The initial offering from Incubot Productions, the exciting new collectibles company created by Boston's own Alen Yen, the "godfather" and mastermind behind our sister site, ToyboxDX.

Now this is something exciting!

2010 is going to be a huge year for a lot of us...so big that it's already getting a head start in 2009!

Our sister site, ToyboxDX has spun off into Incubot Productions, a collectibles company that promises to destroy you with giant robot love!! Behind all of this is Alen Yen, whom we lovingly refer to as the "godfather". About 11 years ago, Alen created ToyboxDX, one of the earliest English-language websites devoted to Japanese robot toys from the 70's and 80's.

This labor of love has blossomed over the last decade into this site and others, and has served as the foundation for this community of geeks! It was only a matter of time before Alen started making toys of his own!

Now, the character known as "Nekosaur" is creation of Alen's--it's a tribute to the classic hero robots like Mazinger Z. The design is a little bit cat and a little bit dinosaur. And he's been brewing in Alen's mind for a LONG time!

In fact, the very first local collector I met in person was our own JoshB back in '05 just before the Summit that year...and he greeted me with a diecast Nekosaur keychain (scroll down to the 05.13.02 entry). These keychains were the first 3D incarnations of Nekosaur!

What Alen has produced here is a quantum leap over those diecast keychains! I was lucky enough to pick up a full set of these guys at Morphy's.

The Nekobot is a 3.5" tall rubber figure with three points of articulation (neck, shoulders). In classic robot style, they have "Toybox" in kanji printed onto their bellies. Unfortunately, I don't have their boxes to show off, as I picked them up so early, before they were printed up.

So what's the gimmick? Well, the figures actually split at the waist, exposing a 2GB USB drive! How do ya like that--something fun and useful!

And one cool little bit: the chest emblem actually lights up when they're plugged into your computer! Some glow brighter than others, but either way, it's a nice touch.

There are currently five colorways for these figures. There's the standard "Blue 28" version, that's clearly a tribute to Tetsujin 28. In addition, there's the black "Stealth" version, which is super-limited and already nearly sold out. Lastly, there's the black hearts "G Set", another limited set designed in tribute to Getter Robo G.

Stealth!

G Set!

These figures are a blast! They're a little rough around the edges--visible seam lines, slightly uneven horns--but they're pretty much indestructible! I mean, besides the metal components for the USB drive buried deep inside, the entire figure is dense rubber molded in color. Not only are these perfectly safe stuffed in your pocket (even the thin horns), but you really can whip these across the room and not worry about damaging the figure!

Another thing I love about these guys is messing around with their pants. :P

Colorful. Durable. Collectible. Sound familiar? ;)

So get over to Incubot and pick some of these up!

The first figure in my set of Mutant Zone 2 Real X Head figures in one of the quintessential tribute schemes.

Real x Head is a small Japanese vinyl company started and run by Mori Katsura in 2003. Mori’s first figure was the Oni-Head, but he saw much more success with his second figure, the Mutant Head, the start of the iconic Mutant Zone series. The Mutant Head sculpt was borne out of Mori’s love of classic 80’s toys, especially Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Taken from the Super 7 Mook, the Mutants are an invisible race that lives in the forests and mountains in natural harmony, existing outside the realm of human perception. Led by the militaristic Akro-Kaiser, the Mutants dislike humanity because of the damage we do to their natural habitats, and so the Mutants cause accidents and natural disasters to punish us. During an engagement, Mutant Head is injured and loses his ability to stay invisible. Mutant Head is found by a young boy and nursed back to health, showing Head that not all humans are evil. When Mutant Head returns to confront Akro-Kaiser about their aggression towards humanity, a schism erupts within the Mutant world over how to deal with humans, leading to what amounts to a civil war among the Mutants, with the human-defending Mutants being lead by Mutant Head.

Akro-Kaiser is the militaristic leader of the Mutants, and the first release in the much scarier looking ‘bad guy’ wave, Mutant Zone series 2. Akro-Kaiser uses the same basic Mutant body as the previous releases, with a new head, as well as a new piece, the armored vest. Akro-Kaiser’s head features a single eye, big teeth, and in now standard asymmetrical Real X Head fashion, spikes protruding from one side. The armored vest is an awesome addition to the options available for a figure. The vest slips over the basic Mutant body, with holes for the arms to fit into the normal body sockets. It adds a bulky ‘ready for action’ look, and spreads the arms out a bit for a wider stance. The vest also features plenty of ‘creepy’ mutant-ey details, including a spinal cord and a protruding heart. Perhaps these details are ornamentation removed as trophies from some conquered enemies, or the ‘vest’ is really just a twisted mutation in the character’s body?

