I bet it's totally different in hand.
Looks awesome.

Anybody else score the atelier g-1 version? I am so excided

So, who's pre-ordering one of the Astromonster versions, and which are you going with, Fire or Storm?

I went for FIRE! Alex nailed it on the colors!

The STORM is done on "monster green" base vinyl which itself is drool worthy!

I think its really great that Alex is selling it straight up on his blog. Makes it so much more accessible. Love it!

Agreed, agreed and agreed.

I am really torn between the two, but leaning toward Storm...

I'm not, but if I were I'd probably go with Storm. Looks great!

I went with the Fire style as well, but you really can't go wrong with either of these colors. Fire won me over because of its similarity to Pigmon colors.

It has been a lot of fun watching this one get developed from a drawing into a vinyl figure. I can't wait to see it in person!

this is a hot mess. perfect example why east should not meet west. ug

...more like kaiju for throw ups

^Nah, you're being silly. Nothing to do with East West.

If you'd grown up watching Ultraman and all these Tokusatsu stuff for the last 20 to 40 years, it'd be in your DNA.

This is KAIJU! And a damn bloody good one too!

Btw, I've just found out from Alex that both versions were done on the same grey vinyl. "Monster green" refers to the base coat for Storm version.

Well, t, if the sculpt or paint or both are not to your liking, so be it- I’m fine with that- we don’t need another example here of the pointlessness of debating individual taste. However, casting it as an East-meets-West thing makes me feel the need to make a couple of points:

Garamon is a robot (and not a particularly well-made one- maybe even a “junk” one- given his easy, hilarious defeat). You may know this already… but I’d say it’s just an important bit of character info for this sculpt to make a little more “sense”. This is like a skinned Garamon that’s been a bit more weaponized.

Alex Wald did this (consciously humorous) take on Gary as a painting for the Kaiju Comrades art show a couple years back. He had no intention or concept of shopping it around as a toy design; it was Atelier G-1 owner/sculptor Shigeki Okuda who enthusiastically contacted him, out of the blue, to talk about turning it into a toy. Okuda is a sculpting genius (that much is non-debatable) and, I can tell you from interviewing him, someone with a deep respect for what he does- carrying forth the culture and tradition behind these monsters. If you want to call it a misstep on Okuda’s part, again, so be it; I just think it says something that East reached out to West on this one, especially given the individual who did the reaching.

I often feel this way about a great many of the "Japanese" vinyl toys coming out these days, but not in this case. Alex knows kaiju...just look at his body of work. It speaks for itself. VOLUMES.

The simplest test for me is this: if Saburo Ishizuki, himself, had produced this toy (exactly as Alex and Atelier have) in diecast for Ark back in the day, it would stand as one of the finer examples of the line. Without question.

I went with Storm. Those eyes are gorgeous.

Me too, at last.
Can't wait to get him!

Agreed on your other points, too.

I am not going to debate anything here. I just want to say I for one really love this guy. Alex did an amazing design on the character and Okuda-san's sculpt brings him to life specatacularly. Did anyone get their hands on the earlier release version? I couldn't get in on the pre-order and am waiting to see if it pops on the Project 1/6 site as advertised.

I'm not sure if I like this guy...it's kinda weird. It's so hard to tell from pictures online, I think I'll hate something then seeing it in person I become a fan.

Celga is still waiting for it to arrive in there warehouse^^

Saw this in person at SDCC. It's amazing and awesome in person. Better than the pictures. Alex has a few left to pre-order. Get on it..!!

http://astromonster.blogspot.com/


Alex Wald GARAKUTAGIGAS SDCC 2011 by toybot studios, on Flickr


Alex Wald GARAKUTAGIGAS SDCC 2011 by toybot studios, on Flickr


Alex Wald GARAKUTAGIGAS SDCC 2011 by toybot studios, on Flickr

more pics here: http://www.toybotstudios.com/2011/07/al ... storm.html

Interesting, is that just an illusion, or is there a size difference between the two shown in that SDCC pic? I would imagine not, as it doesn't seem you would make two molds so close to one another [in size], but then again...

dude..... he's holding one further in front. it's the perspective. look at his hands. do you think one is larger than the other?

PROOF

Glad I can mange to give everyone a nice laugh

On an unrelated note, I would really like to get one of the initial paints by Okuda-san or the Medicom releases.

Wait...so is one of his arms longer than the other?

is this a "bawlmer" monster? I'm immediately drawn to the eyes and what look like glasses (but most likely aren't)

Pics I snapped at Wonder Festivall:





And another of the upcoming Medicom release: