GOW Munny

I am well aware that this Munny have been created for quite a while now by Emilio Lopez but I just can’t resist writing a post on what I consider as the best game replica Munny piece in the community. It was made as a present for his nephew but it ended up with Emilio receiving a lawsuit due to the excellent customization. The misunderstand was later resolved of course.

I was inspired by this piece and I decided to create another game replica Munny. As a Final Fantasy fan it was only natural in considering one of the character in the series. Currently I’m debating on Cloud (FF7), Tidus(FF12), Yuna(FF12-2) and Auron(FF12). If no one has realize this, I am a hardcore FF12 fan and Auron is one awful ‘badass’ in the game. I’m leaning more towards Auron and Cloud since their ‘chibi’(small) version is much more appealing than the other two. Suggestion anyone?

Hello Kitty X TokiDoki

With Hello Kitty’s fame all over the world after 30 years in the industry, it was bound for something such as this to happen. The original concept of this vinyl toy was to give cute puppies a thorny shell.

Though I was never a Hello Kitty fan nor would I ever become one, I can already see the countless kids and fanatics rushing to purchase one. To all the Hello Kitty fans out there, is it possible to provide me with some feedback about why Hello Kitty is such an attracting collectible. Maybe with enough feedbacks, I’ll be able to solve this mystery once and for all.

Molding and Casting with Silicone Rubber and Resin Plaster

In this guide I’ll teach you how to mold an object using silicone rubber and then casting with resin plaster.

The items as follows will be needed:

1x Foil for lining the mold.
?x Cut MDF used to put together the mold box.
1x Ruler
1x Scapler
1x Sellotape or masking tape.
1x Flexil – S and catalyst
1x Resin plaster

First create a box out of MDF that will give an inch around the object and then wrap the MDF in foil. A piece of cardboard should be placed inside the bottom of the box to create a flat surface. Place the object in the middle of the made box and seal of any crack around the edges with tape. For the next step, mix the catalyst thoroughly with the silicone and then pour it over the object until it fills the top of the box. Allow the silicone roughly 4 hours to dry and then break open the MDF box to reveal the block mold within.

Next mix the resin plaster according to the instruction on the back and pour over the mold. Use a paintbrush to smooth out the paste to avoid air bubbles and repeat process after 5 minutes. Leave resin to dry for 30-40 minutes before removing. Finally, sand the pieces for a smooth finishing.

Di Di & Mei Mei from the House of Liu

A while ago, Di Di and Mei Mei was launched fully colored and gained a lot of popularity with vinyl toy fanatics due to their dashing colors and design. It wasn’t long before these limited hot items were declared sold out everywhere. I’ve been searching for them ever since. I’ve occasionally stumbled across them in e-bay but the price is much too expensive for my blood.

Luckily for me they decided to launched D.I.Y versions of the originals and I’m jumping around like an idiot. I would now be able to have a poorly painted imitation of them and the ability to fully customize them. It’s a win-win situation in my book.

Munny Version 4

To be released on June 19th is the new Munny series. There would be more variety of accessories such as toupe, bread and even poo. The producte will be on sale online and in-store on the 19th at the VoltageLand webpage. I hope everyone is as excited about this as I am. More accessories means more customization ^^.

Dyeing a Munny

I’m sure this is common knowledge but just in case, Munny comes in 3 colors for the 8″ version, black, white and glow-in-the-dark, and 4 colors for the 6″ version, black, white, blue, and pink. With the hi cost in paints, generally choosing the color most dominate in the design would be idea. However, it’s quite difficult with the limited selection of colors. Thus, dying the Munny is the best possible solution.

Items needed:
1x pot (big enough to submerge the Munny in)
1x bottle of dye (any color preferred)
1x Munny
1x spoon/or sieve
1x fun tack
1x bottle of sugar soap

First off, I used the sugar soap to give the Munny a nice scrub to remove any dirt, oil or grease and using a towel to dry it after. Then I seperated the individual parts of the Munny and filled the holes with fun tack to avoid the dye to collect inside and cause streaking after the dyeing process. The fun tack is made to withstand high temperate but I strongly advise not to boil it since it will harden and makes it more diffcult to remove afterwards.

