Top 10 Thoughts After Viewing This Trailer … 10) This is actually an amazing trailer … they have actually edited the WORST parts of Phantom Menace, AND added a community access channel “funny man,” narrator to explain in 400 words why you need to see Phantom Menace …because it’s so freakin’ complicated. 09) Somehow LucasFilm [...]
Star Wars Phantom Menace “Kids” Trailer … World’s First Anti-Trailer?
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Health-related Billing and Coding Wage Array
If you have been contemplating about heading to deliver the results or starting a profession as a health biller or coder you’re in all probability pondering what sort of wage to assume. A biller or billing specialist facilitates procedure insurance coverage statements and can have a assortment of titles like Medical Assistant Programs , [...]
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Iran bans 'The Simpsons' toys, report says
Doh!
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Wolverine (Mega Bloks)
Wolverine has become the public face of the X-Men in recent years, so it shouldn’t be surprising to see him in this form. In a classic uniform, this Logan is a standout among the sea of Iron Men in this line so far. Appearance: He’s a block figure. So there’s some caricature at work here. [...]
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GI Joe Superbowl Trailer And Hasbro Toy Line
Superbowl day is upon us. Food. Wings. Pizza. Friends. The two Fs, one P, and a W. Oh yea. And beer. So, FFPWB day is here! Rejoice! But there’s more than just FFPWB on Superbowl Sunday. There’s those commercials that everyone loves. For just one day, people forget that these vehicles of imagery made to...
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Tomopop Interview: Pepe Hiller
While most of the time on Tomopop, we deal with the world of plastics or resins or coldcast pieces, Pepe Hiller's wooden creatures from his Swiss studio are just as eye-catching and creative as anything else you might see on the site. They often take on simple, yet endearing and even whimsical looks (like the Boosos you see above) and while they're usually limited runs based on the nature of their construction and materials, constant sellouts of Pepe's collectibles are pretty good proof that people love that look.
We recently talked to Pepe about his toys, what brought him to making wooden critters (and what he likes about working with wood), and what some of his plans for the future are, among other things. Hit the jump to check out the full interview!
Tell us a bit about yourself, Pepe. What's your background?
I'm a 30-year-old designer, artist and architectural model builder with 12 years of experience in model building and prototyping. Based out of Zurich, Switzerland, I've received my Bachelor of Design degree in Industrial Design/Scenographical Design from Zurich University of the Arts. I started to create my own toys a few years ago out of resin, and since then, I'm fully dedicated to the toy world! My recent work is mainly focused on limited series of self-produced wood designer toys.
Woodsprites by Pepe
What brought you into working with wood for your creations?
I‘m a guy who loves to try out new materials, tools and techniques. I usually work with a lot of different plasics at my day job and not that much with solid wood. So wood brings a great diversion to me and to my own design process. I totally fell in love with wood soon after I started to do my first wood toys. It‘s such a beautiful material and the diversity of all the characteristics, colors and grains is so wonderful work with!
How long does the process usually take from start to finish when creating your wooden creatures?
Usually, I'm very fast at doing a first prototype of an idea I have in my sketchbook and want to work on. But then it can take weeks to find the perfect shape and refine all the details to the finished version. When I'm satisfied with the design, I usually do a first small limited handmade series of 5 to 20 pieces for shows, stores or for releases directly trough my online shop. Besides the needed time for designing and producing pieces, there are always other tasks like shooting pictures, writing background stories, thinkering about packaging and promoting my toys that consumes a lot of time, too.
What inspires you most in regards to your style and designs?
I‘m a person who loves to play on all design playgrounds myself, so I try to keep my eyes open for outstanding art every day. The list of the artists who‘s work I admire goes from the Art Noveau artist Alfons Mucha to the conceptual architect Lebbeus Woods or to the contemporary sculptor Ron Mueck. There are also a lot of designers from the art toy scene whose work I do follow closely and try to get an idea where we're heading with our niche art. One of the most inspiring experiences for me is to meet other artists or collectors of the very friendly "toy family." It's so nice get to know new people, share interests and support each other with new projects and ideas.
Keeper of the Sotek custom Qee
In addition to working with wood, you also do customs of vinyl figures as well as original resin pieces. Which medium do you usually find you enjoy working in the best? Which one is the easiest to work with?
