Holiday season...

I'm a curmudgeon...and the actual holidays most Westerners celebrate this time of year only remind me of rampant, ingrained materialism and the thoughtless destruction of indigenous civilizations. But as with all things, you pick your battles. There are things to be hopeful about at this time of the year. I mean, Diwali was earlier this month. The Patriots and Celtics are fucking DOMINANT. This is the best time of the year for Boston weather (in my opinion anyway; I fear no cold). And there's lots of time offa work so I can chill with my people.

At first, I wasn't planning on showing too much more shit before the big release. But fuck it. Before I throw down, here's a little pre-turkey update...

Material testing is done, y'all! The special prototype urethane we've been messing with has checked out a solid 95% suitable...and that busted 5% can be made up for with some special tricks up our sleeves. That means that the actual final prototype--yes, we're talking white, blue, yellow, red RX-78-3 type shit here--is in the midst of being created. I'm hoping to have it in hand next week...then on to final fabrication!

Aiight...so what do I have for you today? Well, since I can't quite give away all my secrets just yet, I'ma have to break your balls some. Peep this busted-ass preview pic of the outer packaging!

Yeah, it'll give you a fucking headache if you stare at it too long! But...you get the idea. VERY Popy. Hella flavor. This shit is real-deal, folks. To keep the cost of this toy within the realm of "affordable" (yeah, fucking right!), the packaging's a hybrid of ideas we kicked around for *a while*. A full blown 100% dope Popy style cardboard box would have increased the retail price of the toy almost $20...no joke. AND...that doesn't even include the styrofoam tray...good luck getting that shit sourced.

So what we've come up with is a slick compromise. The primary packaging is going to be a plain white heavy corrugated cardboard shipper. Inside, convoluted foam (yup, egg crate material!) will be used to cushion the toy. But to make this shit rock domes, we have a slipcase that goes over the whole rig. That is what you see above. And it's bangin'! I seriously think you will be pleased!

As always, stay tuned for more...

What's the latest??

No pics this time...sorry!

But I can give you some dope news this time around. Check it...so why are there so many prototypes shown in that last blog post anyway? I mean, it ain't like we playing around and just pumping these figures out in different colors & shit! :P

We are knee-deep in the material testing phase right now. Don't that sound fresh??? That yellow joint below is currently over at the fabricator's shop getting tested for suitability. Suitable for what? Well, it'll all become clear eventually. That lil dude's getting sacrificed to the volcano as we speak...but the sacrifice will NOT be in vain. I'll just say for now that if all goes well with these tests, a final prototype will be built...and it's off to get produced. Actual production toys!

Could y'all actually see this motherfuckin' toy by the holidays??? Maybe...just maybe!

And in the meantime...the packaging is complete.

Stay tuned... ;)

Prototype Parade...

Okay, so you guys have been good, so I'll hit y'all up with another update! Haha

First of all, the name of the game is prototyping. Okay, okay--it's got other names like "hurry up and wait", "delayed and over-budget", and "where's your fucking toy!?" HA! But for real, like I've been saying all along, we're developing a process here. I know I haven't given y'all much in terms of details yet, but on the strength, we're pulling some shit that VERY few people have tried before. And early on, I committed to dropping this joint the absolute best way I can.

Haha...aiight, I've pretty well left my late summer/early fall release date goal in the dust. I didn't wanna start blogging and diddling y'all until there was something real about to touch down. It's all good, though.

See, I'm happy with where we're at--if not with how much dough I've dropped into researching this shit! Heh...but like I said, I committed to sparing no expense--time or scratch--whatsoever in exploring every idea and paving the way for many more toys like these to be produced locally and (relatively) cheaply. I just didn't think it'd take this motherfucking long! :P

But we have results! Developing a unique toy production process by dolo may be a bit daunting, but it's happening, word is bond. And here's some shit for y'all...consider it proof that I'm not just sitting here, poundin' off to delusions of grandure!



That's a whole lotta prototypes. And, no, I'm not about to take a clearer or better-lit shot for y'all. C'mon now. I'm trying to keep this shit at least a LITTLE under wraps, y'knowmsayin? But anyway, with the system we have in place right now, I'm hoping that in the next two weeks or so, I'll have a finalized prototype to send to my fabricator. Yeah, some RX-78-2 type shit...just no whiney Amuro getting smacked like a bitch all the time! ;)

BLAO!!

Secrets, secrets, secrets...

Man, you'd think I just gave up or some shit! :P Haha...definitely not--but I do feel like I owe y'all a status report.

