Yay!



First, I did assume Andy meant KR and Western vinyl when he talked about "the latest hot ticket". But I'm mostly reacting from an academic perspective on the romanticizing of Japan and going beyond the topic of this particular toy. I just love a good debate! I'm sorry if it was perceived as aggressive. Not my intention at all.

I believe very few stores can forget the 80/20 rule. Some stores will have 80% Star Wars and 20% Designer, some will have 80% Designer and 20% Kaiju, some 80% Kaiju and 20% vintage... All a question of degree. I believe the designer toy scene (in which I will include kaiju and neo-kaiju for the sake of this discussion) needs KR and the like. I know for one my store could never have survived on Eastern vinyl alone. I'd be very curious to know if Lulubell or Rotofugi could. Or if Grumble could survive if it was brick and mortar and not online. Or if Super7 would have gotten where they are now if they hadn't sold Western vinyl at their beginnings (but I'm going out on a limb here - I vaguely remember reading that's how they started... did they?). The fact of the matter is most stores will need to sell KR (and I mean the platforms whose name is here banned) to stay open and to offer kaiju to those who are looking for it.

Now, I was reacting to the ethos of Japanese stores. I think the idea of the specialized, dedicated store in Japan is sort of a myth. Go around, and you'll see that maybe not all, but the vast majority of them sell some Bearbricks, some Gundam, some Blythe, some Rody and some kaiju. Their selection is much broader than Western stores, who would probably be totally dissed in the community if they were as unfocused. One-Up, Fewmany and Spanky are cases in point (Never been to Cure or Astrozombies, but from pictures it looks like they sell quite a lot of stuff as well. And it's true elsewhere in Asia. Paradise Toy Land, while putting out their own versions of great neo-kaijus, is filled with anime toys. Calvin was telling me you can't find a kaiju store in Hongkong anymore...) Is their KR and Western vinyl selection small because they don't like the pieces or because the quality is bad? No, it's because the only people that buy them are Westerners, and those are in short supply in Japan (and I'm not making assumptions, this comes from discussions with the owners).

BxH stays open because of their clothes, not their toys (and, on a smaller scale, what you accuse KR of applies perfectly to them, Muton - I've even seen their shirts worn by characters in mainstream comics!). Toys are bonuses. Secret Base almost never have any toys for sale at the store. Again, I may be totally wrong since I've never actually been there, but isn't Thrashout barely ever open, and isn't its space mostly used by the Gargamel offices?

Since we don't know the size of the Secret Base runs, it's hard to discuss them. But quite a few of One-Up's toys, one of the few Japanese manufacturers that does publicize them, don't sell out too quickly, and the runs are small (50-100). If they did sell out, would they increase the numbers? Make a thousand to cash in? I'll start to sound like Kozik, but wouldn't they do it to pay for the other small runs that no one buys but that are indeed a labour of love? What's the story behind the Super7 Star Wars toy? I understand Brian and others are huge SW fans, and I'm sure the quality is going to be super high and all, but will you blame me for saying some will see the whole thing as a way to cash in? Hey, if it allows to produce more Visighosts, I'm all for it!

All this to say I don't believe ethos has too much to do with the toy selection you find in Japanese stores. There's a lot of love, but there's also a lot of business baby.

(phew. past my bedtime, can't proofread myself, but hopefully I made some sense)

I like him too, Im a sucker for bird flippin skeletons I guess...

If only they were "monstrosities"...then maybe I'd give a fuck about their products...

I like this figure, probably would have preferred to see it with the hand behind the back or in a fist than the middle finger but still want it. Painted up like the drawing it will look great, and the quality on the vinyl will set it apart from looking like anything KR offers.

If ever we meet Roger . . . remind me I owe you a punch in the mouth!

Is this before or after you sock me in the nuts?
I don't think Roger will appreciate the latter.

At this rate there's gonna be a long line so its first come first served!

That fig i'd buy in a heartbeat. The one being made is a more 50/50 for me.

Reminder to self: wear cup and mouthguard to the next Skullbrain gathering.

I'm surprise you'd say that, but in my case I admit it's true.
I can see that's he's talented but I find is work too coded and suffisant.

Meh, I keep thinking popsoda guy... only less interesting.

The clear does make it look better... possibly because it's harder to see

I wish the denim jacket was actually denim and not vinyl so you could put your own back patch on it.

Let's stay up late and make clothes for our kaiju.

While you're at it make a cut-off Thrash Metal T and snap back hat for NagNagNag.

Why bother doing them. Stuff is already up for grab !
http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp ... 54197&sr=1

I've already made similar suggestions to Shigeru-san.

^ getting from bad to worst then

Maybe he could wear a toque and carry a baguette, eh?

Epic fail!

Draw me that or I'm suing you

Is that how it works in Canada?

NagNagNag would look good in a Canadiens jersey, too...

Like everybody else !

jerseydatabase.com

I mean I don't see how anything Mike Giant does as a direct crossover to your regular butanohana or secret base collector. Other than some are into "outsider" art.

Also, Josh and I talked about this yesterday, sometimes there is the feeling of a sense of entitlement to vinyl toys here. I say that in the sense of vinyl as a medium. That doesn't mean you can't think this sucks but I think everybody(myself included) gets caught up in what we think a vinyls toy aesthetic needs to be for it to be "cool". I know plenty of people who freaked out when I showed this to them. Not every vinyl toy that is made in japan is directed, nor needs to be, directed at a kaiju collector. The Gorilla biscuits toy is a good example. (Not everyone in toypunks even made toys. I think one of my favorite parts of the film was the Ken Kakinuma part.)

Just a thought.

PS- love that clear version.

I like this thing, price will dictate me buying it or not but I do like it.