That header art does totally rule, wishing there was a blanket with that printed on it myself. I agree the reason a lot of newer toys are losing track of the actual purpose of the toy is that 90% of folks making toys are doing it from a collector mindset vs. the OG concept of toys. Personally I think the majority of toys today are too hyper looking, not saying details should not be applied just sometimes they get really overdone. With my own stuff that I make I always try to emulate the 1970's Monsters era since that is what most appeals to me. I never look at what I am doing and think, "how is such and such going to feel about this?" or "if i do it this way I bet I sell more" hell, I do not even promote most of what I do, I like the dolls to be their own entity. After all they will be around longer than any of us and I would rather feel satisfied than worshiped. I would prefer to enjoy stuff rather than covet things and act entitled or worse condescending to others who enjoy the same. The hype and art of flipping does not apply to some stuff and that is likely because the folks making the stuff do not shout out "hey look at me" rather their craft and products speak to a different mindset. As for flipper culture it seems oriented in selfishness and not financial needs. To each his own, I do really enjoy the LSB dolls tho do not like the paints on most of what I have seen. The new small doll trio look fun so far and stand out as closer to the vintage doll plus I like all the Longneck mash ups. Oh and this version just kills:
"Cut word lines — Cut music lines — Smash the control images — Smash the control machine — Burn the books — Kill the priests — Kill! Kill! Kill!" back on topic.. after looking over the images the unpainted LSB dolls all look better than the painted ones, so maybe the dolls themselves have attained a consciousness that refuses to betray the vintage concept?
Im a fan of those lil ones kichigai posted...but looking thru the thread everything sounds like its overpriced??
Thanks for sharing that John. I have never seen the header. How strange they choose Gamera and Barugon for the artwork. Love the art work. And thanks David @toothaction for that video. It was fun to watch that one and the many others they had on their twitter.
Yes they are and I think they are in my favorites of the past few years hands down I appreciate that they look Japanese, many toys are looking waaay too Western IMHO Loving the ゼットン look of that Peppermint one
I don't know if many of you followed the recent releases, but here is the new evolution of the Guzo Kaiju : "Idola". Lots of textures and features here, with a further evolution of the "multiple heads" theme. Some crazy things going on, as much on the sculpt as on the coloring. Pink seems a constant color on Leo's releases, and here it acts as a particular disturbing point on the overall "balance". Well, so much for the words, here are some pics. ｉ ｄ ｏ ｌ ａ by plasticxo, on Flickr Ｆａｃｅｓ by plasticxo, on Flickr
My first reaction to this was WTF? - but the more i look at it, the more i like it. I still think the debut sculpt is the best, but at least this does look like an 'evolution'. I have to admit the long arms thing he's been doing is not for me, but the abundance of little details he's sculpting is cool. Its very 'busy', but i like it. I think Leo is a Love / Hate kinda toy maker, not many people on the fence concerning his toys!
I share your feeling about the 1st impression it gives. A bit messy, maybe overcharged. Especially the cartoonish face at the back, not usually my cup of tea, but here I feel it gives a 70's psychedelic feeling. Leo has a very personal way of sculpting and colouring and he commented a bit about the concept. It's really an agglomeration of rejected impulses and urges of today's society. Hence the name "Idola". It really is unique, and this is what drew me to it. There are so few toy makers who have a true identity.
@doomboy Cool, thanks for sharing. Nice to see the face behind the toys. I wonder if this means Leo will be doing something with Marusan now? I know he also paints other makers toys (Bear Model for example).
I would def like to get a translation,maybe Leo is selling some toys at the Pop-up shops. Wish they could 'pop-up' a shop in the UK one day.I really like the look of the Idol,especially the jointed arms versions. edit..yeah looks like collabo between Leo,Weifang(?) and Marusan at the Pop-up shop Aug20
Here's a dumb question that I've been meaning to ask: Is 'Leo Sofvi' kind of like 'Paul Kaiju' or more like 'Plastic Bertrand'? If'n you catch my drift.
Cool, it did make me wonder why he was getting his own video interview with the mighty Marusan! Could it be both? LEO Sofvi Bouya . . . I'm also curious about that name. I just assumed he was a Leo DiCaprio fan, and sticking 'Boy' on the end of the name makes it sound like a cartoon character or something. Kinda like 'Astro Boy' . . . .
The latest version of this could be the best yet!! Definitely saves some space on the shelves View this post on Instagram
So this is by Leo as well? The proportions look a lot more like the original, which is pretty cool. I like this colorway as well. Have to say though, i still prefer the chunkier version with the bigger coils at the base.
yeah theres been a couple of runs..deffo wanna get one at some point.That version just posted is well nice...
The new sculpt was pointed out to me by @obsessedpanda, recommending I get my hands on one, and I couldn’t agree more. I did see Leo’s first sculpt in Yoda’s shop in 2015 and, while impressive, was just honkin’ in size which didn’t compel me to get my hands on one. But as Moog pointed out, this looks a lot closer to the blow molded predecessor from whence it derived as far as the size goes. That particular version Glenn posted has such tightly knit sprays that just put it on a level of immaculate presentation. Love those textures.
I really like this version. I am torn as to whether I find the bigger 'base' better or not. I think, even though I like the heft of the large spiral/snake tail, this sort of suits him as well, and gives the overall figure a slightly new look in this resculpt. The colours are really popping out for me though, as it was hard to find one of the earlier ones that really did the toy justice I find, and appealed to me personally. I quite like this dude, and would definitely welcome this revisit of the classic toy on my shelves.
New head absolutely swings it for me. But now that I've seen Glenn's version, it's the one I want most
View this post on Instagram Its amazing in hand and the size is perfect so you can collect a lot and not worry too much about it being a shelf hog. I entered for the metallic black on brown vinyl as it reminded me of the Miura toy triceratops
