Welcome to MAX'S BRAIN - Archives - lots of pics so may take awhile to load (!) ================================================= ================================= 03/24/10 - Check out our web store for a few items from the Kaiju Comrades 2 show ... and if you haven't seen this video yet, check out master craftsman Shimizu-san pouring Max Toy mini vinyls ! with further coverage on Boing Boing site and CNN web site !
==================== 03/22/10 - Finally updating here ;-) for those who do not know I have been blogging about my trip to Japan and the Kaiju Comrades 2 art toy show over on my Toy Karma blog ...not much left to sell from the show, but i have a few pieces I will post up to the web store in the next day or so for anyone interested.... more news soon !
03/09/10 - Off to Tokyo !- Off to Tokyo and the Kaiju Comrades 2 show, if you place an order between now and the 16th of March, we will not be able to process or mail your order till my return. Full report and videos when I get back ! Kaiju Comrades 2 - UpDates ! I can't believe in a matter of days i will be winging my way to Tokyo for Kaiju Comrades 2 ! We just got pre-show coverage in Hyper Hobby and Quanto magaizines in Japan ;-) Over the next few days on my Toy Karma Blog, I will be posting preview images of the amazing art and exclusives that wil be available at the show... you can also check out the OneUp link for images as well ...! All items will be available starting on the first day of the show, March 12th.. we will serve customers who come to the show in person, first.. at the shows end we will make them available to everyone. We'll post more details about that soon...
and these cool tees will be available as well !
Minis Update ! - They are in production, hope to have them before I leave for Japan, but if not should have them upon my return..thank you for waiting.. there coming ! Oh ya, and we'll have a few as keychains, too ;-)
02/19/10 - Kaiju Comrades 2 .... Soon !
Thanks to OneUp check out this LINK for updated info ( http://www.one-up.org/kc2.htm ) on exclusive toys and previews of toys and art for sale ! This link will have the latest image updates so keep checking back.. I just saw some amazing work by Emilio Garcia ( Jumping Brain fame ) that I know will sell out (!!) - show is free, opens to the public on March 12th-14th, Design Festa Gallery, Harajuku, Tokyo - Japan, See you there ! and Club members look for another email offering this Red Steregon from NerdOne ! Thank you sold out !
UpDate on Minis - Wow, is all I can say .. the orders have far exceeded my projections, in fact the order to the factory had to be amended twice, and as of today that order is still short ... fear not, I have a final third order going in next week.. and that will be it ;-) Club members, thank you for your pre-orders, your order will be filled in a few weeks... we will have very limited amounts to sell via our website as well ... ================================== 02/12/10 - Minis Land .. just not enough of them !
Ok, if your a club member look for an email today for pre-orders for the first release of the new mini series in Neon Pink ! We have some now in stock ready to ship, but, here's the but .. only have 3 Eyezons (!!) Yikes ... don't worry I have many more on order with the factory, and these are expected to be in stock in about 2 weeks or so .... 02/03/10 - Test Shots Land !
It's always hard to gage the size of toys in pictures, so hopefully the video will help ;-) and this group shot with standard size max toy's behind their Mini sized versions ... coming soon to our web store !
02/01/10 - Captain Maxx Mini Kaiju series ! This Sunday, debuts at the Winter Wonderfest in Japan ! Yo will be at the Max Toy / Dead Presidents table, A07-08 ! here's a sneak peek at the test shots ! Don't worry you will be order them soon via the max toy store.
01/25/10- Captain Maxx Mini Kaiju Series
Test shots will be posted soon, All 5 minis will debut at the Winter Wonderfest show in Japan, in February ! We will have them as well .. so stay tuned !
Thanks to Max Toy Club members the Rainbow Neo Eyezon has sold out ( sorry about that to non members ) Friday we will offer up the Eyezon 2 pack custom ( see below ) to all our email lists. The price will be $200 per set.. I will only have 2 sets to sell, if I sell out than you can also buy a set from D-Lux web store. Only 6 sets were made for sale. Now sold out ! 1/21/10 - Sold Out - thank you !
in other news look for this new Kaiju Eyezon coolab between Mark Nagata and D-Lux ! it's been awhile since I've done a 2 pack collab and I think this one truned out really nice ! D-Lux uses a Winter theme on his Eyezon, with a very cool, glitter top coat (!), on mine I took a Spring approach .. even though i painted this while the rain poured down (!) One can hope for warmer days ! ... we will release these next week ... oinly 6 sets, 3 offered by D-Lux and 3 offered here...
we have SOLD OUT of the Winter Wonderfest Eyezons( thanks !)... working hard on the Kaiju Comrades show in Tokyo March 12th -14th Design Festa gallery east, we'll post some art previews soon and exclusives news ...phew .. more news soon !
1/18/09 - and last but not least the final Mini Kaiju sculpt is revealed, Mini Eyezon by Makino-san of TTToys ....
1/15/10 - OneUp ! We're pleased to announce that OneUp of Japan is now an official sponsor of Max Toy Co itemsin Japan ! Ken and his crew have always been most helpful and generous in their support of Max Toys, so it was a natural fit to partner up. Look for unique colorways of Max Toy figures, including the upcoming mini figure line ! You can visit OneUp here on the web, and when in Japan, visit their famous store in the Nakano Sunshine Mall ;-)
01/03/10- Mini Drazoran ! Happy New Year ! .... continuing with Max Toy characters" getting small", we have a quick look at Mini Drazoran, sculpted by Yamashita-san ( Nakayoshi ) .. shown here in progress ... more details on this and the others VERY soon .. I bet you can guess what the last one is ? Can you ?!!
