This is submission #15 for our Halloween Costume Contest, which you can find out all about here. Submissions are now closed! We often see Statue of Liberties and Presidents roaming the streets the night of Halloween. But what about a national monument such as Mt. Rushmore? Check out this costume which was put together for a schoolRead More
ToyXplosion’s Halloween Costume Contest Submission #15 – Mt. Rushmore Costume
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Kanata Hoshikawa by Iizuki Tasuku
Am delighted let you know that popular Japanese illustrator Iizuki Tasuku-sensei [唯々月たすく] has taken time out once again for us! Even though he is busy working on the next eroge title LOVELY X CATION2, he came up with a most wonderful illustration of Kanata Hoshikawa. I'm sure most of you know who she is but if you dont then check out her profile here.
As you may know, Iizuki Tasuku-sensei likes to draw big eyes which is why his interpretation of Kanata ended up being more well endowed than usual ^^;
There is a poll embedded in this article.
We've prepared some 2560px x 1600px wallpapers for you!
Mirai and Kanata in their Summer uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
If you are looking for the wallpapers of just Mirai then you can get them from here.
Mirai and Kanata in their Summer uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Kanata in her Summer uniform at school.
High-res wallpaper here.
Kanata in her Summer uniform at the Monoport.
High-res wallpaper here.
Kanata in her Winter uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Kanata in her Solar Marine uniform. The Docking Bay behind shows the older generation Retrograde Suits.
High-res wallpaper here.
Kanata in her bikini!
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their Summer uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their Summer uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their Winter uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their Winter uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their Solar Marine uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their Solar Marine uniform.
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their bikini!
High-res wallpaper here.
Mirai and Kanata in their bikini!
High-res wallpaper here.
You can also get the raw psd file for all the variations of Kanata-chan illustrated by Iizuki-Tasuku-sensei complete with logos.
Inside the PSD file you will find layers for various facial expressions and all her uniforms. Feel free to use for non-commercial purposes (wallpaper/stickers etc).
Maybe you can make some wallpaper and upload to deviantart or pixiv!
Would be great if some folks can make some Android, iPhone, iPad and other wallpapers too! If you do then just provide a link to http://mirai.fm when uploading - then leave a link in the comments below to your work. Cookies available for folks who come up with exceptional designs!
And dont forget you can get the Iizuku Tasuku-sensei version of the Mirai PSD file here.
More detailed illustrations of Kanata can be found in her profile!
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Dollfie Dream KOS-MOS will be packing some major heat
About a month ago, Volks revealed that they would be turning their attention to the popular lady from Xenosaga, KOS-MOS. The company chose to go with the version of KOS-MOS from Xenosaga III and later revealed that MOMO would be joining her. The question though is how far would Volks be going with KOS-MOS? She already has a bit for body armor and dangling parts which I'm sure is going to make this one of the upper priced dolls.
Well, it looks like it may one of the most expensive dolls now that the Volks Dollfie Dream blog has revealed a sample of the weapon of choice for KOS-MOS, her Gatling gun. And egad! That thing is huge as demonstrated with one of Volks' dolls holding it (with assist from a stand). I'm looking at one of my Dollfie Dream dolls and just cannot compute an accessory of that size. It certainly is something swanky and crazy to have come with one of Volks' dolls. Wait. ...doesn't she dual wield this weapon? If she actually comes with two, this is going to be one of the more insane Dollfie Dream dolls and a seriously must have for collectors. Granted there is still the question of what her face and hair will look like along with the armor.
What other accessories does Volks have planned for their KOS-MOS Dollfie Dream? I actually have no interest in KOS-MOS but I've had a sudden change in attitude and have forgotten all about MOMO. I just need to figure out how much science is willing to pay me for experiments to pay for what is certainly going to be an expensive Dollfie Dream. Any ideas, folks? Or are you keeping that to yourself so you can afford what could possibly one of the more amazing Dollfie Dream dolls?
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The Guts And Gore Inside Your Gadgets Danish artist and design...
The Guts And Gore Inside Your Gadgets
Danish artist and design Mads Peitersen breaks down the anatomy of popular gadgets with these cool illustrations.
