If This Van Is Rockin'...

I recently found this cute little Tonka rescue van at the local thrift store.

I think these little trucks came out in the early seventies. Not sure how many years they made them for, but most children of the seventies had tons of pressed metal Tonka trucks and tractors of various sizes and shapes rusting away in their back yards.

This one is in pretty good shape, and still has both of it's "Rescue" decals. It's approximately 1:43 scale, and has hard rubber wheels.

I love the simple construction, a piece of metal stamped out and basically wrapped around a plastic interior and windows.

The windows and white plastic is a little yellowed, but I'm sure it can be cleaned up a bit.

I may someday use this van to make a custom Mystery Machine, or maybe paint it to look like a G1 Ratchet or Ironhide or something like that.

Or I may just keep it exactly the way it is. Regardless, it only cost me a buck and it makes me smile. What more could I ask for?

Somewhere a baby giant mourns the loss of her stuffed bunny.

I stumbled onto these pictures today and just had to post them here. Like the giant marionette I posted a few weeks back, there's just something awe inspiring about a toy that should belong to some ancient race of giants.








From the Press release:

Rabbit

The things one finds wandering in a landscape: familiar things and utterly unknown, like a flower one has never seen before, or, as Columbus discovered, an inexplicable continent;
and then, behind a hill, as if knitted by giant grandmothers, lies this vast rabbit, to make you feel as small as a daisy.

The toilet-paper-pink creature lies on its back: a rabbit-mountain like Gulliver in Lilliput. Happy you feel as you climb up along its ears, almost falling into its cavernous mouth, to the belly-summit and look out over the pink woolen landscape of the rabbit's body, a country dropped from the sky; ears and limbs sneaking into the distance; from its side flowing heart, liver and intestines.

Happily in love you step down the decaying corpse, through the wound, now small like a maggot, over woolen kidney and bowel.

Happy you leave like the larva that gets its wings from an innocent carcass at the roadside.

Such is the happiness which made this rabbit.

Ilove the rabbit the rabbit loves me.

Press Information about gelatins Hase: (This Information can be found at http://www.gelitin.net)

Title: Hase (translated into your language Rabbit, Coniglio, Lapin, Conejo and so on)

Artist: gelatin

Year: 2005-2025 (the Rabbit will stay at its place for the next 20 years)

Location: on a Mountain Hill (Colletto Fava, 1600m) close to Bar La Baita above the Village of Artesina, Piemonte, Italy

Opening: Sunday, September 18th, 2005, 11.30 am until sunset
Procession to Rabbit Hill will start at 11.30 a.m. from main square in Artesina

Press Images Download: Images can be downloaded in high resolution; images can be published in periodic publications and on the Internet free of charge;
visit Press Images Download: http://www.gelitin.net/hase/

PR-Office: Pinksummer, Via Lomellini 2/3, 16124 Genova, Italy
Phone / Fax: +39 010 254 3762, Internet: http://www.pinksummer.com
Contact: Francesca Pennone (fpennone@pinksummer.com), Antonella Berruti (aberruti@pinksummer.com)

Artesina contact: for Informations regarding Artesina please call ++39 0174 242 000,
Internet: http://www.artesina.it

gelatin contact: gelatin, Wielandgasse 16/Hof/Atelier, A – 1100Vienna, Austria
Phone / Fax: +43 1 6067187, Internet: http://www.gelitin.net, email: gelatin.institut@gmx.at

How to reach Artesina:
By car: motorway Turin – Savona, exit Mondovì, then follow the signs for Frabosa, Prato Nevoso, Artesina.
By train: on the route Turin – Savona, Mondovì is the closest railway station.
By plane: closest international Airports are Turino (2 h by car), Genova (2 h by car), Nice (3 h by car)

Look What The Cat Dragged In

The DC Infinite Heroes Gotham City Patrol action figure set!

This Toys R Us exclusive set is the only way to get Catwoman in the DCIH series.

Catwoman is depicted in the costume she is currently running around the comic books in. The body is a simple lack plastic with no real details, but it works with this scale and this costume.

Her head sculpt is nice with the goggles and cat ears - there's no mistaking this feline fatale!

The whip/belt is a nice touch too,

They even added small "buckle" accents to her shoes. An interesting touch, but a nice effort nonetheless.

The Gotham City Patrol set is also the only place you can get a Jason Todd as Hush (or Hush as Jason Todd, or Clayface as Hush as Jason Todd or however it went down in the comics) figure!

Simply the same body as the DCIH Hush figure, This one has a new Jason Todd head, and an "R" painted on his chest too.

This figure was made solely for the fans, and Mattel should get high praise for it's existence (even if they should be admonished for it coming in a near impossible to find exclusive set at the same time.)

Only appearing in one comic back in 2002, Clayface as Hush as Jason Todd is a pretty obscure choice for any action figure series, let alone one as mainstream as Infinite Heroes.

The notoriously accessory free DCIH take a huge turn with this figure pack, including two - count 'em - TWO machine guns. While this doesn't make up for the accessories that are absent in every single other DCIH release, it makes me happy to have a gun totin' Clayface as Jason Todd as Hush.
Bang bang.