Happy Holidays to All !
I wanted to take this time to thank everyone for their support this year, for sure it's been a tough year for collectors.. but, I appreciate your continued positive Toy Karma.. and I want to send back out the same to you all ! This year has been quite busy for me and Max Toy Co, as I look back some of the events we had or participated in include Kaiju Comrades 1, Toy Karma 2 and Kaiju Invade San Francisco shows, SDCC 2009 and Tokyo Wonderfests, Superfests, Patchi Summit and Kaiju Blue show...finished up my work on the Killer Kaiju Monsters book ( coming early 2010), had several Max Toys in the Owl City - FireFlies- number one video, self published my art book, and painted too many customs to count ;-P , oh ya and inbetween all that moved myself and my collection ( something i do not recommend for the faint of heart !) I know I'm leaving out stuff.. but for sure 2010 is already planned out, with Kaiju Comrades 2 in March in Tokyo, Kaiju Attack in Barcelona in June, SDCC 2010 with StrangeCo, Giant Fiberglass Eyezon release, New toys released for Winter Wonderfest in Japan ... and a few surprises in the works ;-) Ok I'm getting ahead of myself but for sure some exciting things planned ! Oh ya, and the rest of the items form KISF show are now online via Double Punch site ... please go and support these guys and what they do .. thanks ! also look for an exclusive video interview with Sunguts and Dream Rockets on the Double Punch site very soon ! 12/24/09 - a quick update below... and note we'll be closed next week, so if you place an order ,we will mail them out after Jan 1st, 2010. Have a safe and Happy Holidays folks !
mini alien xam sculpted by Yamomark ! coming very soon !
12/16/09 -
The fantastic four ? perhaps, ha-ha ... good times at the Kaiju Invade San Francisco show ... ! 12/16/09 - Kaiju Invade San Francisco at Double Punch show opens ! Thank you to all who came out to meet and great Sunguts, Dream Rockets and Dead Presidents Designs, and myself .. we ha d a blast and hooe you did too ! Sunguts and Dream Rockets will be back, today at Double Punch at 3pm .. for those who missed the opening ... the show runs till December 30th, and any unsold customs will be up on the Double Punch web store by Monday, December 14th. Sorry don't have all the images uop but will soon on my blog..in the meantime besure and check out these other blogs for complete coverage, Toy Karma, ToyBot studios, Kaiju Chronicle, Kaiju Art, .and here Neon Monster ....
santa sunguts ! Sunguts has an fantastic array of figures, paintings, customs, and even polystone statues ! Dream Rocket, brought some of the most stunning customs I have seen him paint ( pics to come !) and of course Dead Presidents killed us all with his jaw dropping figures !
walker, slow and steady shows off his mad pin stripe skills .. amazing !
debut of the Goliaga Books X Max Toy GIant Fiberglass Eyezon ! This proto is 28 inches tall and 18 pounds, scultped by Rommel and painted by Dead Presidents Designs !
i'm at a loss on how to convey the depth of the paint and the rainbow, color change of the paint .. simply amazing ! If your in the Bay Area, you should come to Double Punch to see this in person ! We'll post more info on when these will be for sale( this is a proto, and yes it is for sale , ask Double Punch ! ) MOre photos from this event in the next few days ;-) =================================
12/02/09- Kaiju Invade San Francisco - Beikokuten ! at Double Punch , Saturday, Dec 12th !!!
Come Meet in person, direct from Japan, Yajima-san of Dream Rockets, Ichimiya-san of SunGuts, From Massachusetts, Matt Walker of Dead Presidents Design, and Mark Nagata of Max Toy Company ! The excitment kicks off at 6pm as Matt shows his super mad skills with a Pin Stripe demo and give away!!! Followed by the shows opening at 7pm ! Can't make it that night don't worry you can catch our guests from Japan the next day ( sunday ) as Yajima-san and Ichimiya-san will both return to Double Punch... time to be announced. This promises to be a very exciting line up, with many cool customs, and art work to be had, just in time for the Holidays ! Visit the Double Punch web site to order art and toys, from this show, soon !
11/28/09 - Sneak Peeky #2 !
OMG ! Baby TriPus ! I've been sitting on this image a few days now and simply can not keep it secret any more ! Can it get any cuter ??!! Sculpted by Inagaki-san of Dark Side Toys, this will be mini #2 ( see mini Capt Maxx below ! ) .... what's next ? Stay tuned .... ;-) ======================= 11/18/09 - Kaiju TriPus in newest Spectrum 16
We're honored to be included in the latest Spectrum book, number 16 ! Last year Boy Karma was accepted and this year Kaiju TriPus is shown... if you don't know about this annual contest check them out.. you'll find many familar artists and new ones ..amazing talent for sure .. I can't stop looking at that Mickey Mouse (!)
11/13/09 - Kaiju Blue Show Opens !
Over the next few weekends a Max Toy rep will be at the show on Nov 15th and 22nd and 5th of December .and a small surprise offer to those who can come down.
below are some awesome examples of women artists and their take on Max Toy characters and Kaiju .. I think with very striking results ! You can bid on any of these items, check out the Kaiju Blue English blog or email here for more info: maxtoyco.yo@fuga.ocn.ne.jp Below: "Yamagam" i by Pecorin, Uamou- "Eye Can See You ",Hiroe Neo Eyezon and Drazoran custom by Konatsu
TriPus by Tulip .. wow ! ============================ ( above: limited to 8 pieces, hand numbered and signed. each is hand rubbed metallic silver v color over a glow in dark base. sprays of red, blue, yellow and black. final glossy top coat. ) sold out, thank you ! Max Toys and Mark Nagata art toy show opens in Marui shopping mall in Shinjuku in the Kaiju Blue section next week. I wish i could be there in person ;-( but my double, and good friend Yo Miyamoto will be there to show off the new custom painted Eyezon. Also 4 mini paintings, mini pencil sketches, tshirts and even a ustom skatedeck ! Plus some incredible custom painted Eyezons by BlobPus, and these very talented women artists Uamou, Tulip, Konatsu, Pecorin, and Hiroe each customize a Max Toy character. I've often thought there was a void of women artists in the Kaiju filed, and hope to introduce these awesome artists and their takes on the kakju scene to everyone. I'll post pics when i get the go ahead ... but in the meantime here's my super lmited Kaiju Eyezon for sale at the show. Ordering details to follow or check out their blog here., Kaiju Blue gallery blog.
10/28/09 - Sneak Peeky !
Sculpted by Ichimiya-san of SunGuts, we have the upcoming Mini Capt. Maxx ! Still being refined but so cute ! More on this new line of figures soon ;-) OH and Toy Club members look for a special Neo Eyezon offer this Friday ( if all goes as planned ) in your email box... also Dead Presidents collabs coming soon, and what the heck happended to those pesky Gameldons? I'm part way done with mine, and might release all ten of mine late next week ;-) ... Target Earth is running late on his so we will offer those at a later date, once they are in stock.... and the Owl City song and video with various max Toys in it continues up the charts, almost in the top ten at VH1 countdown, and in the top five of Itunes downloads .... more news soon !
Mark Nagata art and toys book
Just published ! Mark Nagata art and toys, is a 7x7 inch full color book, 108 pages, printed on premium paper. We have a few copies in our web store in soft cover, but you can order either the soft or hard cover versions from Blurb.com at this link: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/743524 A visual journey through Mark's childhood and inspirations ... show casing his art and toys ! I'll also have a few copies for sale at SDCC, on Thursday, July 23rd, StrangeCo booth # 4629, from 2-4 pm. See you all there ! Our next post will be SDCC exclusives and Customs we'll be selling at the StrangeCo booth ============================================= 05/05/09 - Gigantic Eyezon UpDate ! As reported below, in conjunction with the new Kaiju book , Killer Kaiju, and Goliga Books we will offer a very lmited edition fiberglass Kaiju Eyezon ! Standing at a massive 24 inches, this Kaiju Eyezon will be the center piece of your Kaiju Eyezon collection ! Here's a sneak peek at the sculpt minus the horns .. Sculpt by the very talented, Rommel , whose worked with Kozik , Jermaine Rogers and Mars-1 to name a few .... if you want in early you can email me at mark@maxtoyco.com , be warned we have already reserved several ! I bet you can guess whose going to paint these.. but I will save that for another reveal ;-)
================================ Master photographer Brian McCarty snapped this stunning shot of Kaiju Eyezon for the Kaiju Monster Invasion show opening Dec 3rd at the South Florida Art Center, which is in the middle of the Art Basel goings on ... show is curated by Harold Golen Galleries. An awesome shot ! and is for sale at the show in a limited edition print.
photography by Brian McCarty - copyright 2008
11/16/09 - Gameldons Sold Out !
Thank you Max Toy members, we sold out fo the 10 hand painted Gameldons .. those who did not get one, I've emailed you about a possible second chance offer so check your inbox.. to non Max Toy members I'll try my best to get a few extras to offer to you via our web store if we can some more .... next time a sneak peeky at more new Max toy figures in progress .... ! 11/10/09 - Almost Ready !
hmmm, remember these ? I specially painted 10 of these Target Earth Gameldons, each one unique and one-of-a-kind and after a few mis-fires, they will be offered to Max Toy members this Friday. If any are left they will go up on the web store. They still need to be clear coated, and depending on if it rains here, may delay the shipping of them till Monday .. . oh the picture is of in progress figures, so these are not the final, finished figures.. and Thanks to Ichimiya-san of SunGuts, who made this very cool video promoting the upcoming Kaiju art show in Japan, Kaiju Comrades 2 at the Design Festa Gallery ! Check it out !
10/31/09 - Halloween Neo Eyezon !
(shown above Neo Eyezon , GID, hand painted red cracks, red, black, blue, yellow sprays. ) Happy Halloween ! If your not a Max Toy Club member I'm sure your looking at the pic above and saying when did this come out ? Well, we offered these to our members yesterday and thanks to them they sold out ! A handful of customs also sold thru ..I might release a few customs directly to the web store in Nov .. but will not announce it and just sneak them on, so keep checking back.. if you miss that than wait for the Double Punch show in December for something special ;-) Oh ya, don't forget Sunguts and Dream Rockets and Dead Presidents will all be there in the flesh ! More on that very soon ... Gameldon news ... Ok well slight change of plans ;-P I will go ahead and release via blind bag my hand painted glow in dark Gameldons in about 2 weeks.. Target Earth will release his at a later date ( he's swamped with work right now ) .. so you will get a chance at those soon .. more soon soon !.
10/20/09- UpComing Max Toy / Mark Nagata Art Toy Shows !
First up, Max Toys/ Mark Nagata will have be represented at this weekends Design Festa 30 show in Tokyo Japan. Many thanks to Yo Miyamoto, who never sleeps ! You can pick up a RED no paint Neo Eyezonat this event for a nice price. Plus special giclee prints and more !
and last but not least, we unveil the line up for Kaiju Attack !! art toy show in Barcelona, Spain this coming June 2010 ! More artists and info to be announced !
10/08/09 - Natural Resources Eyezons !
had fun customizing these MIke Burnett wood figures for upcoming art show ... They'll be up for sale soon from Shoparooni.com ! Oh ya Max Toy Club has re-opened !! but only for a very limited time, folks ! Gameldons still coming but waiting for Target earth to finish up his figures ... look for a new Neo Eyezon offer in a few weeks ! More news soon ! 09/25/09 - Red Kaiju TriPus lands !
now up for sale in our web store !
If your in Japan this weekend, stop by the Max Toy table at Superfest, good buddy Yo will be there with a few custom paints and such ;-)
08/28/09 - UPDATE !! - GID Gameldons !
Ok you guys .. I've gotten so many emails about these nice toys ;-) .. here's the deal, I will be custom painting 10 of them, Sato-san of Target Earth will be painting 10 of them, all 20 pieces will be blind bagged ( boo ! ) and I will be offering them to Max Toy Club members, I hope in mid to late September. I will post a picture of all 20 ( each differnet ) so you can see what you may get. What is left will go to the web store... but i think due to much interest they will sell thru. Price ? hmmm, still figuring that out .. but it will be a fair price ( well to me) More info to come via this site and of course the email list.
08/18/09 -
Amazing progress pic of the life sized Boy Karma in fiberglass by Carlos Enriquez Gonzales ! Shipping very soon, we only have a few left, if you want one you need to email me for details at info@maxtoyco.com (!) This is for the advanced collector .. the painting time alone is about 4-6 weeks. Each is unique byt the way and there will be no more than 8 made in this edition. I'm still knee deep in boxes after my move but we are still open and processing orders ... look for a Target Earth x Max Toy collab VERY soon.. this is a good one by the way, also Toy Karma is coming in a few weeks look for peeks at my customs for this show, Max Toy Co will have a solo Kaiju Blue show in November in Japan ! details very soon, so much to do and so little time (ha-ha ) but great fun .. more news soon !
07/30/09 - SDCC Wrap Up !
First thank you so much to all who came out to purchase Max Toy stuffs from the StrangeCo booth and also those who met me ;-) I had only planned to go wed and thursday but Max and my nephews brought me back everyday but friday (!) I have to apologize for the Neo Eyezons not making it in time for Preview night .. for those who kept checking back you were rewarded as they showed up Saturday AM .. but end of day Sunday they sold out ... don't worry you will get another chance at my first painted version of this new toy at Toy Karma 2 at Rotofugi, Sept 5th, Chicago ! I'll post a blog about SDCC 2009 soon at Toy Karma blog site ... please note Max Toys ( and Me ) are moving as we speak ! So if you place an order in the next week, please expect delays as we set up in our new digs across town ... more on that soonish... so many projects including a brand new Eyezon collab with D-Lux, Fiberglass Eyezon and new Killer Kaiju book from Collins books, New Drazoran for London Phillips auction, Life Sized Boy Karma project, Toy Karma 2, Kaiju Invade SF in December, Kaiju Comrades in Japan, March 2010, Kaiju Attack !! at Atticusin Barcelona, Spain June 2010, and much more in the works!
07/20/09 - Tokyo Summer Wonderfest 2009 Max Toy rep and good friend Yo holds down the wonderfest table with Max Toy X Dead Presidents x Dream Rocket x Yamo-Mark , Booth # A -17-2 From Max Toy look for this special WF Drazoran, painted by master toy painter, Goto-san ! Similar to the SDCC version but blue and sprays...limited to less than 15 pieces ! Plus a few custom paints from Mark Nagata.
07/30/09 - San Diego Comic Con 2009
See you all there ! ;-) FYI - the Drazoran is painted by master painter Goto-san in Bullmark like colors, the Neo Eyezon will be released unpainted for this show only, the customs are first come first served. Thanks !
06/29/09 - Stuff Coming Up !
Not to be outdone, this Giant sized Kaiju Eyezon in ceramic ! The glaze on this is simply amazing ! Made by Mairuzu, from a varied edition of 10 ( all 10 are different colors ) , stands over 24 inches in height !