From the artist:
The idea is that these gadgets are becoming so advanced and cool today that we almost treat them as if they were alive. In a way users become attached to them:) After you have had your iPhone or your Xbox 360 for a while you slowly begin to see yourself as connected to these brands or gadgets. They almost become an extension of yourself or your hands. It is the feeling that we connect and attach to these machines individually.
The metaphor is that a really rather simple and very dead gadget gives people a feeling of being more present, more alive. And they relate in larger degree with these gadgets almost on a par with a pet or a friend!
Buy: Jason Freeny anatomical wall decals
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Where Do the 'One Percenters' Live?
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This Company Will Always Make Your Portfolio Strong
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My new Land of Nod Exclusive Families!
Some exciting news to share! I was asked last year to design some new works for Land of Nod's Holiday Collection and they are finally out! I designed & made the prototypes of the Hedgehogs and Raccoons pictured above and Land of Nod produced them.
Pretty gosh darn cute if you ask me!
They are available now online here as well as in LON's brand new pop-up-shop in Soho @136 Prince Street Nov 2nd-Dec 31st. I also got to make a GIANT 4-foot raccoon for the display window! Photos of that to come...
And don't worry, I am still my own one-woman sweatshop, gearing up for craftshows and preparing to re-stock the etsy shop with my one-of-a-kind Cotton Monsters and kitties this holiday season! Check back soon for more details and mark your calendars (if you haven't already) for Crafty Bastards in Washington DC, coming up quickly on November 10th! You can buy 2 for 1 admission tickets now!
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Tomopop Review: ESC-Toy's Nathan Drake Naughty Dog ver.
Readers of Tomopop have been quite familiar with the works of Erick Scarecrow and ESC-Toy for quite some time (in fact, we just saw him at NYCC), and one of his more notable figures as of late has been the stylized Nathan Drake figure Erick made around the time of Uncharted 3's release. They've been awfully popular and Erick has put out several colorways after the OG release, including one that we got our hands on: the Naughty Dog ver., based off the logo color scheme of Uncharted developers Naughty Dog.
So now that we've gotten our hands on one of Erick's Drakes, how are they? Is it more than just a DLC bundle-in and worth your money? Dig on in past the jump to find out!
Figure Name: Uncharted 3 Nathan Drake Naughty Dog ver.
Figure Maker: ESC-Toy
Retail: US$49.99
Available at: ESC-Toy Shop
So, we begin as always with the box. It's a rather nice box, with a big open window out front and another on the right side. The ESC-Toy logo and Uncharted 3 logos are prominent on the box, with the back containing all the safety and legal info. The background of the box on all the sides is actually the original design Erick did for the Drake figure, faintly imprinted on the box's surface.
The inside flaps of the box has a little bit of a surprise as well! Not often you see the flaps get any sort of attention in regards to design.
That being said, let's get Drake out of the box:
Popping out of the box, we get a good look at the 7-inch Drake from all angles. With his super-deformed style, he almost feels akin to the older designs of Mario and the like. Given Erick's penchant for designing characters that borrow elements from things like the old-school Mario games that were on the NES, I have no doubt that I'm supposed to feel that way when I look at his Drake.
Moving in for some closer detail, it becomes clear that Erick Scarecrow's fingerprints are all over the design. The cartoonish eyes and nose, bright color palette (even though it's limited to Naughty Dog's colors) and urban-inspired design are all things we've come to expect from ESC-Toy, and each of those elements have made their way into Drake. The lack of sculpted features on his face, like a mouth for instance, and smooth lines of the sculpt also give Drake the feel of a designer toy instead of just a super-deformed figure.
The hair also has that proper Nathan Drake look with elements of Erick's personal touches. That includes the use of the two-tone color scheme on the hair (the front is actually a very dark grey) and the cartoonish-look to the spikes of the hair. So far, everything looks pretty good!
Of course, being cartoonish, Drake has a slightly large gun. It's big but still to scale with his head and hand, with a limited amount of detail. There's not a whole heck of a lot of detail on here, but it fits in comfortably with the remainder of the sculpt. In a way, it almost reminds me of the light guns that came with the Sega Saturn during the 1990s ... which I have somewhere in my collection.
