Glowy Glowy

I'm not really a huge fan of the show Ben 10. I liked it when it first started out-- when he was still a little kid. There was something magically awesome about a little ten-year-old boy running around saving the universe by becoming one of ten different aliens. The writers of the first Ben 10 series wove some interesting and fun stories.

Then... they made Ben mature a bit... and it killed it for me. I'm not saying the show became something bad... it just became something I didn't really care for.

One thing, however, remained the same: the alien designs kicked all kind of butt. One of my favorites from the newer Ben 10 stuff is Echo Echo. He's a very simple, sleek design with just enough character elements to give him an awesome attitude. I have no idea what the character on the show is like-- I just like the design!

I had been tempted to buy the toy for a while, but I was never really won over by it enough to do so. It was neat, but nothing about it really bowled me over.

Then I saw the second release of the figure, and it had the one thing that will usually compell me to buy something: it glows in the dark.

This is the "Echo Echo Defender" figure, which sets it apart from the regular figure who is just called "Echo Echo." I have no idea either.



He's a nicely sculpted figure with very clean lines. He's articulated at the neck, shoulders, hips and knees. He's not super poseable, but he does OK. You can get some basic poses out of him, but he's mainly there to look slick sitting on your shelf. He stands around 3 inches tall, so he's not exactly a massive toy. Good thing I love small figures, huh?



He has a little backpack with tubes that connect to the sides of his head like earphones. He has the look and feel of a designer toy, to be honest. If I had no idea what the character was all about I'd assume he was some intergalactic DJ or something... he has a funky urban feel to him.



The figure comes with some crappy bio card and a little clear plastic figurine of the character. The bottom of the mini figurine plugs into the "Omnitrix" (SOLD SEPARATELY!!!) accessory so you can pretend to be Ben or something. Whatever. If anyone wants the little accessory figurine feel free to let me know... I'll be glad to send it to the first person who claims it. I have no use for the thing.



The best part about the figure is this:



Oh yeah... GLOW, BABY! GLOW!



He looks epic next to my other glowing toys, and that's all that matters.



I bought this one for 6 bucks, but I find that he's worth it even though he's small and has limited articulation. Be sure to look for the glowing one... you can tell he glows if you really look at the two different Echo Echo figures next to each other. The glow in the dark one is kind of a milky, yellowish white, while the regular version is a very stark white. In my opinion buying one of these figures that doesn't glow for the same price as one that does is a waste of cash.

Mountain O' Boxes

Pheyden and Exellis explore Kawaiiju Box Mountain:



I've been making and packing Kawaiiju boxes all day. I went through two rolls of packing tape today! I have to go get more tape in the morning when the store opens (living in the boonies means no access to any 24 hour stores).

The next fun bit is actually shipping them out!

I'll be sending these out on Thursday.

Thanks everyone for your incredible patience!

And then there were... a few!

Thanks everyone for making this a fun, fun, fun Kawaiiju launch! Congrats to the winner of the contest and thanks for sending in such great super attack moves ideas even after the contest! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you guys are THE best!

Thanks!!!

--Charles (Monsterforge)

GO TIME!!!

Here we go! It's time! The Kawaiiju are GO!

And to commemorate the occasion, here's a little comic strip I created for everyone starring those rascally Toy Break guys George, Ayleen, and Ben... Enjoy!



Now, to purchase your Kawaiiju figures, send an email with the total amount of figures you want, your name, and your address. I'll go through the emails on a first come / first served basis and send paypal invoices back to you with the total price. Send your order email to: kawaiiju@yahoo.com



Once again, for clarity's sake: The Kawaiiju figures are between 1.5 and 2 inches tall and are individually hand sculpted from polymer clay and painted with acrylic paint. Each figure is a totally unique, one-of-a-kind art piece. Each figure will come blind bagged with a hand-made package and a hand drawn art card. A randomly inserted "Golden Ticket" will allow one lucky customer to win the ultimate Kawaiiju figure, "Big Daddy." There are 30 figures in all. Each figure will cost $25 (plus a flat $5 shipping fee in the US and $10 elsewhere).

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Now... to get a chance to win your free God Pharaoh, simply post in the Kawaiiju Thread on the October Toys Forum what super attack move you think God Pharaoh should have. It can be a cool move or a silly one-- the crazier the better! At midnight (EDT) tonight I'll throw all the names of the posters in a hat and draw one winner.



Anyone can enter... you just need to sign up as a member at the October Toys Forum-- it's THE best fan forum in the universe, and I think everyone should join and enjoy all the great times we have there.

Thanks everyone for all the support and love for the figures! You guys are THE best!

Almost Kawaiiju Time!

Almost! It's 3:44PM EDT as I type this so there isn't much time left! At 5 I'll post the email for ordering and the details on how you can win God Pharaoh (no purchase necessary!).

See you at 5!!!

Kawaiiju Kountdown...

Less than 24 hours till the release of the Kawaiiju figures! Here's a little teaser of something that I've been working on for the release:




Be here tomorrow night at 5PM EDT(check your local times!) for the release of the figures and stick around for the debut of a new comic strip and for a chance to win the first Kawaiiju figure from the next wave of figures, God Pharaoh!!!



See you back here tomorrow night!!!

K-Mart rules.

Not because it's a great store... more often than not K-Mart stores are cluttered, messy, and filthy, and the prices are usually about a buck more than Walmart's regular prices. No, K-Mart rules because their clearance prices are FABULOUS!!!!