I am sure new collectors of vintage Japanese Soft Vinyl toys believe that many classic characters might be out of their reach or price range due to high demand and a diminished supply of figures available. Rightfully so many of those high dollar figures are worth their value but there are quite of few high quality soft vinyl figures of classic characters still available for mere pocket change.

Gatchaman Mini Soft Vinyl by Leonardo Flores

I am sure new collectors of vintage Japanese Soft Vinyl toys believe that many classic characters might be out of their reach or price range due to high demand and a diminished supply of figures available. Rightfully so many of those high dollar figures are worth their value but there are quite of few high quality soft vinyl figures of classic characters still available for mere pocket change.

Take this original 1970's Popy produced mini soft vinyl figure of Gatchaman from Gatchaman II. These regularly appear on Y-Auctions between $5.00 and $15.00 with my example being purchased for 500yen.

As far as I know these figures were released in a set of five on a blister and card packaging and were released when the sequel to Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Gatchaman II was aired. I always believe that these figures were missing their capes but upon viewing a photo of a still sealed package of the figures the capes were never included. There are another set of mini soft vinyl Gatchaman figures but they are actually smaller than these later figures and they have a permanently stretched up arms although they do come with capes.

The figure itself is a great and classic representation of Gatchaman. I love the colors and sculpt all around and it is a fantastic period representations of this classic character with all its out of scale funkiness. Articulation consists of moveable waist and arms. I particular like the anime look of the face sculpt. Although these are mini-soft vinyl figures and are smaller than your average sized soft vinyl figure they are still at a reasonable size and look great in the display case.

For around $10.00 how can you miss out in these? Keep in mind I am sure a sealed package of all five or trying to locate Jun the Swan or Ryu The Owl are more difficult to aquire and cost more but if you are like me and not particularly concerned with packaging for soft vinyl figures this is a great inexpensive purchase of an original Popy 70's produced figure of a classic anime character.

©2009 article and pictures Leonardo Flores and CollectionDX.

New toys from Alen Yen of ToyboxDX.com!!

So you saw some of the prototypes and products from the Morphy's coverage, now Alen Yen's new website is live!

Go HERE to see the new site.

First up are the "Nekobots". Based on Alen's Nekosaur character, these little rubber figures have articulated arms and head and contain a 2 gigabyte flash drive hidden within the body that lights up when inserted in your USB port! Available in several colors, including homages to Getter Robo G!

You can also place a pre-order for the limited "Nekosaur" viny, designed by Alen and sculpted by Kiyoka Ikeda of Gargamel. Cast in clear vinyl with beautiful paper inserts. Gorgeous!

Don't forget that he's got a nice Nekosaur chogokin in the works as well. We saw the prototype in PA and it's loaded with awesome gimmicks. So hopefully these toys do well and the gokin follows quickly.

Robotman reborn.

Though Microman birthed the transforming robot explosion of the eighties, it was also a casualty of that explosion. After a decade of innovation, Microman died a quiet death in 1984, never achieving the sort of international devotion enjoyed by the bowdlerized Transformers, Micronauts notwithstanding.

After lying fallow for another fifteen years, Takara resurrected and re-booted the property for the new millennium. Takara meant business, introducing three different toy lines (Replica, LED, and Magne Powers), a Manga series, an anime, and generous amounts of ancillary product. Takara typically excels at reinterpreting its older toys for a new audience. Would this massive gamble work? Ehhhhh.

Reaction to the re-boot was tepid. A new generation of kids with no recollection of the original collectively shrugged. Adult collectors were turned off by the dramatic deviations from classic Microman. The ambitious multi-media blitz limped along without generating any real enthusiasm. The millennial Microman quietly expired.

What about the toys? Exquisite, if sometimes flawed.

Robotman Dean was introduced at the tail end of the Magne Powers series. Magne Powers toys incorporated magnetic gimmicks, including magnets in the limbs of the figures as well as interchangeable parts for larger robot and monster building. These toys were like the older magnemo Micronauts on steroids, the magnetic ball construction technique was taken to wild heights.

Dean is packaged in one of my favorite boxes of all time, die-cut with an inner metallic gold sleeve. You can tell that Takara was going all out here.

On the inside: not so much. Dean’s components are twist-tied to cheap corrugated cardboard. There’s no way to store him after you’ve removed the pieces other than to just shove him in an empty box. The later Korean releases of the combiners use a white plastic tray.

The limbs and torso go together intuitively. Dean in his combined form:

In the tradition of the first Robotman, Dean has a cockpit in his chest.

