It took me 7 years to get the Haiji doll that I always wanted, Kongrats on your addition Robert. Haiji is a ghost. I think 1st release was 2007 maybe? Hmm... let me try to ask for actual release date. To my knowledge 4 exist, clear milk x2 version, a vintage blue and my favorite on peach or flesh vinyl. There very well may be other versions.
I received my Jap Bug and Psycho Tank recently.. These little guys are pure joy! I cannot explain how happy they make me, they are just so wonderfully bizarre and cute all at the same time. I love the scale of them as well, they each fit perfectly in the palm of my hand.. Satisfying size! Pleasing shape! View this post on Instagram Spoiler View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram
I’m not a huge fan of a lot of the target earth stuff, but I like the wackiness of these. Nice get, Bo
@gazpacho I'm curious, if I may, as to your distaste for Target Earth. Nothing at all against you, Sato - San's always had a rather divided opinion on his toys, and I like hearing people's opinions! @Beantime Those are great, dude. I'm glad you were able to come into the pre - order when they originally dropped!
The next time a Gamerudon pops up im going to nab one. That particular sculpt is pretty damned awesome. Reminds me of some of the dinosaurs i used to see in toy stores. Great score on that toy though. Really loving the colors!
I really like target earth. The faceless bull was the first piece that intrigued me and the two above are gems! They always pull a rabbit out of their hats and I like that. Overall I love TE as a company!
@Headhunter They’re derivative from the Gamegon by Hukkokudo, which is the same dude(Sato - San) from Target Earth. This is my first, but definitely won’t be my last. Fantastic color choices that shine greatly off of a black vinyl base. I couldn’t recommend this toy any harder. @quentor I first got into Target Earth in my early, early sofubi/kaiju collecting. Gargamel was one of the first handful of companies I’d seen, and Deathra struck me right away. In a Google search, related images had a photo of the Bagun in results. I instantly felt more connected to it, how beefy it looked, the smoothness of the sculpt, yet detailed in muscular structure. The expression gave off more and the stance was more monster - esque to me. Once I saw that, I got the company name and went on a search frenzy.
Indeed. (I also just like the name!) You know for how popular HXS gorillas are I really like Target Earth's Machine Gorilla. The moonman was right up my alley too. I have read all the complaints about their homages and I just don't really care. I like them as a company and they do it for the love. I believe that. It's weird though. I don't want a Crapping Golem, but I'd love a Parabola Ace. It hit or miss, but my overall love for the brand remains.
@xSuicide Squadx I think the thing I dislike most about target earth is their toys That being said, next time I’m hunting a dinosaur that resembles Gene Simmons, I’ll know where to look
@gazpacho That was a great response! Fair enough! I can definitely see the lack of appeal for many. My infatuation derives from the simplicity in both his sculpts and paints. Definitely not for everyone, especially on the “coattails” front. @quentor Funnily enough, I’m not the biggest fan of the Dump Golem, either. It just doesn’t really mesh well or fit in nicely with the rest of the Golems, which I find to be spectacular. Sato - San’s renditions tend to ring nicer to my eyes. For examlpe, both the Space Marilla and Parabola Ace are considerably thinner versions to their predecessors by Bemon and Hirota, which I find much more pleasing. Bemon and Hirota’s originals are just too chubby and bulky to me. TE’s versions, however, feel more proportionate. The same goes for the Robot Kong, though I will admit that Hirota’s original has slightly cooler details.
Just to clarify- the Hukkokudo toy is itself a reproduction of a vintage figure by Yonezawa. Gamerudon appears to be a mash-up of two vintage Yonezawa unlicensed characters: Gamegon and Saidon. Here's a photo from Joe from back in the day (Gamegon on left, Saidon on right):
@akum6n Ah, yes! I knew Hukkokudo revived them from a preexisting toy line, but I wasn’t at all fully aware of which. Thank you, Daniel! Man, look at those original paint apps! Easily would still hold up on just about any modern toy today!!!
Nice! Kaiju school rules. @xSuicide Squadx I absolutely agree. I'm not going to say HxS isn't cool for a reason, but TE got a lot of shit for even making parabola...and I like it better!
@quentor I can totally see where the contention comes from with a lot of TE’s sculpts. Realistically, he doesn’t make these toys until someone else does, but I think it’s in jest, his own flavor and style. And I personally find them to be better, sans the Kougai. Bemon reigns supreme on that one.
Mr. Sato mentioned the policy of his works in the blog. His works are not "Toy Figures" but “Retro Type Dolls”. They are like cheap toy dolls sold in 1950s and 1960s. Everything else is just speculation. As for Smogon 2-Go, I like the TE version best because it is subtle and weird and... Cute. Just like the IKB creatures which form it's lineage. On that point it feels more authentic for a creature that never even existed. Dump Golem was very personal, I will leave it at that. I appreciate the efforts to continue a conversation and thank each of you for that. Gene Simmons? Never heard of him.
@kichigai Thank you, John, once more, for your personal insight, to which majority of us do not have with TE! I'll have to dive into the blog in detail when I have time. Going off of the retro doll aspect, I can totally see that being a sub genre of toys on its own! I do love Sato's Smogon - 2, but weird and cute is very apt, as where Honda's Kougai rings evil. And evil > cute is always for me! But I LOVE that Smogon - 2 has arms with "pincher" hands and legs. There's more of a destructive threat to me there. Dump Golem isn't by any stretch bad, but it simply doesn't ring any bells for me. Then again, I have yet to see one in hand, so my opinion, as always, can be swayed! There's so many more TE toys I'm hunting down!!!
I also was confused a long long time ago on what vintage company originally made the Hukkokudo reissues, Daniel @akum6n set me straight. He sent me this PM (which I recently found): DAIKYO - Jiatorima/Diatryma, Kerato/Ceratosaurus, Zagora, Mighty IKB - Hedorans Nos. 1-3, Smogon No. 1 MIURA TOY - Beralgon/Tsuwa Kaiju,Tetran/Daiya Kaiju,Shamonger, Stegolar YONEZAWA - Uchuugenjin, Saidon, Gamegon, Dabura
Caught myself a mini Zagora - @kichigai is this sculpt really from 1967 or is that just a Target Earth gag on the header/foot? Do you know if this came before or after the vintage Daikyo standard size Zagora? View this post on Instagram
Glenn, even tho your use of the word "gag" is off base, I will answer this and hope once more to make the points that are needed. TE is not a gag, novelty, bootleg or knockoff company, rather they make toys that emulate toys and life itself during the Showa era. That is when Mr. Sato was a kid. I hope some of you reading this get it. The Baby Zagoran is a rare treat, although it has been trash talked as a sculpt, I love it because it lacks pretentious attribution. The date and info on the foot credit the original owner of the creation, it is not the only time credit was given and imprinted on the works of TE. It never got released but Mr. Sato also made his own original full size aka standard scale take on Zagoran/Zagora that looks great. I will post a photo of that and all the other unreleased TE sculpts soon. I wish I could offer Mr. Sato even a single day of the joy he has brought me. Hope that helps on the perspective.
Thanks @kichigai - this little guy is fantastic and has immediately become one of my fav versions of this character. Would love to see the TE version of an adult sized Zag!