==================================== 04 / 21 / 09 - Killer Kaiju: Film's Greatest Japanese Monsters if you've been following my blogs here, you may have read about " Project X "... well the cats out of the bag, and if you go to the author/designer Vartanian's site, Goliga Books you can read more about this special project I am involved in ... plus check out the special Eyezon project .. ! The image below is not the cover, but give you an idea about the direction of the book, and it's over all theme of Kaiju / Yokai. I'll post more info about release dates etc ...
==================================== 04/09/09 - Ok, sorry for the lack of updates, got back from the Kaiju Comrades show in Tokyo, Japan and it's been so busy, so first here I am with Manga Master, Karasawa-san and hiswife in front of the awesome wood block prints he did.. more about him and the show on my blog, Toy Karma ...
and have been busy with orders and the new Kaiju coming out ! Kaiju Drazoran .. details soon !
each painted by Master Painter Goto-san !
======================== Kovels Highlights Kaiju toys ! The Kovels antiques newsletter ran this artcle on the recent Kaiju show in Miami beach at the South Florida Art Center with an Eyezon image !
Once again too many projects and not enough time in the day (!) mixing acrylic paint for the start of a new header card .. I'll post more in progress pics on my blog, Toy Karma ....
and above the ready to be painted Life sized Boy Karma figure (!) by Carlos Enriquez Gonzalez ( from a design by Mark Nagata ) As you can see we designed it to hold figures in each of it's hands ;-) I think Max toy figures work best..ha-ha... this ones sold, but if you have interest they will be available soonish you can email me if your serious about one. Each will be hand painted in a unique way and each numbered from a very low edition size ( still to TBD ) We might also have a stateside seller, so if we do we will point you to that person as well ...if you look closely you'll see a new Eyezon project coming very soon too !
05/08/09 - Thank You- Sold Out ! - I have this custom TriPus for sale at the Lift Gallery show , V - color on glow in dark vinyl with micro glitter clear coating....
and Max Toys will be given away at this weeks Japan Culture Week in Miami Beach, Florida. This event is put on by The Consulate General of Japan in Miami and Alliance Francaise de Miami.. go see Prof. Jim Levy give a talk on Japanese toys ;-) on Monday !
02/24/09 - Kaiju Comrades Art show UpDates ! Have you checked out the Kaiju Comrades web site ? You should ;-) we just started adding info and pics to the news section ..where you will see pics of exclusive figures only available from the show. Can't make it to Tokyo ? don't worry, we will make some fo the items available after the show.. but of course those attending will get first picks ! Here's some press we just got on the show in Japan. More soon ! =========================== 02/24/09- UpDate - Sold Out ! Thank you so much ...You can still order from the Dead Presidents web store but hurry as they only have a few left. Dead Presidents x Max Toy Co - Eyezon !
Unlike other collabs with Kaiju Eyezon , this time I painted the figure part way than shipped them off to the East Coast and Matt Walker did his magic on them with beautiful brushwork, paint, and final clear coat with super fine glitter .. if you have not seen one of these in person, pictures can not describe how stunning this technique is. Each also comes with a framed giclee print of George Washington vs Kaiju Eyezon, and each is hand numbered and signed by both of us. Now on sell on our web store or via the Dead Presidents Designs web site ! ===================== "Movers and Shakers" art show Feb 14th, 2009
I am honored to have been asked to participate in super collector, Gino Joukars' curated art show called "Movers and Shakers". .. lot's of talented folks ;-) my submission, of course kaiju related ;-P ... Kaiju Eyezon Anatomy Chart ! Acrylics on Board, about 11x14 inches. More info at www.povevolving.com ! ========================== 03/04/09 - April Hyper Hobby has Preview of Kaiju Comrades art show !
03/17/09 - Thank you these are now sold out ! -Preview of Custom Kaiju TriPusby Mark Nagata for sale at the Kaiju Comrades art show !I've been so busy with the Kaiju Comrades show that it's been hard to up date the Max Toy Co. site but here's a sneak peek at what I've been painting ...
01/29/09 - Finally, Kaiju TriPus Lands ! In Stock and Shipping !
Coming this March 28th, 2009 - Tokyo , Japan Mark Nagata and Kaiju Comrades ! Updates and more details will be posted to the site: www.kaijucomrades.com we'll be re-doing the site in a few weeks with more info on exclusives and such.
12/2008 - Miami and Beyond !
left to right: Jeremy Chestler - Director of South Florida Art Center, super collector Jim Levy, Mark Nagata collector artist and toy maker , Harold Golen curator and gallery owner. I had a quick trip to Miami Beach, Florida for the artists signing and Kaiju Monster Invasion art show. A more complete overview can be found on my blog, Toy Karma and Vinyl Pulse. Over all there was a great turn out and I over heard quite a few positive comments from folks who had never seen these types of toys before. They all were very excited by what they saw, so my mission of spreading Kaiju and Japanese toy love was accomplished ;-) Tomorrow night super collector Jim Levy speaks about Japanese toys at the gallery , sponsored by the Miami Japanese Consulate. As we approach the end of the year work is already in motion on several high profile Kaiju events for 2009 and yes, even 2010 ! More details will be revealed soon ;-) Christie's auction November 24th, 2008 PopCulture - Punk / Rock auction UpDate : Ok looks like the Rainbow Eyezon will be sold after all ;-) - Golden Tripasu still available thru Christies, email them or me for more info. Exciting to be included in this landmark auction !
