Catching up - MECHAVIRUS PICS!

Finally!  Here are pics from the recent Mechavirus Exhibition here at RAMPAGE STUDIOS in Tokyo!  Todd did a SICK job on all of the work for this show, and it was seriously an honor to have it all in the gallery space.  Most of the items have since sold, but a few are still available either in-store (Tokyo address to the right --> )or in the RAMPAGE on-line shop:

http://rampagetoysandart.bigcartel.com

Here's pics from the show!









RAMPAGE AMMONAITO gouache customs.


OG RAMPAGE Gouache on paper.  The UU is in peril!




RAMPAGE AMMONAITO MICRO RUN!










Up next - A TON of online drops, followed by SUPERFESTIVAL 62 - which I am VERY excited about! Lots of collabs in the works - and I will be hosting some of the best Keshi around thanks to the likes of TRU:TEK, Eric Nilla and Nama Niku!

This Friday is the release of a fun Blind Bag collab with Japanese sofubi maker Uky Daydreamer.  These will be in the online shop on Friday at 11AM Japan time. Pics soon!

RAMPAGE STUDIOS update

Hey Folks!

It's been a wild and crazy couple of weeks - leading up to THIS FRIDAY'S opening here at RAMPAGE STUDIOS!

It's about time I get all of the info straight for this thing.  Here is it:

WHERE:  RAMPAGE STUDIOS (171-0032, 3-14-9 Zoshigaya, Toshima-ku Tokyo-to, JAPAN)

WHEN:  Opening Party is on January 25th (Friday) starting from 7PM.  Store hours (pending travel, show attendance, or other such things) following the opening will be: Mon. closed, Tues. 14:00-19:00, Wed. 12:00-17:00, Thurs. 14:00-19:00, Fri. closed, Sat./Sun. ONLY open for exhibitions or events: 11:00-16:00.  I can also open up at other times if you make an appointment, which can be done via email:  rampage.toys@yahoo.com

WHAT:  Opening Partay and show to feature the following most excellent awesomeness:



More specifically, the contributors for this show have sent over a TON of  great stuff including, but certainly not limited to, the follwing:

-TRU:TEK and the Disarticulators Debut of Kesh-e-Face, The Tiny Terrors from the deep and Higekami (Master of Beard Fu). 
-TR:TEK has provided the DEBUT release of his H.U.S.T.L.E. artist series! 



-Nama Niku reveals his NNWA figure - Awesome!
-Hellopike sent over a ton of his Nikuthulu MUSCLE mash-up - in lots of different colors
-Eric Nilla has gone all out with loads of MUSCLES of the Universe figures, and his original Sitting Adam and SD Rick figures.
-Peter Kato provided a nice pile of resin that has been given some signature RAMPAGE TOYS paint applications ;-)
-Art Junkie delivered a box full of his handpainted "Shitman' resin figures, as well has some 'DX' shitman resins and an exclusive T-shirt release
-The RAMPAGE STUDIOS Gachapon Machine will be up and running - stocked with rubber figures from RAMPAGE TOYS and Nama Nikku.



AND THEN - VINYL:  On top of the great stuff that will be on display (and for sale) for the opening show, there will also be a whole bundle of exclusive sofubi releasing.  The shop (and on-line store) will feature rotating exclusives and RAMPAGE handpainted sofubi from some of the best folks out there!  Stock at the opening (or in the weeks/months to follow) will feature the following makers:

-Kikkake
-Splurrt
-Refreshment
-Pop Soda
-Velocitron
-Angel Abby (RAMPAGE STUDIOS is to become one of Angel Abby's Tokyo Distribution Stores!)
-Plaseebo
-Uamou
-Blobpus
-Frenzy
-Monster Worship
-Hints and Spices

The list is growing, but for now the above listed makers have either already mailed me stuff, or their stuff will be in the shop at the time of the opening on the 25th. 

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST: New Dinosaurs and New Ugly Unicorns are on the way!  Things have been a bit nutty, so releases have been slow in the new year - but the regular release schedule will pick up again soon!  Lots of great collaborations are on their way as well, so get psyched!  Also, sculpts are started for some new sofubi!  YAY!

