MAN-E-NEWS// The Bwana Spoons x T9G vinyl figures for “TxB” at TAG…

In one of the most exciting collaborations we’ve seen this year, three of Bwana Spoons‘ most cherished characters, Marty the Magician, Globby and Killer have been given the full work out by none other than T9G! Production appears to be moving along nicely (pictured above are the final wax sculpts), so we’re hoping that these jaw-dropping pieces will be debuting at the upcoming Bwana Spoons x T9G “TxB” show that will be landing at Toy Art Gallery on May 26th. Stay tuned for more news on both the figures and exhibition in the coming weeks…

MAN-E-NEWS// Rampage Toys’ dinosaur sofubi teaser #2…

Following the first official teaser for his latest sofubi release (pictured below for all of those who missed it!), Jon over at Rampage Toys shares with us the second cycloptic dinosaur to feature in the series, an adorable anklyosaurus! The veggie eating, four legged creature, along with 2 others, is currently being cast in wax in preparation for the master mold. Due to make their debut at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, expect more info, plus the final teaser shot from this promising project soon. Can’t wait to get your fix of Rampage?! Well head over to the store here, where Jon is currently stocking the first painted run of Manotaur’s and Penguin Metrobayakan from SuperFest 59!

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Ronin” custom Horselington from JC Rivera…

We’ve been closely following the progress JC Rivera‘s Horselington custom on Instagram for quite some time now, so it came with great pleasure to find the finished shots of said project in our inbox this morning! Privately commissioned, Rivera was tasked with creating a Samurai inspired piece, with the end results taking form as the mighty Japanese warrior “Ronin”! Featuring an astonishing level of of original sculpting, Rivera’s trademark red and bone colouring, and even a removable kabuto mask, this has to be one of our favourite takes on Ewok’s Horselington to date. Unfortunately, as mentioned before, this guy was for a private commission so wont be for sale. However, if you are interested in locking down one of his amazing customs, be sure to head over to his store, or if you prefer, drop him a line for a specific piece through his site here…

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Primaries” resin figures from Amanda Visell…

After a week of teasers on her blog, Amanda Visell has finally released her new “Primaries” series out into the wild! Featuring 5 different creatures sculpted in Visell’s unmistakable style, the 3″ tall figures have been hand sculpted, cast and painted at her studio in Los Angeles. Featuring a bear, lion, pegasus, rain monster and set-exclusive turtle design, the toys come in either pink/orange or blue/green washes and can be bought individually for $30 or as a set (with the aforementioned turtle) for just $150 plus shipping. Available exclusively on the Switcheroo store right now, each lovingly crafted figure comes bagged with a header card designed by Visell…

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Slash” custom Street Shark from Adam Pratt…

What with his stunning Candy Coated Custom Show entry, numerous commissioned projects, a micro resin drop and an upcoming blind boxed custom Android series, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Adam Pratt has little time for personal projects… but as you can see from his latest stunning piece, the “Slash” Street Shark custom, he always manages to squeeze in the odd self-indulgent custom here and there!

Remembered for their sheer bulkiness and size, the under-used Street Shark platform has proven to be an awesome canvas for Adam’s meticulous paint style, with a considered use of washes, weathering and fine detail really helping to elevate the action figure into the realms of art. Sadly, this guy has already been accounted for, but Adam plans to work on another of Dr Piranoid’s goons, Slobster, in the near future. Follow Adam on Instagram @monsters_eye for daily studio updates…

MAN-E-NEWS// The Smash Turtle Tetsujin and Gamma Shouldiers from Peter Kato…

Peter Kato continues his resin assault with yet another 2 brilliant releases this week, the Smash Turtle Tetsujin and sidekick, the Gamma Shouldier! Coinciding with the release of the Avengers this week, the self confessed nerd pays tribute to one of his favourite Marvel characters, the Hulk, with Smash TT coming in a beautiful clear green resin, featuring purple, white and black detailing. Limited to just 8 pieces this time around, the figure will be hitting the PeterKatoShop tomorrow at around 4-5pm EST for just $20 plus shipping.

