For the HD version click here.

On Friday May 8th, 2009– the Mr. and myself traveled the annoying haul to ToyQube, I say annoying because I hate the 7 train, we normally take the LIRR which costs more, but less people and less time consuming makes everything a win/win situation. Anyway, we rarely arrive to places on time, but I’m really glad we made it to ToyQube at the beginning which allowed for the film above created by my Mr. [GrimSanto].

ToyQube was having a Kicktoys ‘BEit Dude’ release party and custom show. The BEit Dude (retailing at $18.99) is supposed to be the platform vinyl that’s easy to customize and friendly to newcomers. I have to admit that I wasn’t, and to a certain degree am still not, sold on this figure. It keeps reminding me of those funky picture frames I find at a gift shop, that sounds a little more harsh than I want it to. One thing for sure, is that this DIY platform piece is definitely very different from a Munny, Dunny or Madl.

One of the reason’s I wasn’t ‘feeling’ this piece is because I was having a hard time envisioning a custom. I thought the figure was very limiting and I really just wouldn’t know where to begin. The custom show on Friday, however, really served it’s purpose. I was able to see that the real problem I was having was a lack of creativity, because the participating artists did an amazing job showcasing its potential. Check out the video above, and hit the jump to check out my favorite pieces, along with a flickr slideshow.

I’ll start off with NEMO’s custom. I will admit that the boom box era was fading out by the time I was allowed to leave my home– but I really dig the street culture that he captures in this piece. My favorite parts about this piece are actually in the decals/details. If you look closely at the piece, you’ll notice the “spankystokes” decal, along with Rotofugi’s “Lincoln” icon, and Juxtapoz Magazine is housed somewhere on the skateboard. I like the shout-outs he sends basically. Take a look below for a full body view.

The other piece that I really dug (but will admit that it also scares the shit out of me) is Brent Nolasco’s piece. Seriously, what is wrong with Brent? I love that he’s got a style that anyone can recognize a mile away– but he comes up with some of the most disgusting and visceral pieces ever, and that’s meant to be a highly praised compliment.

I’m not sure what it is, it looks a little bit like a cockroach with those little tentacles, but what’s most important is that he changed the BEit Dude dramatically– I can still see the shape, but his design forces that to be at the very back of my mind– this piece is going to haunt me in my dreams now, I’m sure.

My final 3 favorite, from left to right, were; Steve Talkowski, Lou Pimentel and Dacosta!. I love that Steve brought his Plug Man to life, which is something I’d spotted on his site when I first had the plessure of meeting him last year, and I thought it was really well executed and translated onto the BEit Dude. Lou, similar to Brent has a style that I am learning to recognize immediately– his colors are a dead giveaway (and I believe he was the Mr.’s favorite too). Dacosta!– he really knows how to win my heart. =) I heart robots, so his GoBot5 kinda had me at hello. I am always amazed by the fine work that Dacosta produces, he’s got some of the cleanest designs I’ve ever seen and well, you can’t really go wrong with robots right?

At the end of the night, I would say that ToyQube’s party was a success. Kicktoy’s was giving away t-shirts with their logo, which I simply adore. I got to hang with Lou and eat dinner with him down the block while we talked art and future plans/goals. I also got to see Lou’s Lego canvases– which I’ll post about soon so you can see the awesomeness that is his mind. The BEit Dude’s recieved plenty of love from the crowd– and I got to see their upcoming piece. She looks like a space girl and she’s super cute. I’m not sure if she’s a robot or not– but her silver helmet and kawaii smile had me sold.

If you’re interested in any of the pieces, head on over to ToyQube’s Shop and make a purchase. Most of the pieces are priced very moderately, so check ‘em out. Also, I just learned that 15% of Kicktoy’s profits are donated to the “Save the Children” foundation– and I’m always up for supporting a great cause– check out their site to stay updated on the BEit Dude and it’s upcoming products.