More soon - including the (eventual) birth of www.rampagetoys.com and such :-P

A Trip to Gotto-san’s

Over the two or so weeks that I spent in and around Tokyo, for the duration of my exhibition at Studio Uamou, I was fortunate to meet a lot of really great people! Some of them were new faces, and many were people who I’ve come to enjoy the company of every time I head down there. Ayako Takagi (Ms. Uamou herself) invited loads of toy people (fans, artists, the whole gang) to come say hi at the show, and she also organized for me to meet Mori-san (head of Real Head), and for Mori to take me to see one of the Sofubi World’s legends – paint master Gotto-san!



On April 4th, I jumped on my bike and headed across Tokyo to meet Mori at Nippori station. We got on a train, and were soon in the Northeastern ‘suburbs’ of Tokyo; continuing on foot towards Gotto-san’s studio. Mori tends to refer to Gotto-san’s studio as his ‘paint factory,’ but upon first site I doubt many people would think of the word ‘factory.’ It’s more of a hut really – marginally held together, and probably a bit sketchy to be inside of during an earthquake. The studio is attached to Gotto-sans home by a portal of sorts – which Mori mentioned had been constructed by Gotto-san out of ‘whatever he could find around.’ Anyway, I’m not sure how long Gotto-san has had the same workspace, but he has been painting Sofubi for over 60 years. 60 years. That means that Gotto-san might have been responsible for some of the pricey vintage toys over which so many of us salivate (and so few of us consider within our budget).

Upon opening the door to the studio, one enters a small Genkan (traditional Japanese style entry way where all are expected to remove their shoes), a the eyes are drawn to couple really big fish tanks, lots of boxes and, of course, toys. But before I even noticed those things with my eyes, my nose was very aware of the strong scent of Vcolor – the magical liquid of wonder (i.e. paint) that adheres to Sofubi with a vengeance and holds on despite your best attempts to scratch it off! Shoes removed and moving into the space, you start to feel like you’re in some sort of café. There’s a bar, behind which Gotto-san sits and paints, and in front of which is a small ‘table for two’ where Mori is often sitting - putting in requests for colors and technique that Gotto should use while painting. Mori is often at Gotto-san’s place, working on Real Head’s next releases while surrounded by boxes of awesome awesome toys. As a toy maker, collector and all-around enthusiast, I was unable to stop smiling as I sat surrounded by all that great stuff. And the paints! I have a fair number of paints in my own studio, but Gotto-san has me beat one hundred times over. Amazing.



Of course the biggest highlight of my visit to Gotto-san’s was having him (along with, in part, Mori and myself) paint a few of my own Sofubi. While I ate lunch, Mori took the lead and directed Gotto-san as he painted one Manotaur and one Ugly Unicorn. Once I finished my sandwich, it was my turn to (try to) tell Gotto-san how to paint two more figures. No need to go into much detail about that process because I’ve made a video that covers it (albeit a bit crudely), and it’s likely that you just came here to link to the video anyway, so here it is - Hope you enjoy taking this virtual trip to Gotto-san’s paint studio!

Ah, yes - the toys Gotto-san painted. Here are some pics! I did the eyes (upon request from Mori that I have a hand in the process) on all but the gold Manotaur (the eyes of which were hand painted by Mori). The Unicorns' eyes were done entirely by hand, whereas the 'Galactic Disco Manotaur's' eyes I did with my brush once I got him home. Enjoy!

MARCH MEGA UPDATE #2

STUDIO UAMOU!!!

SO, next week will be the opening of my first solo show (or, as the Japanese word translates, "One man show") in JAPAN! I'll be carting 80+ sofubi and 100+ other items down to Studio Uamou in Tokyo's Akihabara!

I couldn't be more excited! It's been really hard keeping the stuff I'm doing under wraps, but it's time to start sharing some teasers - here you go!







15 Ugly Unicorns (2 micro runs and 5 customs), 60-ish Uamous (icluding a run of 30 skeletal x-rays and a TON of customs), paintings, buttons, screen prints - YAY!