You can see the pilot’s head through a clear window. Also notice that Dean’s chrome face is covered with a clear shield.

Circular metal plates provide connection points for microman figures.

In keeping with the interchangeable ethos of Microman, each limb can be reconfigured (not transformed), into a vehicle or weapon.

Further, each of these can be further broken down and reconfigured into anything you can imagine. The sheer quantity of parts is impressive. Everything breaks down into tiny, detailed pieces. Even parts which could be duplicated, like the feet, are different.

Many parts have metal balls and magnets. Furthermore, these parts are compatible with the rest of the Magne Powers toys, providing nearly endless possibilities.

As a building toy, Dean is very successful. As a figure, he’s a mixed bag. While the magnetic connections are detailed with detented sockets, the whole bot feels ramshackle.

There’s an awful lot going on. Pieces frequently fall off. But Dean is so ambitious, and so nearly great, that I forgive his short-comings and just appreciate the work that went into him.

Many of the Magne Powers combiners were later released by Sonokong and are easily obtained. Dean, for whatever reason, was not, which is a shame because he’s the coolest one.

496123

I've finally "completed" my jumbo Shogun Warriors collection.

I say "completed" in quotation marks because of course there are still variations out there that I should probably get someday, but for the time being, I just wanted one version of each character available in the Shogun Warriors line. And some may find it odd that Dragun would be the last one I would get since he is among the most common and popular ones out there, but I was waiting for just the right specimen, at just the right price.

So, why did I need a particular specimen? Well, it's been awhile since I was cranking out jumbo reviews on a regular basis, but you may remember that I do have the original Popy version. And by all accounts, the first version Shogun Dragun was the exact same toy simply in a different box. So I figured that if I'm going to have more than one toy of the same character, I would like them to be as different as possible. To that end, I decided that I would not buy a Shogun Dragun until I saw a complete, box "lightning legs" version at a decent price.

As you can see, this version replaces the traditional "V" stickers on the legs with some silver lightning bolts.

Why?

Who knows? But this is usually the version that is the least popular so every time I'd say I specifically wanted this version to a friend, they would often wonder what the heck was wrong with me. But variety is important to me. So here are all of my jumbo Getter Dragons.

(l-r) Popy, Mattel, Nacoral, Famosa

(Famosa review forthcoming..)

I'm really glad I held out for that version because when I got it, I noticed some things about it that I didn't know before. For instance, did you notice that the Popy version is shorter than the Mattel version? Why would that be if the only different is the leg stickers? Well, upon closer inspection, I noticed that the feet on the Mattel version are actually modified feet from a Great Mazinger!

I'd never seen this reported anywhere else and it makes me wonder what other barely noticeable differences there are among the various versions that can't be seen without having all of them in one place!

One other difference that WAS known is of course the fact that the spinning sawblades from the Popy version were removed from this version. Also, the star shooter accessory was added to the Mattel version. The first version Mattel one has a strap but this one has the more common clip on version.

My specimen came with 12 stars and three axes.

So, other than pointing out those differences and just adding this toy to our database, there really isn't much more I feel like I can add.

(And yes, I know I haven't reviewed the Shogun Warriors Goldorak. I have it and will do it....later. )

The saga of Saint Seiya continues and Bandai has new Saint Cloth Myth to show for it. I take a look at the first release from Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas. It's Pegasus Tenma.

Review sample provided by HobbyLink Japan.

Saint Seiya has a long and rich history and the main story is still not finished. While fans wait, for the stories of Heaven and Chronos to be told a prologue story was created under the supervision of the original creator Masami Kurumada and written and illustrated by Shiori Teshirogi.

The Lost Canvas takes place 250 years before the original Saint Seiya saga and tells the story of three orphans that grew up as children only to assume their roles in this cosmic battle of good and evil. It touches upon plot points and themes from the original series while chronicling the previous Holy War between Athena and Hades.

First up in Bandai's line of Saint Cloth Mythology line for The Lost Canvas is Pegasus Tenma, the series's main character and this generations Pegasus Saint. With the series being written and illustrated by a different artist the anime adapts this new look and Bandai took and ran with it. Creating a striking new look for the Saint Cloth Mythology line.

The packaging continues the look of previous Saint Cloth Myth, a book style package that opens to reveal the figure and all the armor parts and pieces neatly arranged.

The Tenma figure features an all new body type and a new “style” to the look of the head sculpt. I love how it captures the look of the new series yet fits in with previous SCM releases.

