MAN-E-NEWS// The Mecha Monster Kara from Todd Robertson…

Fresh from his FOE exclusive Ammonaito release (find out more here), Todd Robertson aka Mechavirus shares with us his latest organic/mechanic infusion, the breathtaking Mecha Monster Kara! Created from the body parts of the Monster and Karakuri sofubis, Todd has seamlessly melded his signature mix of cogs, motors and fuses to create one of the strongest Grody mash-ups yet! Coming painted in flame fades and finished with a black rub, the 5″ custom was available for just $80… unfortunately (for us!), this guy is already winging his way to one lucky collector as we speak… On the upside, Todd assures us that he has a lot more planned in the coming months, so stay locked for more info as soon as it hits!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Worryknott DIY resin sculpture from Stuart Witter x Jon Burgerman…

Laying dormant since its production back in 2007, the stunning Worrynott desktop sculpture from Stuart Witter and Jon Burgerman has finally seen the light of day once more! Representing the anxiety of artistic collaboration, the piece was originally passed between the two artists until the worried looking concoction reached the final sculpt we see here. No less than 5 years on (and now 3465 miles apart!), the pair have released the figure in “Wholemeal” DIY form. Cast in a plain resin from the original manufacturing run in 2007, the figure was created under vacuum with no release agent, giving it the perfect natural surface for painting! Priced at just £45 plus shipping, be sure to head over to Witter’s store soon, as these guys have been limited to just 10 pieces…

[Note: The above is an example, and is unfortunately not for sale!]

MAN-E-NEWS// The Killer Krayons from Killer Bootlegs…

Peter over at Killer Bootlegs has been working on several projects for his new “Killer Krap” line, the first coming in the form of these awesome assault riffle bullet shaped crayons! Dubbed the “Killer Krayons”, Peter will be releasing these in the standard colours found in Crayola’s 8 packs; red, yellow, blue, green, orange, brown, violet, and black. Due to go on sale in the Killer Bootlegs store soon, the crayons will be made available in packs of 4 for just $2 plus shipping. Look out for more info on the Killer Krap series soon, as well as the reveal of a very special carded edition of Sharkgut Wayne Gracey!

MAN-E-NEWS// The ALPHA PHASE OUTER SPACE MEN Wave 5 from The Four Horsemen..

Previewed in blue test-pull form at the beginning of last month, The Four Horsemen‘s ALPHA PHASE OUTER SPACE MEN Wave 5, plus the ALPHA PHASE version of their first Deluxe OSM are now available to pre-order on Store Horsemen! Priced at just $50 for the 3 piece set, each figure will come individually bagged with card toppers and card-back inserts. Due to be shipped out after SDCC (where they will be debuting), be sure to get your order in quick as supplies are very limited!

Here’s a quick rundown of the figures-

GEMINI – Coming cast in a clear yellow plastic with purple painted eyes and clear green ABS plastic accessories and helmets, Gemini has Glyos sockets hidden behind each of the little green ABS buttons on his chest so you can build and re-design him to your hearts content! He’s also set to include a second set of arms, which are not pictured above.

ORBITRON – Cast in a clear pink plastic with blue painted eyes and chest dome, Orbitron’s accessories will come in a clear green ABS plastic. He also has a secret hidden feature which the Four Horsemen wont be revealing until closer to the release!

CYCLOPS – The Four Horsemen’s very first “deluxe” Outer Space Man, not only is Cyclops massive compared to the other Outer Space Men, but he comes decked out with a whole host of goodies! Due to be cast in a clear light blue plastic with clear green ABS accessories, his chest/back armor and inner helmet are fully removable so you can create a completely different looks for the character. He also features another set of “open” hands which aren’t shown in the image above…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Grim Creepers from Tim Stephson available now…

Exclusively revealed here a couple of weeks back, Tim Stephson’s Creeper Factory is now finally open for business! Solely designed, sculpted, cast and painted by the man himself in Austin Tx, the long awaited Grim Creepers are available in four standard colourways; silver/black, red, pink and blue, alongside five very special one-off pieces… the Zombie Creepers! Coming packaged in custom sprayed boxes, the stunning 5.5″ tall figures can be yours for just $60 each plus shipping. We suggest you don’t sleep on these if you’re interested, Tim is already garnering a huge amount of interest over this piece! Look out for more info on the up and coming artist soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// The BURNY custom Kracka from Hoakser…

