WonderCon is officially in full swing here in San Francisco, and after just the first day there are some definite treats. WonderCon runs through Sunday, so if you’re in the area, I highly recommend stopping by to see them in person. Here are just a few highlights ~~ Go on to page 2 to see some photos and more thoughts~~

Dragatomi brought a number of customs, including some from Motorbot’s recent show, as well as Fresh Characters’ Marshall teacup customs (some of my personal favorites) – he’s even hanging out at the booth so you can buy them from him in person. They also hosted Jesse Hernandez signing his Ozomahtli figure released just for the show with Dragatomi and the stateside release of Droplets Series 2.

A few booths over at Kuso Vinyl you can see the prototype for Jesse’s next release, “Mictlan”, as well as the next Spiki figures. Neon Monster’s booth is hard to miss with their 7 foot plush Mitch, made specially for WonderCon by the creator of the smaller Mitch plushie, Lauren from Sweet Meats. They’ve got a great display of their resin showcase (which is so much better to see in person than in pictures!), including the Hello, Brute figures.

In the running for my favorite figures at the show were the trio by Sergey Safonov, “Moon Wanderers”. Unfortunately even one figure was out of my price range, but who would want to split up the trio anyway?  There’s just something immensely appealing about their clean lines and distinct personalities. Word on the street is they may end up in vinyl production, although I think these would be amazing in wood. Either way, they’re definitely on my watch list, as I am smitten. Sergey’s got additional pictures and even a background story on his Flickr account. You may also know Sergey from his creation, Rotocasted.com.

The vinyl/designer toy scene is very well represented this year, especially compared with last year. These are only a handful of what’s on display and available for purchase this weekend. You’ve still got two more days to head over and check it out for yourself! And don’t forget, the Vinyl Addiction party is Saturday night, and only a few doors down, Super7 is holding their opening reception for Gargamel. Both are in Japantown and start at 7pm.

Look forward to more detailed posts later. <3

Although the news has been shared on several toy site– many of my friends and up-and-coming artists that I’m a fan of are going to be a part of Toy2R’s upcoming Skelanimal’s series and I felt the need to share and support. Oh, yet another long arse sentence, sorry about that. According to the press release:

The designs were inspired by the Skelanimals brand but 100% original to each artist. This has been a labor of love where each artist was given full freedom to create their own design representing their vision of Skelanimals.

This series includes designs from Jon Paul Kaiser, Julie West, Jim Koch, Pocket Wookie, Mshrobot, PO!, Voltaire, Rotobox, Nick Z, Albert Art, Jason Freeny, Lunabee, Reactor 88, Frank Mysterio, Chauskoskis and William Walison

When Skelanimals was first introduced, I loved them– even more when I discovered that their bone structures were GID! I wonder if the same effect will be applied to the qees? Either way, a special congratulations to Chauskoskis, Frank Mysterio and Reactor88 who will be mass produced on this new platform. Although I’ve only recently been introduced to Chauskoskis and Frank Mysterio (who just had a baby?!!!), their work definitely deserves to be in the homes of collectors. And Reactor88 has been pushing impeccable stuff time-and-time again, it was about time he got to participate in a series. =D

There’s no word on pricing, but there’s a possible summer release. Maybe during SDCC?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this Friday is the opening night of Steve Talkowski‘s Sketchbot Custom Show being held at MyPlasticHeart. The show will feature the works of 50 well-known artists and customizers, including Walter Jacott’s, aka Chauskoskis. Hit the jump to get an exclusive look at his awesome custom and some words from Chauskoskis himself.

I realize you could just scroll to the full-frontal photos– but I’ll stall as much as I can. As soon as I was graced with the opportunity to see his custom, I pretty much begged to share the goods. I got in contact with Walter and asked him about his process, check it out below:

IHCS: Let’s start with the technical stuff, can you tell me about the tools and mediums you used to customize Steve Talkowski’s Sketchbot?

Chauskoskis:

Sketch Munch: I use some wire  for the hair and fingers, plumber epoxy and super sculpey for the sculpt job. I used acrylics applied with brush, acrylics with aerograph also some aerosol paint for the “sparks” and some acrylic resin to brighten the eyes. Now the pencil: I used wood, (some carpenters tools)  aerograph, acrylics, varnish, sheet of metal, eraser and some  stencil to paint the letters perfectly.