There's actual bunching of his shirt around his waist and belt, with the necessary folds included, and along the ends of his sleeves just before his wrist. You can also see that the ring on the necklace around Drake's neck is PVC, but the necklace itself is cording wrapped around the necklace to let the whole thing rest free. The feet are large enough to offer sufficient stability as a base when you get him out of the box, except for one thing we'll touch on a little later.
There's really no part of the figure that's been neglected when it comes to detailing. Even Drake's pouches have these little creases sculpted into them, and the back of Drake's harness has the Naughty Dog pawprint logo stamped on it. You can also see that the necklace is indeed knotted in the back and that the back of his shirt even seems like it's being stretched forward by Drake's extended left arm. There is a bit of paint seeping outside the lines here and there, but nothing that should be too distracting unless you have Drake planted right against your face.
On Drake's left side is a holster with a pistol inside of it ... which makes me wonder why he has two guns on the same side of his body. Maybe he's switched hands for the pistol already drawn? Eh, I'm sure I'm obsessing over something dumb here. What really matters is that the paintwork here is a little messy up close, probably because there's some hand-painting going on here, but otherwise looks OK. Despite being a second pistol, it feels natural as part of the overall piece.
Even the shoes have some detail, albeit a bit of paint that's uneven. Again, like in other parts, it's there but not terribly noticeable. Even with the limited color palette of the Naughty Dog Drake (it's basically five colors: black, red, white, yellow and gray), Erick's design has enough different components to it that they can all be painted individually without losing any of the detail you might find on the OG Drake.
On the bottom of his shoes, you'll find all the info about the figure stamped here. There's nothing here that should be a surprise, but it's still a tiny, but appreciated touch.
It's worth noting that Drake comes with limited articulation at three points on the sculpt: both wrists and the neck. They're very basic joints that only allow for rotation, but they also come with the one big problem Drake has:
He doesn't stand up if you rotate his joints in certain directions. This is about 99.99999 percent the problem in regards to Drake's head, which has a bit of an uneven weight distribution (it's heavier in the back). Thus, if you turn him too far one way or the other, he tends to topple over. You can always affix Drake to a display surface with sticky tack or some other substance to essentially make this problem go away, but if you're displaying him freely like I was doing for my shoot, beware.
Still, despite the weight balance issue, ESC-Toy's Drake is what we've come to expect from ESC-Toy: a well-sculpted figure with a unique, eye-catching cartoonish design that would really feel at home in anyone's collection. Uncharted fans ... yeah, you probably have already picked this up, but if not, get on it! There's only a few Naughty Dog Drakes left in the ESC-Toy store at the time of this review.
[Thanks to ESC-Toy and Erick for sending Drake along for review!]
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This Is What The PlayStation 4 Looks Like Or at least it’s...
This Is What The PlayStation 4 Looks Like
Or at least it’s what it should look like according to this conceptual mock-up by Nathan Gandotti and Danny Haymond Jr. The pair envision a slimmer, more futuristic body with a solid state drive, WiGig Alliance connectivity, and an attractive light-up controller. Hopefully Sony is taking notes.
Buy: Concept Design 2
Check it: Nintendo 3DS Pro concept design
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Spin Master’s Nascar Bashers to Race at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge
Nascar Bashers will sponsor Nationwide Series driver Cole Whitt in the JR Motorsports No. 88 car at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge on November 3 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The Bashers car will run the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge on November 3 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Bashers [...]
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Cinefex Magazine - The Dark Knight Rises Batman Movie Issue #131 in Stores Now!
Back in the late 1980's I had a friend named John who was an extremely serious Video Photographer. In fact, he went on to work on many TV Commercials & even some Hollywood films. The reason I bring him up is that he always reminds me of Cinefex Magazine. He used to totally worship this publication like a Religion, ha! It's a pretty unique magazine in the way that it covers Camera Techniques, Special Effects, Film Specs, Lighting, Sound eFX, etc... I mean it, this isn't one of those mags that talk about stupid celebrity gossip, it's a serious look at the real behind-the-scenes type stuff about how they REALLY make movies.
