FUTURE - 'Mystical Warriors Of The Ring' 3 new colours + Tembo Jiwe reveal!

After the successful initial release of Mystical Warriors Of The Ring (MWOTR) PVC sets in Candy Apple Red & Flesh, Fantastic Plastic Toys are steamrolling ahead with their second wave of colours about to hit online stores soon!

Up for grabs will be the the 3 returning wave 1 figures (Kayin Kungaa, Widowmaker & Sheldon Sabre) in 3 new colours, sold in 3-packs as usual.

- Glow in the Dark $10 USD

- Pearlescent Blue $9 USD 

- Pearlescent Black $?

The Pearlescent  Black colour is MWOTR's first Retailer Exclusive, Jay's CD & Hobby and currently there has been no price pint set as far as I'm aware of but I think it's safe to say we can expect it to be around the $10 mark also.

Both the Pearlescent Blue & G.I.T.D figures will be available from TrueCast Studio Store so keep your eyes peeled for their release there very soon!

You can read more about this on the MWOTR blog, but remember I'll also be making regular updates regarding any MWOTR developments here on my blog too. 

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Next exciting bit of news form MWOTR is their new giant character reveal, Tembo Jiwe the Elephant! Weighing in at 2.7" of PVC goodness, this will be MWOTR's third giant character including previous characters Goliath (was available in Resin) Kayin Kungaa (still available in PVC).

Tembo Jiwe will be making his exclusive debut at C2e2 2014 in (I believe, judging by these pics) Green, Yellow & Pearlescent Silver! No word on how much they will cost yet but I'll find out and post about it.

I can see two important tidbits in these pics that are a hint at what's to come, the larger Leo Corazon is pretty obvious (Wow!!) but can you see the other cool MWOTR accessory? I wonder what that could be...

 On another note, If anyone is planning on going to C2e2 and doesn't mind, please let me know as I'd love to get my hands on him. (I'd be happy to cover the cost of course).

You can read more about Tembo Jiwe at the MWOTR blog.

PRESENT - OMFG Series 3 mini review!

Ok, it's about time I started covering these guys since I've been collecting them from Series 1, and Series 3 is already here! If you don't know what OMFG is, well.. it's time to come out from under that rock and get informed on the matter.

OMFG, which stands for Outlandish Mini Figure Guys, is a tribute to the classic toy lines of the 80's like Monster In My Pocket, M.U.S.C.L.E, or Bad eggz Bunch  and are about 2" tall and made from a firm PVC (slightly improved this time around). OMFG is created in a collaboration by community members of the OctoberToys Forum who all pitch in designs around once a year and they get voted on to determine the top 5 figures who scored the most votes. The great thing is, you don't have to be able to sculpt yourself and you can simply enter a 2D image of the figure you'd like to win, and if it's popular enough to win then George Gaspar of OctoberToys has kindly offered to sculpt the figure himself!

Once all 5 figures have been sculpted, they're sent off to the Onell Design factory in China where toy magic happens and we get our figures a few short months later!

Each series is campaigned on the Kickstarter website  where people can pledge a desired amount to back the project and receive the figures they want, the price for a 5 pack is $10 USD. The standard colour is a flesh however there are retailer exlusive colours abound, more on that in a future post very soon!

The Kickstarter campaign offers some incentives too, like the kickstarter exclusive Black colour (which is only available to backers via Kickstarter) or perhaps you'd like to order an OMFG T-shirt? Well, you can do that too.

There's also been some other goodies thrown in for good measure, such as a freebie flesh or black (depending which sets you pledged for) Zombie Pheyden figure that was available for people who backed over $25 on the S3 KS campaign, which was recurring too so the more sets you pledged the more free figures you got! 

Series 1 started mid 2001, S2 was mid 2012 and S3 the same for 2013.

Series 4 has already been voted on, the sculpts are currently being finalised and the Kickstarter Campaign should commence early next year by the looks of things.

Series 5 designs are being accepted NOW and can be found on the OctoberToys Forum so if you want to design a toy and see it made, then I suggest you head over there and submit a design!

Anyways, onto the S3 figures themselves!

