February 06, 2010

Lost Planet 2 is the next installment in the popular action series Lost Planet®. Lost Planet®: Extreme Condition, the landmark third-person shooter that debuted on Xbox 360, went on to sell over 2.3 million units worldwide after its release.

Kotobukiya Lost Planet 2 Action Figures are developed by the Kotobukiya staff and support of Mr. Jun Takeuchi, who is the producer of Lost Planet 2 and served as the producer for Onimusha® 3 and Lost Planet and chief producer for Resident Evil® 5 in the past, and other CAPCOM’s development team members. The figures perfectly replicate every detail of the armor and weapons as seen in the video game. They are the first and highest quality action figures to be produced for Lost Planet 2 and priced at $39.99

"As long time model fan, I am constantly amazed at how well made recent
pre-painted figures has become. At the same time I often times felt that when
something from a virtual CG 3-D world become real life 3-D objects, there are
always some sort of compromise. With these Kotobukiya action figures, I simply
can’t find any. What is more, they have succeeded in capturing the texture and
even the atmosphere as if it were to exist in this world. When all is said (and done),
is it impossible for virtual reality to compete against real life? This is a great
collector’s item that makes me feel that way. Hats off to Koto!"

Lost Planet 2 Producer Jun Takeuchi

"I was very surprised to see the final product.
Koto has successfully turned the game image into 3-D sculpt.
On top of that I was deeply moved by how much each parts move.
As you can interchange parts, the specs are just like the game.
I wish they release all VS with this quality."

Lost Planet 2 Art Director Takahiro Kawano

January 17, 2010

Needless to say, I saw Star Wars shortly thereafter, and I was instantly hooked. Flash forward all these years later, and it's still one of the cornerstones of my collection. I probably own more Star Wars collectibles than from any other line of toys. As that wide-eyed 8-year old, my favorite part of the movie was, without a doubt, the Cantina scene. I think it was for many little boys back then. I loved the vintage playset, but it was, well, the vintage playset. When Hasbro took a stab at it, I was more than a little disappointed to discover it was a 2-D cardboard backdrop. Seriously, cardboard. One nigh, a few months ago, myself and local artist Talker (you've seen his work right here on AFT, check it out on his website www.talker-art.com) started talking about making our own Cantina. It was one of our long-term goals for many years, and now seemed like as good a time as any.

The project started out with us trying to figure out the floorplan. After lots of research and many iterations, we came up with the following:

It was a mixture of accuracy and functionality. Once Talker had his roadmap, he began cutting the plywood and fabrication. He is an extremely talented woodworker, and he works fast. By the end of the first night, we had a workable structure.

Here's what it looked like by the end of the second week, with a few figures added for flavor:

At this point, it was time for me to start the detailing and the paint. You know, the boring, time-consuming part. Talker did a tremendous job, and he made it clear to me that the pressure was on for me to deliver. For those collectors who have had the pleasure of meeting Talker at our panel at Comicon, you know he can be an intimidating individual. I started out with the texture and base paint, after all, first things first.

We decided early one that we wanted to use as many original Hasbro parts as possible, so once the paint was in place, and detailing was underway, you will notice some familiar plastic inhabit our creation. The Cantina is a real anomaly. Watch the film, you'll see what I mean. Nothing matches. Characters were filmed out of sequence, rooms switch sides, the exterior doesn't match the interior layout, etc. It added to the challenge for sure, but we remained with our one constant: A mixture of accuracy and functionality. That's why you'll notice that the wall facing front is actually a pony wall. What fun is a Cantina if you can't see any of your figures inside? As we go along, you may notice more and more concessions like this.

And what fun is the Cantina without Han frying poor Greedo? Exactly. Those of us who saw Star Wars back then know the truth: Han shot first, end of story. Until Mr. Lucas started playing revisionist history, Greedo never even got a shot off, except for him running his snout like a moron. Once we started adding in the figures, our Cantina sprang to life.

And what fun is the Cantina without a few lighting effects? I actually planned to add more, and perhaps in the future I will, but for now, we have two. First up is the stage, which is actually two sections of the stage from the Disney exclusive Modal Nodes. We actually cut them down slightly to fit, with no harm to the electronics. Not only are the stage lights cool, but the Cantina theme music playing simply is the icing on the cake. The Jawa is one of the POTF Jawas, with the light pipe painted our. From there I dremeled him out, and ran an LED with wiring inside of him. The wires are invisible as they run underneath the playset, operated by a switch in the door by the entrance. As Talker would say, "If you aint got a light up Jawa, you really don't got nothing, do you?" I would say he is correct.

From here it was time to tackle the bar itself. I used pieces from the Hasbro sets, minus the barstools, which NEVER actually appear in the film. I'm surprised after working on this project that Lucasfilm even approved them, since they are nowhere to be seen in the film! I glued the bar pieces together, and then repainted them to match. The center prices are made from plastic odds & ends, vintage Star Wars pieces where appropriate, and real metal pipes. The plumbing in particular was quite a challenge, but I think in the end the work was worth it.

Now that it was finished, it was time to set it all up (which took MUCH longer than expected!). here's a shot of the outside. In case you hadn't already guessed, Talker and I have huge toy rooms, and you need lots of space to display these things:

...and here it is, finally:

And there it is. this is what I've been working on the past few months. Special thanks to Talker & everyone who was supportive and inspirational on this project. I'd like to think that we're going to take some time off and enjoy the fruits of our labor, but Talker has decided we need to move full-speed ahead. On that note, here's a sneek peek of our next project, none other than the Death Star. It's huge, and you can be sure we'll show the whole process & project right here at AFT.