I would say for now it's definitively the woodwork that I enjoy the most. A lot of toy designers and toy collectors give me positive feedback about my wood toys and they all want to see more wood characters from me! :) I'm also always on the look out for materials that I can combine with wood. I recently just dabbled my toes into digital modeling and rapid prototyping. It's amazing that I'm able to digitally sculpt a figure, and hours later, I hold the design as a 3D print in my hands for further production. I just love to jump from digital high-tech methods to the true handcrafted work all the time and see what's best for my needs on each project.
You've already collaborated with Cris Rose on his Arborobots series. Are there plans to work with other artists? Do you have any artists that you really want to work with?
I really enjoy working with other artists and designers from all around the world! I already can tell you the collaboration with Cris Rose wasn't a one off thing; there will be a lot more Arborobots this year and the family will grow! It's great to push things further with other creatives that have the same urge to create awesome designs and new toys. I already have tons of projects and collabs in line for the this year, but honestly, I don't have art idols I'm running after ... I do like the work of a few great artists very much, but when it comes to collaborations, everybody out there could be a great partner to design an amazing figure with.
In addition to your style, there's also an underlying idea of eco-friendliness, not only in your characters' stories but their materials as well. How much of an importance do you place on that in your pieces?
It‘s a good feeling when I can use renevable and eco-friendly materials like wood for the most of my creatures, but on the other hand, I don‘t want to limit myself too much with this. I also like to work with resin or vinyl once in a while. So I'm not the eco-activist kind of guy, but I try not to waste too many resources and to be happy with what I've got.
Arborobots by Pepe and Cris Rose
What are you working on for the future right now? Anything you can share with us?
Besides a few comissions and shows in sight, I'm already working on a bunch of collaboration wood projects with very talented artists from the UK and U.S. Like I mentioned, there will be new series of wood crafted "Arborobots" with Cris Rose from London and a little collab with Lunabee from the UK as well. I'm also trying to push the very small art toy scene here in Switzerland a little and hopefully can make it more accessible for a wider audience and new local collectors. And, of, course there will be hordes of new Pepe Hiller wood toy designs crafted by myself.
When you're not in the studio, what do you like to do for fun?
Designing toys really is my fun part! To be able working on my own stuff at my workshop is far most the greatest joy! Besides that, I try to stay informed about the latest buzz in the art toy and design scene and once in a while, I go out for a ride over the Swiss Alps with my bike.
Thank you, Pepe, for the opportunity to do this interview! You can follow Pepe on Facebook here.
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Iran Ban Simpsons Toys
The Simpsons have now joined Barbie as targets of an Iranian crackdown, putting one of the iconic blonde doll's biggest critics on the same blacklist as her. Citing some kind of vague moral opposition to The Simpsons, Mohammad Hossein Farjoo (who Reuters awesomely describes as the head of an agency that "oversees what Iranian children can play with") said authorities would crack down on sales of ...
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Star Wars Fighter Pods From Hasbro
What was once available primarily for a quarter (or two) at the exit of supermarkets world wide, squishy toys have become a dominant force in the world of toys since the recent success of Squinkies. While there are many licenses including Cars, Power Rangers and even a new Spongebob set, there is nothing for Star...
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UPDATE Hasbro: Avengers Mini Mighty Muggs Revealed
Hasbro will be offering a slew of Avengers Mini Mighty Muggs including comic book styled two packs featuring Captain America Vs. Red Skull, Hulk Vs. Abomination, Iron Man Vs. Iron Monger, and Thor Vs. Loki, as well a six pack of feature film inspired versions of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk (not shown), Hawkeye, and Nick Fury. Wait a minute, isn't someone missing? Hmmm... Where do you think the Black Widow will show up? Click the thumbnails above for a closer look. Both series will be available in March.
UPDATE: Don't sweat the little details. Our friend Paul handed us an image of the missing Hulk. Follow the link for a peak and tell us if you can, why they would ever think revealing this Mini Mighty Mugg with all the others would have in any way spoiled the Avengers film...
UPDATE: Don't sweat the little details. Our friend Paul handed us an image of the missing Hulk. Follow the link for a peak and tell us if you can, why they would ever think revealing this Mini Mighty Mugg with all the others would have in any way spoiled the Avengers film...
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Fuller Brush Contest – WINNER!
And the winner is…..Mike Manifold! Mike, shoot Tizmanian an email at tizmanian (at) yahoo (dot) com with your physical address so we can get your prize mailed out! We loved all of the entries in this one so we had to select the winner randomly. More contest fun to come! Winner originally announced in first [...]