BARBARIANAUT - Designed & sculpted by the infamous Charles Marsh
(MonsterForge)

I'll be honest, at first this figure didn't really appeal that much to me but he has grown on me heaps since having him in hand and seeing him in different colours. He's clearly a homage to MOTU, and he happens to be the first OMFG figure who is armed with a weapon and a shield to boot. I really dig the amount of detail on him, and I like that he adds a bit of Sci-Fi to OMFG, and can picture him battling aliens on distant planets (kind of like Prometheus X Conan) It also gives me a bit of a Metroid feel, which is very cool.
I rate this figure a solid 8.5/10.

PUGNACIOUS - Desinged by Bill Mackay (ZombieThor) & sculpted by George Gaspar.

Another figure that I was initially quite disappointed in, but again I've warmed to him over time (even though he still ranks at the bottom of this series for me personally). Much like Barbarianaut, Pugnacoius (who was originally named Puggernaut) is a shout-out to the MOTU series, and blends the head of a Pug dog with that of a MOTU warrior. Meh.

I know there are a LOT of Pug fans out there, but I'm more into larger breeds. If it had a wolf head, than I would be all over this figure.

Still, it ahs nice elements and has been sculpted nicely!

I rate this figure a wavering 6/10.

Dr. Decay - Designed by Jonathan Wojcik (Bogleech) & sculpted by george Gaspar.

Next, we have my favourite OMFG, not only for S3 but of all time. there's something about this figure that really does it for me, it might be that its cute and creepy and got the balance just right. Or it could be that he's a Mushroom, which Im rather partial too (they make great characters apparently). The skeleton blending with the fungus looks really great, and the details under his feet or under his hat really killed it and made this figure easily my favourite so far. I rate it at a staggering 9.5/10!

Ten-Can - Designed by Richard Brown & Nikolas Sardos, and sculpted be Bryan Fulk (Ed Gein)

Ten-Can is a another creepy/cute character, and although its not entirely an original idea (is anything, anymore?) he turned out really nicely. 

The design itself was rather simple but it actually works at this scale and Bryan was able to sculpt some nice details into him like his boot (wow!) and even the botchy metal plates that secure the makeshift peg-leg into place underneath the trash can. He has two tentacles that have burst thru the can and protruding from either side, two misshaped eyes & some funky stuff spilling out.

I rank this guy at an average 7.5/10.

Fruit Punch - Designed by Scott Tolleson and sculpted by George Gaspar

Lastly, we have the smallest meber of the group, Pruit Punch, which as his name would suggest is a Juice box (or Prima for us Aussies) blended with a Boxer, hence the punch. I really adore this figure, and his diminutive stature only adds to that appeal. His face is awesome, although it kind of looked a bit better in the design, which happened to have started out as a Milk carton initially. Fruit Punch also drawed in the S3 vote offs but came out on top, the little champion he is. Im all the more happy for it. :)

I give this guy a well-deserved 8.5/10.

ZOMBIE PHEYDEN - Designed by Matt Doughty (Onell Design) & George Gaspar, sculpted by George Gaspar.

Officially Zombie Pheyden is an OTMFG not OMFG, however his release coincided with that of S3, and exclusive Kickstarter black Zombie Pheydens were offered as freebie rewards for backers. He's also made of the exact same materials so it seemed fitting to include him in my review. Im not that into Glyos myself (though I can see why everyone loves them) but this is the Pheyden character form the Onell Glyos Universe, however here he's been infected with a zombie virus! I've learned to eat my words with these figures, as at first I wasn't that interested in this guy. At first.

I rate this guy at a comfortable 8/10.

So there you have it, thats my take on Series 3 OMFG.

All Flesh sets, S1-3 are available via the OctoberToys shop for $10 USD a pop, however at the time of writing this S1 is apparently out of stock.

I will be posting regarding the availability of Series 3 retailer exclusives shortly, so make sure to check back for more S3 OMFG info soon.

Ten-Can out on a leisurely stroll..

Barbarianaut surveys a foreign land.

PRESENT to FUTURE - My 1st Silicone mould & Resin casting!

Just wanted to do a quick post showing off my first ever Silicone mould & Resin casting that I made in a night class the other day. I was surprised that it turned out pretty good, but I plan on making the leap to casting with Urethane rubber which is a lot harder to work with.