11/13/08 - Eiji Tsuburaya - Master of Monsters
Got a copy of a very cool new book all about the legendary film and special effects master Eiji Tsuburaya by author August Ragone, from Chronicle Books. Nicely designed with many, many rare photos of Tsuburaya on the sets of Godzilla, Ultraman and much more. I was honored to have contributed a section on Ultraman toys ;-) I highly recommend this not only for the nice pics but for very informative text on this master of monsters ! ========================================================== 02/01/08 - Show has ended, but look for more Beyond Ultraman, soon ;-) From the LatDa blog : " During the first five days of the show, over 3,000 visitors viewed Beyond Ultraman! The opening reception drew just under 500 people into the traffic on a Thursday night. Friday was Art Night in Pasadena, when shuttle buses delivered more than 2,000 people over a four hour period. " Wow, I had no idea how many folks came thru on the opening night I was there ;-) ! I think this event as well as others that will happen in the future will continue to expose the non collector to what is happening in the Art Toy movement.
10/13/07 - For me, this exhibit at the PMCA museum caps off a really fantastic year for Max Toy Company and myself ... I have to say, Maria Kwong's vision and determination paid off in a huge way ! I'll post a few pics here and on my blog but be sure and check out Vinyl Pulse for more pics ... Simply, the PMCA staff did a steller job of hanging the show ... ! Really an outstanding job .. I highly recommend seeing this exhibition to get a sense of how all these artists fit into this movement. Also the LA Times plugged this show and used my custom Ultraman as the lead image ;-) More pics on my blog, Toy Karma !!!
04/12/07 - Yo-Jimbo !
Ok kinda of an inside joke but thought this looked like famous artist, Imaginasian TV exec and all around good guy Jimbo Matison ( So Crazy Japanese Toys by Chronicle Books )... come to think of it maybe it was him ?! 04/11/07 - Threezero The trip to Hong Kong and China was so fast that it was over before I knew it.. but really this part of the trip will be with me forever. After nearly 3 hours of trains and car, we arrived at the factory. We got to see all phases of production including painting on the full size Alien Xam figure. It's really a full circle to meet the talented sculptor whose worked on Captain Maxx, Alien Xam and upcoming kaijus ... I believe I was the first to ask him to autograph one of his toys (!) Much more of my thoughts and such will be in a future article in Otaku USA magazine, soon. But I left the factory with a new found appreciation of how much hand work is involved in making my toys. Every step of the way each piece passes from person to person, sometimes hand painting details or hand correcting the paint. .... lots of work !
ThreeZero owner Kim showing us new protos of Max Toy Kaijus to come .....but they are secrect for now ;-P at least till comic con.
Probably lost in translation but I believe the sculptors name is Quon. ============================== 03/07/07 - took a short break today from painting these puppet Xams for 2007 Max Toy Club renewals... if you a member from early last year I will be emailing you soon to renew for 2007. I've got a lot of art done in the last few weeks but have a bunch more to do before the end of this month..glug ... I hear Bwana will be in Japan with some custom Edwards ;-) as they make an unofficial debut ... check out my other project this year, TOY KARMA toy / art show at Rotofugi in September... impressive line up with a few more to be added soon ...!
02/24/07 - Another Max Toy collector send in this picture of his collection :-) from Japan !
It's been quite here of late but I have been working over time on more toys, more art and yes, the Max Toy Club will re-open soon... please wait while we assemble all the new offers and such to go along with 2007 kits..and those that are old members don't worry, your membership will not expire and you will have a chance to renew. Plus I get word that the Xams and Edwards should be done this week, so fingers crossed they will ship to me in another 10 days or so ( yah ! ) 2/13/07 - Max Toy fan, Doc Atomic shares his Glow in the dark Alien Xam with me.. and his very cool set up ! Look for a very special project from him..maybe by Comic Con time !
02/01/07 - desk update - random art work...yes ,I am old school, I don't use a computer in my art, just the traditional tools -pencils, paint etc ... currently on an classic IronMan kick .. from the Tales Of Suspense / Marvel Comics days ... ok back to painting .. much work to do ;-)
01/29/07 - Alien Xam debuts in Japan and Sells Out !! 2 glow in the dark versions of Alien Xam, now sold out.
Version1 - GID vinyl with Blue and Red spray , Version 2 - GID vinyl with Metallic Silver and green spray. Alien Xam stands 11 inches tall, with opening Claws. Normal version coming soon ;-) ================================================ Yira !- Good friend and very talented, Steve Forde pulls out all the stops for his release of Yira ! Check the info below for the party ..this thing is massive - 18" x 7" inches ! and all glow is too awesome ! Don't wait I hear they are about sold out on the all glow !! GoHero.com
01/19/07 - desk update - been awhile since I've done a desk update... took some time off, but now back in the groove..starting new header and backing cards for secret Max Toy figure, finally found a place for my big Ultra head, too ;-P
1/12/07 - Check out my blog , ToyKarma for more on the big toys I add to my collection ... and yes this Mirrorman store display stand over 6 feet tall ! ;-) Oh ya and those waiting for more max Toys... I'm waiting, too ;-P They're in final production and should be shipping early next month... pre orders soon !