Hot off the heals of “Sloblife” earlier this week (find out more here), UK based graffiti artist Hoakser continues his return to form with the magnificent “BURNY” custom Kracka! Created for Andy Kelly’s (@zombiekel) upcoming “Dragons” custom show at the Sho Gallery, BURNY has been made using a mixture of air-dry clay sculpting and kit-bashing, with the wings coming from an old Vulture Man figure that have been melted into shape. Hoakser’s choice of colours are what really make this piece stand out though, with the distinctive muted palette of purples and oranges forcing a second look every time… Interested in seeing how this guy was made? Then check out a full production vid Hoakser put together here. Expect more “Dragons” news soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Jelly Empire online shop opening tomorrow…

Jelly empress Selina Briggs has revealed that the new Jelly Empire online shop will be opening this Friday (June 8th), stocked to the brim with a whole host of Jelly related goodness! Previously revealed at this year’s MoCCA Fest, the Jellactic Troopers will be leading the way, with 12 hand painted designs (in both red/white and black/yellow) being made available for just $30 each- shipping included! Joining the Troopers, Selina has also prepared yet another stunning one-off Jellybot using the newly refined 2.0 design. Priced at $35, the signed aqua-camo piece will be landing alongside a huge selection of prints, badges and t-shirts tomorrow at 9pm EST…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Golden Warrior Askew Rangers custom from Josh Mayhem…

Josh Mayhem kindly shares with us the latest tooled-up custom in the Askew Rangers series, the mighty Golden Warrior! Created for the upcoming “Battle of a Lifetime” themed multi-media show (Saturday, June 9th 2012 @Pehrspace Gallery, LA), the custom Bic Buddy has been given the steampunk workout, featuring a mixture of cogs, panels and pistons to breathtaking effect. Whilst differing wildly in design from previous Askew customs (unfortunately no working rocket launchers this time around!), the clean lines and bold choice of colour are unmistakably Mayhem… and with the addition of 5 points of articulation in the arms and head, this has to be one of the strongest pieces from the up and coming artist yet! Head over to Josh’s site here to check out more of his amazing work…

MAN-E-NEWS// RAMPAGE x UAMOU Part 2 and more from Rampage Toys…

In an effort to make up for the fact that Rampage Toy‘s March exhibition at Studio Uamou ended up being mostly unavailable to those not able to attend, Jon Malmstedt has been hard at work on a new batch of pieces for the aptly titled “RAMPAGE x UAMOU Part 2” sale! Consisting of a few small runs of Uamous, a couple paintings (including one collaborative painting with UAMOU herself), and a batch of custom Ugly Unicorns from Uamou in her signature style (black line-work on white sofubi). Everything will go live in in the Rampage Toys shop next Friday (June 15th) at 11am Japan time (Thursday at 10 PM in American Eastern Standard Time). Head over to Jon’s Flickr for more pics over the next couple of weeks…

Cyclops Dinosaur Sofubi wax prototypes revealed…

Jon is pleased to announce that the wax prototypes for his upcoming Cyclops Dinosaur Sofubi release have been finalised… leaving just the jointing and master moulds to be made before we see these little guys in soft vinyl! Jon still plans for a debut release at SDCC this year, we’re keeping our fingers and toes crossed! More news, plus vinyl test pulls to follow shortly…

Rampage x Frenzy work-in-progress…

Whilst very little is known about Rampage Toys’ upcoming collaboration/custom series with Frenzy, we’ve decided to post the below pic as these guys were way too awesome not to share! By the looks of the Rampage Instagram feed, Jon has a lot of these customs planned in the near future… we personally can’t wait, the neon pink/purple figure is quite simply stunning! Expect to see these make an appearance sometime in July, more news soon…

MAN-E-NEWS// Levi the Lycan one-off sculpt from UME Toys…

After a solid month working in the UME resin lab in preparation for the release of Martin Longbottom, Richard Page has made a welcome return to the clay with the reveal of Levi the Lycan! Sculpted in the unmistakable UME aesthetic, the hairy little creature has the same adorable arms, clumpy feet and knowing smile that has made a certain Mr Longbottom such a success. Painted in Rich’s familiar vivid blue/pink colour scheme, with brown, flesh and black detailing, the cheerful little guy stands at around 4″ tall. No news as to wether Levi is available to purchase, so your best bet is to hit Rich up directly at umetoys@googlemail.com with any enquiries…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Super Rare M.U.S.C.L.E Can V.2 from Nama-Niku x Muscle Things…