Next up we have the Gamma Shouldiers. Originally part of the Pocket Powers series released last year (under the Shock-Shouldiers monicker), these beautiful micro figures have been cast in the same gamma green resin as Smash. Limited to 8 pieces, the 1″ tall figure can be yours tomorrow for just $5 plus shipping. To accompany the Hulk themed release, Peter has also created a limited batch of Smash pin buttons for just $1 each…

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Summer Ninja” NOTM from Shawnimals…

“This fair-weather Ninja celebrates everything that comes along with warm weather and sunshine, and utilizes those very things as delicious but deadly ninja weaponry! Popsicle-chucks, sprinkle spikes, and ice cream slicks are perfect choices for a whole new kind of snack attack…”

Helping to usher in the start of summer (and the beginning of a new month!), Shawnimals are back with their latest NOTM (Ninja of the Month), the “Summer Ninja”. Measuring 7″ x 7″, the hand made felt plush comes with its own flower sache, a pair of popsicle chucks, a signed and numbered hang tag, plus an exclusive ninja button and character sticker! Limited to just 100 pieces, the Summer Ninja will be hitting the Shawnimals store tomorrow (May 2nd) at 1pm CDT for just $30 plus shipping…

MAN-E-NEWS// Podgonauts Edition B from Podgy Panda x Cris Rose…

Podgy Panda and Cris Rose are proud to present the latest addition to the Podgonauts family, “Custard” Edition B! Part of the Panda Exploration Corp, each “custard” jump suited figure comes with a laser engraved disc embedded in its chest, an articulated head and removable dome. Weighing in at a staggering 250g, the 3″ x 3.5″ hand cast resin figure will be limited to just 5 pieces, with one lucky collector once again receiving the highly sought after monkey mechanic chase. Priced at $140 each, expect these guys on the Podgy Panda store, along with a new batch of Podgonauts customs, this Thursday (May 3rd) at 6pm London time…

“The Podgonauts have found themselves in a very sticky situation, they’ve landed on a planet where there’s Custard tar pits everywhere! The Podgonaut space team seems to be in a bit of a kerfuffle. Lets hope they manage to get out safely!”

MAN-E-NEWS// Pretty Boi “Magnificent Bastard” from ESC Toy x Monster Kolor…

Following the huge success of past collaborations, Erick Scarecrow of ESC Toy once again teams up with Monster Kolor for another super-limited release, the “Magnificent Bastard” Pretty Boi! Coming in the metallic rainbow of colours we saw in the recent Wet Suit Maria release, the hand sprayed resin release has been capped at just 5 pieces worldwide. No news on a release date or pricing, but expect the figure to drop on the ESC Toy store at some point this week…

OG Unchartered- Drake re-release…

Also of note on the ESC front is the return of the OG Unchartered Drake on the store! Originally selling out in a matter of days, the 7″ tall vinyl figure has reappeared in very limited quantities. Priced at just $49.99 plus shipping, head over to the ESC Toy store now to grab yours…

MAN-E-NEWS// Lamour’s Мишка Be@rbrick in colour plus the MOTUKO sofubi…

Мишка are proud to reveal that their recent Be@rbrick Series 23 entry will be getting the full colour treatment! Designed by Lamour Supreme, the stunning piece has been adorned with all manner of monstrous Мишка imagery, made all the more better with his trademark use of vibrant colours; with magenta ears/brains, classic blue Keep Watch iris, and a crimson lightning bolt making this a must have for Be@rbrick and Lamour collectors alike. Set to drop at select stores (including Мишка NYC) on May 12th, the Мишка x Medicom Be@rbrick will be priced at around $20…

Lamour Supreme’s MOTUKO sofubi figure…

Debuting at this week’s Super Festival 59 comes the latest sofubi from Lamour Supreme, the MOTUKO (Masters of the Universe Knock Off) figure! Originally previewed way back last summer, the highly sought after piece comes with Lamour’s trademark Simon head sat on top of a suitably MOTU inspired body. Initially coming cast in Lamour Supreme’s old skool neon pink and green, the figure retailed (and swiftly sold out!) for ¥6800 a piece. We’ll bring you more news on the Western drop as soon as it hits…

MAN-E-NEWS// Bob Conge’s jumbo folio giclee prints for the “BITS” show…

Joining the awesome “HD@: Humpty Dumpty Reanimated” custom at the upcoming “BITS” show at Lot F Gallery (read more here) comes the latest wave of prints from artist Bob Conge (aka Plaseebo). Featuring a mixture of found objects, vacuum tubes and Bob’s signature doll and Mickey Mouse pieces, these twisted toy shrines will be available as jumbo folio giclee prints, (18″ x 24″ images on 24″ x 32″ sheets of 200 gsm archival cotton rag paper), each signed, numbered and limited to an edition of 50. Head over to the Lot F Gallery site for more information on picking up one of these amazing pieces…

Lot F Gallery Presents Bits
Bob Conge, Todd Robbertson, William Long
Opening reception: Friday, May 4th, 7.00pm-11.00pm

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

After a year in the works, Alison Perez aka Miss Zukie is putting the finishing touches to her debut designer vinyl release, the DIY Zukie! Coming initially in blank white vinyl with a fully customisable box, the 4″ figure is set to drop for just $9.95 plus shipping. Available on the Zukie store from May 25th, Alison has also secured supplies for both Toy Tokyo in NYC and Yukifish in Germany. Scoot on over to the Zukie blog for more details, and be sure to follow Alison’s Instagram feed at @zukie_art for daily studio updates…

