Whirlwind Summit

The East Coast Chogokin Summit 2013 is now behind us...and I'm *still* trying to catch my breath. As is typical for the Summit, I failed to take a single photograph! Yeah, I kinda suck like that. But if you make it to one of these events, you know how non-stop it is! There's a WHOLE lotta toy geeking going on; it's typical to get pulled in multiple directions at once because there are just so many great conversations going on that you wanna engage in. Thankfully, this year's incredible host, JoshB of CollectionDX has plenty of great coverage. In fact, there's an impromptu interview with yours truly early on in the Summit video! ;)

There were plenty of new faces, as well as some long-time Summit-goers who'd missed the last year or two. And what was especially cool was to have so many folks who were actively making toys on hand. This bizarre hobby continues to promote creativity and camaraderie in impressive ways. There was even a rare public appearance of Matt Doughty of Onell Design, plus Grillo and Jesse Moore. It seriously doesn't get better than that!

So earlier last month, we saw at least a sneak-peak of the Powered Bio Suit at MicroBry's and Bwana Spoons' My Friend the Micronaut show in Oregon (there are TONS of amazing toys still available from the show, by the way!). Well, since folks at Grass Hut were treated to the first ever assembled prototype of the PBS, Summit-goers were able to check out the very latest advanced prototype! The design was about 90% done and in fact was a full-color mock-up. See, the production toy will be printed in color, but I usually print my prototypes monochrome to save time. I knew I was bringing the latest and greatest to the Summit for people to mess around with, so I just couldn't abide it looking shabby--especially next to prototypes from my comrades-in-arms, Ben Mininberg and David White! Gotta bring the heat when those cats are coming to town, y'knowmsayin?

So...y'know...the night before the Summit, I busted out the Monster Kolor rattle cans and spray painted my plain white prototype PBS! After that gloss clear coat, I was feeling the look:

Like I said in my post last month, the PBS project is all on me. I designed the toy (well, the mechanics, if not the aesthetics! ;) ) and I manufacture it in my own home. Sure, I certainly have backup--my homie, Larry of Minutia Studios, is helping design the stickers and packaging--but because this is the least collaborative toy development project I've ever engaged in, I'm actually free to reveal whatever I want...whenever I want. No secrets, no passwords, no need to be down to hear the latest gossip. Just real talk.

So with that, I can say that the toy is roughly 99% done! I'm hoping to receive my color ABS filament by the end of the week so that I can start doing in-color prints to show off. The packaging and stickers will be next, but I won't be able to get to that stuff until later this month. Either way, I'm loving every minute of this process. Unlike the Foe Gokin Gin Gin project I started years ago (which may be comatose, but still breathes, by the way!), there are no external forces to get in the way of making this happen!

Unless, of course, Takara-Tomy swoops in and sues my ass off for bootlegging their Diaclone toy. ;)

And speaking of bootlegs, I wanna switch gears real quick and talk about something real special. In honor of the Summit last week, my homeboy, Mason Fitch--painter of "The Foreman" Powered Suit Fake Type--dropped yet another one-of-a-kind masterpiece. This one is simply entitled, "Gundam":

His work is absolutely stunning. The color scheme comes from the RX-78-2 Gundam prototype Mobile Suit from one of the first "real robot" or mecha franchises, Mobile Suit Gundam. A true classic of science fiction. Mason even painted up the Inch Lady faux-Diaclone driver to resemble Amuro Ray, the show's self-discovering hero and pilot of the eponymous mecha.

And dig that sick Beam Rifle-colored Type C cannon! ;)

As usual, this "Powered Suit Fake Type" custom figure features 100% 3D-printed construction, a stainless steel body and shoulders, magnetically jointed arms, and a removable Type C main gun on the back. And to commemorate Labor Day, a day where we observe and honor the often-thankless sacrifices working class people in the US have made to make this country run since it's inception, we are putting this figure up for sale!