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Prophecy: First Star Wars Bootleg Figure from Suhaimi’s Gulliver Chronicles
Suhaimi’s Gulliver Chronicles (SGC) is a geekfest Facebook fan page, where news on toys & other pop culture info are shared, including (but not only limited to) Star Wars and sci-fi films. As well movie outings or organized whenever a SW or related movie is released.For their maiden toy release, they will be collaborating with “Killerbootleg” to produce a bootlegged SW toy for the Site, under the
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Akemi Homura Nendoroid
Tis another giveaway time! This time round Akemi Homura Nendoroid is up for grabs which is being given away by the good folks at Hobby Search - a trusted online retailer of figures and hobby goods.
This time I'd like to thank all my Facebook comrades for their continued support - currently just under 150,000 comrades.
If you would like to take a stab at winning Homu homu all for yourself, all you have to do is like my Facebook page and then share this post on Facebook. I can see how many of you shared it (like this) - I will choose one person at random this time next week and announce the winner on Facebook. You have to share publicly for me to be able to see your shares.
While you are at it - would be great if you could share your Facebook url with us too!
Good luck!
Oh, the winner of the last giveaway was Jahn!
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set database: LEGO 9493 x-wing starfighter
set database: LEGO 9493 x-wing starfighter
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set number: 9493
set name: x-wing starfighter
theme: starwars, episode 4-5-6
year: 2012
pieces: 560
prices: us$60
minifigs: 4
come with an x-wing starfighter.
set name: x-wing starfighter
theme: starwars, episode 4-5-6
year: 2012
pieces: 560
prices: us$60
minifigs: 4
the starfighter has retractable landing gear, 2 proton torpedoes, an openable cockpit and foldable wings for attack mode.
can be customized into red five marking or red six marking.
minifigs included a luke sykwalker minifig, a jek porkins minifig, an r2-d2 droid minifig and an r5-d8 droid minifig.
great playability.
overall design is great.
must have for starwars lovers.
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Robert Atkins Cobra Commander Custom Contest
Robert Atkins Cobra Commander Custom Contest
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eBay Today: One Of The Rarest Play Sets Ever
If you want to find the exact point that action figures went from being children's toys to something far more culturally important, you needn't set the DeLorean any further back than 1979. It's true, that was the year that changed everything. Even though Kenner told you to "start your own collection of Star Wars action figures and space vehicles" in 1978, they boldly told us to "Collect All 21" in 1979. Granted, if Star Wars was the only reason that 1979 was so significant, there would only be Rebelscum and no Cool Toy Review.
Another exceptionally rare piece from 1979 has turned up on eBay, and it is down to the last two days. Follow this link to check out the MISB Mego Star Trek: The motion Picture U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge, and consider that when the loose one from our Photo Archive went up on eBay after shooting it, sold for over $700. What we are witnessing here is possibly the defining value for a sealed specimen. Make sure to check it out while you still can.
Another exceptionally rare piece from 1979 has turned up on eBay, and it is down to the last two days. Follow this link to check out the MISB Mego Star Trek: The motion Picture U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge, and consider that when the loose one from our Photo Archive went up on eBay after shooting it, sold for over $700. What we are witnessing here is possibly the defining value for a sealed specimen. Make sure to check it out while you still can.
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BAT SPUD! New BATMAN Mr. Potato Head Toy for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Movie!
OK, Just a quick post to share news about a brand-new Batman Toy that will be coming out around June of 2012, BAT-SPUD!! Here is the Batman-themed Mr. Potato Head for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Movie !! I wonder if Hasbro is going to also make a Bane & Catwoman one too, ha ha!
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BAT VIDEO - Sammy's BATMAN Dark Knight Mega Cape by Mattel
Shown right here is some photographic proof on Video that Batman's secret identity is actually a cool kid named Sammy! OK, I thought this video posted by a Parent on YouTube was kinda cute. Plus, it showcases what a really awesome toy the "Batman Dark Knight Mega Cape" was that Mattel made a couple of years ago!
![CLICK HERE For More Batman The Dark Knight Rises Video!]()
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Fashion Inspiration?
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| Carmen Dell Orefice in 1954 Revlon ad |
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| Monogram Allure |
I ordered this Monogram doll because of the outfit and it doesn't bother me that it was copied. I just can't believe that there is no copyright protection. I remember that a few years ago Jason Wu got involved in some kind of movement to protect designers' work. The copying of designs for dolls was brought up on the boards shortly after that. I think that movement sort of fizzled.
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Hasbro Q4 Profit Beats, But Domestic Sales Weak
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Pic of the Day > Marvel Team-Up by make little sharks
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More Pages to Explore .....
