Category Archives: Toy shows

Max Toy Updates !

Sorry for the lack of updates .. but have been totally swamped (!) Anyways, here’s a few events etcΒ  πŸ˜‰

Opening this Saturday March 3rd, 2018 , The Painter’s Show , curated by @Phuntsy, held at Lulubell store/gallery. More info via Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/LulubellToys/posts/10155051810232352

Here’s my one and only piece for the show, Kaiju EyePus ! Yes, I mashed up two of my creations and created this πŸ˜‰ Contact the gallery for purchasing info.

and I’m on VERO app, now ;-P Its very unstable at the moment …and so far, hard for me to post, but no ads and I guess folks hate Instagram now .. anyways, I’ll post in both places, plus Facebook and Twitter .. we’ll see how long a 53 year old can keep upΒ  πŸ˜‰

and finally a peek at some Sillymanders I’m painting for the upcoming STS Shanghai Toy Show. I’m sharing a booth with artist Jay222 … should be an adventureΒ  πŸ˜‰

Kaiju vs Heroes Japanese American National Museum show 2018

This AWESOME image by the extraordinary Photographer Brian McCarty will be the signature image for the upcoming “Kaiju vs Heroes: Mark Nagata’s Journey through the World of Japanese Toys ” exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.Β 

Here’s what Brian said about the image he took :

Shot for the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the photo celebrates the upcoming exhibition β€œKaiju vs Heroes,” featuring Mark Nagata’s unrivalled collection of vintage Japanese toys. Born out of the cultural ashes of World War II, these distinctive soft vinyl figures became both a means for Japanese Americans to reconnect with their culture and an apt metaphor for postwar relations between the United States and Japan.

The exhibit opens on September 15th, 2018 and will run for about 6 months into 2019. We have various events etc planned so stay tuned for more info on the exhibit in the coming months.

 

By the way, if you don’t already know, please check out the important work Brian is doing for his War Toys project – https://wartoysproject.com/

You know I just make these silly toy collectibles …but, out in the real world people like Brian are actually making a difference for these kids caught in very tragic conditions.

 

Kaiju vs Mako – Guillermo Del Toro tribute show Gallery Nucleus Mark Nagata

Here’s my pencil (graphite and colored pencils) art “Kaiju vs Mako”, for this weekends curated exhibition by CHOGRIN, celebrating legendary director Guillermo Del Toro, called “In the Name of the Monster, the Robot, and the Bleeding Ghost” at Gallery Nucleus.

I chose to show Mako from Pacific Rim as more of a action superhero πŸ˜‰ I guess I really wanted her to be like this in the film (haha) … Get on the galleries preview list .. some amazing art will be in the show.

Max Toy Updates January 2018

Happy New Year, Max Toy Fans ! Ok, just a bunch of stuff to catch up .. after selling through our first shipment of Sofubi-man, we have another batch on order, so decided to take PRE ORDERS for them here: https://www.maxtoyco.com/shop_item.php?id=1371

Should have more Flesh Sofubi-man by months end, by the way

Next week, via Clutter Gallery, I painted this Galaxy “I Heart Skull” resin skull for their next gallery show ! Skull designed by the famous Ron English. Contact Clutter for Preview list and more info !

And also this very cool ( pun intended) Winter Crusher G custom by artist James Osborne has just sold !

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And finally, over the Holidays I got this stunning, original pencil art of my cats, Lulu and Trixie !!! Artist and Max Toy fan, Maya Doka is the artist – http://www.mayadoka.com/

I’m sorry my picture does not do the artwork justice .. it’s has some very subtle grey tones in the pencil work and captures the Cats purrfectlyΒ  πŸ˜‰

Sofubi-man First colorway

Happy New Year 2018 !

Sofubi-man is now ready for a wider release via our web store: https://www.maxtoyco.com/shop_item.php?id=1371

This first version is cast in Flesh (Fresh) soft vinyl (sofubi), and he stands about 6 inches tall, with articulation at the neck. Sofubi-man, is my homage to the men and women who cast soft vinyl in Japan. As many of you may (or not) know, I’ve had a life long love affair with soft vinyl kaiju since 1973. But, it wasn’t till much later that I found out more about the actual process of making and casting these types of toys. The last few years I’ve had a goal to make a Sofubi-man out of Sofubi !

Sofubi-man is magically sculpted by Cristina Ravenna, with Max Toy coordination by Yo Miyamoto and of course expertly cast in Tokyo by real Sofubi-menΒ  πŸ˜‰

Happy Holidays from Max Toy Company 2017

Thank you Everyone for your kind words and support of Max Toy Company ! As we enter our Lucky 13th year, 2018 is already booked ;-P Look for new toy projects, conventions and in September 2018 at the Japanese American National Museum, Kaiju vs Heroes – Mark Nagata’s Journey through the World of Japanese Toys (!) I’m co-curating the show with Maria Kwong ( http://www.latdamuseum.org/ ) More info coming in the new year so stay tuned and see you there !

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