MAN-E-NEWS// Scrap Sanadayu custom bootlegs from Luke Harris…

[Photos/info from the University of M.U.S.C.L.E]

Continuing our look into the world of custom M.U.S.C.L.E/Keshi in the lead up to next month’s ‘Ed Skworm and Min-E-Face release (find out more here), we bring you the awesome custom Scrap Sanadayu bootlegs from Luke Haris of Imperfecz Toys! Originally created for a short lived manga that aired just after the original Kinnikuman series, Luke has recast these extremely rare figures for the new wave of M.U.S.C.L.E/Keshi collectors that would have easily missed them the first time around. Priced at $150 for the 10 piece set (an absolute steal when compared to the original’s $500+ pricetag), the beautifully recreated figures come in an authentic flesh toned rubber that is strikingly similar to Keshi. Unfortunately due to temperature problems in Luke’s studio, production on the Scrap Sanadayu’s have halted for the time being, so be sure to keep checking the Imperfecz store for updates.

Head over to the University of M.U.S.C.L.E for an in-depth analysis of the set…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Fool’s Paradise #6: Earthman teaser…

Slowly churning out the highest quality resins for a dedicated army of fans, Fool’s Paradise are fast becoming one of our favourite production houses in the scene right now. The next piece in their on-going avant-garde 12″ series has just been revealed as Earthman, and gaging from the helmet design teased above, the sixth instalment is set to be a doozy! Featuring Fool’s Paradise trademark confliction of styles, the serious mech helmet is strangely juxtaposed with a cute (rabbit?) nose and long ears. We can’t wait for the full reveal on this one, so you can guarantee that as soon as more news is available, we’ll be posting it…

MAN-E-NEWS// Batros custom built MOTU action figure from Barborossa…

On searching the Triclops blog for more information on their upcoming B.A.S.T.A.R.D’s release (find out more here), we stumbled upon Batros from Barborossa Art Customs… easily one of the most convincing custom built MOTU figures we’ve ever laid eyes upon! Part of Barborossa’s “The Big Bang” project, this extensive line of figures take inspiration from the cartoon and early mini-comics to create a natural extension to the MOTU universe as if it had never gone away. Batros appeared in a single episode (The Great Books Mystery) as one of the only villains in the series that stood on his own (no help from Skelitor or Hordak!), so it’s great to see him finally available in action figure form after nearly 30 years!

The level of detail in the piece perfectly matches the style of the original line, with Batros’ amour, logo, cloak and face sculpt meticulously adapted from the original cartoon (in some cases offering even more detail!). Packaged in an authentic looking MOTU blister pack (complete with a Mattel-esque mini-comic), in either European or American editions, the figure, along with the rest of the Big Bang project are available through Lulu-Berlu for a staggering € 259.90- a fair price we guess for such a high standard of execution!

MAN-E-NEWS// “Pierced” vinyl figure from Parra x Kidrobot…

“As he pierces her with brutal force.”

Inspired by the melodramatic cover art of romance novels and based on his original silkscreen artwork, Dutch artist Parra has joined forces with Kidrobot to produce “Pierced”, a 10″ tall vinyl sculpture that has no front or back, telling a different story from every angle! Using his signature post-Pop imagery and highly saturated colours with contrasting matte and gloss finishes, Parra depicts two figures “entwined and suspended in a dramatic dance of passion and pain”.

As you can see from the turnaround above, one angle portrays two lovers engaged in an intimate moment, whilst changing your view reveals a brutal display of empowerment as the fully dressed man pierces the naked lady’s flesh… a truly breathtaking piece! Produced in a limited run of just 300 pieces worldwide, Pierced will be available for $150, hitting Kidrobot stores, kidrobot.com, and select retailers from June 7th…

MAN-E-NEWS// Wooden Bender vinyl figure from Kidrobot…

“Obsoletely fabulous.”

“Futurama’s Wooden Bender 6-inch vinyl figure is here and officially downgraded! Complete with removable red woodpecker and “technology-free” stumpy head and body, Wooden Bender is 6 inches tall and designed with the Kidrobot aesthetic twist, making this primitive vinyl ‘bot feisty and termite-free.” -Kidrobot press

Kidrobot return to cult IP Futurama with their latest 6″ vinyl release, the steam powered Wooden Bender! Set to drop on 7th June at Kidrobot stores, Kidrobot.com and select retailers worldwide, expect to pay $50 for this hilarious take on everyone’s favourite trash talking bot…

MAN-E-NEWS// The DIY Zukie from Alison Perez…

After a year in the making Alison Perez‘ DIY Zukie is finally upon us, and boy was it worth the wait! As one of the selected members of the press to receive the first batch, we’re glad to reveal that the quality is quite simply stunning. Standing at around 4″ tall, the blank figure fits perfectly in your hand, coming roto-cast in a good quality, bright white vinyl. Priced at just $9.99 (an incredible price for an independent piece such as this), DIY Zukie will be available on general worldwide release from May 26th, in a number of different stores including Toy Tokyo in NYC, Yukifish in Germany, and of course, the Zukie store. We can’t wait to see how the custom community takes to the figure, the simple shape and perfect size open the door to a whole heap of possibilities!