MAN-E-NEWS// New “Grim” and “Wookie” customs from Rich UME…

Following last week’s work-in-progress look at Richard Page’s “Grim” Bambaboss custom, the UME Toys owner proudly reveals the custom in full! Coming replete with an all manner of hand sculpted accessories including a reaping sicle, back pack and hanging fox tail, Rich has really gone to town on the piece, adding boney fingers, subtle clothing details and a beautiful skull sculpt that’s absolutely bursting  with character! Hit up Rich at umetoys@googlemail.com if your interested in grabbing the piece…

Not content with producing just one piece for this Friday’s “May the 4th” StarWars art show (find out more here), Rich has been busy at work producing a custom Munny World Wookie to join his print! Standing at just over 5″ tall, Rich’s hand sculpted and painted piece blends the unmistakable StarWars aesthetic with his unique tiki inspired style to create our favourite Chewie custom yet. Unfortunately this piece won’t be for sale, but Rich has stated that if anyone is interested in a commissioned piece, they should give him a shout at umetoys@googlemail.com…

MAN-E-NEWS// New Outer Space Men test shots from the Four Horsemen…

Action figure legends, the Four Horsemen, have just revealed test shots of the latest additions to the OSM (Outer Space Men) line, Orbitron, Gemini and their first Deluxe Outer Space Man, Cyclops! With only a few minor tweaks before final production, the Four Horsemen have stated that these will be ready for as soon as SDCC this year. The Alpha Phase wave that will hopefully be available at the con and through the Store Horsemen will be dropping in the following colours-

GEMINI:  Clear yellow with clear green ABS accessories & parts.

ORBITRON:  Clear pink with clear green ABS accessories.

CYCLOPS: Clear light blue with clear green ABS parts & accessories.

No news on pricing or availability, so stay locked on the Four Horsemen blog for more info in the coming weeks…

“…all in all we’re incredibly impressed with the level of these. They’re really beautiful and we were amazed at the heft of Cyclops when you hold him in your hand. As you can see from the photos below, he’s massive compared to the other OSM done so far. He’ll make a worthy adversary for the upcoming Colossus Rex for sure!” -Four Horsemen blog

MAN-E-NEWS// The new Farm Set paints from Monster Kolor…

Matt Walker over at Monster Kolor is proud to present their latest range of paints, the Farm Set! Known for their amazing selection of metallic, pearlescent, and neon paints, Monster Kolor have plumped with a more natural palette this time, with the standard set featuring Farm Yellow, Farm Brown, Minted, Gentmag and Flesh. The set has also been released in brushable form as well, featuring an extra Gator Green colour. Priced at just $22 for the standard and $6.50 each for the brushable, be sure to head over to the Monster Kolor store to grab yours before they disappear…

MAN-E-NEWS// Plaseebo’s Humpty Dumpty Reanimated for “Bits” at the Lot F Gallery…

Following last week’s tentative sketched teaser, Bob Conge aka Plaseebo proudly reveals his latest custom monstrosity, HD2: Humpty Dumpty Reanimated! Created for the upcoming “BITS” show at the Lot F Gallery this weekend (4th May), the super-creepy custom Stay Puft features a grafted baby doll head, paper mache detailing, and the beautiful vacuum tubes that Bob was required to work into the piece (more info below). In the Boston area? Be sure to head down to the gallery and check out the awesome figure in person this Friday…

“In April Todd and Will sent me a grab bag of bits and pieces from their studio in Boston to use in building a figure for the “BITS” show at Lot F Gallery.

I was hesitant at first as it felt like having someone else pick out the colors you could paint with. But the idea grew on me and I could not resist the opportunity to work with those wonderful vacuum tubes. My original thought was to use everything they sent to me in one large figure. However as I began sketching, HD2 showed himself to me and I could not resist bringing him back from the dead.”

BACKSTORY//

We all know how the first half of this story goes: H D was sitting on a wall / had a great fall / and no one could put him back together again.

Well not until 1801, when a German stone mason named Wilhelm Trowels Point, came across these strange looking white shell like pieces in the soil at the base of a wall he was repairing on the grounds of the young Victor Frankenstein.

Victor recognized the pieces immediately as being from the legendary egg like creature and thus began his first and far less well known foray into reanimation many years before the Doctors infamous second attempt. In many ways this was the more successful of his experiments and HD-2 became a most capable lab assistant to the good Doctor until his death some 52 years later.