The price will be $125 plus shipping. Please hit up my Flickr for TONS of hi-res pics of this tiny gem. This will be the ONLY Powered Suit Fake Type custom-painted by us in this Gundam-inspired color scheme. This is a one-of-a-kind piece...and seeing as how the normal unpainted kits will cost about $90 from Shapeways (going live hopefully by the end of the month), it's not a bad deal for such fine paint work! :)

So if you're interested, please zap me a note using the contact form on the right! Support my buddy's art, all local artists, and even if you don't buy this figure, please take some time today to think about and appreciate some aspect of your life that would be a lot harder if not for the efforts of working class people everywhere!

And before I sign off, it just wouldn't be right if I didn't drop a teaser...

Diaclone Powered Suit type A. Coming soon! ;)

I suppose I should start talking...

Now, chances are if you're following my blog, you're also following the blog of the Rhodey to my Stark, Ben Mininberg (hmm...that analogy didn't quite work the way I wanted it to...). Anyway, if so, then you probably have some idea of the grandeur that was the 2013 edition of Bwana Spoons' and Microbry's My Friend the Micronaut show at Grass Hut in Portland, OR! Ben's always been ahead of the curve when it comes to social media (at least when compared to a dinosaur like me!), so his coverage of our small corner of the show has been invaluable. For real, if you haven't checked his site lately, you NEED to peep his Buffalo Squad Allarounds and the epic, jaw-dropping Microman-scale Blockman. All 3D-printed in his own home!

Last month, I mentioned that the PSFT (Powered Suit Fake Type), my tribute to the Diaclone Powered Suit Type C, was going to be debuting at the show...with special thanks to Mason Fitch, Lisa Fitch, and Dylan Gould. These three amazing miniature painters absolutely killed the figures I ordered from Shapeways specially for MFTM. Well, not only can these figures finally be seen online, but they're actually available for purchase!

First up is Mason's figure, "The Foreman". Pretty obvious where the name comes from if you're a G1 Transformers fan! Devastator-style suit; Spike-style driver:

Next, sticking with the Microman theme, Lisa's Biotron-tribute suit is piloted by a driver painted like a yellow Micronaut Time Traveler:

And finally, we have Dylan's Real Type take on my Fake Type suit:

These figures are truly works of art...but they're also fully-functioning toys. As I've covered in previous posts about the PSFTs, they feature magnetically-jointed shoulders, a shoulder mount for the cannon, and a bunch of other little upgrades over their vintage counterparts. Unpainted versions of these figures will be sold as kits through my Shapeways store towards the end of the month (the price will likely be about $90).

But the biggest surprise of all has been a project just a handful of people have been privy to. See, back in March, I picked up my very own 3D printer! The Afinia H-series has been the driving force behind the majority of my toy development for the past several months. It's been an amazing ride...the product of which is something I'm really proud of.

Behold. The Powered Bio Suit!

This 100% 3D-printed titan comes from...well...downstairs. As you can probably gather, it's an ABS-plastic Diaclone Powered Suit C. But the real feat of this toy is that it's actually Microman-scaled! Yes, roughly three times the size of the original toy, this larger version is roughly six inches tall and has a peg inside the cockpit so that *any* Microman/Micronaut figure with a 5mm port on his or her back can be mounted inside!

The variety of features include glow-in-the-dark cockpit panels, a clear plastic face shield, ratcheting shoulder joints with gloriously-strong detents, and full 5mm peg compatibility. Like any good Microman toy. ;)

My hope is that the first production editions of this toy will be available at the East Coast Chogokin Summit held this year in Dracut, MA. From here on out, though, I'll be posting pics of these toys as their development progresses. The cat is out of the bag, after all! For those who can't wait for the first production run of this toy, you can always head over to Grass Hut's store to pick up THE very first ever fully-assembled prototype of this toy!

Oh, and 'cause I just can't help it, I had to post this adorable picture of CC of Onell Design stuffing keshigomu into a later iteration of the suit at Glyos HQ a little while back!

Kid tested. Doughty approved.

;)

Public debut of the Powered Suit Fake Type

Okay folks, I can finally start spilling the beans about something I'm real excited about--something that's been taking up most of my time for the past few months...but that I haven't been able to breathe a word about. Until now.

Starting August 1st, our buddy and esteemed Takara SF super-fan, MicroBry, is joining forces with designer vinyl/custom toy magnate, Bwana Spoons, for a Microman/Micronauts-themed art show at Grass Hut in Portland, OR. This show is called My Friend the Micronaut 2013, and will feature Micro-themed artwork and toys from over a dozen DIY toy makers...including yours truly!

