i havent seen the book yet, so i have no clue about that aspect.

but in general, making a book of "urban vinyl" seems almost pointless. all of the information in a book can be easily obtained from internet searches or message boards. i think the perfect match to it is what S7 does, by providing a checklist of figures in a line, etc. but i would much rather spent 6 or 7 bucks on a magazine than dropping a large amount on a hardbound book.

making a book of urban vinyl toys is like making a book of the best and current laptops on the market today. by the time the book is released, the product will be outdated and obsolete

Surely thats saying older figures become obsolete and worthless when the next lot are released?

strictly speaking of urban(western) vinyl stuff here.
and yes, in some ways they do. collectors of western vinyl tend to have short attention spans. older figures lose value and are often hard to sell, because the collectors are trying to keep pace with purchasing the flood of new stuff hitting the market. if you want to sell a piece, you better sell it in the first 24 hours, otherwise that damn thing is like a car you buy from a dealer. as soon as you drive it off the lot, it just started depreciating

I see your point, but disagree. It depends on what the book is. If like dot dot dash and I am plastic it's a picture book, then yes, it'll out of touch very quickly by the fact that all it is is essentially a hardback catalogue. And as you say new stuff hits the shelves every day. However, if it's actually a book - with words (a crazy idea if ever there was one) and analysis then there's no reason for it to date as quickly. It can stand on it's own.

And being a sod, why would anyone want a book about laptops?
ha ha.

I love books. they are for smart people (usually). they are eternal.

but I don't think I'd like this one.

I am still referring to the old Medicom book that was released 2-3 years ago. It is still a great reference book especially for the ones that are so rare you cannot even find on ebay. Anxiously waiting for a harcore bible of Neo Kaiju and Old Kaiju toys.

i think the problem would be the reason behind why a book is made
to document a current point (and history of) a movement
with some pretty pictures and interesting stories/text

or just to hype your own brand and store stock

An updated Geton Street Bible should be done up with all the new SxB, RealxHead, Gargamel, Blobpus, Rumble Monsters, Cure, Cronic, and Skull Head Butt!.... Oh yeah, and in English!

This is what bugs me about Juztapoz's coverage of toys - by the time the magazine is out the figures featured in the mag are at least a month old and sold out. They're suppose to be the front-runner as far as covering the "urban" art scene...you'd think they could get info prior to it being made available to the public!

Oh I don't know... lately, it seems like Juxtapoz has been printing toy news before anyone else has seen them. At least regarding S7 stuff...

Yeah, the last few issues seem to have gotten better - at least the Skulletor set was published before they went on sale! I guess I also haven't paid particular attention to their toy section for the last 6-12 months as I'm no longer into the toys they cover for the most part. But I remember a while back they'd feature "new" KAWS toys that had sold out months before the magazine was issued.

My concern is that S7 and its fans should not become the equivalent in the toy world of of the conservative right in the political world, deprecating anybody and anybody who does not fit their perfect mold.

I hate to say it, but I have seen this kind of "discrimination" many times on this board, even by the moderators.

The fear of the "different" or unknown seems very strong here.

Not healthy for a dynamic, enduring community.

Nothing wrong with being militant

I don't think "fear of the unknown" has anything to do with it. It's all subjective; you see something and you either like it, or you don't. I don't see too many people here forming opinions *before* something is released, only after they've seen a pic. Hardly "unknown".

Edit: As for people's opinion of the book, it's not the "unknown" people are concerned with, it's errors.

or passionate...

yeah, cause Justin from S7 writes their toy stuff!

OH, is that why? Ahhhh...

Whatever books are needed or desired, I don't think vinylphobia is going to serve anybody well.

It is "interesting" to see the different "camps" with competive or otherwise supposedly different interests at stake criticise, belittle, or make fun of each other.

But again, we are just talking about bits of plastic formed into different shapes.

Personally i thought Vinyl Will Kill was excellent and really helped get me up to speed w/the western stuf a few years back..Have always followed anime and other asstd JP stuff but western was a new beast that jackie got me into and it all cascaded from there..

"vinylphobia"?

Gently place the Jim Beam donut down, and slowwwwwly back away.....

I'd love to see an English version of a mook that would contain information about the current Neo Kaiju and Fight Figure studios in Japan... Maybe show the process of taking a figure from design concepts to final production.

i am more concerned about people who use logical fallacies intentionally to try and start shit on message boards. What is this one geo? Some sort of hybrid: a false analogy with a pinch of poising the well. Is this how you start discussion with your friends or do you reserve this garbage for us?

Exactly! Not that I've seen the book - but if it's true that there are errors in it then THAT'S cause enough to be concerned. And I'm sure Ramos wouldn't lie about errors in the book.

Regardless, Western vinyl is stoopid, I hate it and it's so horrible that anyone who likes it must be an idiot without a raging clue! I just don't GET it...it scares me...

I love my Vinyl Will Kill book, it was such a great read when it came out!

I think that is just an ugly version of saying that different forums have their own opinions and tastes. They also like to defend their beliefs. So whichever side you are on, you are right.