HD-2 ran out of power a few weeks later and was sold with contents of the castle that following spring. Nothing is known of his whereabouts until May of 2005 when I purchased him from an old curio shop in London. HD-2 has been a valued assistant in the Plaseebo shop these past seven years.

MAN-E-NEWS// The “Star-Skull Astronaut” from Dum English x Made by Monsters…

Made by Monsters continue their amazing work with Ron English in his first collaboration with RnB singer Chris Brown, the “Star-Skull Astronaut series. Going under the newly formed “Dum English” moniker, the pair have infused low brow, pop culture and art toy for their incredible debut piece. Due to be released as a 10″ figure in 2 initial turquoise/pink colourways for $140 each, the astronaut will also be available as a necklace for just $75.

In celebration of the release, Chris Brown and Ron English will be hosting an exclusive signing at the Toy Art Galley on Wednesday, May 2nd between 2-4pm…

PRESS// “An artistic collaboration between R&B Superstar Chris Brown and prolific Artist Ron English where parodic post modernism inspires an entire culture. At the signing, you will see the release of Ron English classic colorway in Turquoise & Pink of the Astronaut Star-Skull 10 inch Vinyl figure and Astronaut Star-Skull Necklace. For further info: info@garageworksindustries.com, info@toyartgallery.com.”

MAN-E-NEWS// The Totem 6″ FatcCap from Kronk x Kidrobot…

“OMFG! Totem loves the modern world. With an over-inflated sense of awesomeness and a love for dicey online casino games and XXX reading material, this FatCap consumes technology like bandwidth grows on trees.

Ancient Totem, meet 21st Century sin.”

Swiftly following Queen Andrea, South African artist Kronk steps up as the next artist to grace the 6″ FatCap with his design, the Totem. Featuring a vivd mix of purple, turquoise, orange and pink, the corrupted Totem has been adorned with symbolism enshrining the evils of vanity, lust, and greed. Coming with a beautifully sculpted pair of eagle wings that replace the usual arms, Kronk’s entry is easily one of our favourite designs yet. Limited to just 900 pieces worldwide, the Totem FatCap will be available from May 10th from Kidrobot stores, kidrobot.com, and select retailers worldwide for $75 a piece…

MAN-E-NEWS// Brandt Peters’ “Stingy Jack” sofubi test pull plus sidekick competition…

“You’ve all heard about the great fabled STINGY JACK … an enchanted little jack-o-lantern of sorts who is an agent of great mischief and bedevilry! Well, it just so happens that this said character visited the CP crew whilst wandering the streets of Takayama and has since snuck his way to the US … and wants to move in with YOU!”

In a collaboration with Japan’s Tomenosuke, Circus Posterus are proud to present their first sofubi release, the absolutely stunning “Stingy Jack” from Brandt Peters! To celebrate the reveal, Circus Posterus are asking fans to come up with a suitable sidekick for the cigar smoking pumpkin-headed clown, with the winning entry securing 1 of only 3 original test pulls! Head over to the site here to find out more, and be sure to get your entry in before the May 24th deadline!

“THE CONTEST: My friends, Stingy Jack needs a sidekick. A co-conspirator, a partner in crime, a shit disturber worthy of the Brandt Peters seal of insanity. Your task is to bring this character to life. Provide some type of visual representation (in .jpg format) in either a photograph, illustration, sculpture, drawing, digital art image (Photoshop or Illustrator) of who you think would fit perfectly into Stingy Jack’s world and universe. 

The format is ENTIRELY up to you and we’re looking for the most creative idea. Technical know-how and hand-skill will not have an advantage here and will come second to great and funny ideas. So stretch your creative tentacles and give us your best shot — this is a level playing field! BRING IT!!!!” 

MAN-E-NEWS// “Goodbye Social Media, Hello Freedom!”- Lunartik breaks free…

 

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram- all amazing platforms for showcasing work, consuming art and networking, but do we ever consider how much they eat into our everyday lives? Tired of the constant distractions, Matt Jones aka Lunartik is one such artist that has decided to do away with (for the time being!) all but one social media stream, You Tube. Instead of making announcements through Twitter and Facebook, Matt has decided to focus on a newsletter that will be sent out once a month, featuring a film that will be posted on You Tube alongside exclusive pics and info from the Lunartik blog. Head over to the site now and sign up- Matt has promised that the first newsletter will feature an exclusive peak of the Lunartik Mini Tea series 2!

“I’ve been dreaming about this day forever, Its the start of a new era in my life. I’ve loved following you all and had lots of fun on Facebook and Twitter, but its all become far too distracting for me. I think it’s best if I just get my head into my work and switch to using one social stream which is going to be even more fun, as its You Tube!”