MAN-E-NEWS// (UPDATED) Triclops’ B.A.S.T.A.R.D’s wave 2 at Kapow!..

With test-pulls of both PeeNut and B.A.S.T.A.R.D.S virgin PeeNut Hunter revealed last week (find out more here), Triclops have gone all out in creating a whole army of the little critters ready for this weekend’s Kapow! Comic Con (Islington Design Centre, LDN). Featuring the previously mentioned PeeNut and PeeNut Hunter, Triclops have also ressurected Tommy Tanker, Musclito and our favourite, BALLOCK in a mixture of blue, yellow, grey, black and blue resin!

Joining 2 newly developed IP’s the studio has been developing (the Rotten Zombies & Lunchbox Brawlers), expect to find the latest wave of B.A.S.T.A.R.D.S at the joint Triclops/Unbox Industries booth come Saturday. Any figures left over will be put up on the incoming web shop next week. With the help of resin don Stu Witter, we can expect to be seeing a lot more from the B.A.S.T.A.R.D’s in the near future… Triclops have hinted that there may be a Boglin inspired micro series called “A Whole Lot of Ballocks” in the works! We’ll bring you more news as soon as it hits…

UPDATE// As you can see from the freshly posted shot below, the nu B.A.S.T.A.R.D’s have been de-flashed ready for their appearance at tomorrow’s Kapow! Priced at just £5 a piece, the resin figures will be sitting alongside MEGA B.A.S.T.A.R.D PeeNut for £28, plus  both editions of the Triclops Lunartik Art Passes for sale at £2.99 each or 2 for a £5…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Rainbow Takeout series from Shawnimals…

“So deliciously cute, it should be illegal!”

Shawnimals are proud to present the latest Pocket Pork Dumpling incarnation, the plush Rainbow Takeout series! Coming packed in an authentic looking Chinese takeout box, $18 will get you 3 of these delectable, individually hand made little chaps. Featuring a staggering selection of solid colours, patterned designs and a mixture of different fleeces, the 3-pack “open edition” Rainbow Takeouts are available on the Shawnimals store now…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Witch Covent from Healeymade x Lamour Supreme…

Anyone following David Healey‘s Instagram feed recently would have noticed a certain reoccurring Disney baddie, well today we can reveal to you that the evil witch is part of Healeymade‘s latest collaboration with Lamour Supreme, the Witch Coven! Limited to just 35 beautifully hand cast figures, the bootlegs come in a wide variety of clear, glow in the dark and even marbled resin, with 5 chase figures hand painted by Lamour. Coming bagged and headed (with a design from Lamour), these awesome creations are available now for just $40 each by e-mailing Healeymade directly at david@healeymade.com. From the sounds of it, most are already accounted for, so be sure to get your request in quick!

MAN-E-NEWS// The Super Rare M.U.S.C.L.E. Can from Nama-Niku and Eric Nilla…

[Photos from the University of M.U.S.C.L.E]

As mentioned in our feature yesterday (read more here), we will be delving into the world of both M.U.S.C.L.E and Kinnikuman a lot more as we ready our ‘Ed Skworm vs. Min-E-Face release, with no better place to start than Nama-Niku and Eric Nilla’s awesome Super Rare M.U.S.C.L.E Can. In what can only be described as a M.U.S.C.L.E collectors ultimate fantasy, the trash can has 10 non-poster (super-rare) figures sinisterly peering out from under the lid! Meticulously sculpt and kit-bashed by Tyler and cast in an authentic flesh coloured rubber, the overall size and scale sits nicely between the original collectors can and a standard M.U.S.C.L.E figure. Priced at just $25 (an incredible price for such a substantial hand cast figure!), we’re unsure of availability at the moment, so your best bet is to contact Tyler through Namu-Niku here. For an in-depth review on this stunning piece head over to the University of M.U.S.C.L.E…

Revealed yesterday, the Super Rare M.U.S.C.L.E. Can will be featuring in our first line-up of exclusive colourways from the talented duo. Stay tuned in the coming weeks, where we’ll be revealing colours, edition size and pricing in the build-up to a summer release exclusively on the MAN-E-TOYS store…

MAN-E-NEWS// The custom Mini-Berties from Adam Pratt…

Anyone who regularly follows our good friend Adam Pratt on Instagram would have seen some of the amazing custom Mini-Berties that he’s been feverishly working away on. Well, after gathering a heap load of attention for the first (instantly sold-out) wave, Adam has teamed up with Tenacious Toys to bring his avid fans another batch! Featuring 6 one-off hand painted designs, expect these to hit the Tenacious Toys store soon. We’re guessing they’ll be available for around $10-$15 each plus shipping…