The body features over 40 points of articulation as well as interchangeable faces (for different expressions) as well as 8 interchangeable hands.

Also included is the flower bracelet Sasha (Athena) made for Tenma, Alone and her as children to signify their bond as children.

Each warrior wears an armor in the series. Athena's warriors wear “clothes” and are all named and designed after constellations in the night sky. So when the Cloth is not being worn be our heroes they form a statue or “Object” to be more accurate. Tenma's armor being the Pegasus saint turns into a Pegasus statue.

You may notice that the figures themselves are fairly spindly and thin but all that changes when you put the parts on for the armor. Everything sits and looks properly in proportion once on and looks stunning on the shelf.

Most of this release is die-cast metal with only the skirt plating and head-piece being made of plastic. There's not a lot for armor on the figure as this is how it appears early in the show before it's first repair/evolution.

Not a lot of surprises with this release. Saint Cloth Mythology has been a top quality line from Bandai for many years now and Pegasus Tenma is an excellent start to The Lost Canvas line of figures and a good place to start if you;ve ever wanted to check one of these sharp looking figures. You can get yours at HobbyLink Japan.

On a side note, I have finally had a chance to see the 6 first episodes of the series, fan subbed. It's really well done and a bit more mature in tone that early Saint Seiya. It is an excellent place to start if you have ever been interested in the Saint Seiya Mythology but have been overwhelmed at the rich and long history of the series. It's an excellent beginning point without knowing a thing about the history.

Exciting upcoming products from Kotobukiya! Iron Man, Armored Core & More!

THE KOTOBUKIYA COLLECTION – MARVEL STUDIOS

IRON MAN MARK II FINE ART BUST

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! With the recent release of the first Iron Man film on DVD and Blu-ray and excitement building for the sequel coming next year, Kotobukiya is ready to satisfy your need for the “Armored Avenger” with the next in its series of Marvel Studios Fine Art Busts, the IRON MAN MARK II. After Tony Stark escaped his imprisonment at the hands of terrorists, he set about refining his rudimentary powered armor designs. His first creation was the powerful silver Iron Man Mark II suit, a pre-cursor to the red and gold Mark III.

Iron Man is posed to do battle, with his right arm outstretched and Repulsor Ray at the ready. The gleaming metal armored suit is recreated with painstaking attention to detail, covered in individual plates, rivets, and screws. The Mark II suit’s overall silver is broken up only by the bright blue of its eye holes, Repulsor generators, and chest plate. Best of all, Iron Man’s right palm Repulsor Ray is illuminated via an LED light! This is the definitive bust version of the Mark II armor from the blockbuster Iron Man film!

The Iron Man Mark II stands approximately 9” tall (in 1/6 scale with all of the other Marvel Studios Fine Art Busts) and rests atop a deluxe base with light up “Iron Man” logo movie marquee! A limited edition, the Mark II is individually numbered on an engraved metal plate.

SRP $79.99

Available in April 2010

Iron Man, the Movie © 2010 MVL Film Finance LLC. Marvel, Iron Man, all character names and their distinctive likenesses: TM & © 2008 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All rights reserve

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BORDER BREAK COUGAR TYPE-I FINE SCALE MODEL KIT

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! Fighting giant robot fans, get ready. Border Break: Sega Network Robot Wars is an upcoming action arcade game and the first title to run on Sega's new RingEdge arcade board. Kotobukiya is the first to bring the amazing fighting mecha of this new game to life with a brand new series of Fine Scale Model Kits from the revolutionary high-speed team battle arcade game. The first in the new lineup is the ultra mobile Assault Blast Runner, COUGAR TYPE-I.

While it may be fast, the Cougar Assault Blast Runner is also armed to the teeth, fully equipped with its powerful Duel Sword, twin Sub Machineguns, TYPE 38 Hand Grenade, and Assault Charger to smash anything that gets in its way. Not only can you outfit your Cougar with any combination of weapons, but the hip boosters open up and by swapping out the parts you can shrink or extend their nozzles! Just like in the game, the robot’s sword can be mounted on its back for storage.

Each robot in the Border Break series is built on the universal core “Cross Frame” outfitted with additional armor, weapons, and accessories. The robots are fully articulated and poseable, and you can combine and interchange parts from different units to create your own original Blast Runner! Standing over 6 inches tall, the Cougar is comprised of approximately 200 parts and has an outstanding 30 points of articulation.