???man

November 10, 2009

Yamato USA Announces the Opening of Preorder for Its Fantasy Figure Gallery: The Touch of Ice by Luis Royo

TORRANCE, CA, November 10, 2009. Hinatunaone, Woman of the Sands. That is what he named her. Drawn by his own hand from the sands of a distant land, she appeared at once adorned as if waiting ever vigilant for her creator, her mate to come; yet at the same time invaded by a sense of privilege... and a touch of ice.

This winter, Yamato USA invites you to feel the simple, sensual touch of ice as it unveils the next installment to its Fantasy Figure Gallery - Touch of Ice by Luis Royo. Masterfully sculpted by Shunjii Hagii, Luis Royo's work is brought to life as never before. Every detail, every crease, every fold is rendered with such exquisite precision that one can almost reach out and touch the supple flesh of this ethereal beauty. Six inches crouching, Yamato USA's Fantasy Figure Gallery - Touch of Ice (Luis Royo) comes complete with numbered display base and certificate of authenticity in a collector's style window box with the first edition limited to just 2,500 pieces worldwide.

Yamato USA and its distribution partners Diamond Comics, AAA Anime, BBCW, and Grosnor Sportscards are now accepting retailer preorders for its Fantasy Figure Gallery: The Touch of Ice (Luis Royo), and will be available through retail partners Sideshow Collectibles, Entertainment Earth, and Toynk Toys.

For more information, contact your local comic shop or visit us at www.YamatoToysUSA.com. And stay up to date with Yamato USA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/YamatoUSA.

ABOUT LUIS ROYO

Luis Royo was born in 1954 in Olalla, a small town in Teruel. In 1972 he starts painting and exhibiting in various forums. In 1978 he begins his career as a comic-book artist. In 1983 he goes to illustration, where he will harvest his greatest successes.

In 1992 his first book, Women, appears, followed by Malefic (1994), Secrets (1996), III Millenium (1998), Dreams (1999), Prohibited Book (1999), Evolution (2001), Prohibition Book 2 (2001), Conceptions I (2002), Visions (2003), Prohibited Book 3 (2003), Conceptions II (2003), Prohibited Sketchbook (2004), Fantastic Art (2004), The Labyrinth Tarot (2004), and Conceptions III (2005). To these titles we must add the publication of six series of collector cards, six portfolios, posters, and two packs of Tarot cards, The Black Tarot and The Labyrinth Tarot.

The growing popularity of his pictures has allowed us to find them as well in postcards, calendars, packs of cards, T-shirts, CD jackets, videogames, and even on some sculptures.

With this large production, Royo becomes a true mass phenomenon. His books have been edited many times, being rendered into French, German, English, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, and Japanese. Magazines such as Stampa, Airbrush-Action, or Penthouse publish articles about him in their pages. Festivals, art galleries, or stores specializing in art and comic-books continuously organize exhibitions and tributes to him. He has received, among others, the following awards: Silver Award Spectrum (USA), CartooMics (Italy), and The Pilgrim (Russia).

Royo’s success is nothing but the acknowledgment of his original work which has come to revolutionize the world of illustration.

Visit Yamato USA

June 21, 2009

What started out being a two-part article has already expanded to a three-parter, and it's still growing! There's been so many new toys hitting weekly, it's tough to keep up. I'm trying to limit my purchases & reviews to characters appearing on screen. Keeping in teme with Transformers, we're also going to take a look at the sold out Masterpiece Grimlock!

Voyager Class Megatron

I'm still not sure if Megatron appears in this form, kind of a winged, flying tank (?) in the final film, but I am sure of this - it's an interesting toy, which is why I bought it. I wish he were as large as the Leader class toy, but I'm sure this price point will be more agreeable with parents, which is why he exists in the first place.

Sideways

Decepticon spy Sideways appears this time around in the form of the venerable Audi R8, one of the very few vehicles which does not hail from GM.

Ravage

This time around Ravage transforms into.....well....he's a black turd. I'm not sure what else to call him, but I'm sure he's fired to Earth from space by the satellite, Soundwave. A cool toy, even if the scale is probably off just a bit.

Human Alliance Bumblebee

Now we're talking! This new scale is in line with the previous alternators line. In fact, in many ways, this feels like an Alternators toy. Nice & solid, transformation is innovative, but not hyper-complex. The new gimmick here is that he includes a little (2.5") Sam action figure, which is very nicely articulated, and can sit inside the car and interact with the robot mode. By interact, he plugs on to various points, like behind his shoulder, on the arms, or in his hand. This is a great toy (he's even got the battle mask!), and I can't wait for the next offerings, Sideswipe & Skids. Hopefully this line will continue, I'd LOVE to see Optimus Prime get this treatment!

Masterpiece Grimlock

As you know, the Masterpiece Transformers have a certain pedigree to live up to. Grimlock here exceeds those expectations, and then some. The previous mold, Starscream, suffered greatly for the benefit of his alt mode. The designer wanted to make a perfect F-15 Eagle, not the perfect Starscream. Also, his scale was considerable smaller than Optimus & Megatron. Grimlock here is bigger than Starscream, but smaller than Optimus. He FEELS like the perfect size to handle. This time, the designers set out to make the perfect Grimlock. He's remarkable close to his G1 counterpart in terms of design & transformation, but they've extrapolated the extra details, and incorporated some conventions from the cartoon, such as the hidden tail parts in bot mode, as well as the fully articulated (yes!) flamethrower nozzle inside his mouth. Did I mention that his energo-sword & gun light up as well? Also, his eyes change from red to blue in both modes, so you can display him like the toy you borke as a kid (red), or how you remember him from the catroon (blue)! A must buy. He's currently sold out, but our friends at bigbadtoystore.com tell us he'll be back in August, don't miss out!

Come back next time for more Revenge of the Fallen toys!!! Happy toy hunting!

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