If you follow me on twitter– you’ll know that last night I tweeted about wanting Sookie LaLa for the pure opportunity of getting to call it Sookie in Vampire Bill’s voice. Don’t know Vampire Bill? He’s from Showtime’s True Blood (cheesy vampires for the win, but I’m all about Eric. Rawr!). Anyway, I lied– that’s not the only reason I want Hello, Brute’s newest figure– it’s mostly because after a year of not being sure how I felt about his hand-cast resin figure with oddly lines– I am officially in love.

I was always a fan of Hello, Brute’s characters– but I have a sick need for my toys/figures to be impeccable. I want clean paint jobs and a smooth finish. So, when I’d spotted Hello, Brute’s figures I just couldn’t get past the additional air-bubbles and really what I now see as an unique charm. It wasn’t until I coincidentally got to see Brute’s art and figures first hand at DoublePunch in San Francisco. I thought I couldn’t get past the added personality, but when they were in front of me– I really wanted to kick myself. Do you realize how many figures this guy has produced since I’ve been introduced to his work? Do you know how many; Jeffreys, Dannys, Jakes and many more I passed up on? The lesson here is, get ‘em!

Well, if I manage to save my monies, I would love Sookie LaLa to kick start my Hello, Brute collection. According to Jon’s (that’s his legal name) blog, if all goes well, Sookie will be released early next week? Perfect b-day present if anyone wants to hook it up? Wonder what they’ll look like with paint? So far, I’ve been a fan of Jon’s color combinations.

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?

I’m finally updating the hundreds of photos that I haven’t added to my flickr account, including the pictures I took of Lou Pimentel hard at work on his Cranston Fellows Jr. figure. Do you guys remember the video we shared the week of CF Jr.’s release? Well, here are some pre-release photos the Mr. and I took, along with some photos of MyPlasticHeart. We returned from San Francisco the day after Cranston’s release, and one of the first things I did was meet up with Lou and stop by MPH. Honestly, watching Lou sketch on people’s boxes made it feel like I hadn’t missed a thing.

Image taken from Kathie Olivas' Flickr

Earlier this week, I noticed Kathie Olivas updated her flickr with the image located above. I was immediately intrigued and dozens of questions arose. Who is Jack? Who is Lucky? Will this be released in resin or vinyl? When can I get one of these? Why can’t I get any answers?!! And then, like magic, a note appeared on the “plasma edition”– which refers to that translucent black figure.

Plasma edition: Atlanta Dragon Con Exclusive
6″ semi-transparent blood red resin sculpture
edition of 40

I’m not sure who is releasing this figure, I don’t know if it’s part of a set– but since she did refer to it as an edition, I’m guessing the alternate colorway will be a later release? I don’t know how much it’ll be, but what I do know, is that I am really digging it. Can someone help me score one? PRETTY PLEASE.

I’ve been following this figure’s evolution for a year, so it seems only serendipitous that the work of a Norwegian designer who lived in the UK (but is now back in Oslo) should make its debut in my birthplace: Brooklyn, NY USA.  Bard Hole Standal aka Bard Vandal has educated toy fans with tutorials (casting) and explanations (3D printing) on his blog, and no doubt inspired others with the copious photos of resin-evolution on his Flickr.