As if that all wasn't enough to make every DCIH lovin' Batman fan out there want this set, it ALSO is the only place you can get a DCIH Killer Croc!

This Killer Croc is much more mutant crocodile than man-with-skin-condition-turned-criminal Waylon Jones, but he's still a very impressive figure and if we assume the Hush storyline inspired this whole set then he does look closer to what Jim Lee envisions him to look than he did in many comics and the animated series.

At least he doesn't have a tail.

Croc is mean and green, and the tattered wrappings on his wrist remind me of the time Bane broke both his arms.

Rounding out the set are two Gotham City SWAT team members, who each also come with an accessory in the form of a billy club.

The cops' hands are sculpted to hold the small billy clubs well.

In addition, there's a small hole on their belts to hold it when not smacking justice into the skulls of the addicts, bums and jaywalkers of Gotham City.

They're either SWAT members or SWAT busters.

"A billy club ain't no match for Killer Croc, I gaurontee!"

Finally, this six figure set came with Batman in his Black and Greys. I already reviewed his single pack self in the same livery, so I won't go into details now, but he's cool and if you like Batman and you like DCIH you like this one too.

Forbidden love.

"Tickle tickle!"

Here's a side by side size comparison with recently reviewed Monsieur Mallah (also from DCIH) and Red Hulk (from Marvel Universe) because no one demanded it.

For some reason the Gotham City Patrol set, a Toys R Us exclusive, is very difficult to find at retail and is fetching big $ on eBay. It originally came out about a year ago, and I only ever saw it when I recently picked this one up during a road trip far from home. I highly recommend it, but sadly it may not be easy to track down. I got lucky - I also found mine for $19.98 because Toys R Us is clearancing their DCIH stuff lately.

DC Infinite Heroes: 16

DC Infinite Villains: 14

Better late than never

It only took 25 years, but I finally gained possession of my very first Super Powers action figure, in the form of a Parademon!

The Parademons are the expendable military force of Apokolips. Mindless drones under Darkseid's control, the Parademons were redesigned for the Super Powers line to be more representative of a demon as their name suggests.

The Parademon's arms flap when you squeeze his legs (all Super Powers figures had an action feature,) and surprisingly for an action figure made in 1984, he even has knee joints!

He looks a lot like a bat, or an ancient Asian demon mask. His costume is very Kirby-esque as well, which makes sense considering the fact that Kirby designed him in both comic and cartoon form.

This Parademon design (as well as his comic book design) have both recently been released in the DC Universe Classics line. I already have the comic version, and now that I have the Super Powers figure I may try to trackdown his DCUC counterpart.

R.I.P. Dick Durock :: Swamp Thing

I just read over at Wonderful Wonderblog that Dick Durock, the actor that played Swamp Thing in movies and television, passed away last week.

Why am I just hearing about this? Do I blame Hollywood, who saw Durock as nothing more than a moss covered stuntman. Do I blame the blogging community, who usually keeps me abreast of all that's important in nerd news but suddenly legitimized their closet love of Dirty Dancing due to the passing of Patrick Swayze?

Either way, I am sorry to hear this news. The original Swamp Thing movie is one of my all time favorite movies, and while all else that followed paled in comparison, there is only one live action Swamp thing and he is Dick Durock. Superman, Batman, heck even The Incredible Hulk all have handfuls of actors who have successfully played them, but there's only one Swamp Thing.

RIP Mr. Durock. You'll always be Swampy to me.

Click here to read a nice remembrance from The South Bend Tribune.

Tobes of Hades lit by flickering torchlight

An ardent Masters of the Universe fan, I had until recently not taken the plunge into the MOTU Classics line. Primarily, I was turned off by the difficulty in obtaining them from Mattel's exclusive online shop Mattycollector.com. Toys, and all residual actions regarding toys, should be fun. I've been caught up in the "gotta have it" fervor of the past, and just had no inclination to get into it again.

But through a recent toy trade I finally came into possession of two MOTUC figures - Skeletor and Mer-Man (more on him later.)

Skeletor was one of the first releases in this line, so I am sure you've read and seen plenty about him, so I'll just show off some groovy pics I took.

I will say that he is impressive in person. A little bulkier than DCUC figures, but still in the same general scale - kind of like how Arnold Schwarzenegar is in the same scale as you and me. Which is how the Masters Universe should be - these guys are built!
Skeletor comes with his goat head staff, a "full" sword and a "half" sword ala the original MOTU release.
The MOTU Classics Skeletor is everything he should be, amped up just a bit. The perfect marriage between modern action figures and an eighties character we all grew up with. This action figure is what we THOUGHT we were playing with back in 1983!

I really want Scareglow, the next offering going on sale in mid November. Skeletor will be re-released soon as well, with the only change being the packaging. So if you missed out on him the first time around, and you are an opener, avoid the scalpers and pick him up when he becomes re-available.

There has been a lot of talk about the price of these guys as well, but now that I have one in hand I can say that it's worth it. I would never be a completist of this line at the going price, but getting a few must-haves is certainly worth the pursuit.