SRP $34.99

Available in MARCH 2010

©SEGA

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SUPER ROBOT TAISEN: FAIRYLION TYPE-G FINE SCALE MODEL KIT

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! At the request of crown princess Shine Hausen, the Tesla Leicht Institute set out to build two mecha created for ceremonial purposes. Following the release of the Type-S version is the alternate FAIRYLION TYPE-G mecha. Differentiated by a distinct paint scheme, the Type-G is just as tough and battle-ready as its counterpart with a miniaturized Tesla Drive, missile jamming system, and energy field, as well as a unique MMI (Man-Machine-Interface) system!

Assembly of the Fairylion Type-G Fine Scale Model Kit is easy, with parts cast in different colors and included pictorial instructions. The robot stands 5 inches tall (1/144 scale) and features approximately 20 points of articulation. The Fairylion bristles with weaponry including four Roll Cannons, Tesla Drive, Sonic Cutter and the mighty Assault Blade! You can position the Type-G according to your tastes with the included flying display stand, and with the Fairylion Type-S you can even recreate the Royal Heartbreaker Formation!

SRP $29.99

Available in APRIL 2010

© SRWOG PROJECT

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SUPER ROBOT TAISEN: GRANZON MODEL FINE SCALE MODEL KIT

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! Appearing in many Super Robot Taisen games as both an enemy and playable mecha, the mighty GRANZON always makes a big impression. Designed by Shu Shirakawa of the Divine Crusaders, the powerful robot runs on an antimatter annihilation engine and wields immensely destructive weapon systems. Burly and covered in bladed armor plates, the Granzon and its Black Hole Cluster are often the last things its enemies ever see.

With snap-fit assembly (no glue required) and pictorial instructions, readying your Super Robot Taisen unit for combat has never been easier! The Granzon is composed of approximately 400 pieces cast in different colors, eliminating the need for painting, and has 30 points of articulation. Standing over 6 1/4 inches tall, the mighty robot is so big it’s scaled down to be balanced against the equally massive Cybaster. The Granzon comes equipped with two swords, and best of all its chest panels swing open to recreate the Black Hole Cluster!

SRP $59.99

Available in FEBRUARY 2010

© SRWOG PROJECT

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CYBER TROOPERS VIRTUAL-ON MBV-04-10/80 SPECIAL FINE SCALE MODEL KIT

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! The giant robot Fine Scale Model Kits from the classic video game series Virtual-On continue with yet another variant and upgrade to the classic Temjin player’s model. The MBV-04-10/80 SPECIAL further increases the Temjin’s already high maneuverability and melee combat capability. Though the robot itself is a newer model, the Special continues to use the popular dual purpose beam rifle/sword!

Comprised of approximately 400 parts, the MBV-04-10/80 Special has 30 points of articulation including advanced shoulder joints designed specifically for maximum poseability. The sleek combat mecha stands 6 inches tall and is in 1/100 scale (the same as the other Virtual-On model kits). Construction of your Special is literally a snap with snap-fit assembly, and you can customize it with the included extra decals and optional parts. This model is the truest representation of the mecha thanks to computer graphic data provided by Sega!

SRP $49.99

Available in MARCH 2010

© SEGA, 1998, 1999?CHARACTERS © SEGA/AUTOMUSS CHARACTER DESIGN: KATOKI HAJIME

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ARMORED CORE WICTORIA FINE SCALE MODEL KIT

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! Build! Pose! Customize! The Armored Core kits, now with over 40 different models now available, require easy snap fit assembly (made simple by included pictorial instructions), and do not need to be painted, although you may choose to customize or detail the weapons as you see fit. All of the kits in the Infinity Series feature interchangeable weapons, bodies, and heads for the ultimate in customization!

Appearing in Japan’s Dengeki Hobby Magazine’s novel “Armored Core Brave New World,” the WICTORIA is piloted by the main character Koki. The formidable fighting robot is lean and tall, outfitted in stylized armor decorated with fins and intricate mechanical details. Bright white, the Victoria is accented in gleaming gold and red. This special novel version includes a head design not seen in the games at all, as well as special tampo-printed emblems. Like all of the other Armored Core units, the Victoria comes armed with multiple accessories and weapons, including its signature WL 14LB-ELF2 Laser Blade. Standing 8 ½ inches tall, the exclusive robot is comprised of approximately 500 parts and when fully assembled it has 20 points of articulation for extreme poseability!

SRP $49.99

Available in APRIL 2010

© 1997-2009 FromSoftware, Inc. All rights reserved.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water....Dun, Dun....Dun, Dun....Dun, Dun......

