BLOG DESIGN - Big Thanks to Ugly Club member Graham Schneider for the righteous pixel art! Graham is working on a retro game concept and other radness - have look at his current site where he's sharing his work!


Thursday, November 21, 2013

Playing Catch Up

Hey Blogger Reading Peopleses!

Alas, I had, yet again, forgotten to Update the blog of late.  Here's a quick update of what has been happening - which I will follow up with a NEW post in a bit - about what WILL be happening soon!

-Halloween Release!  This happened - still a few items remaining in the ol' shoppe: here

-Design Festa!  This was a blast as always - hanging out with Pop Soda and Refreshment Toy, and putting out some new Gachapon Goblins and other fun stuff ^_^  Here's a pic:


-Junkie 6!  Another fun outing with Devil Robots, Mad Barbarians, Art Junkie and Hidaka Makoto - this time at the new Fewmany location in Shinkuku!  The event has since closed, and couple items from that are now in the shop as well.


Next up - NEW stuff AND the OSAKA Doki Doki Sofubi Event on December 1st!  Post to follow :-)

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Halloween!!!!

Hey Hey!

Halloween is coming - Yay!

As in the past couple years, Halloween time is new toy time in the RAMPAGE TOYS  shop!  This year is a bit nuts - with a show at RAMPAGE STUDIOS just past (still some of those goodies in the shop), a gallery show in Shinjuku opening this Friday AND Design Festa this weekend (crazy!), but I've still gotten together what I think is a great selection of new toys for the webshoppers out there!  I'll be releasing this bundle of goodies into the wild at 12 midnight - today - October 30th - in the shop - http://rampagetoysandart.bigcartel.com/ -  Here's what will be available:
 
1) Orange and Black MARBLED vinyl Ugly Unicorns!  $30 a piece - and I'll paint eyes and mouths (in colors of your choosing) if you so desire.
 
2) X-ray Kowaillas!  Collab with Hints and Spices - his creepy and cute Kowailla sofubi gets the internal x-ray-insert-treatment!  Various versions - all $25 each.
 
3) "Splatterhouse Kyuuketsushi" - GID vinyl!  A collab with the omnipotent Velocitron!   $30 each.

 
4) "Tricks and Treats" Bobby and Harry!  A small handpaint edition of the Bobbybeast characters "Bobby" and "Harry."  These will have some fun little packaging additions thatnks to Walter Parenton (Bobbybeast mad scientist and designer dude). $25 per set of 2 painted micros.

 
Aside from that, with Design Festa coming up - Look Sharp! - bundles of new stuff!  Dinos, collabs, UU's, and micros :-) 

If you are in Japan, come hang out with me, Pop Soda and Refreshment Toy  - this weekend at Design Festa - Booth C-323  at the Tokyo Big Site!!!!  Gachapon Goblins will be in attendance in the Gachapon machine - with a new surprise color!


Happy Halloween!!!!


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

New York Comic Con!

It's that time of year again - Fall Show season!

Superfestival has passed - it was awesome.

Next Up is NEW YORK COMIC CON!

This year I'll have stuff at two locations.  First off, my always solid ground at NYCC - Tenacious Toys!  Tenacious has been showing my stuff at the con since 2010, since the day when he had 2 detolf cases and one little table, and it's always my pleasure to be part of his booth.  This year, Tenacious has organized a MEGA booth - an entire BLOCK of the Cultyard - but my stuff will stay at home in the core, at spot #208.  Tenacious Toys is run by the one and only Benny Kline - he's a gem of a dude, and I HIGHLY recommend to all attending that they stop by and say hi (both personally and from ME!).  Of course, there are also the toys!  Here's SOME of what I sent over:

"Wizard Crystal Turquoise UU" - blank and painted (internal and external paint) - 5 of each

"Spectral Manotaur"- RAMPAGE x Imps & Monsters - Blank and painted (very few blanks, and 5 painted figures)
 
Bagged and Header carded figures - line art by the most excellent Joseph Harmon, colored by my oh so non technical self.  Take note - the pictured micros (UU's and Unicorns) will also be at Tenacious Toys Booth - # 208


 
Next up - I've sent over a nice sized HORDE of Gachapon Goblins (Wizard Crystal sets, and some other cool stuff) to Joseph Harmon, who will be exhibiting in booth 204, along with Bwana Spoons and some other cool cats.  If you haven't had the chance to check out the Gachapon Goblins yet (and very few outside of Japan have yet), here's you chance to see them, hold them and buy them!
 

Sweet header card art by Walter Parenton - known world wide for his Bobby Beast Instagram comic series, and other awesomeness as well!
 