As we prepare for the launch of our exclusive Super Rare M.U.S.C.L.E Can colourway, we bring you the first shots of its latest incarnation, Version 2! Created by Nama-Niku and Muscle Things, the newly revised design features a whole host of new non-poster figures (from our count, there appears to be 8 crammed in this time), housed in a stunningly re-sculpted trash can. This time coming with no “dings” or creases, Tyler over at Nama-Niku has focused on keeping the design as simple and refined as possible… and as you can see from the pics, it’s more than paid off! Unfortunately we have no news on pricing or availability at present, so your best bet is to stay locked on the dedicated M.U.S.C.L.E Can V.2 thread… here’s hoping we can secure another exclusive on this one in the near future!!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Lowl resin figures from Amanda Visell…

Fresh from the release of Primaries Wave 2, Amanda Visell is proud to present her latest one-off resin series, the Lowls. Limited to just 3 individually finished pieces this time around; the Fireberry, Licky and Nightengale, each has been hand cast and painted in Visell’s contrasting pastel/vivid paint style. Standing at an impressive 6″ x 6″ x 3″ around, the beautiful owl and lion cross can be yours for $350 plus postage through the Switcheroo web store. At the time of writing both the Fireberry and Nightengale have already sold-out, but our money’s on Vissel producing more of these mesmerising creatures in the near future…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Gorilla Biscuits X Revelation Records 25th Anniversary vinyl figure from Super7…

It’s been a while since we’ve see Gorilla Biscuits’ mascot in sofubi form, so lucky for us, Super7 are bringing back the highly sought after figure to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Revelation Records! In keeping with the “Silver” celebrations, the grinning ape has been cast in metallic silver vinyl, with grey, teal, and dark blue sprays, plus white detailing. The limited edition figure will come packaged in a deluxe two-piece gift box, foil stamped with the GORILLA BISCUITS logo… Anyone interested in picking this guy up will be glad to know that he will be making his debut at the Gorilla Biscuits merchandise booth at the anniversary concerts on June 8th, with further stock heading online from Thursday June 14th at 12:00 noon PST with a price tag of just $65 a piece plus shipping…

For more info about the concerts, head over to www.revelationrecords.com now…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Brain Bug Boogie-Man from CURE Toys x James Groman…

Spotted on the Skullbrain.org forum come the first test shots of the long awaited Brain Bug Boogie-Man from James Groman and CURE Toys! Last previewed way back in November last year (pictured right), the initial pink/black colourway is quite simply stunning! The mixture of high detail in the likes of the claw with the simple body design works remarkably well, whilst the removable “Krang” style head-piece has got to make it yet another must-have kaiju for 2012. No news with regards to availability or pricing (the flyer below was curious cut in two), so your best bet is to stay locked on the CURE Skullbrain thread over the coming weeks for more details…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Sloblife custom Trikky from Hoakser…

UK based graffiti artist Hoakser has been a little quite of late on the toy front, so it came with great pleasure yesterday to see that he’s returned on fine form with his latest piece, “Sloblife” the custom Trikky. Kit-bashed and modified from an old Simpsons toy T.V, Hoakser has let rip with his signature blend of sculpting and melting to produce THE ultimate slob! Featuring a wonderfully grimey paint style, “Sloblife”, “Love” and “Your Name” tattoos, and a fine set of man boobs, Sloblife easily ranks as one of our favourite customs from the artist yet… but that’s not all! Hoakser has ingeniously modified the T.V so that different prints (channels) can be inserted! Sloblife comes with 4 of Hoakser’s designs ready to go, plus a blank one for the lucky purchaser to custom themselves. Priced at just £55 plus shipping, the 14.5cm tall figure landed in the Hoakser store yesterday… so be sure to act quick if you want him in your collection!