Yup--my first art show...that I'm not just crashing! :P

But I won't be repping Brownnoize by dolo. Oh no. For a show like this, I've enlisted some local talent in order to come up with some VERY special offerings. First off, Mason, our bacony-good cohort and host for many East Coast Chogokin Summits in years past, has organized a team to hand-paint a trio of Powered Suit Fake Types--my Diaclone Powered Suit replicas--exclusively for the event. Yes, these are the Shapeways-printed offerings I've been blogging about for a while now. Stainless steel bodies, magnetic shoulder joints, 3D printed "Inch Lady" female Diaclone driver...and all 100% compatible with the original toys!

But most definitely *unlike* the photos of Shapeways prints I've shown before, each of these figures will feature a unique hand-painted color scheme in keeping with the show's theme! Mason is an experienced wargaming miniature painter and he and his team will be lovingly transforming these toys into true one-of-a-kind works of art. I haven't even seen them yet--other than the teaser pic above--but I'm just honored to have such an established painter painstakingly work his magic on my humble replicas!

Oh, and like the post title says...this is also a big deal: these will be the first Powered Suit Fake Types available to the public!

And on a related note, I did get a chance to take a photo of one of the Inch Lady female pilots, primed and ready for paint. Finally we get to see a decent shot of her!

Because of the translucent plastic she's made of, matte primer is pretty much the only way to see the detail on the print--even looking at the figure in person. So Mason showing me the primed figure was the first time even *I* got a sense for the print resolution. It's pretty wild! Even primed, to the naked eye, those print lines are all but invisible on such a microscopic figure. But now, of course, I'm dying to see her all painted up!

Next up, we have some 2D artwork that is sure to melt some eyeballs! Once again, Larry from Minutia Studios comes to the rescue with his absolutely mind-boggling skills! If I'm nice with 3D CAD, Larry is godlike with 2D software. Whether vector or raster, I've never seen anyone work like him!

Larry took my 3D CAD model for the Powered Suit Fake Type, developed a pose, photorendered it, mapped stickers to the surfaces, and got it all gussied up...before my very eyes. And the result? Brilliant.

I can say that this magnificent artwork *will* be available at the show in one form or another...but I can't give away ALL my secrets just yet! There's one more homegrown surprise in store that I think will go over well. Stay tuned. ;) In the meantime, y'all should check out Bry's Tumblr page for the show and peep the previews for some of the truly AMAZING toys and artwork that will be on display at Grass Hut!

Til next time, I'm out!

Spinning Head Sunshine update!

What's shaking, folks?

I just wanted to post a quick update mostly regarding Spinning Head Sunshine. Well, my Shapeways store is up and running and it's ready to take your monies. :P Seriously, I did what I could to keep the prices down--you shoulda heard the swearing as I tried to hollow out the 3D Systems version...but what can ya do? They charge--a LOT--by volume. :/

Still, there is good news! As it turns out, the SLS polyamide version is not only affordable (from the perspective of a custom MUSCLE-style minifig anyway!), but they actually look killer in the different colors available! Peep this:

I was honestly SHOCKED to see how well these came out. I just assumed with the polishing, all the detail would be lost. Sure, the surface still has a very fine grainy texture, but you can still clearly make out the ridges between the "bricks". Even my logo on the bottom of the feet is easy to see!

So, naturally, I've been plastering this stuff all over my instagram...and I definitely recommend following me to keep up with my misadventures! You'll get WAY more timely instagram updates than the usual walls of text over here. :P I won't be abandoning my blog anytime soon, though, because it's critical for posting details that just aren't appropriate for a quick photo caption...

And before I jet, here's a couple pics I already instagrammed. ;)

A couple weeks ago, I was up at Minutia Studios HQ, purveyors of dope skateboard decks and apparel designed by my buddy, Larry. Well, Larry has joined the Brownnoize family to help a brotha out with Gin Gin stickers and other graphics-related stuff.

Well, let's just say for now that with Walker in charge of paint and Larry in charge of stickers, Gin Gin is firing on all cylinders!