Lastly, and certainly not leastly (yeah - that's not a word) - SPLURRT!  Huh?  Wha'?  Yeah - once again, I've had the wonderful opportunity to paint up some of Splurrt's killer sofubi figures.  Did two Digglers and Two Cadaver Kids (OG!), and Joe (Splurrt) will have the lot (and much more of his stuff) for sale at the Monster Island table (booth #504) on Saturday at 12 (noon).  Check 'em out!
 


 
 
So, there was one other project - but I can't say anything about it!  How's that for a story?!? :-P
 
Anywho, if you are at NYCC, enjoy!  Buy lots of toys!  Take lots of pictures!  YAY!  And if you AREN'T at NYCC, well - I dunno - check my webshop.  Might drop something in there - who knows!

Monday, September 16, 2013

NNWA RECAP and "Nama Niku Talks Shop"

Hello, and welcome to the newest RAMPAGE blog post!

YAY!

So, the recent Nama Niku Wrestling Alliance event was a SMASH success!  A whole bundle of Keshi makers, collectors and otherwise dorks showed up, and there were drinks, toys and important conversation (笑) to be had in abundance!


For you information hungry types, I’ve decided to do something a little different.  I’m sitting at a (unspecified chain name) coffee locale with the USA’s preeminent Kinnikuman and Keshi authority, Mr. NAMA NIKU himself!  We’re going to talk, and I’m going to Type some of the key points here, and then you to can know what this Keshi thing is all about!  For those of you who aren’t big on the information gathering thing, you can just skip down to the Event and Toy photos.  Either way = Enjoy!  (btw – Nama Niku is actually named Tyler)

What Makes you Psyched on all this stuff?

“The thing that’s exciting about this scene (collecting and all) is that it is never ending.  There is so much cool stuff out there and (now) so many people creating great new stuff.  Also, the number of janky bootleg figures and the sudden appearance of new and cool old stuff… It’s a constant experience of ‘discovery,’ and finding something new and awesome always keeps me going.”

What is your favorite move in the Chojin Dreamtag Arch?

“For sure!  It’s gotta be the Muscle Docking!  DUDE!”
 

Seriously though, what peaked your interest in Kinnikuman to begin with?

“As a kid, I collected M.U.S.C.L.E.  I was into the design, but the whole backstory thing didn’t exist, as far as I knew.  So, I made stories up – and I cut and glued figures together to make new characters and new stories.  That lasted through college.  Then I came to Japan for the first time.  I was at a Toys R Us, and there were these big articulated Romando figures.  “WHAT???” They had names?  Was it a Japanese Bootleg of M.U.S.C.L.E?  Was it some sort of copy?  NO!  It was the original thing – the REAL deal.  The figures I had come to LOVE had funky names like Buffalo Man and Meatokun.  My world was rocked.  The truth was revealed. “

OK.  The hard facts.  How many figures do you own?

“A lot.  I’ll just send you a couple pictures.” 

 

Anything in particular that you have in your collection and really treasures?

“Yes.  I was lucky to go on a tour of Yudetamago’s studio, Studio Egg, and was given an AMAZING piece of original Kinnikuman artwork.  This:”
Tyler with his heros at Studio Egg!
 

Moving on.  What is Nama Niku all about?  What are you trying to accomplish with the blog and your figures?

Nama  Niku is the place to go for RAW and  UP-TO-DATE Kinnikuman news.  At any given time, you can find cool interviews with Kinnikuman and Keshi folks, reviews of merchandise (old and new.  Bootleg and legit), pictures of Yudeki (Kinnikuman fans - think ‘Treki’ but rooted in the name Yudetamago – who is the creator of Kinnikuman, and now this is a run-on…oops.) collections, and much much more!  Check it out!” 

“Nama Niku figures have their roots in my passion for making and mashing and customizing keshi figures.   I started making all sorts of wonky figures, casting them myself (sometimes), sharing them on-line (on sites like Little Rubber Guys and OctoberToys), and just giving them away.  I was SHOCKED!  People liked them.  They were just supposed to be funny little blog mascots, but people wanted them in their collections!  That was exciting.  I started working with some really cool cats – M.U.S.C.L.E. Things, Marty Hansen (the Godbeast) and Eric Nilla for example, and we got some figures cast up, and they sold.  The whole idea was to make NEW characters that would fit with the original Kinnikuman line – stories and all.”
 Some of Nama Niku's "Whisky Sasquatch" figures that recently sold through the Mandarake twitter feed!

 
“The thing is, the creation of new Kinnikuman characters (Choujin) has always been fan driven.  From the start (an even now) Yudetamago allowed fans to submit ideas for new characters, and many of those designs became popular characters in the comic and in keshi form.  Ergo, when I do this stuff, the Japanese Yudeki don’t just accept it, they embrace it!  It’s all about “Yujo Power” (Friendship Power), which is a major theme in the Kinnikuman series, and serves to make the people who collect and are excited about Kinnikuman stuff some of the nicest toy nerds around!”
 