IHCS: What was your inspiration for the piece?

Chauskoskis: The idea came as soon as Steve invited me to participate in the show. I wanted to retain the original idea of Sketchbot, but with a twist. The same applied to the pencil, I wanted to keep the pencil, but just a little different. That’s when I remembered that as a kid, we liked to chew on pencils– that’s how I knew what direction to go in.

I knew Sketchbot needed big teeth, and he needed to be a very weird character– I mean, eating a pencil can’t be very good for your health, so Sketchbot needed to look sick and a little disturbed. The details appeared as I got to work. I mean, even the color kept changing throughout the process.

IHCS: So what’s his story? Does he have a story?

Chauskoskis: A story? Nope. I like to let people imagine their own versions of who he is and how he came to be. Sometimes, they come up with better ideas.

IHCS: Was it difficult working on this platform? Was he more challenging then other platforms?

Chauskoskis: The platform was so cool! Very simple, but also has so much personality. I have a few more ideas for the future, so I can’t wait to get more for myself.

[Love the signage!]

And here we have it! The full frontal view of Chauskoskis’ custom, Sketch Munch! For any who follow me on twitter– you’ll remember that I was blown away with the outcome. There are so many components that make this figure aesthetically pleasing. There are the bold features of the eyes, the hands its nose and mouth. His tweeked out look, mauled on pencil and those unfortunate strands of hair really add a distinctive charm to this fellow. I can’t wait to see him in person this Friday. Thanks to Steve and Chauskoskis for letting me share it with you. =D

]]> http://iheartcoolstuff.com/2010/03/exclusive-chauskoskis-for-custom-sketchbot-show/feed/ 2 http://iheartcoolstuff.com/2010/03/exclusive-lift-detroit-madl-soon-up-for-pre-order/ http://iheartcoolstuff.com/2010/03/exclusive-lift-detroit-madl-soon-up-for-pre-order/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:06:55 +0000 saki http://iheartcoolstuff.com/?p=3948

I’ve got to give it to Jeremy Madl, I don’t always dig his style– but my heart melts anytime a new MadL hits the market. His platform is one of my favorite platforms ever. To me, it doesn’t matter if it’s blank of whether its adorned with someone else’s art (or his own for that matter)– I just love the shape, size, feel. Heck, I went as far as drawing a MadL on a wall in my Mr.’s apartment. So, now that I’ve shared my sick love– my joy has doubled exponentially with the addition of Doktor A’s steampunk aesthetic.

Lift Detroit’s exclusive MadL will be available for pre-order through TenaciousToys. The figure is limited to 300 pieces and will retail for $45. Though Benny hasn’t opened up pre-orders, I advise that you periodically check in on his blog to see when it will be. Good luck. =D

It’s obvious that I would love anything produced by Podgy. I mean, he created my character along with the Mr.’s and several banners– he helps put a face on my site. And, when he told me he was going to be participating in The Renmen Project– I reached a new level of excitement.

The Renmen Project, born from the creative people at Thunder Chucky and Ben The Illustrator, is a project which promises to raise funds for UNICEF’s Haiti appeal. The goal is to work with some of the top, most talented and sought after artists to produce limited artwork. The best part is that 100% of the funds will be donated to UNICEF.

Some of the artists working with the project include; Jeremyville, TADO, Pete Fowler, Peskimo, Felt Mistress, and many more– including Podgypanda who will be part of their postcard series!! Above is his entry for the project. He’s dropped several teaser pictures on twitter– but this is the final version. I can’t wait to get a copy. It’ll join my Podgy shrine! I kid, I don’t have a shrine. =D

P.S. I’d like to take this opportunity to send some love to The Free Love Crew: The Neon Hive, Felt Mistress, Scooter&Jinx and ProjectDetonate! There’s a reason for the shout out– but suddenly it feels like a secret. <3

I spotted this post on VinylPulse a couple of days ago, and since have been obsessing a little about the newest addition to the Mr. Lapin family. I was lucky enough to score an all black one two years ago from the lovely Colette (1st lady of Tomopop) and later that same year scraped up the cash for the Marie Paysant-Le Roux edition.

