Hello! Thank you for all of the nice comments! I'm sure if Martin read them, he'd be really happy! His paintings are beautiful and mesmerizing at the same time (something about those big eyes staring back atcha! ). I was thrilled that the original painting of Kaiju Zoo was still available when I made my inquiry. I had hoped to have gotten a second painting "Toytown Industrial Estate", but the original was sold a long time ago . Both paintings hung side by side seem to match and flow very nicely together. Here is a photoshopped version of Kaiju Zoo (left) and Toytown (right)--click on the photo for a large size view of both paintings... I believe Martin might still have prints of Kaiju Zoo, you can definitely try to contact him if you are interested, and see more of his works here: http://www.martinharrisart.com/ He's due for a new art show on Feb. 16 - World of Wonder. I'm definitely going to be checking in through the web, to see what new goodies he's painted! Henry is doing much better after his surgery! Thank you Deevis for asking! Stitches come off Nov. 30, and so does the cone of shame--be both HATE the cone of shame! Sorry for the vintage derail, and now back to your regularly scheduled Kaiju!
Nakajima Umi no toriton I know it's nothing extraordinary but after having lost a couple of auctions, I'm very happy to have been able to score one. Too bad it does not have the cloak , but overall I think it is in very good condition; I had some concern because the seller only put two photos and could not see many details of the figure. Now I need some villains so that they can fight
Oh wow, a fantastic acquisition! Really, congratulations. a very fine addition to any vintage collection, and I wouldn't worry too much about the cape either. It is definitely nice to have the accessories with these vintage figures, when possible, and it is a nice bonus to have a 'complete' toy (though I am not a stickler for such things), but when it comes to the rarer and high end stuff, there are definitely more allowances to be made. A great buy, and he looks to be in fantastic shape. Thankfully the Medicom repros are out there too, for non-purists, so most people can at least get a taste of this cool line.
Thank you Ultrakaiju I think you are rigth the Medicom repros can be a good option to enjoy this beautiful figures series; especially for the villains since they are the hardest to find and even more for a decent price. Like half a year ago I saw a complete Triton in excellent condition, looked like it had just taken out of the bag; It looked so good that I doubted it was vintage and let it go, it's one of those things occasionally I still regret.
Cool find Rei. That is a subtle variation I don't think I have paid attention to before. To me, the black/green eyes looks more 'normal' to the gold, so I am not sure which is the one I have seen more of. But either way, great to see you picked up on this, and it is such a cool toy.
yeah, i never really paid attention to the variants sans the orange/yellow tigermask. i wonder if the carded set all had slight differences than the single bagged figures. (was there even a carded set or am i making this up?) either way, cool indeed!
Thanks guys. There was, indeed, a carded set. Now I'm wondering if there might be more variants! Eyes are one of the most important features of a toy for me, so I hope to find more
I was lucky to pick up a few things recently. As I go through the lot and clean them up, I will share a few pics. Here's one to start things off. I love the Gomora influence (and the Jirass on the box - need to hunt that one down) and the colors. I always assumed all of these windups were small, but this was a decent size. Not sure who makes this though.
Thanks, guys. Here's another one in the new-kaiju-a-day series. Just trying to keep things moving here. Some of my recent items are relatively common, but I always felt that I personally always just see these items without the proper appreciation. You know what they look like, so you glance over them quickly without ever giving them their due, often missing the fine points of the sculpt. Holding one in your hands is always enlightening, and so is seeing these from various angles. So I will continue to share these new items, even if not rare. Sorry for those bored by this exercise. Marusan Kangeon. This was relatively affordable since it looked pretty dirty, it hand paint wear, minor ink on the foot, and the head was all atilt. But I figured that it would fix up OK, so I took a shot. Here is the BEFORE shot: And while I was cleaning it, I had it in some pretty funny positions. This one looked like a typical action figure pose. You rarely see this for kaiju, let alone even consider these traditional-pose figures in this fashion. I thought it was worth a photo: Here is the cleaned up and heated version. What I thought was dirt was mostly just a splattered paint app (e.g., around the mouth, left leg). Not the best representation of the toy, but good enough for me.
Very very nice! Beautiful Kanegon and that windup Jirass is really cute. Is the Jirass made by Yonezawa? Stellar adoptions, congratulations!
Oh no, I definitely appreciate it as well, so thanks for keeping up the sharing. Yeah, maybe a lot of these 'more common' figures get dismissed too easily or are taken for granted, but considering that there are still [and I find this most unbelievable of ALL] collectors on this forum who don't have any vintage kaiju, I think having such great toys, especially when they are around and affordable, and that, as you said, the characters are such classics - well then, it is tantamount to sacrilige to not get at least once for yourself. Anyways, getting back to the ol' coin muncher - a toy I can personally appreciate. I have picked up so many of my own collection in just this way, snagging bargain 'junk' and well-loved toys, to give them a new home and brand new appreciation. And, oftentimes, you can rejuvenate them with a bit of time and care, just as you have done. I feel like they deserve love, and in spending a little time and effort in fixing them up, you are honouring them a bit to show that. It is not just the perfect and mint toys that should get attention (juist like people). Flaws give character, and the life of a vintage toy and its history makes each one unique in its own way - which is something you would never get with a mint toy. Well, anyhow, great work on the Kanegon, and really nice score. And early Marusan too, that is just a bonus. Great stuff.
I almost went for the kanegon, but hesitated due to condition. Looks like your gamble paid off, I would be happy to have that specimen on my shelf.
Ah, the U-Turn Kaiju. Really nice example- and you got the box! I'm not sure who made these- there is a circle logo with a T on the box (which I don't recognize offhand). I think both characters were produced, and I may have a photo of the 'Jirass' figure.
Thanks for the kind words, all. This is why I love this board so much - the support and enthusiasm for the hobby. Yeah, uk, I love played-with toys, and I don't mind marker too much either. And I tend to gravitate to Marusans over Bullmarks if I can, if all things are equal. Probably because I just appreciate that they are older and the predecessors. No, the windup is not Yonezawa. Someone had said it was a Patchi, but as akum6n noted, it does have a manufacturer's symbol, just not one I recognize. I'd love to see a pic of the Jiras one. Someone showed me an Earthtron one too - I'll download it and get up the photo soon. I picked up an Eleking too. I never realized that it was created from an electric eel type creature. I guess that is why they tried to give it a pretty long tale. And I never really noticed the holes in the hands before. Looking at available videos, it seems that they were used to emit smoke.
One of my own new 'loved' toy additions, a Bullmark Agira. Combining all things Ultraman, which I love, with dinosaurs, a second passion, make it a toy = bonus, and then vintage on top of that, well, this figure just amounts to a whole lot of greatness. This [not-so] little guy has seen a lot of action - in fact, I think he might have been 'unearthed' from some childhood adventures, but with some careful paleontological excavation to free him from his fossilized remnants (and good bath) he is al set for some new adventures.