Please tell me you paid $3k for it believing it was an actual 2HB blank, and then had it sprayed by some random dude with an airbrush! That would be the ULTIMATE 'You are not qualified!'
I’m not the biggest wealth of knowledge on Bemon’s toys. I know more about the dude than his releases, but I’ve yet to ever see this one that just sold on YJA. If it is new, I never thought I’d see the day when the 2HBemon would come back, since it was retired by the time I’d discovered it.
Never seen it before either, that auction surprised me. But I'd heard there's been a new Kougai recently too, no idea if that's true. Is Bemon back?
There’s for sure been a new Kougai. @Michael Beverage posted his grand comeuppance of said Kougai in the Bemon show off thread. It’d be interesting if he made a return to more than just the Space and Sea Monsters, even more so as to why.
$$$ Especially after the resurgence and rise in prices. I remember when certain FP Kuogai were sub $200 even on the secondary market
@Michael Beverage This didn’t come from his personal auction page, though. He usually takes the friends route before any public sales.
I saw that 2HB and it certainly looks like a legit new colorway with the packaging. I don’t know anything about it either. It’s definitely not my favorite paint job.
It seems like an interesting time for a resurgence. On the one hand these toys have always held some level or prestige. but on the other hand both the Kuogai and the 2HB have had a resurgence in popularity due to resculpts of the characters by current day makers. so in that landscape do the old versions still hold the same appeal or price point power they once did?
I love Bemon toys, they are definitely special....but I think the prestige in part comes from the old “make em hard to get to drive up the hype” model. Anraku was prestigious until Medicom blasted preorder after preorder out. In terms of pricing, I think it’s just all over the map over time. Messiyiu single handedly drove prices of 2HBs to absurd levels; with so few made its not that hard to do for some of the uber rich collectors. Once he got out prices dropped. Zerotian is doing the same thing to Utsugiyo now. Then the herd mentality/pissing contest parade of other similar collectors follows suit. Zerotian will get bored with it in 2 years and start collecting lamborghinis or whatever It’s cool...I’ll still be here collecting these weird ass monster toys in a decade. I know @coma21 and a number of others in this thread will be too. When weird monsters infect your soul, you’re fucked for life.
Sorry dudes, if I ever have a chance to collect Lambos instead of toys, I'm collecting Lambos. Actually if I ever have the chance to sell my collection for enough to buy a single Lambo, I'm doing it and you'll never see me again.
@JoeMan We can start callin’ you Lambo Joe. Tires don’t screech when you peel out, they just go “SPLURRRRRRRT.” I think Mikee brings up some great points, of which I’ve had my own similar thought process on as well. I do think there’s a certain level of prestige from various standpoints. I do believe the hard to get, hype driven sales play a huge role in it. Afterall, I consider Bemon to be the first hype toys. But I also think it’s where the production of these toys came from, mindset wise. Honda’s a big collector himself and basically saw both the Kougai and 2HB and asked “Why aren’t these toys?” So he made ‘em. And the fact that you can only see the Kougai’s arms and head on the IKB header makes the sculpt that much more genius, as the body and back of the head(with the trio of sewer ducts) are original thought. The same was essentially done with the Space and Sea Monsters, though we obviously know the Space Monster has been it’s vintage coin bank incarnation before. All in all, if newer sculpts from American companies are going to reignite a Bemon fire, I’m all for it. Like Lee said, they’re pretty damn special. And even though I think the Galligantus is a triumphant release, it’s still bad ass to see a new 2HBemon(lackluster paints aside) and a new Kougai release. I own one Kougai, and I’ll never pay these wild prices for a 2HBemon, I hope he continues to periodically drop new runs. It’s just fun to see.
I've seen the original art, and the Kougai is actually wearing a pair of clam shell Adidas, and the hand covered by text is also holding a can of spray paint, these guys are getting it all wrong.
@JoeMan I used to skate on shell toe Adidas in grade school, so I can’t say I’m totally opposed to that. But, hey, I’m sure someone will eventually make a Kougai that was born in the Bronx with a pair of Timbs embedded somewhere in the sludge.
So what you’re telling me Joe, is that the original Kougai art was really just some Kid Robot promo shit that never saw the light of day.... Thanks for that- My world is officially fucked IKB never even existed. It’s just an elaborate ploy to get suckers like me to spend too much on low —run pachi kaiju. It’s all so clear to me now. After three beers and 4 whiskies. Fuck.
Was very excited to welcome in my first kaiju for hipsters a little while ago. My impressions got too long, so I've stuck em in a spoiler tag in case you just want the photos. Spoiler My first point of reference for this design was Ish's Galligantus, so of course I compared the two a lot in my head. It actually made me appreciate both toys more. Where Galligantus feels like a direct reflection of the Famous Monsters cover art, with thick biceps and cannonball shoulders, the Bemon toy is more abstract. It shows less and suggests the rest. I love that the legs are made up of pretty harsh lines and ridges, with the fur falling down them like wood grain or roughly-hewn rock. And the proportions and fit, the skinny right arm and the way the limbs don't fully cover the joints, make it a more difficult toy to play with and display in exchange for a heady slug of vintage jank. The whole form and fit comes together to remind me of both an ancient icon, carved in stone or wood, and a much older toy. Galligantus is put together better, giving me far less stress when I set him up on the shelf or the sidewalk. I had to be very careful to make sure the 2HB wouldn't fall on its face. The asymmetry that makes the toy look like a more 'primitive' sculpture also tells a story. It kind of makes sense that the left arm is bigger, right? The exaggerated difference between the two reminds me that it's his left wrist that's dragging that formidable ball and chain around all day. And the subtle difference in the faces ties together with that as well, with the left head grimacing a bit, looking almost disarmed, while the right has a firmer brow with an emphatic scowl. One side wields the weapon; the other looks scared, almost weak, and that translates into the proportions of chest and legs as well. Finally I absolutely dig the weapon itself. The chain is a good bit longer than Galligantus', with thick, rounded links to minimise friction and a larger, pointier ball on the end. It feels like a ferocious weapon, totally fit for its purpose. Anyway, I'm very happy. Here are the shots.
More than anything, Bemon’s 2HB has always looked to me like a sculpt used in a stop motion movie. It’s so crudely formed and textured, almost as if it was “badly” done on purpose. But there’s definitely an undeniable charm and instant recognition that comes with it.
what was the final phase 14 of the svhc 2 headed Bemon supposed to look like? there is a post here showing the Bemon phases but some of the pics are no longer showing, particularly phase 13 and 14. Or should i be calling them releases? I know phase/release 13 is the GID hand rubbed beauty, I read somewhere that was the last official release.
This is actually a self portrait of me that he did. He and I spoke and this is actually me right before summer, headed to the beach. This is the first day of me doing my full body shave before I hit the swells. As you can see, I still have my lower half to go and I clearly missed some spots on my back. It's usually a two to three day ordeal, but when I'm done... Ladies