Public Service Announcement: Marvel Universe 2 for $9.99

This week (Sept. 20-26th) Marvel Universe figures (as well as other 3.75" Marvel figures like the Wolverine movie stuff and Iron Man animated figures) are 2 for $9.99 at Toys R Us.

This is a good time for the causal Marvel collector to stock up on those figures you like, but not $7.99 like. I got a Black suit Spider-Man and Thing.

Happy hunting!

Toyriffic Interview: Ryan Jones

The other day I was contacted by an artist named Ryan Jones. I took one look at Ryan's work, specifically his Comics and Cupcakes series, and I knew he'd make a great subject for another Toyriffic interview.

Ryan has worked on movies ranging from Star Wars Episode III to The Incredibles to Transformers 2, and does everything from childrens book illustrations to abstract painting to realistic portraits.

TR: Tell us a bit about yourself, Ryan:

RJ: My name is Ryan Jones and I'm 28. By day, I bring characters like Transformers to life on the big screen. By night, I paint everything from cupcakes to abstract colors for various clients. I've been a San Francisco resident for 6 years and a Technical Director at Industrial Light and Magic since 2003. I have worked as a digital artist on Star Wars Episode III, The Incredibles, Van Helsing, Jarhead, Poseidon, Indiana Jones 4, Transformers and Transformers 2. Some of my work has also been featured on the covers of Wired Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and Cinefex Magazine.

I graduated from Stanford in 2003 with an Engineering BS in Computer Graphics and a Studio Art Minor. That major was a blend of computer science and animation classes which I was able to create myself within the engineering department.

Outside of work, I do personal and commissioned art for clients in my spare time, all of which can be seen on my website at www.ryanjonesart.com . In 2005, I illustrated a children's book called Too Much Picnic and in 2007 I self published a graphic novel called Uninvited Guest.

TR: How did I get into the movie digital arts field?

RJ: From an early age, probably around the time Jurassic Park came out, I knew that using computers and art to make movies was something I wanted to be a part of. Star Wars was my favorite movie as a kid and the only way my mom could get me to sit still when she'd cut my hair. Naturally, ILM was the place I wanted to be.

In college I had a Technical Director Internship at Pixar and worked on The Incredibles. A year later, I was hired full time at ILM as a technical assistant and gradually worked my way into the Technical Director role. Currently, what I do is a blend between lighting, rendering, compositing, and digital matte painting.

TR: What is it like to work at ILM?

RJ: ILM is a fantastic place to work. Just being able to sit in the theatre every morning and look at the work is enjoyable. The creative talent here is astounding, and being in an environment where some of your supervisors have won academy awards is very unique thing. I love the movies we get to work on and being at the cutting edge of film effects is as good as it gets for me. Also, the Lucas Digital campus is in a great location and overlooks the golden gate bridge.

TR: Who are some of your greatest inspirations?

RJ: Aside from my parents and my brother, some people who have inspired me at various stages in my life are James Jean, Kim Cogan, Moebius, George Lucas, Maynard Dixon, Paul Madonna, Frank Miller, Doug Chiang, Alex Ross, Jack Kirby, Chris Van Allsburg, Futura, Gerhard Richter, Walt Disney, Johnny Cupcakes and Arnold.

TR: Okay, I love them, but I just have to ask: Cupcakes and comics!?

RJ: I love cupcakes and I love comics. One day, the idea just came to me. I've always been fascinated with drawing and painting junk food. Its so colorful and dimensional. For these paintings, I've used mostly cupcakes because of their popularity these days. For the comics, I tried to stick with an old school style and have the scenarios be weird or humorous. Bon Appetit.

TR: You are quite a diverse artist; what is the one subject, style, medium you enjoy working in the most?

RJ: I really like being able to change things up on a consistent basis. I'll do one abstract painting for a client, followed by a more realistic drawing for myself, and then a cupcake painting for fun. Alternating between styles keeps things fresh.

TR: Since you contacted me through Toyriffic, you clearly have an interest in toys. What toylines do you collect, and do you ever use toys as reference in your work, both professionally and personally?

RJ: I ran across Toyriffic searching for pictures of old He-Man toys. I was toying around (haha) with the idea of doing a drawing/painting with some of the characters in out of place scenarios, very similar to a few of the star wars drawings I have done. He-Man and Star Wars were my favorite toy lines growing up and I still have my collections today. Looking at them brings back such nostalgic memories. Its fun trying to incorporate them into my art too, especially when other people can resonate with the characters as much as I do.

Toys also make great reference objects, especially when trying to mimic realistic lighting. Photographing them in a certain lighting environments and then using those as reference photos can be very helpful.

TR: Thanks for the interview, Ryan! We'll be watching the credits for your name to roll by from now on.

Don't forget to check out Ryan's art at RyanJonesArt.com and follow Ryan's blog at RyanJonesArt.Blogspot.com


If anyone else out there does something cool in the field of toys, art, pop culture, comics etc. and is up for an interview, drop me a line!