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Restless Soul” Wyger custom from JC Rivera…

The ultra talented JC Rivera graces us with yet another awesome custom, the “Restless Soul” Wyger. Staying true to the Sam Flores design, Rivera has kept the iconic hands and face intact, whilst adding wings, hoofed feet and a beautiful horned skull mask in a way only he knows how. Painted in the muted bone-eque tones that have made the artist’s work so unmistakable, “Restless Soul” follows a long line of Rivera customs that just keep raising the bar further and further. No news on the availability of this piece, so be sure to contact the man himself directly through his site here…

MAN-E-NEWS// Richard UME’s Jason for the “Kings of Resin” blindbox series…

With the release of Tenacious Toys and Dead Hand Toys‘ “Kings of Resin” series set for tomorrow (Friday,May 18th), we’ve decided to take a little look at one of our favourite contributions, Jason the cheeky ghost from Rich UME! Standing at around 3″ tall with hat, the beautifully minimal sculpt was based on a popular character Rich created a while back. With a similar clean aesthetic to UME Toys’ upcoming Martin Longbottom release, we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that we manage to bag one of 5 one-off hand paints that Rich submitted for the series. Priced at just $25 each (an absolute steal for a unique resin piece), the randomly allocated figures will be hitting the Tenacious Toys store at 8pm (EST) sharp…

“Resin is King Series 1 is a 40-piece blind-boxed resin series featuring the work of: Brian Ahlbeck, Matt A*, Bad Applez Inc., Motorbot, Jay222, Rich Page and Dave Bondi. There will be a Golden Ticket for a custom-painted Teuth figure by Brian Ahlbeck randomly inserted into one blind box.”

MAN-E-NEWS// Trimentional Viewer teasers from Cris Rose…

“Keep an eye on your robot with your personal Trimentional Viewer”

Anyone following the newly opened Cris Rose Instagram account will have noticed several interesting photos from his latest project, the Trimensional Viewers! Little is known about the project yet, but as you can garner from the above shots, the release is set to feature a scaled down version of Cris’ popular Sprog bots (around 2/3 the size), housed in a beautiful clear dome and suitably weathered base. No news as of yet with regards to pricing or edition size, but expect these wonderful resin creations to hit the Cris Rose store at some point this week.

Alongside the Trimensional teasers, Cris has also revealed several tentative images under the title “Dreams in Focus”. Combining his passion for both photography and customisation, it appears that he is working on a custom built vintage camera! Clearly displaying the distinctive Cris Rose crown and the number 12 in roman numerals, we can but wonder what this awesome project will entail. Stay tuned for more news on both the Trimensional Viewers and “Dreams in Focus” as soon as it hits…

MAN-E-NEWS// Mini 10-Doh! Series One from Squid Kids Ink…

Originally previewed back at last month’s Wondercon, Squid Kids Ink are proud to officially announce their first blind-boxed series, Mini 10-Doh! Scaling the much loved 10-Doh! NES styled cartridge down to a dinky 3.5″, the first series is set to feature designs by Andrew Wilson, Doktor A, Jerome Lu, Jesse Hernandez, Kozik, Kwestone, Luke Chueh, Matt Jones, Nakanari, Nate Mitchell, Scott Tolleson and Tracey Tubera. Dropping with 12 grey designs plus an extra 4 gold chases, expect to see these awesome figures debut at SDCC 2012. Stay tuned for design reveals over the coming weeks…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Gusto “Black Pants Gang” from Blurble…

“One of the most notorious gangs in the history of Resin!”

Hot off the heels of Gusto’s long awaited debut in resin (read more here), Blurble is putting the finishing touches to wave 2! Entitled the “Black Pants Gang” (for obvious reasons!), the 4 man group come hand sprayed and brushed in either pink, light green, silvery blue or red one-off designs. Featuring articulation in the arms and waist, these awesome additions to the Gusto family will be heading to the Toxic Kaiju store this Friday at 11am PST for just $40 each plus shipping. If the first release is to go by, expect a surprise DIY blank to be released amongst the 4, and be sure to stay locked on the shop, as the first batch disappeared quick!

 

MAN-E-NEWS// The Cream-Filled Foster-O from Super7…

“What is black and white and black all over? A penguin in a tuxedo? A Stormtrooper on checkerboard dance floor? Why its everybody’s favorite living cookie, Foster! Foster is back for a snack all dressed up like his favorite cream-filled, crunchy cookie sandwich!”

