Sofubi-man Max Toy Preview

I showed a test shot of my newest character, Sofubi-man, at this past Dcon, which by the way was a fantastic show !

Awesome sculpt by Cristina Ravenna, who perfectly captured the spirit and character !

Sofubi-man stands about 6 inches tall.

Below is some info on him and pics… Pre Orders for the first version with be up in a few weeks ! Check Back !

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Sofubi-man is my homage to the men and women of
Japan, who have perfected the art of soft vinyl casting.
The process was originally brought to Japan in the 50s
by Mattel to produce their Barbie dolls. Soft vinyl — or
Sofubi, as it is known in Japan — are hand poured and
cast using heated liquid vinyl poured into iron molds.
These molds are heated up and cook the vinyl to the
desired thickness. At this point, the vinyl pieces are soft
enough to be pulled out of the mold and allowed to cool
down. Extra flash or trim is cut off these pieces and the figure
is assembled and painted.

Japanese toy collectors, and especially Kaiju collectors,
know this process through classic Ultraman & Godzilla soft
vinyl figures from the 60s & 70s.

Today this process of toy making in Japan remains basically
unchanged, though there are not as many factories left.
Max Toy Company is proud to use these craftsmen and
support this toy making tradition for the figures we make.

My initial sketches πŸ˜‰ Actually a more complex version that maybe someday I’ll get to !