From Wikipedia

The Brave of Gold Goldran is a Japanese anime television series series begun in 1995, created by Sunrise under the direction of Shinji Takamatsu, and was the sixth in the Yuusha meta-series funded by Takara and produced by Sunrise. Goldran follows the adventures of three young boys who are tasked with finding alien robot fighters, or Braves, that are sleeping in the form of crystals. Their major antagonist is the flamboyant and thoroughly incompetent Walter, and the villains that follow him are often similarly humorous. The entire show is extremely focused on comedy and silliness almost to the exclusion of much in the way of storytelling, although the series does develop some running plot lines towards its end. In terms of television ratings, Goldran was the peak of the Brave series' popularity.

Today I will be reviewing the Captain Shark DX re-issue, made by Sonokong/Takara. The sample for review can be purchased rather cheaply from our friends over at Big Bad Toy Store, Please check them out or just click on the Ebay links at the bottom of the page for links to help find any live auctions for the item reviewed today.

Captain Shark is hails from the anime The Brave of Gold Goldran. Captain Shark is basically a space pirate/battleship in the familiar shape of a shark, hence the name. He has an excitable demeanor with a keen mind and will often play the straight man. His right eye is hidden under an eye-patch until it is used as a targeting scope for the HYPER GALACTIC BURST MODE ATTACK.

Captain Shark is a very formidable adversary, his weapons include:

Shoulder Cannon
Captain Sword
Spiral Launcher
Spring Shot
Shark Cannon
Hook
Harpoon

To start off with, Captain Shark comes to you in the now familiar, beautifully illustrated, heavy corrugated cardboard box shown below.

I wanted to show you a close up of Captain Shark's head. Notice the pirate hat and eye-patch. Its an unusual design to say the least. Even though it is unique, who doesn't like pirates and giant robots? They go together like chocolate and peanut butter!

Captain Shark stands approximately 11.5 inches tall in robot mode and made of quality heavy plastic. He weighs in at a stout 1 1/4 lbs. Articulation is limited to the elbows and upper shoulders.

Heck, who needs articulation when you have some much firepower? This guy is heavily armed! His giant shoulder mounted cannon can fire 16 of the 48 included red missiles by a simple twist of the back of the cannon. But wait, the eye poking goodness doesn't end there! He is also equipped with a wrist mounted firing harpoon and hook. Also, lets not forget his 4 rotating cannons mounted on both shoulders and his swashbuckling sword.

Here is a feature that I really like about the Brave toy line so far, Every accessory has a place to hide. The sword attaches to a clip located on the Captains backside, hook, harpoon and extra missiles store in a shoulder compartments, even the cannon mount can be concealed away neatly. The designers really thought of everything.

If you don't wish to store the sword on the back of the figure, you can always put it clenched in the Shark's teeth.

I know this is showing my age, but you older Saturday Night Live fans might get a kick out of my "Land Shark" mode LOL!

OK, enough fooling around and lets get onto the Space Battleship mode of Captain Shark. In this mode he actually has two different configurations, Spaceship and what I would call a Shark Tank.

In Space Battleship mode, Captain Shark kinda reminds me of something you might see in a Captain Harlock anime. It really looks cool from all angles. I especially like all the guns mounted atop its Shark body.

Moving along to the land based, Shark tank mode. You can see that the cannon mounts atop the body and it now has caterpillar treads that fold out from underneath.

Here is a close up of the caterpillar treads, unfortunately they do not move. However, it does have wheels on the bottom. I really wish that they put rolling treads on this toy.

Here is a close up of the bridge area. I think this could have been alot cooler if they included stickers for the windows. I have been seriously considering doing some custom work to add these.

Finally we have the last few pictures. In these pictures you can see that the shoulder cannon can also be mounted underneath the shark body. You would think that the round shape of the cannon would make this very unstable. Surprisingly, it actually turns out to be very stable due to the fins on the sides of the cannon.

In conclusion, I really enjoy this toy for its design and play value. It is very sturdy and displays really well with my other Brave figures. Furthermore, I think the price of $29.99 at Big Bad Toy Store really makes this toy a steal, so pick one up already!

Kotobukiya is proud to announce the official international launch of OTACOOL: WORLD WIDE OTAKU ROOMS at Anime Festival Asia 2009. World famous OTAKU blogger and enthusiast Danny Choo and South-East Asia’s renowned cosplayer and this years Regional Cosplay Championship finalist Alodia Gosiengfiao will be our special guests in commemorating this exciting new launch. The book will be on sale at the AFA shop and those who purchase it at this event will be able to get it autographed by Danny and Alodia.