After a slight pause in their usually busy release schedule, Super7 are proud to announce the release of the Oreo inspired Foster-O! Sculpted by Brian Flynn, the cream filled delight has been cast in black vinyl with striking white sprays. Hitting the Super7 store in limited quantities Thursday, May 17th at Noon Pacific, expect to pay just $25 plus shipping…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Midnight Marauder and Norse Eatin’ Dragon customs from Jon Paul Kaiser…

The ever busy Jon Paul Kaiser has been hard at work on another two stunning custom pieces, the Cap’n Sturnbrau Midnight Marauder and Norse Eatin’ Dragon! The first custom we’ve seen Jon’s Sturnbrau “Pieces of Eight” variant, the piece abandons the use of bold lines and stark contrasts in favour of a more subtle approach, accenting the sculpt’s beautiful shapes whilst offering a hint of the detail found in the original production piece. No news as to whether this guy is available to purchase, but we’re guessing that he was for a private commission. Hit Jon up through Flickr for more details…

Yet another rare choice of platform, JPK’s next piece comes in the form of the Norse Eatin’ Dragon, a 3″ Amanda Visell Baby-Eatin’ Croc from the Vivisect Playset! The faux wooden sculpt of the figure looks tremendous in Jon’s black and white style, really helping to give a new spin on an already ingenious piece. Our favourite detail has to be the poor little viking awaiting certain death- his Obelix styled pants and moustache are absolutely hilarious! Again, we’re unsure as to whether this piece is available to purchase, so your best bet is to hit Jon up here.

MAN-E-FEATURE// Nama-Niku and Eric Nilla’s custom M.U.S.C.L.E figures…

Since embarking on the ‘Ed Skworm vs. Min-E-Face project a few months back (find out more here), we’ve slowly started to realise how big and diverse the custom M.U.S.C.L.E/Kinnikuman community is, with sites such as the University of M.U.S.C.L.E, Little Rubber Guys and Nama-Niku covering a huge selection of highly talented sculptors, producers and painters that are keeping the 80’s craze alive and well nearly 30 years on.

Covering the latest in the world of fan-based and official Kinnikuman, Nama-Niku’s editor and writer, Tyler, is also a highly dedicated sculptor and customiser, working with Eric Nilla to produce THE hottest mini-figures we’ve ever seen! Tyler was kind enough to send 2 of his latest figures over, the original sculpt “Chibi Meatgrinder” and Kinnikuman custom “Gyudome”, so we could get a better idea of the quality behind their work…

[photos from University of M.U.S.C.L.E]

Chibi Meatgrinder// Standing at a micro-sized 3/4″ tall, the Chibi Meatgrinder is based on Tyler’s previous Meatgrinder custom released last year (pictured below). Cast in an extremely tactile rubber, the figure feels great in the hand, offering a bit more give than the original Kinnikuman plastic. Coloured extremely close to the original toys’ flesh tones courtesy of Eric, the thing that really stood out to us was the meticulous attention to detail on such a tiny scaled figure. With both Nama and Niku painstakingly branded on the figure’s chest and back, plus a faultless meatgrinder head sculpt, this guy is a must for anyone even slightly interested in quirky mini figures…

Gyu-Dome// Named after the popular Japanese dish, Gyo-don, Gyu-Dome has got to be the closest custom we’ve seen to a production figure yet. Coming with a beautifully realised bowl shaped head (full of Gyo-don of course!) and kanji emblazoned chest, Gyu-Dome has also been cast in a flexible rubber, giving the figure an authentic semi-translucency when held in the light.

Not too sure on availability or pricing on these two at the moment, so be sure to head over to Nama-Niku to contact Tyler directly with any enquiries…

MAN-E-TOYS Nama-Niku x Eric Nilla Exclusive Colourways Coming Soon…

To celebrate the launch of our first M.U.S.C.L.E release (and our love of Tyler and Eric’s work!), we’re going to be getting our own exclusive colourways of some of our favourite figures! The exact colour is still to be confirmed, but it looks like the insane Super Rare M.U.S.C.L.E Can, original Meatgrinder custom, Chibi Meatgrinder and Eric’s own SD Splatterhouse Rick will be featuring in the initial batch. Planning is still in the early stages at the moment, but stay tuned over the coming weeks as we bring you a closer look into the various Nama-Niku x Eric Nilla pieces, alongside a whole host of other amazing figures from the scene…

MAN-E-NEWS// Amanda Visell’s Primaries: Round 2…

Hot off the heals of their recent debut, Amanda Visell‘s “Primaries” are already set for wave 2! In the moulding stage at present, the latest additions will also be coming in a set of 5; an owl, girl, ram, cat and snake. If the initial release is anything to go by, the hand cast resin figures will be available in 2 different colourways, in either a set or individually (barring one as-yet unconfirmed set exclusive), with a price tag of $150 and $30 respectively. Expect these to drop on the Switcheroo store at some point in the next couple of weeks…