If you can make it - be there! If not - I'll get info up about on-line sales as soon as I know anything about that :-/

UGLY LIVES!!!

I just got the pictures of the Vinyl Test Shot for the UGLY UNICORN! Very Exciting :-D This flesh cast looks so nice and shiny, and it makes me psyched for the red and yellow that should be up late next week from Tokyo!

Pre-orders are staying up in the shop for another week (until 9/9 in America), or until they sell out (whichever comes first). Following that I will be starting on the painted runs for Superfestival in Tokyo on September 25th, and also the pieces for New York Comic Con in October! More info on releases and all that very soon! Here's the figure!




Grab your blank yellow or red figures here: http://rampagetoysandart.bigcartel.com/

KAWAII !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hallo!!!

This post will be short but colorful. Yay! As I mentioned in an earlier post (10-29-2009), Japan is just littered with cuteness, and what better way to preserve the vivid memory of kawaii (Japanese for 'cute') than in the semi-immortal form of a plastic toy! After all, plastic will outlive all of us (in a purely chemical sense)...

So, long story short, the Tokyo bus system mascot looks like this:

As soon as my wife saw this cute little guy, she mentioned she just might like to see him in toy form (she thought Santa's Elves just might make him...), and here he is! Enjoy!

The head is that of a Kidrobot Minny Munny, and the body was salvaged from a rather ugly Kidrobot Dunny (you never know what you'll get in a blind box...).

The wings, antennae and little-red-tail were made from air-dry sculpting putty, thin steel wire (wing outlines), transparency paper (wings) and armature wire (antennae).

I'll return to the RAMPAGE characters' stories soon. It's been a busy time - in a good way. A lot has been happening, and production is ramping-up in the RAMPAGE TOYS world!!! Much more to come SOON.

Rampage Toys in Japan!!!

Hello Loyal Fan Peoples!

Well, here it is, the end of October and finally time for a RAMPAGE TOYS update!

In recent news: Japan is awesome!!! Not only is Japan awesome, beautiful and home to some cool and crazy people and places, but it's basically the capital of AWESOME toys and toy designers! In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Japan is the capital of design in general - what with kids and designers pumping out the cutting edge in style and other such craziness, and flaunting new fangled (and old-school) styles in a way few Americans (or even Euros) would feel confident doing. Need I repeat the word: AWESOME!!!!

Much anticipated in my travels was a quick visit to one of the ALL TIME BEST toy and graphic designing collaboratives in the world: DEVIL ROBOTS! These guys are amazing! They manage a balance between the standard (and requisite) Japanese Kawaii (= cute) and cool and edgy designs. They merge these two elements wonderfully and have come up with some of the most enduring and FUN characters in modern toy and graphic design - to name a couple: DeviRob (a gangly and mysterious guy who wears a helmet with BIG RED horns) and Tofu Oyako (the marvelous little cube-headed figure loved world-wide by kids, adults and all ages in between). Here are a couple of shots of the Devilrobots studio - LOOK AT ALL THOSE TOYS!!!!

Above: Devirob in the top middle on the table, and Tofu Oyako bottom left in the red one-zee!

The DR head-cheese (Shinichiro), and his second in command, were incredibly welcoming and even threw some free schwag our way. How awesome is that! Check out Devilrobots on Facebook or take a gander at their website (http://www.dvrb.jp/w/) - though Japanaese proficiency might help on that end of things - not much English on the site. I would also highly recommend visiting these guys if you are EVER in Tokyo!

Anyway, what would a RAMPAGE blog posting be without some RAMPAGE artwork!?!?!? So, here it is, inspired by Hyo Myazaki (possibly the most talented person in animation - "creator of Spirited away" an "My Neighbor Totoro") - my take on the Makuro Kuroske - those Cute little dust creatures that live in your attic and keep evil spirits at bay. Everyone can use a little extra good luck hanging around! These guys are made of felt and yarn - oh so soft and cuddly.

ENJOY!!!