the secret is revealed:

check out these beauties! copper and brass ...I cant wait to paint!

I like these as much as the actual figure! Once I paint the cats im going to build a special disp;lay case with the masks and the painted figure.

I think the black cat was meant to come to me. Send it to it's rightful owner at your leisure

wow.. seeing those is amazing. now i know too much info

are you going to change the characters on the sign?

Thanks for showing these Frank. I've always wondered what the masks look like. Also curious to know how they're made, especially in the case of fine lines.
Are they laser-cut or something like that for precision?

looks like these are the same molds they use to cast the figures, just in pieces

Hey Frank,

When can we start a list for these guys?

the sign is my own it says 'MAIDO'. they custom made it for me.

that black cat is 1/1 as its a smaple they painted with these molds as a test. Its the only black cat with that saying on the sign.

What does the saying 'maido' mean? Does it have a meaning other than every time?

I still need a black cyclops cat...

I think the term is usually in the context of the expression "maido ari," or 'thank you every time.' It seems to be a shopkeeper's term, e.g., "thank you, come again."

I could be wrong. It's been a while.

so psyched on this.

I thought it was "Welcome Back"..... I am waiting for a translation from my wife.... don't know when that will be, she is in meetings all day.

Are the whiskers sprayed on or brushed on?

I was wondering the same thing!

Looks like there is a mask for everything.

whiskers sprayed.

'Maido' has like..sleazy connotations. If used right its super funny.

Wow, those are totally cool.

So cool to see these...I wonder if these are typical for masked stuff like SB GARG ect....on most RxH I dont think any masks are used...thanks for posting em Frank!

If I remember right the masks are taken from the mold and hand cut and assembled. Brass, copper and solder. Gargamel has a load of masks, they are cwazy to see in person, so cool. Frank, did you pay for those out of your pocket? Not cheap! But sweet!!!!!!!

Invaluable insight into the behind-the-scenes aspects of toy creation.

Thanks for posting this, Frank.

Very interesting. I've always wondered about the painting / spraying process of toys.

Do you have pictures of the unpainted clear purple cats that you can share?

Hmmmmm... Seriously considering picking up my first Maneki Neko.