01/08/07 -Wow ! Max and I got this very cool cookie arrangement from relatives over the weekend ! what a surprise to see Max and Capt Maxx cookies !!!
needless to say most of them have been eaten ;-)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All ! Thanks everyone for making our first full year a great success ! Here's to 2007 and many cool events and offers we're working on ;-) like something that sounds like Booska... More next year ... !
More Max Toy Company fans ;-) ...
Qee exhibit, if you squint you'll see the Qee-Kider ( you know like Kikaider ) I did ....
updated 12/11/06 - Here's a Max Toy fan and the Christmas card she made ;-) Very cute !
11/27/06 - KungFuToys.com - new Alien Xam 2 pack available now !
red vinyl with balck spray / yellow eye , and green vinyl with gold spray and red eye. Limited to 25 sets. New header card as well.
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Thanks everyone for the awesome sell out of Gargamel stuff ;-) .... I'm stapling headers and sending out bills, so if you ordered we're packing as fast as we ( I ) can ! Oh ya, here's the no paint mini Zag ... we have not offered this to Toy Club Members yet.. but we do not have enough to go around so we will be soliciting it to Toy Club members in a few days, than from those interested we will randomly select 30 members to purchase this version. Sorry one per membership/ address.... in the off chance some orders fall thru for the normal paint mini Zag we will post that in the web store in the next few days....phew..... =================== I've been asked who the guy is under the Captain Maxx mask is.. It's Captain Maxx of course ! well it's actually Max's dimple, My hair, Mr Bullmark ( as I like to call him ) equals the guy under the mask. Thats how I designed him, but it's also how I envision Max grown up ;-P
11/15/06 - Marveling over this great Ultraman Ace show poster fellow collector Mark K. sent me ... really awesome graphics.. plus Max has made his first zine, based on his favorite Cube World characters ;-) ... New Gargamel mini Zag is in production with pre sell very soon .... finishing up misc art for Max Toy Co stuff .. ugh, time for a vacation !
11/14/06 - Gold and Black Capt Maxx ( gold spray on black vinyl ), limited to 10 pieces with matching mini giclee print. Only available on Dec 23rd, 2006 in Japan at the World Hobby Festival. I believe this also got a plug in the Dec issues of Hyper Hobby and FigureOh ;-) sorry , but I won't be getting any of these.. but hopefully I've given you enough time to contact your friends in Japan to stand in line for one ?!!
crazy thing actually lights up as well..shown here next to the beautiful Max Toy Co. Kikaida ;-) ( shameless plug ! ) 11/09/06 - Alien Xam vs Capt. Maxx !
landing very soon .... pre orders soon ... Many thanks to Tim Biskup and his little one, Tiger, for this awesome one off Giant Pollard with hand drawn header !!! Tiger filled it with some of her toys !!! Sorry folks..not for sale or trade ;-) 11/03/06 -
Alien Xam havng a conversation with a Sofubi character called Karaman from my friends in Japan Manga artist Nawoki Karasawa and his wife Yoshiko ! Nawoki writes a monthly column in FigureOh , is artists to many Manga and has published books on PachiMon figures and images. Pachimon is basically a term for "made up " characters or kaiju ( like Zagoran or Capt Maxx ! ) ... but have a nod to the classic characters such as Godzilla or Ultraman. Really awesome stuff !!! 11/01/06 - Alien Xam head - 1/1 scale ok this is a bit late for halloween but finally got off my behind to finish this prop head of Alien Xam. This was the latex mask i pulled from the molds below. I plan on making a very small run of thes at some point. This would be a long term project, as each one takes a lot longer to pour, trim and paint them I thought (!) In any case my main goal was to generate something I could use for reference in doing paintings of Alien Xam plus use as a convention show display. It can be worn, but I did not sculpt it for that purpose, so there are no eye holes to peer out from. Have a look at the final piece below....
detail shot above 10/31/06 - Happy Halloween ! Alien Xam finger puppet guide ( as of 10/31/06 ) Sorry most everything is sold out, except the up coming Kaiju-Taro offer and December offers.
10/26/06- Desk Update - cranking out more header card artwork...folding header cards ... gazing at my favorite mini Zagoran...
10/21/06 - All Sold out ! Thank You !
10-19-06- Tomorrow we'll reveal our Halloween Max Toy exclusives in our web store ;-) and, Coming in November only from Kaiju-Taro.com ! Red Army Xam !
10/16/06 - Desk Update - Almost finished customizing 31 Black Captain Maxx's ! Part of our Halloween toy offerings ... we'll be posting a picture here in a few days with the complete line up for sale in our web store very soon ! Plus sitting on the Maxx's, my new fav vinyl by Toygraph ..Ultraman type A fighting Namegon from Ultra Q .. a fantasy fight, but what an awesome concept ! and soon, big announcement for a new toy license .... anyone hungry for Ramen ?!!