Kotobukiya is proud to announce the official international launch of OTACOOL: WORLD WIDE OTAKU ROOMS at Anime Festival Asia 2009. World famous OTAKU blogger and enthusiast Danny Choo and South-East Asia’s renowned cosplayer and this years Regional Cosplay Championship finalist Alodia Gosiengfiao will be our special guests in commemorating this exciting new launch. The book will be on sale at the AFA shop and those who purchase it at this event will be able to get it autographed by Danny and Alodia.

OTACOOL: WORLD WIDE OTAKU ROOMS is Kotobukiya’s first English/Japanese language book that introduces readers to over 108 cool and stylish Otaku rooms worldwide. Capturing the Otaku culture from a totally new angle, OTACOOL presents a diverse range of incredible Otaku rooms, all classified by country of origin with spotlights on special guests, including Danny and Alodia.

Kotobukiya and Anime Festival Asia welcomes everyone to drop by this event held on

November 22nd from 15:30?16:00 at booth D01. Fans can purchase the book at

AFA Shop booth at D02 or SGD29

For further information on OTACOOL please visit:

http://www.figure.fm/feature/en/otacool/

Kotobukiya official website: http://www.kotous.com/

Anime Festival 2009 official website: http://www.afa09.com/

Danny Choo’s official website: http://www.dannychoo.com/

Alodia Gosiengfiao’s official website: http://www.alodiagosiengfiao.com/

DKE Toys and adFunture present the Custom Yoka Show

Premiere exhibition Saturday, November 21, 2009

Designer Con, Pasadena, CA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: adFunture provided their 3" blank Yoka bear vinyl figures and DKE Toys co-founders Dov Kelemer and Sarah Jo Marks found over 200 artists to participate in the Custom Yoka Show. Featuring work from 19 countries the show turns the quirky little panda into everything from a dirty thug to a sweet snail in this tremendous exhibition. Each original piece ranges from $25 to $600 and will be available for purchase at the start of the show Saturday morning.

Show features: Anthony Ausgang, Miss Mindy, Buff Monster, Jophen Stein, Heidi Kenney, Steven Daily, Snaggs, Arbito, Le Merde, Chris Ryniak, olive47, Dacosta!, Chino and literally hundreds more.

The Custom Yoka Show is meant to coincide with the release of Yoka Series One, a blind boxed collectible figurine set that will be in stores for the holidays!

Starting at noon all children will be invited to play the Yoka scavenger hunt. Participants will search the exhibition for the answers to 10 clues and the first 100 players to complete the hunt will win a brand new unreleased Yoka from the upcoming series 1.

Designer Con: Designer Con (formerly Vinyl Toy Network) is a pop culture event showcasing everything in the world of design including collectible toys, custom figures, original art, and designer apparel! Join vendors, artists, manufacturers, and designers on Saturday November 21, 2009 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, CA from 10 am to 5 pm for a day of fun including Dr. Sketchy's life drawing sessions, live painting, body painting, a custom Yoka show, and much more! Admission is $5 (kids 12 and under are free!). Keep an eye on DesignerCon.com for the latest show info, exclusives, artists, and vendors!

Almost nothing about toys in this one, but plenty of dumbasses in a van.

The next day we awoke from our auction induced comas. Most people weren’t returning for the tin auctions the next day, but there were a few pieces Sanjeev wanted to bid on, and I needed to get a lot of pick-up shots. We arrived a bit late due to us having to pick up Diceone and his friend but we didn’t miss any of the auctions we wanted to see.

The world of tin collecting is a mystery to me. While I appreciate that they are the ancestors of what I collect now, I just don’t get into the aesthetics of them. Sure, I like the Japanese character tins, but it’s a collecting road I just can’t go down.

That being said, tin collectors are insane. You think the vintage diecast can get expensive? Think again. Some of the pieces that went sold for over 10k. Where the action on some of the diecast was slow, the tin was HOT. This is probably due to a larger, more established (and recognized) collector base. What WE think of in regards of vintage Japanese toys goes back to the 60s, for them, its another 20 years earlier.

I dropped Sanjeev off at the auction, and not wanting another Mennonite sandwich, made my way to the Dunkin Donuts across the street. I know in different parts of the country they have slightly different regional menus – but this was insane. Peanut Butter and Jelly Donut? Crushed Peanut Donut? Cherry Topped? WHAT? And most importantly – NO CHOCOLATE STICK!

Another reason to hate on Pennsylvania.

Back at Morphys, people who were bidding on tin were doing so, and others returned to claim their loot. Half the fun was seeing what everyone won, and even doing some on-the-spot trades.

Early in the afternoon, after our gang had got all their stuff together, we decided to check out a comic store in Lancaster called simply “the Comic Store”. The store is decent by the way, if you want to check it out. Decent for being in the middle of nowhere anyway.