One thing I have found is that K-Mart's stuff sits in clearance for ages without being touched because the initial "clearance" price is only a bit less than the retail price. What many people don't realise is that the prices in the store computers continue to go down as the stuff sits there and rots on the shelf.
Chances are that if you see something on clearance and you're patient enough you can get it dirt cheap down the road. I saw a huge $44.99 G I JOE Rise of Cobra fighter jet today that rang up as $11.00!

Walmart plainly marks their clearance prices on their products and people snap them up before you even know they're gone. I was in a Walmart one day when they put the Avatar figures on clearance, and they marked them down from 9 bucks to 1 buck in one fell swoop. People flocked to the clearance rack and pretty much picked the meat from the bones. I managed to grab one figure.... the one figure left. K-Mart, on the other hand, keeps the same clearance price on the toy even though the price has dropped below the floor.

My regular practice is to grab a buggy, head to the clearance section, fill up the buggy with stuff, and scoot over to the price checker. Sometimes you don't find much... other days are better. Today was one of the good days.

I picked up an armful of stuff today for 10 bucks. The retail price on it all was supposed to be 39.99. I think I did ok!

First up is this Batman: The Brave and The Bold deluxe figure set. Retail $11.99... I paid $1.50!!!



It has Batman with Nth Metal Bat Knuckles, the Gentleman Ghost and his Ghost Steed.



Whatever... I bought it for the horse. That thing is awesome! Forget everything else in the set-- that horse RULES! The Gentleman Ghost isn't so bad either, but the horse-- yeah... the horse, man.



Best part of all? THEY GLOW! YEAH-YUH!!!!



This is supposed to be Batman with Nth Metal doodads.. yeah, whatever... I'm calling him Prison Beat-Down Batman and that's final.



Next up? Crappy Wolverine Origins figures. Retail $8.99 each... I paid $2.00 each!

Yay. I bought em to use as customs. I liked their pants.
We have Logan and "Deadpool."



Yay. The guys on 4chan's /toy/ who pretty much hated the character of Deadpool in the movie started calling him "Dudepeel." I agree with this practice. After having him a while I might just keep him as is because it's just a stupid looking toy.



But this is the highlight of my haul. I've been wanting this Bandai Creation (the American end of Bandai) Destroyah figure for a while now, but it's just never been worth 10 bucks to me, really. I'm cheap... sue me. He's never been one of my favorite Godzilla villains, so he wasn't a top priority. But when it's only 4 bucks? YEAH!



It's not as nice as the Japanese figure, but that figure can run you around 15-20 bucks (which it is totally worth because the paint on that beast is a beauty).



One thing it has over the Japanese version is the extra articulation. From what I have read the wings on this version have a much better range of movement, and the legs and arms are articulated as well. In total he has 9 points of articulation which is pretty darn rare with vinyl kaiju figures.



After actually getting him out of the package and goofing around with him, I can say he'd be well worth the full retail! He's a fun, creepy looking guy who'd look great in any kaiju collection! His wing-span is impressive!



On the way out I found these little dudes! Bok Choy Boys! These little suckers were 50 cents each and they are adorable! Keep an eye out for them in your area!

Cool Beans.

Just because I felt like it, here's one of my favorite scenes from Hot Rod, one of the best movies ever made:

Frank Frazetta Passes

A legend has passed on. Frank Frazetta passed away this afternoon in Fort Meyers, Florida due to a stroke.


Conan Illustration (1967)

To say that Frank Frazetta was a master of illustration is an understatement. Frazetta could take a simple story concept and make it breathtaking-- more often than not, the books he illustrated were never as satisfying as the images that graced their covers. Frazetta was a true renaissance man, combining so many well-honed talents that it's hard to keep track of the ways he expressed himself. He redefined the art of illustration and reintroduced concepts and themes of classicism to what had been deemed "commercial" or "low" art. Each assignment he turned out from his studio did more than fit the commission he was charged to fill-- it broke the mold and swept away the pieces. Frazetta inspired a generation of young artists who learned that just because a piece was commissioned by a client as a commercial product didn't mean that it had to be anything less than a true work of art.

More than just an artist, Frazetta was a loving and generous husband and father who would have done anything to keep his family safe and happy. His love affair with his life and his family is a true inspiration to young men who desire to be the best they can be for the ones they love.

In his later years, Frazetta endured a series of strokes that rendered his right hand incapable of holding a brush to paint. As always, Frazetta refused to be defeated and taught himself to paint with his left hand. Frazetta was a fighter from early on, and his failing body wasn't going to stop him from creating while he drew breath.


Self Portrait (1962)

Frank Frazetta was many different things to many different people, but he'll always be an inspiration to me to never give up on my own creativity and to love my family like there is no tomorrow.

Goodbye, Mr. Frazetta... may you enjoy the rest you have deserved after your long journey.

You left your family with so much... they will never hunger or thirst, and they will never forget what you gave them.

You left your fans with so much as well... we will always strive to make work of which you would approve.

For more on Frank Frazetta, be sure to check out Painting With Fire, one of the best documentaries about an artist I have ever seen. I highly recommend it.

Win a Bootleg Beastie!

I stumbled upon this Freak Studio contest on Reis O'Brien's Geek Orthodox blog, and decided to check it out. I'm going to enter this one!

You can win a Fuerza-T Pantano figure from the good folks at Freak Studios! Just make an original Masters of the Universe character (custom figure or drawing) and a bio and send a pic of it in! Click the pic of the Pantano figure below to go to the contest page! While you're there, look around-- it's a great blog with lots of fun stuff to see!