10/07/06 - Ok poured latex into the mold and here's the first pull from it... now to trim and paint the head...the saga continues ;-)
10/2006 - Ok word of advice, don't pick a massive head like this to be your first attempt at a mold(!) this sucker is huge and heavy...like 4 bowling balls heavy ! Took me hours to work up the plaster mold for both halves...than several nerve racking minutes of prying it up to scoop out the clay sculpt ( gulp ) a few minor air bubbles and I cracked part of the top of the mold..but all in all not too bad for never working with UltraCal 30 before. Still it was worth it for what I'm trying to do... stay tuned for what comes out of this mold ;-)
finished sculpt...now onto the mold (yikes!) never done this before so I have my fingers crossed.... Alien Xam Head - size 16 inches tall by 11 inches wide by 13 inches deep ...
getting closer ....
Throwing more clay onto this..but ran out..oops... Ok have more clay... but will it be enough ? and what the heck is this gonna be ?!!
09/12/06 - Xam Puppet alert ! Coming Oct 1st, 2006... exclusive to KungFuToys.com ! Limited orange with Black Eye edition ! - SOLD OUT !
and on the work bench ( well actually the kitchen table !) a mystery project...Hmmm, what could this be ?
Sneak peek - Bwana Spoons' Edward the Gator ! here's the wax proto sculpt... more info soon ! Release Fall / Winter 2007 !!!
8/25/06 - My very talented niece Marissa, sent me this rendition of Captain Maxx socking Xam in the kisser ! I like the South Park quality to it !
================================================ 08/17/06 - Desk Update - Time flies ! Its almost a month since Comic Con, and I'm still not completely recovered...guess I'm getting too old..anyways behind in toy schedule but working hard on new art for the Xam figure.. and other goodies. Starting a large painting for the Art Show next year in Pasadena , usually I don't like working on a painting for more than a week...this one will take me a month to finish..which for me is like forever (!) I'll post in progress pics as I go along... my current fav vinyls come from M1-G0 ...robot and kid top of photo...
Desk update 07/29/04 - Scored a really cool bootleg windup Ultraman with box, Thanks to Gargamel for the really cool Angel Birds ...these are based on stone statue carvings found in Buddhist shrines in Japan... Kikaidas have arrived and are now shipping... Prototype Kanegon from the Japanese only DVD set , Daybreak of the Kaiju - a documentry about the man known as the Father of Kaijus, Ryosaku Takayama . He's the one who sculpted and hand made all the monster suits for Ultra Q , Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Lion Maru, Majin and many many more...
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07-18-06 For those attending comic con our exclusives ! ... plus a few surprise exclusives that will be revealed at the con !
07/17/06 - Here's the figure I painted for the Popy/Slash contest ... it came in second place (!) I was shocked as I didn't think I would even place in this contest :-)
07/16/06 - With Comic Con a few days away, I wash Xam's, and painted them with very toxic V Color ... and keep my fingers crossed I can fit them all in my car (!) See everyone soon ----- booth # 5323 ----- If your a current toy club member as of yesterday , July 15th, 2006 ---- let us know and we'll give you a free gift for stopping by the booth. If you can't make the convention we will mail this out to you when we return. Just a little Thank You for making our first few months successful - Thanks !
07/10/06 - Desk Update - today I finished up hand folding the Zagoran mini header cards ( sore fingers).. and have fallen in love with the new Ultraman manga figures by Fewture Models ... really awesome!. We also got in the first cases of Kikaida figures !!! These will be sold first at San Diego Comic Con..starting July 19th ! It's taken awhile but the wait is well worth it- very happy with the final product..and I hope you guys will be, too. Tonight I'll be washing Xam Puppets, drying them than painting them ;-) .... also have a blog going at http://toykarma.blogspot.com/ ...
============================ 07/06/06 - Coming in August... Meltdown Captain Maxx only from KaijuTaro ...check their site for details. Sorry but I will not be selling these versions.
Max Toys in Antarctica ! - 06-24-06
well, at least it's our tshirt...on good friend Chris! Chris is a world famous StarFish expert and was recently doing research in the Antarctic - yes it's cold and the time was 1:30pm and was starting to get dark already. ========================= 06/22/06 yes I have to assemble all the wings on these....2 wings x 130 pieces = 260 freakin' wings ! plus bagging and stapling the headers ...much love put into each toy ;-)
==================================== 06/14/06 - I don't know what it is about Japanese Apple Juice...but it's THE best I've ever had. It actually tasted like a real apple ... as opposed to the US Tree Top brand that has tons of suger in it.... Captain Maxx likes it too ;-) Stay tuned for a nice Comic Con surprise, all the way from Japan to the Max Toy Company booth ... if all goes well folks will be talking about this appearance by a group of super talented dudes... more will be revealed soon !
06/09/06
=========================== update 6/8/06 Captain Maxx visiting Japan ;-)
============================= 6/5/06 todays update is a look at whats on my drawing table .... lot's of stuff !
======================================== Pre Orders and details starting Tuesday May 30th, 2006 - on this site ! Go to our web store for how to order on Tuesday ! CCP Ghidorah - Bullmark style Orange with green spray and a Max Toy Club Only toy - Black Ghidora, limited to only 30 pieces ! You must be a current Max Toy Club member to purchase this figure. Subject to Availability !
Marmit - Candy Red Clear Hedorah wih Glitter ! Gfest exclusive figure ... !
====================================== Coming real soon ! Sculpted in Japan, officially licensed .... Switch On !
==================================== Updated - 04/11/06 - Sneak Peek at new project ...project "X"
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photo by Peter Bykhovsky
