Toygraph Racers

Discussion in 'Japan Toys' started by Mr. Humphreys, Dec 18, 2013.

  1. Roger

    Roger Die-Cast

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    It looks like it's supposed to be the Hawaii Icarus-seijin:

    [​IMG]
     
    Mr Fox, Mark K, deafmetal and 4 others like this.
  2. Mr. Humphreys

    Mr. Humphreys Mini Boss

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    Goodness! Gone for a week, to find some great Racer news when I logged in! :shock:

    Heartiest CONGRATULATIONS @Mr Fox !!!!! :D:D:D Your new Racer is wonderful and I'm glad to see him in you herd! Your collection is divine and displayed with elegance :razz:. Thank you too @Roger for the nice Hawaiian reference. Mr Fox and I were pondering if the Hawaiian Ikarus in an orange car with no number sticker, was a variation to the "normal" #3 car release. Or if it was part of the last group of releases, cobbled together with remaining autos and head assemblies, as @Biff explained the appearance of some very nice one-off combos.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    So, at first thought, he might have grabbed a remaining Hawaiian and stuck it on a plain orange car. But @ultrakaiju posted his Ikarus Racer, the same as Mr. Fox's curiosity! So now that two of these Hawaiians in a plain orange cars have been seen, does that support the intentional variant release? Sort of like the #66 Gamera turtle car variants. There are two variants on the blue turtle. Both are blue, but the second version has a darker purple spray on the back of the head and shell.

    Here is @ultrakaiju version, Hawaiian+plain Orange. Note that he's still sealed MIB!
    [​IMG]
    @ultrakaiju photo!
    from
    http://skullbrain.org/bb/index.php?threads/show-your-vroom-vroom-for-martin.46009/page-4

    A sealed release and then the discovery of Mr. Fox's car.
    Does this support the intentional variant release theory?
    Hmmm.... Nerding out here
    Great Racers Mr. Fox and Stevie!!!
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2023
  3. Mr Fox

    Mr Fox Addicted

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  4. timmyummy

    timmyummy Fresh Meat

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    Thank you for the heads up! Was literally just thinking about that print. Having gotten into F1 the past couple years, this is the perfect mash-up of things for me, cars, kaiju and toys!

     
  5. Russblue11

    Russblue11 S7 Royalty

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  6. Mr. Humphreys

    Mr. Humphreys Mini Boss

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    Thank you @Mr Fox for the wonderful news! Just submitted a request for the print!
    Thank you Martin, you are very missed.
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2023
  7. Mr Fox

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    It has taken me awhile to get one these framed and the other reframed, post the Outre show, but after much procrastination they went up on my office wall today…

    [​IMG]
     
  8. timmyummy

    timmyummy Fresh Meat

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    The bottom was direct from Martin, correct?
     
  9. Fig Belly

    Fig Belly Comment King

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    Arstron in last place. as per usual.
     
  10. Mr Fox

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    Both were, although the top one, Kaiju 500 was shown at Martin's exhibition at Outre and sent on by them.

    Martin wasn't keen on doing commissions but I was lucky to call him a friend and I floated the idea past him of a painting based on our shared love of Racers. We threw around some ideas and after awhile, he'd come up with the basics of what he wanted to do. The end result was all that I hoped it would be and captured exactly how much Martin loved these toys; furthermore, how all toys meant a lot to him and he viewed them as being so much more than an inanimate object (hence the title of his last show at Outre). His natural ability and talent to capture whimsy and joy in a painting made this subject a perfect match.

    After the first painting was completed, he asked if I would mind him making some prints of it. I didn't, in fact I encouraged it, and was glad that others would be able to share in his work and for Martin to benefit.

    I believe the first version is one of the reasons why his focus for his final show was vinyl toys. Whilst he had included a piece, or a character, in a few of his previous paintings, he hadn't done an entire collection based on soft vinyl toys. The pieces from Kaiju are my friends are his love letter to the toys that capture all of our hearts.
     
  11. jetJagger

    jetJagger Toy Prince

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    These are both fantastic, but there's something about the second one that really calls to me. A shame Outre isn't doing both...
     
  12. Russblue11

    Russblue11 S7 Royalty

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    The one on the bottom was done as a print in 2020, but only as an edition of 20 (you can see it on Martin Harris’ Instagram). I’ve had no luck tracking one down so this new release was perfect
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2023
  13. Mr Fox

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    Newest addition - was bagged when I bought it (as per mail thread) and I assumed, from the sale photos, that it was flesh vinyl, sprayed black with some basic sprays; however, on taking the Zegoran out, it has gold, silver, red and blue accents. Challenging to show in photos but it is so much nicer than I expected. The legs/tail also have the electric blue belly spray, whilst the claws and spikes on the tail are silver to match the silver claws on the hands.

    I'm still on the fence with respect to the blood spray on the car and part of me still feels it takes something away from the Racers, rather than adding to it; however, I'm down the rabbit hole and if I see a Racer that I don't have up for sale, and I can afford it, it is being re-homed, unbagged and cherished!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2024
  14. Vombie

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    Congrats on the new addition...that's gotta feel good. these are not easy to come by.

    How far along was this version released in relation to the others?
     
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  15. JoeMan

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    Love the Zag racers. I'm with you on the blood. The line is a little kawaii and it takes something away, like he just ran over Bambi. But also very nostalgic for that era.
     
  16. Fig Belly

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    The blood is doofy. Everything else about it is amazaballs. Congrats on another super find for your racer pack. Maybe someday you can recreate the scene you and Martin made as a short stop motion video. Or even better, get the whole pack in there Mr. Fox.
     
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  17. Biff

    Biff S7 Royalty

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  18. Mr Fox

    Mr Fox Addicted

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    I'm not sure but I am guessing it was near the end (or at the end) of the standard runs - possibly at the same time as the double black Booska / Kanegon set was released. At a guess, circa 2009?

    I just tell myself they're racing through a strawberry patch or, in Kaiju-land, they use strawberry jam in their radiators and Zeg's has blown, which is why he looks so angry and his arms are raised :mrgreen:

    As for the stop motion, I used to do a lot, in my youth, with a Super 8 and it is something I'd like to dabble with again... the Racers are definitely near the top of the list of potential subjects!
     
  19. Anti Social Andy

    Anti Social Andy Die-Cast

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    I always felt the same about splatter on SB, but once the completes curse bit, I rolled with it too!
     

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