UPDATE// Sloblife appears to have now sold out, so if you’re looking to get a similar custom your best bet is to hit Hoakser up directly through his site here

MAN-E-NEWS// The Pharaoh Hounds Series 3 from Argonaut Resins…

Eric over at Argonaut Resins is proud to reveal that the long awaited Pharaoh Hounds Series 3 will be landing on the AR store this Wednesday, June 6th at 12 Noon EST. Alongside the plethora of beautiful super-limited designs, there will also be five all new regular (6.5 inch) Tuttz to match a few of the Hounds in the release. As always, Eric has also got a few chase figures for both styles in store, plus a hidden GOLDEN TICKET in one of the boxes that entitles one lucky person to a FREE resin from Argonaut Resins! We suggest hitting the store prompt, because if past releases are to go by, these guys will disappear in a matter of minutes…

MAN-E-NEWS// New Rivet Wars sculpts from Ted Terranova…

As major influence in our pursuit of getting our own resin toys off the ground, it always comes with great pleasure to find out what Rivet Wars creator Ted Terranova has lined up next… and boy are we in for a treat this time! Since the release of the Quad Stug box set last month, Ted has been busy creating a new batch of grunts alongside a very special vehicle that’s been at the top of our want list for some time… the Death Monowheel!

Joining the original 50mm Allied Grunt, Ted has designed a further four characters to join the fray, two heavily armed Blight’s alongside  two more Allied designs. Ted explains his intentions for the set-

“I’ve been playing around with sculpts for the grunts.  I wanted to really differentiate the blight from the allies so the blight are more anti-tank/armor guys with rocket launchers similar to the German panzer foust.  The blight will also sport some sweet facial hair and more ceremonial looking outfits.”

News on the Monowheel is a little less forthcoming, with the above 3D sculpts just coming with the tag-line “And behold, a smoking iron wheel, and he who sat on it, his name was Death”. We’re kind of hoping that the track wheel moves separately to the main body of the vehicle, but as we all know, the limitations of working in resin may hinder the figures practicality. Expect more news on the development of these two projects soon… Ted has stated that the Grunts are already making their way to the printers now, so we should be seeing some test shots in the near future!

MAN-E-NEWS// JC Rivera’s custom Munny for the Custom Custom Show…

Widely known as one of the hottest sculptors in the custom toy scene right now, it’s been great to see JC Rivera get back to his painterly roots for some of his latest work, with his entry for Dream in Plastic‘s upcoming Custom Custom show no exception. Focusing on the store/gallery’s name, Rivera has used the 7″ Munny platform to create a dreamworld for his enchanting characters to inhabit. Featuring a beautiful landscape filled with hills, clouds and Rivera’s worm-esque creatures, the piece is rounded off (quite literally!), with a growling Bearlee on the back side…

The third show to be held at Dreams in Plastic, the Custom Custom Show will be opening it’s doors on Saturday, June 9 from 6-10pm. This is an open entry event, so if you still want to participate you better be quick… submission deadline is this Thursday! Expect a full reveal of the show next week…

MAN-E-NEWS// Elephantos wave 4 from Turbopistola…

Turbopistola is proud to present the fourth round of his popular Elephantos mini figures. Cast in a variety of different opaque and clear resins, the latest batch of 2″ minis has been limited to just 7 hand finished pieces; Orange Sparkle, Blue Dream, Ethernaut, Gooch 5, Hard Candy, Smoke 1 and The Smell of Blood. Priced at just $25 plus shipping, each figure comes housed in a superb block printed box. Available on the Turbopistola store as of yesterday, be sure to head over now to secure yours…

“ELEPHANTOS is the Defender of Leisure, yours and mine. He is my own personal “platform toy”, where I explore different color applications and learn to use resin as a medium.” -Turbopistola

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Caution” Yellow Mini MAD*L from MAD…

Swiftly following the “Toxic” GID Edition drop a couple of weeks back, MAD presents the sixth instalment in the Mini MAD*L series, the fan chosen “Caution” Yellow! As with previous releases, the strikingly bright figure will be limited to 20 hand cast and meticulously polished 3″ minis. Set to land on the MAD Toy store at some point this week (we’re guessing Friday), be sure to keep track of both MAD‘s and the MAD*Ltwitter feeds for up to the minute info. No news on pricing, but if the other releases are to go by, expect to pay $50 plus shipping…