Tyler and the Nakano Broadway Microkan headmaster, Miyakoshi-san.  True Yudeki!  True Yujo Power!


That’s Neat.  So, what’s next on the agenda?

“I’ve got some new figures in the works, some great collaborations and all that good stuff.  Superfestival is coming up and (plug warning!) RAMPAGE TOYS will have some great new figures ;)  Basically – I’m on the road to fame and fortune (NOT!)”

That’s All!  Here’s pictures from the show:

Nama Niku "Archival Display"
 
Eric Nilla's Cythulu figures.
 
RAMPAGE painted vintage Deka Keshi

RAMPAGE handpaint Super Cupcake Luchadore

Eric Nilla's Elephunt


RAMPAGE handpaint DEATHMATCH keshi

NNWA exclusive Meatgrinder!

NAMA NIKU (Tyler) rocking the new Art Junkie "Kinnikuman Emotions" Tshirt - released at the event, and available NOW in the RAMPAGE SHOP!
 
Big thanks from both Tyler and myself to all who came out for the event, to all who grabbed some of the awesome keshi released at the show and to all the folks who have grabbed some cool toys from the shop since the show has ended.  Good Times!
 

Pollen Kaiser

So... Toy Art Gallery (TAG) recently had this little shindig at their LA shop.  Loads of folks (a wide range of customizers and figure makers and such) did customs on Paul Kaiju's biggest figure (for chris'sake - don'call it a 'platform'!) - the Pollen Kaiser.  I was glad to be invited to take part - very fun figure to paint.  However - I've been so busy swimming and playing with keshi that I barely took the time to really share any information about this thing!  HAH!

So - here it is (alas...phone pics only).  GID vinyl base and Sofvi and FOK FTW!




 
 

You can see a 'full frontal' look at this dude over on Spanky Stokes's (is that one too many "s's"?) Instagram feed, here:  http://instagram.com/p/eQ_b3Hk55c/#
 
Thanks to PK for making a cool figure and to TAG for sending one over to paint!  Having the GID base to work with was a super bonus - but It was hard to get started on as I REALLY wanted a new night light!
 
No word on if this guy sold yet, but I'll update ASAP if I know it's still hanging out at TAG.
 
Another post will be up ASAP - featuring a review of the recent NNWA event here at RAMPAGE STUDIOS - AND and interview with NAMA NIKU that will blow the minds of all you keshi fans and yudeki!
 
Thanks for having a peek at the Blog!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

NNWA - THIS Friday!

After an amazing summer, filled with all manner of watersports and tomfoolery, it's time to get serious again. 

TIME FOR SOME KESHI!!!

This Friday sees the opening of the highly anticipated Nama Niku Wrestling Association (NNWA) Event!

 
This one will be a doozy - featuring exclusive handmade keshi from a bunch of the best guys out there, including: Nama Niku, Trutek, Eric Nilla and Mokyukeshi.  Many of the figures in the show feature the sculpting talent of Ironhaus and the Might Zectron - truly talented dudes!
 
The show will take place at RAMPAGE STUDIOS (address in the right hand nav bar, over yonder -->), with the opening Party happening this Friday (9/6/2013), starting at 7PM (and on into the night I imagine) and open times on Saturday and Sunday from 11AM to 4PM.  Sales start on opening night, with any remaining stuffs hitting the online shop afterwards.
Here's a look at some of the goodies that have been showing up.  It's like CHRISTMAS opening the boxes when the express delivery man shows up!
 
New Nama Niku Figures!  The Deka will be display only.



New Eric Nilla Figures! 


The new DEATHMATCH figure from Nama Niku.


ULTIMATE Beardfist!  Trutek has used a brand new material for this guy - SUPER high quality rubber that is UV resistant,

 
 
New Ironhaus x Trutek HORDE  - wave 2!


 And - Here's Nama Niku:
 
And here's me at RAMPAGE STUDIOS (pic by Nama Niku)

 
Painting Today!



Thanks to Trutek and Nama Niku for the pics!
 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Pre-Order is over!

Thanks to all who pre-ordered Black vinyl Unicorns, Micro and Dinos over the past week! 

The order has been placed at the factory and I expect to be able to ship prior to the end of October.

THANK YOU!   ありがとうございます!!!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

NEW SOFUBI IS BORN!

With no drawn out work in progress images behind us, and no hesitation in the slightest, it's time to reveal the newest RAMPAGE TOYS sofubi release:

THE GACHAPON GOBLINS!