Well, before I do, I wanna remark about some interesting shit I've been noticing. One of the funny things about being involved in the creative side of a typically consumer-based hobby like this...is SECRETS! A lot of us are doing making websites, making comics, painting toys, making toys...with out-of-pocket money. And ain't none of us lamping on any fat yachts. Punk rockers call it "DIY", and I'd like to think that spirit isn't dead. But the thing is, in order to keep doing this stuff, and keep it fresh, and keep from over-hyping your shit, ya gotta maintain your secrets!

So what generally happens is you keep all your shit on the down-low, then pop as soon as you're ready to drop. Sure, you can release a little teaser info here and there (like the pics below) just to connect with your people and generate a little buzz before shit blows up. That's legit. But that's MAD different from some of the bullshit out there--not to digress--like the NagNagNag soft vinyl toy (don't know? better not ask somebody--trust me). But the reality is that you don't want to over-promise...then under-deliver later, y'knowmsayin? What sucks more than having your expectations for an ill movie get inflated...only to have it suck when it finally comes out? And not only that: it also sucks to drop all this info about a release...and then have delays after delays after delays keep pushing it off until no one fucking cares anymore (hey, that sorta happened with the Super7 Jumbo Stormtrooper).

Heh...so my "plan" was to create this blog only a couple weeks before the first toy was ready to ship. Didn't quite make it, huh? ;) It's all good, though. Make progress every day, they say. And that's what's happening. Packaging is finally almost done...and y'all should thank your gods that I spared you that nightmare (let's just say I'm on my third fucking printing company). And most importantly, I should have what I'm hoping is the final prototype in my hands by the end of the week. I think at that point, some legit photos will be in order!

East Coast Chogokin Summit

Been almost a couple weeks since my last update, but don’t get it twisted. Things are proceeding quite nicely. Trust me! Even with the cat mostly out of the bag among the inner circle folks, we’ve got some surprises in the works for ya.

But enough of that, I just wanted to talk about the Summit real quick. This year…fantastic. The turnout was incredible, but more importantly than that, we just had a dope time having great conversation with a solid crew of heads. We had a lot of the local Massholes including the Godfather, Alen, and of course greats like Josh DX (JoshB), Josh ST (fraser), Ed (atease), Mason (mcfitch), Keith F., and Dave (Nekrodave). We had cats from all along the eastern seaboard like Jason (Jerilock), Mark (machinesoldier), Dan and Nadia (shogundan, and shogunnadia), and Chris (ChrisM). Solid heads like Ben (Prometheum5), Jon (repairtechjon), Charles (chachipower), Dan (Anavel), and Josh (The Enthusiast) were on hand as well and added much to the event. Legends in the vinyl game, liquidsky and locomoto566 were there to rep kaiju…I just wish there was more time to pick their brains about what they collect and what they think of the “vinyl scene”…

Naturally, assorted toy widows and widowers abounded.

And I’m sure I’m forgetting tons of other “regulars” (apologies)…

But what blew my mind the most was the number of new folks that showed up. There were local folks like the brothers, Chris and Scott, and Mecha Zone’s David White, who knew about us through these sites, but had never registered. Well, they not only showed up to the Summit to meet us all (a tremendous honor), but also brought tons of toys and a genuine desire to hang out, get to know the crew, and share the love.

I’ll be sure to get my pics uploaded soon…I’m a fucking lazy chooch. But for now, there’s plenty of shit for y’all to sift through. There’s a brog on TBDX, it’s accompanying thread…and a completely separate lead-up thread on the OT. On CDX, there’s a dope photo thread and a wrap-up thread with some killer video.

Cookout. Toy talk. Retiring to Mason’s lair for some Grandizer-watching and a skype call from the Chairman. Dinner at local diner. Dim sum the next morning. All amazing. If y’all are around the Boston area next summer, holla.

I'll leave you a nice shot JoshF took at the Summit...and yet another random teaser:

Nature of the beast...

Unfortunately, the reality of making shit like this involves one big obstacle: learning to accept delays. For example, yesterday, I ran into a couple--namely, packaging. Bags and header cards for vinyl kaiju are great...but for something like what I've got cooking, they just aren't gonna cut it.

I was hoping to show off the completed packaging (and a figure in some state of completion) at the East Coast Chogokin Summit. But no dice. I'll spare you the agony of detailing the nature of the delays, but let's just say that Photoshop bugs can be a bitch to work around.

But whatever, man...the gears keep on grinding...

In the meantime, here's some more Photoshop teasing!