Anyways, I wanted to send a shout-out to my friend John and let him know that the latest issue of Cinefex #131 covers everything about THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Batman Movie.
It also has some in-depth articles on the making of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, TOTAL RECALL, and ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER. This new issue is in stores now or you can order it online from their official website, just CLICK HERE!
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Kimberly Moore's ANNE HATHAWAY CATWOMAN Cosplay Pics!
This is just a very quick post to share some photos I came across on Facebook the other night. This is our friend Kimberly Moore dressed-up as our favorite feline, Catwoman! Of course this is the "Anne Hathaway" version from THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Batman Movie... MMMMEOW!!
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Designer Con 2012: Nonesuch Garden
When I first saw Nonesuch Garden’s work on the Circus Posterous blog, I was in complete awe!! I’m thrilled that Megan Baehr will be at the upcoming Designer Con. Visit booth 526 to adopt one of her Berry Sproutlings. Each … Continue reading →![]()
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TOKYO TOY GUY - The BATMAN Vintage Toy Collector Movie!
Check out this cool Movie Poster & Teaser Trailer Video ( down below ) for TOKYO TOY GUY, The BATMAN Memorabilia Collector Movie!! Yes, this is a film our Good friend Yuji Ueda has been working on for over 5 years. He traveled to 6 different Countries around the World to focus his video camera on some of the most major Batman Toy Collections in the world!!
Seriously, this documentary will completely torture every serious Vintage Toy Collector out there because it has some of the most amazing, and super-rare, museum-quality stuff that you will probably ONLY see in this film.
It's still in post-production right now but please be sure to look for it to appear around November 2012. Also, please stay tuned to the BAT-BLOG.COM because as soon as we have more info we will pass it along. Yes, we're seriously excited about seeing this movie!!!
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Show Openings: October 25th to October 31st
Gary Taxali and The Royal Canadian Mint 2012 Holiday Coin Launch Reception on Thursday October 25th 2012 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM Onsite at OCAD 230 Richmond Street West Toronto, ON Gold King Dunny Release and Signing With Tristan Eaton Takes place on Thursday October 25th 2012 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM Kidrobot LA 7972 Melrose Avenue [...]
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Brutherford Industries x Clutter Dia Del Helado Muerto (11.10)
Clutter Magazine has teamed up with Brutherford Industries to put together their very first group show at their NY location. Dia Del Helado Muerto will feature a number of custom Ice Scream Man figures following the Day of the Dead theme. The opening reception will take place on Saturday, November...
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Update on Violet Eyes That Weren't
Mattel/Barbie Collector came through on this one. They sent me a return label and I sent the wonky-eyed Miss Liz back to them. Today I received a new one with properly screened eyes. I am pleased. It did not cost me anything additional, except time, to get a good doll.
Her eyes are still not violet but neither are the promo's eyes.
So, the moral of the story is, don't settle for a messed up doll![]()
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So, the moral of the story is, don't settle for a messed up doll
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'Skylanders Giants' Review: Basically Diablo For The Kids, But With Toys
Skylanders Giants is a marvelous blend of toys and video games. A look at the latest game from developer Toys For Bob.
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All-New Line Of Merchandise Based On The Eagerly Awaited Download, Angry Birds™ Star Wars™, Lands At Toys"R"Us®
WAYNE, N.J., Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As Rovio Entertainment and Lucasfilm Ltd. gear up for the November 8 worldwide debut of the new Angry Birds ™ Star Wars ™ app, Toys"R"Us ® stores and ...
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Hyperactive Monkey Designer Con 2012 Exclusive
PRODUCT-PRESS: 'Hyperactive Monkey presents their 2012 Designer-Con Exclusive, The Deluxe Ninja Monkey Quicksilver Edition. This Ninja Monkey was designed by Hyperactive Monkey, sculpted by Squid Kids Ink and manufactured by Mana Studios.
The Deluxe Ninja Monkey stands 5” tall and comes with 2 katana blades, 2 ninja stars, 1 kusarigama and a mini black on silver foil print. This exclusive run
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More Pages to Explore .....
