Limited to just 5 pieces, these were quickly snapped up for a very reasonable $80 each… anyone interested in picking up a similar piece should keep a close eye on Airmax’ work over at the Hisstank forum.

MAN-E-NEWS// The JuJu Totem resin figure from JFury…

From up and coming artist, to respected customiser and now toy designer, JFury‘s debut resin release, the “JuJu Totems” are a real measure of how far he’s come over the past 12 months. Immaculately sculpted, the super-clean looking resins stand at an impressive 5″ tall, with the initial run coming in the form of the “Blue Shades Edition”. Limited to just 5 pieces coloured in varying hues of blue, the JuJu Totems are available from JFury’s store for just $40 each plus shipping. To coincide with the “Blue Shades”, J is also offering 10 DIY blank versions for $35 a piece…

MAN-E-NEWS// The SDCC “Frostbite” Molezilla from Plaseebo…

Neo-kaiju legend Bob Conge aka Plaseebo is proud to reveal that he will once again be working with Dragatomi on a very special SDCC release, the exclusive Frostbite Molezilla! Limited to just 5 pieces, the 7″ tall hand painted figure has been cast in glow-in-the-dark vinyl, coming complete with inset dolls eyes and applied ice crystals! Signed and numbered by the artist, Frostbite Molezilla will be available at Dragatomi’s SDCC booth (#4935) for $165 each. Stay tuned for more news on the rest of Dragatomi’s staggering SDCC line-up soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Acro-Zombies from Bigman Toys…

After 6 weeks of blood, sweat and tears, Bigman Toys can finally reveal the full Acro-Zombie line up in all its glory! Originally due to become a series of around 20-30 figures, spiralling costs and issues with UK supplies meant that Bigman was forced to whittle the number down to 10 in order make them affordable to ALL lovers of the original Microman/Micronauts series- not just die-hard collectors! Inspired by martian invasions, the Misfits discography, 70’s sci-fi, plus the distinct palette of garish colours found in the likes of the Micronaurs Mobile Exploration Lab, the Acro-Zombies have been kit-bashed from the Giant Acroyear’s Armroid robots, the original Acroyear and  Time Travellers, plus guns and fully removable mid-section sculpted by Bigman himself! One of the most poseable and robust line of resin figures we’ve ever seen, the beautiful creations come in 3 distinct styles- Skull (skull head cast in clear helmet with 666 chest plate), Humanoid (original Micronauts TT head cast in clear helmet featuring a clear chest plate with visible guts) and the one-off Diazombie-8 (Ancient Greek style Gatsblocker head with sword). Priced at just £22 ($34) plus shipping, each Acro-Zombie has been lovingly packaged in a custom made coffin, and are available to purchase directly through Bigman’s profile here.

NOTE// 3 Acro-Zombies (4 if we have anything to do with it!) have already sold, so be sure to keep checking the Bigman Toys blog for updated availability (plus a superb in-depth analysis of the project!). The one-off Diazombie-8 will be available separately on eBay soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// Rampage Toys vs. The Hang Gang Ugly Unicorns…

Always striving to make the world of sofubi more accessible to the UK art toy scene, The Hang Gang have secured yet another awesome toy for their store… the exclusive Ugly Unicorn from Rampage Toys! Cast in The Hang Gang’s signature pink, the figures have been finished in a mixture of black and red sprays with hand painted detailing. Limited to 5 pieces, the HG Ugly Unicorns will be available from the Hang Gang site next Friday (July 6th) at 6pm GMT for just £34.99 plus shipping…

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Manzilla 2” custom bootleg M.U.S.C.L.E from Nama-Niku x Eric Nilla…

Revealed here last week and instantly selling out on the newly opened Muscle Things store on Monday, we thought we’d missed our chance at grabbing Manzilla forever… that was until we caught wind that Eric Nilla would be producing a limited run himself! Originally created by Nama-Niku‘s Tyler, the vintage kaiju miniature/M.U.S.C.L.E mash-up is due to land on the upcoming Nilla blog/shop soon. Cast in an authentic keshi-style rubber, the figure will be available in a variety of different colours, coming complete with a previously unreleased micro-dragon head sculpt! Expect more news on this awesome release soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// WIP custom Munny and Ammonaito from Adam Pratt…

Adam Pratt kindly shares details of his latest two work-in-progress projects, the Mechavirus x Halfbad Ammonaitos and the HateMale custom Munny… One of our favourite resin pieces to emerge from the past year, we were delighted to hear that Adam had finally settled down to work on Todd Robertson’s Ammonaitos, and as you can see from the early shots, he’s doing them every bit of justice they deserve! Initially working on a series of four, two will be customised in the funghi ridden style seen above, whilst the last pair will be grafted together to form the ram-shaped objet d’art piece seen bottom left. These are due to be landing in the Mechavirus store soon, so be sure to stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks…