DIY twerp

Heh...that's the term I used to describe myself on TBDX the other day. A bit of self-deprecating humor, to be sure--and certainly NO disrespect meant to other independent artist, toy-makers, and DIYers--but it was simply a statement comparing myself to Yamato (now known as Arcadia), purveyors of rather controversial Valkyrie toys from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. The point I was making in that thread was that there are myriad in's and out's when it comes to bringing something from product idea through resource allocation, licensing, design, iteration, approval, packaging, distribution, etc.--things that we, as fans, are often 100% oblivious to.

I wasn't trying to "apologize" for the flaws in Yamato's VF-1 Valkyrie or make excuses for their numerous bunk releases leading up to the current iteration. I was just offering possible explanations for the junk they've pulled. Sure, they may have done some unsavory things from a fan's perspective...but my point was simply that it's likely that other factors we can't possibly know about were the cause of these questionable practices--NOT that they're bad or lazy engineers. Clearly, that's not the case. They're making licensed goods, so they have extremely tight schedules to meet licensor and retailer agreements...

Which brings us back to me, the DIY twerp! The stuff I'm making does NOT require expensive tooling. The stuff I'm making does NOT require licensor approval (*ducks!*). I don't have to worry about deadlines and whatnot. I have the luxury of taking my sweet-ass time with everything I do. Sure, I still have to iterate the hell outta designs even as simple as my Foe-Gokin Gin Gin--and you lucky kids get to hear me complain about it all right here!--but ultimately, I can afford to take all the time necessary to make my baby "just right" before releasing it.

^^Those are just some thoughts that've been on my mind as of late.

Anyway, what the hell happened to May??? Yeah, I went two months without a blog post. Not good. But what can ya do? I spent a week in Costa Rica with my girlfriend and some new buddies...good times, but that didn't exactly help with my crazy schedule. And speaking of crazy, who'da thunk...but I've actually up and registered my ass on Instagram! Yup, I've pretty much bypassed facebook, and I'm going straight for the jugular with this significant upgrade to my onlineness. Oh, I'm still gonna maintain my blog--it's the only way for me to post more detailed updates. But now, I'll be able to post a LOT more teasers a LOT more often via Instagram. I've only been on for a couple days, but I've already seen some incredible stuff. Most definitely recommended for the DIY crowd...

Okay, you want more crazy announcements? Well, I think June will make up for May's doldrums. How's this grab ya?

Wednesday night, I finally got a chance to head down to Dead Pre$idents Designs new Monster Kolor shop down in Middleboro, MA. That's a LOT of room...for toys, artwork, events--you name it. With FOE Gallery in Northampton, Murda Mass is becoming the spot. Of course, *we* always knew that...and we're used to waiting on the rest of the world to recognize. ;)

But back to the topic at hand, Walker's got a couple events coming up quick that I wanted to put on blast. First up, on Saturday, June 22nd, head over to the shop to Paint Your Own Tripus. For the price of admission, you get one of Mark Nagata's Tripus kaiju toys, some genuine Monster Kolor paint, and hands-on instruction from the Man himself on how to liquefy people's eyeballs with your custom-painted creature! On the strength, it's a pretty amazing deal.

Next, on Saturday, June 29th, Walker will be hosting his first gallery event at the shop: Locals Only, featuring Brian Mahony (Guumon), Todd Robertson (Mechavirus), and Will Long. All awesome dudes...and all will be there in person. I'm most likely gonna miss the Tripus class, but I definitely want to be there for Locals Only. Should be a killer event!

Okay, I have some more event announcements, but they're for later this summer. I'll hold off until my next post (maybe that'll force me to be a little more timely, y'knowmsayin?)...

I think that brings us to our usual progress reports! SOOOO much good stuff cooking. Don't worry--I wasn't sleeping last month! Pretty soon (hopefully), I'll be unveiling a new source for Foe-Gokin Gin Gin plastics. I'm in the process of testing things and playing around with options, but if this pans out, it could amount to one of the most significant developments in the years-long process that has been this toy project! It could potentially be higher quality and vastly cheaper than printing parts out via Shapeways or some other online 3D print shop. As this vetting process continues, I'll be sure to update you guys, but for now, here are some pics I took today:

Yeah, I know he's missing the middle horn. Working on that... :P

Looks pretty damn good so far though, if I do say so myself!

