Man I wrote this about 2 weeks ago now, since then I've been moving house, which still isn't ready (still awaiting the kitchen and bathroom to be finished). So I haven't had the chance to get on the net often enough.
So here 'ti's..a small review on 3 of the toys I bought in Japan...
I'm packing to move house at the moment so haven't been able to unpack some of my booty from my Japan trip.
I managed to snap a few the other day out the front in some bright but overcast light.
My first boogie... baby,
So stoked to find this one at a good price, I loved it when it was released.
I also saw some very expensive mib boogies upward of 3-400 at Mandarake :/
A thing of beauty, awesome colours awesome drippy beauty.
Dr Mortality!
A big surprise for me was Secret Base.
For some reason or other, never really a big fan, for which I'm grateful for as that shit was expensive a few years back! But after seeing it in person I have to say...
I get it, and ... since SB is such a big part of Japanese vinyl, about time hey.
There's that something special about SB toys,a simpleness?... not sure, but there is something about their designs overall. Anyway, heaps of cheap SB at Mandarake :) I wish I got more, I was a bit pissed at not grabbing a sweet cheap gid orange obake.
and also missed out on an all black Obake Dog for 2000yen! (not sure, but thats gotta be a good price).... but the guy who scored it was a real SB fan, an older fella and cool guy as we had a friendly chat about SB vinyl.
My first SB piece was a blue GID ghost.
A fun simple design that glows like Chernobyl cheese! Turning the lights out in the ryokan was so great at the end of the night.
Any way, back to Dr mortality, this was another toy that didnt appeal over the net, but seeing in person really blew me away!
I gotta say it was probably the marbled vinyl that really got me with this toy, it's not purple spray on a green vinyl, its marbled. And interestingly each one was, pretty much all marbled in the same places with only minor differences. I knew this 'coz the friendly staff allowed me to paw over a bunch of 'em so I could pick one I liked best. Yep that marbling is a one cool gimmick!
I saw a few other Dr mortality's at mandarake and the colours didnt do it for me so I am very glad to have this one though the pale pink one was so wrong it was kinda cool.
All in all one bad ass toy.
Toygraph UFO MOFO (actual name GUNHEAD creature on a flying saucer)
The next one was a big surprise for me because as soon as I saw it on the net I was excited and even though I ended up buying both versions, when I first saw it in the shop I had mixed feelings about it. It was much bigger than I thought, big and chunky (about the size of a medium frisbee), looking more like a cheap kiddies toy than the smaller, tighter production I had in mind. I thought maybe Toygraph had missed the mark on this one, but after sitting on my shelf for a bit, has definitely grown on me.. and photographing it today has me totally digging it and enjoying it for what it is. A big chunky piece 'o' fun vinyl, heaps of crazy detail, brash and nutso. I mean its got a six shooter head! A cyclops gorilla shoulder! And totes a double whammy chainsaw! Plus other surprises. This thing is brutal!
Nearly all black, (except for its bright pink ride) alot of the detail gets lost.
I have to say its one of the oddest toys recently released but I like it.
(though just quietly..I'd love to see this at half the size with the same detail)
Fun as.
What I liked most about the toy experience in Japan was the chance to see things I didnt think I liked upclose and getting a fresh perspective. The net is great but in person is the best.