Next is to prepae the correct amount of water/dye ratio for the pot; the ratio can be found on the back or the dye bottle. Anyhow, I added the correct amount of water in the pot and allowed it to boil before putting the dye in. Once everything was all set, I placed my Munny into the sieve and quickly dipped into the dye for about 5 seconds. I repeated this process several times to reach my desire color. After every dip, I gave the Munny a wash under cold water to prevent streaking and bloching and to verified the color on the Munny.

When I finished dyeing, I gave my Munny one final scrub to ensure all paints to be off. The fun tack could be removed now but I got lazy and just left it in. I found that it gives the Munny a better seal anyway.

 

Turning Prototypes into Reality

I’ve been doing quite a fair bit of design work for the last several years and DIY toys have given me an additional outlet to express my art. It wasn’t long before I plan on creating my own toy. With a bit of researching, okay, quite a bit of researching and I found a way to turn my dream into reality.

To begin, I created my own design on paper, and then create a digital copy of the original sketch along with the determined color scheme I have decided on. The next part was probably the most difficult for myself since sculpting is definitely not one of my forte. Either way, one would sculpt the design using polymer clay and after countless tries and wasted time, I’ve managed to finish the sculpt.

The next step would be finding factories that would make the prototype into an actual vinyl toy. I’ve searched the web and came up with this factory gdszxinda and I’ve decided to go through with it. Next step, I sent in photos of the prototype, ask for a general break down of cost. Once everything was verified and confirmed, I sent in the prototype and it was soon ready.

I found that factories that explain all the questions asked and reply quickly should be the factories one would like to work with. I don’t believe in extra added stress when not needed.

Dacosta

One of my favorite illustrator for the toy design would be Dacosta. Though he was from the West Indies, he now resides in Vancouver which is just icing on the cake. His design has a deep Japanese based style while incorporating graffiti type art. I first started following Dacosta’s work from his DCTO (dream come true object) project which re-invent a old Japanese figurine known as a daruma. The concept behind the work was inspiring and the re-made object was much more appealing than the original ones I have found online.

His next work was part of a whole collection series call Kaniza. Linking into his previous project, it further promotes his thinking and values in life; never give up and dreams will come true. Though I wouldn’t say it’s his own thinking and values but rather the continuous brainwashing of Japanese culture. Aside from that, his illustrations and artworks are truly inspiring. I’m eagerly waiting for his next work and from the looks of it, it seem to be a series 02 of the Kaniza serie

Zombie Pet Dunny

Several nights ago while surfing in between homework breaks, a limited edition Dunny caught my eye and I started researching on it. It wasn’t really much of an eye-catcher at first; you’ll understand if you are looking at the picture to the left. All that is visible is a clear blue Dunny with vaguely visible details on the face. Nothing too fancy?

WRONG!!

When the lights are off is when this Dunny lives up to its name and where it really shines; ok, I mean glow. The vaguely visible areas before become the zombie glow on the face. After a few seconds of glaring, I realized that it’s a limited run Dunny which of course pipped my urge of owning it even more. To my dismay, as I approach the bottom of the page, it is all sold out and apparently limited to one per person. I guess better luck next time, or maybe I’ll just check on ebay.

Brand new start!!

It’s the birth of a brand new blog!!

Celebrations aside, I believe some introductions are necessary as well as the direction of this blog. I’m currently a BCIT student in an intense design program which means I’m most likely short on time and constantly wishing for days that are at least 48 hrs long. Though with this jam-packed schedule, I still prefer to have a breather once in awhile and what’s a better way to relax than to drown myself in one of my hobbies : collectible toys; mainly vinyl or plush.

With the limited time I have, I’ll list out the various new and hot collectible toys while providing tips and custom making techniques currently available. For starters, here are some websites that I enjoy going visiting to check out on the latest toys.

Voltage Land : Store I often visit to get the new toys
KidRobot : Awesome site with lots of cool toys
Munny : A sub-page of Kidrobot about an DIY toy they produce that I like