Any followers of Adam on Instagram would have noticed this guy pop up a few times over the past couple of months… well the stomach churning “Chowderhead” custom Munny is finally nearing completion! Originally created by giving the poor Munny a resin bath and building up various layers of plumber’s spackle to create the monstrosity you see before you. Paint application is due to begin today, so along with the addition of a slime encrusted spoon, plus REAL dried meal worms, this is shaping up to be Adam’s grossest piece yet… Created for the New England clothing label called HateMale, the custom will be released alongside their latest Chowderhead tee… expect both to touch down at some point in October…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Kinnikuman “London Olympics” Robin Mask sofubi…

Very rarely do we feature Kinnikuman here on MAN-E-TOYS, but after clocking this guy on the Nama-Niku blog we couldn’t resist sharing! Based on iconic Kinnikuman character Robin Mask, the 8″ tall sofubi has been created for Five Star Toy‘s Flag Design Series… and in keeping with the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, has been cast in a royal blue vinyl complete with Union Jack flag! Available from the Five Star Toy store in early July, “London Olympics” Robin Mask can be yours for just 5,250円 (approx $65) plus shipping…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Hugo Shortpants resin magnets from UME Toys…

With “Halloween in July’s” Friday 13th date looming ever closer, Richard Page of UME Toys has revealed the first of many goodies that will be sitting alongside new characters Hugo, Belemey and Russel Bone… the Hugo magnets! Hand cast in resin and painted by Rich, the adorable little guys are due to come bagged and headed for just £7.50 each plus shipping. Stay tuned for more details on the event (plus a look at Rich’s recently completed Jawa sculpt) soon… Can’t wait till next month for your UME fix? Then you’ll be glad to know that the recently released “Twitter” Belemey, alongside a whole host of original sculpts and resin figures, are available in the UME store here…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Super7 Trading Cards and SDCC line-up revealed…

Super7 have finally revealed their full line-up of exclusives for next month’s SDCC… and judging by the staggering list of 12 new figures, this will be their biggest year yet! Featuring a whole host of favourites decked out in gorgeous new colourways including “Skulletor” Pumpkin Boy and the “Chocolate Racer” Casket Cruiser, the main attraction will undoubtedly be the debut of long awaited sofubis Pocket Baseball Boy and Fossilla, plus the latest addition to the Monster Family, Le Turd’s Hollis Turd mash-up. Alongside the various vinyl figures, Super7 will also be unveiling their first trading card series… Due to come wax wrapped with 5 art cards, 3 graphic cards and stick of gum per pack, the first batch will be handed out free with all SDCC purchases.

As always, Super7 will also be offering a variety of super-limited mash-up customs. Created by Brian Flynn and Joshua Herbolsheimer, the one-off pieces will be available from Thursday (July 12th) to Saturday (July 14th), with a new batch on offer from 10am each day. Head over to the Super7 blog here for more info…

MAN-E-NEWS// “The Collector” custom Bramble from Manny X…

Fresh from the Rat Skull‘s sell-out success earlier this month, Manny X kindly shares with us his latest resin infused custom, the breathtaking “Collector” custom threeA Bramble! Standing around 7.25″ tall and about 5″ wide, the hefty piece comes with Manny X’s signature exposed resin brain, an MP5, rocket launcher, frag grenade, removable pouches, bloody club and 4 custom painted resin skulls that can be hooked onto the back! Priced at just $180 plus shipping, The Collector will be touching down in the Manny X store this Saturday (June 30th) at 1pm Central time. As with the Rat Skulls, Manny X will be donating 10% of the proceedings to a charity of the purchasers choice (either Autism Science Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, or Feed the Children)…

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Universe of Violence” mini figures from Eric Nilla x Ironmask…

Mentioned in our reveal of the Gorewad Monsters earlier in the week, Eric Nilla and Ironmask have been hard at work on another M.U.S.C.L.E inspired series, the Universe of Violence! As with the Gorewad Monsters, the highly detailed mini figures have been cast in a number of different colours using a high quality flexible rubber. Due to come in a 4-pack, the Universe of Violence will be available for an undisclosed price soon… head over to the dedicated Muscle Things thread for the latest updates, and be sure to check back soon for details on another Nilla headed project, Manzilla 2!

MAN-E-NEWS// Urban Medium’s “Battleship Gray” CheTrooper for the Cube Gallery…

To coincide with the launch of their latest exhibition dubbed “Art Show” at the Cube Gallery, art toy and street art veterans Urban Medium are proud to present the latest edition of their iconic CheTrooper bust. Coming in a “Battleship Gray”, the hand cast resins have been limited to an edition of just 13 pieces, with a price tag of $75 each. Coming signed and numbered, each figure has been packed with UM stickers plus a CheTrooper screenprint. Set for release at the show’s opening on July 13th, be sure to head over to the dedicated event page here for the latest info…