I chose to mould a Ten-Perr pewter Viking from Norway, since I love those guys and you don't see many of them anymore. It did bleed a bit in the mould, and I had to clean the figure by removing the flashing, and I also sanded his seam line a bit in some areas where it was more pronounced.

Here's some pics!

In 2014 I will be casting as much as time allows, between sculpting and other stuff on the horizon. 

I am planning on getting set up with a Pressure Pot so I can do better quality castings, and in rubber too.

Can't wait!

PRESENT - MUTANTS by IronHaus Productions X Imperfecz toys REVIEW!

IronHaus Productions has teamed up with Imperfecz Toys and released a brand-spanking-new line of rubber mini-figures simply called 'MUTANTS'.
Cast in the same soft rubber we all know and expect from Indie Mini-Figures we've seen in the past from IronMask & Eric Nilla, and feel much like M.I.M.P do. The figures themselves range from about 1.5" - 2.5" although most are about the 1.75" range. The standard flesh colours have a nice novel twist in that theres a large degree of variation in the tones, from a pale creamy tone all the way to a more tanned, bronzy tone. Genius!

Also, there are other colours available too as seen in the image above, with some rare chase figures thrown in to keep things interesting! 

Mutants is shaping up to be a very neat line of figures indeed.

How the full set comes come packaged. 
Note: If you order the full set like I did, then
you will receive the entire set of 10 Mutants in 
various tones of flesh, as well as the Hunter figure.

The Hunter, complete in packaging.

First, lets have a closer look at the Hunter figure. This guy looks badass and ready to take down some mutants! Armed with a surgically attached forearm blade & armour plating, boots, spiked gauntlet... This guy isnt messing around! No Mutant Hunter is complete without a gas mask, no doubt to stave off the infection as he cleaves his way through the mutated masses.

It feels a lot like a M.U.S.C.L.E figure, however I do believe it is an original sculpt and not a kitbash (but I may be wrong). 

This guy looks amazing, and the photos do not do him justice.

The Mutants in their various flesh tones; an idea rarely seen in mini-figures and yet adds a lot of appeal as oppose to the standard flesh colour. I haven't seen this done since Oodles: Coochy Coodles back in the 80's!

Currently there are 10 different Mutant figures & 1 Hunter figure to collect.

Lets have a look at each mutant in a bit more detail.

GODO - A freakish looking Mutant who has a rather pouty looking mouth in its torso, and holding a decapitated head with what looks like an eye peering out of the mouth. Freaky but awesome!

CARAES - An abortion looking fetus Mutant that reminds me of the parasitic Kuato from Total Recall, minus his helpless host. Not my favourite so the Hunter can waste him first.

FOSSILUS - I really like this character a lot! He's got heaps of detail, and the skull helmet really gives it a wasteland Mutant feel, like they're trying to be resourceful and making armour/weapons from scrap.

MUKOU- One of the smaller Mutants, he appears to be an elemental made of crystalline or rock.. It could even be slime or muk, as the name somewhat suggests.

SEWERSTEIN- A stabd out favourite for me, half turtle, half cyborg complete with cybernetic enhancements and a metallic face plate much like Kano from Mortal Kombat. His scales and shell look fantastic!

TRONCO- An interesting Mutant who is mostly comprised of a upper torso, decapitated for good measure and with eyeballs for breasts. Usual, run-of-the-mill Mutant stuff really. Very cool figure!

BRACHAENG- May have a difficult name to pronounce, but this Mutant isn't hard to like! Easily the tallest & largest of the Mutants, he reminds me somewhat of a Necromorph from Dead Space. Creepy!

JANUS- Is a bit like Blemmyea meets Frankenstein, and has irregular asymmetry that makes him stand out from the others Mutants in a good way. He's quite beefy too.

BLEMZINGER- Is as the name suggests, Blemmyea but with a twist; his left arm is a mutated snake creature!

With a cool stance and sinister expression, he may be on the short side but he looks like he packs a punch.

DUNKING- The most solid character on being a smidgen shorter than BracHaeng, Dunking is what we all feared.. that food would eventually grow teeth and bite back! Seriosuly, this walking donut with fangs ranks pretty high as a stand out figure for me personally. :)

The Mutants are available in various colours depending on how you buy them.

