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

RAMPAGE STUDIOS TOKYO - coming soon!

ANNOUNCEMENT!

RAMPAGE is getting a STOREFRONT - in TOKYO!

RAMPAGE STUDIOS will open on January 25th - right here in central Tokyo - with an opening show/party featuring work from some of the best resin and rubber mini-figure makers around!  More info will be up in a following post, but here's the BEE's KNEES event flyer (By the MAN, Trutek) to get the excitement going!



I know I'm MEGA EXCITED! How about you guys? :-)

More soon!

SUPERFESTIVAL 59!!!

Next Monday (4/30/2012) is Superfestival 59 in Tokyo! I'm PSYCHED!

I'll be in a big ol' shared space with Ilanena, Fig-lab, Shirahama and (for part of the day) Chima Group! Should be some good times!

Of course I tried to pull together a formidable array of painted toys - I hope I accomplished that goal! Here are pictures:

First release of the Manotaur! 5 sets of "Companion Monsters" - Manotaur + UU

Peter Kato Resin Ninja Cats - RAINBOW Ninja Cats! Sets of 5 mini-figures each.

RAMPAGE x Chima Group Amedas

RAMPAGE x Ilanena Penguin Metrobayakan

Blue X-ray Uamous!!!


I'll also have whole bundle of stuff that Kikkake gave me to paint - bears, elephants, Kellerman, Gekko, Goccodo poo dudes! The works! And, of course, some stand-alone Ugly Unicorns ;) Most of the new Ugly Unicorns will be at Design Festa on may 13th and 14th, so expect a BIG update about those guys soon!

Hope to see some of you at SF59!

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!