This is a release of 7 1.5 to 2 inch figures, designed to fit in the RAMPAGE 2 inch Gachapon machine, and featuring characters from a group of creative masterminds including:  Art Junkie, Walter Parenton (IV), Joseph Harmon, and, of course, RAMPAGE TOYS!  Sculpting duties were shared by me, Joseph Harmon and Art Junkie's right-hand-man - with final edits and finishing all done right here at RAMPAGE STUDIOS. Pics of the sculpts:

 
Ugly Unicorn (new bite size micro!) (RAMPAGE TOYS), "My Little Unicorn" (RAMPAGE TOYS), Shitman (Art Junkie)

 
Slimeface Seijin (Joseph Harmon), Eggplant Bat Boy (Joseph Harmon), Harry and Bobby (Walter Parenton's infamous Bobbybeast characters!)

 
WAX!  Done weeks ago and ALL DONE HERE at RAMPAGE STUDIOS!!!  These guys are already being molded (a metal mold is being made by the fine sofubi craftsmen) right here in Tokyo - to be cast up in some yummy yummy JAPANESE sofubi goodness!  This is the first time I've done the wax casting (wax prototype) stage of the manufacturing process (all by me-self!), and I am happy as could be with the results - knowing that it's one more step in the process that I was personally involved with!  YAY!
 
What does this all mean?  Well, a couple things:
 
1) A pre-order for black vinyl (with options for single blind bag, full blank black sets and secret painted versions) will begin this Friday (August 23rd) in the RAMPAGE BigCartel!  Be sure to join the RAMPAGE mailing list for the most up to date info on this!
 
2)The first Gachapon release is scheduled for Superfestival on September 29th!  This will be followed by another release at New York Comic Con (October 10-13th), which will be handled by Joseph Harmon himself!
 
3)The future of releases will roll right along, with ALL SORTS of stuff happening this Fall - Shows at RAMPAGE STUDIOS, Design Festa, and more!
 
Exciting times!  I love this work, and having had a hand in pone more step of this creative process (i.e. the wax prototyping stage), I feel even ore involved in the craftsman world of Sofubi creation!  It's like adding a member to the family each time one of these projects gets off the ground!
 
 
For more info on the whole process of sofubi creation, check out this older RAMPAGE blog post from 2011:  http://rampage-toys.blogspot.jp/2011/09/making-sofubi-how-it-all-works.html
 
Updates soon!  Thanks for reading!
 
 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

NAMA NIKU WRESTLING ASSOCIATION at RAMPAGE STUDIOS!


MEGA KESHI EVENT
 
SEPTEMBER 6-8 at RAMPAGE STUDIOS!

Featuring AWESOME KESHI displays from NAMA NIKU, MOKYUKESHI, RAMPAGE TOYS and TRUTEK, as well as exclusive releases of ORIGINAL SCULPTS from NAMA NIKU (x Ironhaus), Eric Nilla, Trutek and the Disarticulator (featuring the Amazing Zectron) AND some killer Kinnikuman T-shirts and Artwork from Tokyo's very own ARTJUNKIE!

Opening Party will be Friday, September 6th - opening at 7PM.  Nama Niku (Tyler) will be in attendance at the opening AND on the 7th and 8th!

BE THERE!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

BLObPUS x SPLURRT

Opens July 5th at RAMPAGE STUDIOS.


'nuff said

Thursday, June 20, 2013

RAMPAGE x KONATSU

Well, the show has come and gone (over today in about 1 hour), but I figure it's better late than bever when it comes to sharing pictures and such.  So, here you go!

RAMPAGE x KONATSU at RAMPAGE STUDIOS!!! 

The event was a HUGE success!  We had a nice line-up of people on opening night - drawn by the super greatness that is KONATSU and her lovable Kaiju characters, Negora and Shibara.  The show featured around 15 customs by Konatsu, 12 customs by me (RAMPAGE TOYS), an official release of a new Konatsuya Shibara (which was designed by and the paint sampe was executed by me), a whole bunch of art and other new figures (Ugly Unicorns, etc.).  Good times all around - with the opening night party lasting until around midnight, and featuring Konatsu drawing up some amazing pen and ink pictures at requests from the crowd. 

Online sales commenced on the 17th, which ushered the majority of the works out the door.  However, there are still a few select items available in the shop, here:

http://rampagetoysandart.bigcartel.com

Now - pictures!





The RAMPAGE STUDIOS Exclusive Shibara that was released at the show.  Thanks to all who grabbed one ^_^

AMAZING Konatsu UU custom.  WOW!

New Ugly Unicorn - released during the show.  Clear purple vinyl with glitter - and CRAZY eyes :-)