Dave and I both bought comics (I am a recovering comic nerd) and from there we decided to go to another comic store nearby called Captain Blue Hen Comics. The six of us piled in the mini-van and made our way through downtown Lancaster, which for being in the heart of Amish country, has a lot of porn shops.

We found the comic store, only to find it closed. It’s in the basement of an old church… super creepy. I’ve since found out it closed last year.

From there Diecone talked us into going to a 99c store where we found some bootlegs, and the worst halloween costumes ever.

From there, we just decided to head home, as Jerilock needed to split.

The ride back was fun. We were tired, we taped it. You can watch it below.

After that we went to Hooters and loaded up on wings. All of the Hooters near me have closed, so this was a treat. It was there that we hatched a plan – I needed beer. Not just any beer – Yuengling. You can’t get Yuengling in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, so anytime someone comes back from PA, I have them get me a case. Well it was decided that I was going to get my own case. Jason called his sister, who lives in PA, to give us the lowdown with PA beer laws. Apparently, You can only buy beer from one kind of store, and wine and spirits from another. And you can buy before noon on Sunday. Well, our plans had us on the road before noon, so tonight we were off in search of beer.

I asked the hooters waitress if she knew where I could get any beer. She gave us vague directions – three miles down that road, a place called Michaels near Bed bath and Beyond.

Of course, there was no store there. Stupid me. We stop at a gas station, and Sanjeev gets out to get directions from some Pennsylvanian. Ok, we were close, just back down the road, turn at the Exxon, and we are right there. So back down the road we go, turn at the Exxon and then…. Nothing. We find a beer distributor, but they are closed. So onward we go.

Our next stop is at a convenience store, with a proprietor who is not from here, and knows little English. Once he finally understands what I am looking for, he says he doesn’t know where, and I leave. However as I pull out, he runs out to give me directions to another place he THINKS it might be.

Off we go again. I don’t know if it was his directions or fate, but we found the place. This was so hard – around here there is a packie around every corner.

This place that we find, it's a weird mish-mash of convenience store, deli and restaurant. It is here that I learn the next two quirks of the PA beer laws.

It has something to do with the quantity of beer sold. If you want to get beer by the case, you can only buy it at a beer distributor. If you want to get it as a 6-pack, you can get it at a bar. Well, technically, It is any establishment that serves booth food and beer – they can sell you a 6 pack.

I decide on 1 12-pack and 2 6-packs. I bring them up to the counter and the grizzly old man behind the counter tells me nicely that I can buy these, but I have to do it in two purchases. Once I make my purchase, I may take one 12-pack outside, leave it on the sidewalk, and then I can come back in and take the 2 six packs.

“Seriously” I ask?

People behind me in line giggle. Apparently there is some archaic beer law in PA that says you can only purchase only 2 packages of beer at one time. I comply, I carry my one 12-pack outside, come back in, and grab the other two. Surreal.

Beer in hand, we get back to the hotel room. We are tired. We just want to go to sleep.

I hit the bed like a dead man. Sanjeev is checking mail on the laptop. Dave is in the bathroom dropping the kids off at the pool. The room is dead quiet, and I am just about asleep when I hear moaning through the wall. But not the good kind of moaning.

“mwooooohhhhhhhhh”

I tell Sanjeev to be quiet and listen. We put our ears up to the wall and hear a muffled crying. At first it is just crying. Then we make out “Oh God..” “Oh God please help me...”

Now Sanjeev and I are being dead quiet, trying to listen to the moaning guy when dave drops a loud bomb in the bathroom. Sanjeev and I explode with laughter. The timing was just so perfect, the room so quiet. Dave's comedic timing is amazing.

Sanjeev and I go to the front office and talk to the lady, who tells me that guy has been having problems, something about his mother having a stroke. Anyway, she says she will take care of it.

The rest of the night is uneventful, with a few more moans, but I couldn't tell if that was Dave or not.

Our adventure is almost over. Sleep becomes us.

The next morning, we check out and hit the road. Dave and I torture Sanjeev with two straight hours of ween from my ipod. He sleeps through a lot of it, but one can only hope it warps his subconscious mind.

It was a long, strange trip. It was full of good friends, some that I have known forever but never met. The weather sucked, but that didn't dampen anyone's spirits. I spent too much money, but now the buyers regret is gone. All I have is good memories, and a box full of toys.

Thanks to Sanjeev, Dave and Jerilock, I couldn't ask for better traveling companions. I didn't want to kill any of you once.