 Here's a breakdown of how they're available, and can be purchased at Imperfecz Toys Bigcartel Store NOW!

* The Hunter of the Mutants - $10.00 USD
Bagged and headed Hunter Figure in Flesh

* Mutants 3-Pack Blindbag - $20.00 USD3 random Mutant figures in random colours like Flesh, One-offs & other surprises. Its possible to pull a Hunter too, or even something else unexpected.. 

* Mutants 2-Pack selections - $15.00 USD(Pre-paired 2-packs of the Mutants cast in a flesh colour, here's the selections.
Pack 1 - Fossilus & Tronco
Pack 2 - janus & Godo
pack 3 - Mokou & BracHaeng
Pack 4 - Blemzinger & Sewerstein
Pack 5 - Dunkang & Caraes)

* Mutants Full 11 Figure Set - $60All 10 Mutants & Hunter making a total of 11 figures, carded and in various flesh tones.


I highly recommend picking up the full 11 figure set for $60, since it works out around $5.45 per figure which is practically unheard on this industry. And who wouldn't want a full set of figures I one foul swoop? It saves on chasing them around and remembering drop-dates, as well as saves cash on shipping!

GO! BUY!!

Looking forward to seeing where this line goes, needles to say I'll be keeping a close eye on any new developments and make updates here on my blog. :)

PRESENT- MWOTR Test Shot Sheldon Sabre PVC figure

This is merely a quick post to showoff the new Mystical Warriors Of The Ring Sheldon Sabre Test-Shot figure I just got in this awesome Orange colour (which is currently unavailable).

This photo that was used as a promo pic for the PVC release of MWOTR is the exact same figure I was fortunate enough to get my hands on. 

He is a 1:2 figure which only makes him even more cool, and he tells a story of how Fantastic Plastic Toys played around with Sheldon's tail, and in this figure it is unsecured to his leg as it would normally be. I feel rather chuffed at having scored myself this figure, as Sheldon Sabre is one of my favourite figures and Orange the is too good. Thanks Mark and Fantastic Plastic Toys!

The Sheldon Sabre Orange Test Shot with a bunch of very cool MWOTR cards sporting some pretty spiffy artwork of the characters!

The card backs with Bio Stats and character history. Always adds more fun in my book!

As if I needed even more reasons to like Mystical Warriors Of The Ring, now I'm practically jonesing for more to be released! Stay tuned to my blog, as I will try to cover any upcoming releases as well as info on how to get yourself some MWOTR.

Dont forget, Wave 1 MWOTR PVC sets in Candy Apple Red & Flesh are available for $9 at True Cast Studio, as well as a sweet MWOTR wrestling ring with Glow-in-the-Dark ropes for only $5 USD!! Bargain. 

PRESENT - The Smurfs 'Candy Collection Head' with mini-figure review.

The two containers the smurf figures come in, Smurfette & a standard Smurf.

Recently I stumbled across these new Smurf Heads with candy & mini-figures so, being a Smurf fan I had to buy some and do a quick review since I can't find any info on these on the internet just yet. I did find two lots on eBay though, and both are located in Australia, I wonder if these will turn up elsewhere?

Retail box with a full set of 8 figures for sale on eBay.
These are supposed to be Limited Edition, as it say on the box and checklist but theres no mention of it being a series. There are a total of 8 figures to collect; Papa Smurf (Red), Gargamel (Black/Grey), Smurfette (Pink), Jokey (Blue), Vanity (Blue), Hefty (Blue), Grouchy (Blue) & Brainy (Blue). The figures themselves are about 1" tall, and made of a harder resin but still have a small degree of flexibility. Each pack retails for AUD $2.00 and I found these for sale in the Reject Shop.

The packs each contain one mini-figure, a checklist, a sticker & some candy.

The figures I pulled from my first 5 packs, one was a double (Jokey, not pictured)

A close up of the checklist.

Each figure has © Peyo printed on the back of their hats.

Not much to really say about these guys, but they do look nice! They're about half the size/stature of an original PVC smurf but their detail is pretty good considering. They seem to have been cast in separate pieces and then assembled later (much like GPK Minikins). 

Im curious to see if these pop up anywhere else, so if you do see them for sale please post and say where.