Anyway, ever since then, I admit, I’ve been rather hooked on these sophisticated rabbits. They carry themselves so well, I can’t really refer to them as bunnies. As soon as I spotted the sneak peek, I knew the newest addition would be flocked, you can see the texture in the photo. I can’t wait to see what the expression on the front looks like. By the way, Mr. Lapin is photographed in his many forms quite often. I took the liberty of sharing some of my favorite photos after the jump.

Taken by John Hook

Taken by Wayne Chang

Taken by FrogMuseum

FrogMuseum is one of my favorite toy photographers. Somehow, every toy image makes me nostalgic of my childhood. Granted, I didn’t own any of the toys he takes photos of, but his photographs always cause a reaction.  Click on all the images to check out the owners’ flickr page.

Can you guess where I’ll be on December 10th? If you guessed Factory Fresh in Brooklyn, you were right! Yay, cookies for all. ^_^ I just recieved an email from Factory Fresh about their upcoming show, Fresh Geezers. The show will feature the works of London Police and Galo. I’m honestly looking forward to this show since I love the iconic characters of the London Police. I’m hoping to score a sketch! I may even bring a bigger book. >_< I’ll update any sneak peeks and additional information as it’s released.

Thanks to the power of twitter, I spotted the VPEast post about an upcoming MPHLabs resin figure. I have no idea what it is, but I must admit that I have become a HUGE fan of MPHLabs since their Koguma releases and can’t wait to see what’s next. While I’m on the subject, whatever happened to their A-Type figure?

Scene: Fairytales Fights from I Heart Cool Stuff on Vimeo.

At this year’s AnimeFest, we were lucky enough to get some hands-on time with the upcoming Fairytales Fights video game by Playlogic. The game is based on “reject” fairytale characters, including Jack from Jack and the Bean Stalk and Red from Little Red Riding Hood. They’re tired of living in the shadows of the more popular and heroic characters, and go on a bloody rampage.

That’s the best part of the game so far. The blood. I tend to be a huge fan of cute things that suffer, and this game meets those requirements to a tee. The game, soon to be released for the Xbox 360 and PS3, will be a full on hack-and-slash game jam packed with it’s 1000 achievements and trophies.

We weren’t able to play more than the demo level on-site, but so far the control scheme seem somewhat easy. I did have a little trouble adjusting to the attacks being controlled by the right joystick, as I’m used to pressing the trigger buttons to attack– I was however, able to manage. Since we played the demo, we also didn’t get a chance to see how the multi-player functions worked in the game. We will however, be granted the chance to write a full review of the game, and the Mr. and I will be doing a podcast on it. Whoa! My first “video game” podcast. =D Check the video below of the game’s trailer:

Having checked out the trailer, I can tell you it’s super fun. I love the over-the-top gore that comes of much more comical rather than disgusting. Although killing the towns people isn’t the best way to get on top, I like cheering for the underdog. And, the killing graphics are pretty insane. If you stab a character in the chest, he will bleed from his chest– or whatever body part you happen to stab. I like intuitive features within a game. Can’t wait to share more thoughts on the game. We’ll let you know when we have more info.

Scene: Sushi Poppers at NYAF from I Heart Cool Stuff on Vimeo.

On our first day at the New York Anime Festival, we chose to take things slow and just walk around. We wanted to make sure we didn’t blow all our money in one location, not that I had much to begin with. As soon as we got out of Artist Alley, we ran into the creators of Sushi Popper. The purpose of sushi poppers is sushi on the go! Imagine a push-pop, replace the candy for sushi rolls (about 8 rolls per tube) and an attached soy sauce stick used to push the sushi up.

We were so excited, that we knew we had to interview them. By the way, what’d you think of mini-saki stomping to Godzilla sounds?!! I’m sure M2M, which is the Japanese shop I get some of my goodies from, will be carrying the poppers. I, along with Megaroo and GrimSanto got to taste the sushi. I liked it, and I believe Megaroo did too. The Mr. on the other, got a spicy tuna roll and he hates spicy food! So he didn’t enjoy it too much. We’ll let you know when we spot them in NYC. Expect these to cost anywhere between $5-$8.