Meanwhile, I have a new sticker source who is extremely unlikely to screw me over. I know where he lives. ;) And with Walker having the paint mixed and ready to roll, we're almost set to make these things happen. Finally!

And now, the most exciting news of the month...remember my second keshigomu collaboration with Alec at MUSCLEThings.com, Spinning Head Sunshine? Well, if you were following along, Alec was able to make just a few of these figures before the first mold collapsed...and unfortunately, the geometry was just too complex to re-mold the suit portion without causing him some serious injury. It's a miracle he was able to mold it the first time without losing a fingertip to the X-Acto gods!

Well, peep this!

Alec has been diligently casting up *just* the Spinshine tops that he'll be selling directly through his site. Yup, genuine hand-cast rubber from one of the true masters in the hobby! But remember: this figure was born out of 3D printing and my "digital sculpting". Well, with this offering, we're bringing it full circle.

At some point this week, I'll be posting a 3D printed SHS suit in my Shapeways store! The suit will be offered in 3D Systems (Shapeways' so-called "Frosted Ultra Detail") because it has the best resolution while still maintaining a nice, sturdy figure. That's the strongly recommended material, anyway. Unfortunately, it's also the *most expensive*! While the original hand-cast rubber suit from Alec was $20, this Shapeways version will likely be about $40.

It sure looks pretty, though...

Anyway, I'll also offer it in different colors of polyamide ("Strong and Flexible") for those who want one but can't deal with Shapeways' steep middle-man markup, but I fear the low resolution may make the polyamide version kinda suck. Choose it at your own risk.

Flip the script entirely, I may also offer the suit in the different stainless steel finishes. That's for the true ballers out there! Hey, there was demand--albeit not that much--for AshuraShine in steel...so why not the SHS suit???

You've probably noticed by now that this new Spinning Head Sunshine suit is different from the one Alec originally cast in rubber. Well, since we're not planning on molding or casting this version, I could alter the design in ways that would make it even less feasible for molding (but that 3D printing could easily handle). Hence the gada, a traditional Indian mace! I wanted to add something that would differentiate it slightly from the original. Now, even if you already have Alec's original rubber version, you can also get this Shapeways figure for some dome-cracking fun!

Of course, 3D printed materials are usually rigid, so I had to get a little creative with the design. See, Alec's rubber version was simple: you just flexed the shoulders on Spinning Head Sunshine (the suit) apart, and pop in either your Spinshine (top) or the original #195 Sunshine F top...and you were off and running. Can't do that anymore. So this time, I just chopped a wide opening in the back of the suit so that you can press either top figure in! Pretty slick.

Anyway, I'll post again once I've got the figure finalized and available in my Shapeways store. I'm looking forward to seeing how folks feel about this offering. If there's enough interest, we might arrange the same sort of thing for #107 Sunshine E at some point in the future.

Well, I think that's enough for now. I have a couple more things brewing, but they're either super-secret collaborations or just way too early in the conceptualization phase. All part of the game when you're a DIY twerp! ;)

Did I say 'Next Week'?

Okay, a little later than I had originally planned. But, yo, things are moving really quick at the moment. It's kind of exciting! Before I get into the usual updates, I just want to mention that this is shaping up to be a big year for Brownnoize Productions. And this ain't the usual vaporware either! LOL

The collaborations on tap are gonna be off the hook. The in-house toys produced by yours truly are gonna be off the hook. Not much of a teaser trailer, I know, but I just wanted to express my gratitude to those cats who've stuck around and supported my diverse and weird efforts at making stuff people like over the past few years. You will be rewarded. But enough about that...let's get it poppin'.

I know a lot of folks are anxious to hear the latest about the "Throne of Chaos" Unicron stands, so we'll start with a quick update. The order with our fabricator was placed last week, so the first wave of stands should be touching down very soon! The support for these things has been pretty amazing...and I know the price is a bit steep for them, but once you have your Unicron sitting atop one of these stands, I think you'll agree it was well worth it! If you have any questions or are interested in ordering, please e-mail us at unicronstands at gmail dot com.

How about some Gin Gin news? Well, there isn't much I can show off at the moment, but I can say that everything at the moment is riding on finding a reliable sticker guy. We're looking far and wide for the right person, but I know it'll happen soon enough. Ha...y'all been waiting long enough, huh? :P Well, there's another closely-related update to go along with Gin Gin's progress: Monster Kolor now has a brick-n-mortar shop! Located in Middleboro, MA, Monster Kolor Studios will bring the funk...as well as serve as a US-based factory for a whole lot of dangerous projects planned for the future. Stay tuned...and in fact, swing by for a visit and see the mighty Dead Presidents in person and in action!

As for LRGs, there's not a ton to report at the moment. My part in my the latest collaboration is over and now the project has moved into the mold-making phase. Masters are being meticulously sanded, glossed, and generally babied as we speak! More to come...

Okay, now for the hottest news (in my opinion!). Diaclone Powered Suits...ACTIVATE!! First up, though, some background on my custom Diaclone driver. In the tradition of the M18x Lady Command Microman figures, I whipped up a female Diaclone driver!

I am Micro Woman. Hear me roar!!

Her design was originally inspired by Samus Aran of Metroid fame, but I had to ditch her iconic ponytail because it extended too far back in the Powered Suit cockpit. What's a gal to do, right? Instead, I opted for more of a 60's Mary Tyler Moore-esque "flip" haircut. Much easier on the headrest inside the suit...

Anyway, hair notwithstanding, this is all pretty awesome in theory. But as it turns out, the actual printed figure is so fine that most of her details get lost in the translucent plastic! Still, I'd love to see one of these figures painted up by someone with wargaming-miniature-painting skills. Time to make some calls...

And now, onto the suit, itself!

Please forgive the wobbly look of the upper arms--I didn't have any glue on hand to fix them into the shoulder pauldrons. But I gotta say, the suit's looking freshly dipped. The shoulder joints are straight *money*. The teeny magnets work perfectly. They can't support much weight, but they don't really have to. And because they're magnets, you know they'll never wear out like friction-based joints.

And as you can tell, the other nice upgrade over the original--the aligned viewport--is now just about perfect!

And finally, the shoulder mount for the weapon works pretty much without a hitch. I didn't take any pics, but the projectile just slides in and out...and fires perfectly from a stock type c weapon.

So I think I'm gonna do just one more run of all the parts just to be 100% sure of the fit and finish on everything. Once I'm completely satisfied with the design, I'll post it publicly with purchasing instructions (buy in kit form from Shapeways, then hit me up for the magnets). Hotter than sauce...

Unicron Stand Redux!

Guys, I'm putting together a bigger post with the usual progress pics (and tales of woe!) for next week, but I wanted to post some exciting and immediate news. Due to popular demand, I'm pleased to announce the Return of the Throne of Chaos! Yup, Brownnoize Productions' very first TF accessory is going to be available again for at least a limited time.

Need a refresher on this thing? Check out EmGo's killer youtube review:

Ever since BBTS sold out of these Unicron display stands, I've been getting a fairly steady stream of requests from folks for them. Of course, with a day job, my other toy design projects, a girlfriend...y'know--a life!...I simply lacked the resources to offer them anymore. So with a heavy heart, I had to turn away these fellow Chaos cultists! Well, I've been talking it over with my kingpin, Dave, and when we asked our acrylic fabricator if he'd be willing to go back to producing the small batches we were doing before, he said he was all in! WU-TANG!

So things are going to work pretty much the same as before. At first, just to feel things out, we're gonna do a preorder for the initial wave. All ordering and other correspondence will be going through Dave @ unicronstands at gmail.com, but as usual, feel free to hit me up with any questions using the **Contact Brownnoize** link to the right. Depending on how things go, we may offer them perpetually, but for now, we're just focused on hooking up the folks who've been anxious to get these things for ages.

That's pretty much all there is to it--just holla at Dave and he'll guide you through Paypal-ing the money, and once we have a critical mass of preorders, it's off to our fabricator! The response so far has been pretty wild...so THANKS, EVERYONE!!