Bid on a Limited Edition Hip Hop Trooper Figure to Benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

    As toy collectors, our mentality is usually focused on acquiring as many cool things as we can fit into our living spaces.  And we spend a lot of money in the pursuit of those must-have pieces.  It's easy to get caught up in the process and lose sight of just how lucky each and every one of us is to be able to direct a portion of our lives towards our passion.  But as we all know there are much bigger issues in life than waiting for the mailman to deliver our newest figure.  Some people are waiting for a cure to be discovered before its too late.  

    Tenacious Toys has set aside a few of their Hip Hop Trooper exclusives from last New York Comic Con as a way to help fund research into various terminal illnesses.  Now you have the chance to own one of these limited toys with all the proceeds going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  There is an eBay auction happening not until Tuesday April 28th that you can bid on at this link.  Build your collection while helping donate to research that is so desperately needed.  Special thanks should also go to all the artists involved in creating this toy:  Kid Ink Industries, Jason Chalker, Small Angry Monster, and Sidekick Labs.  

Epic Christmas Review Time Extravaganza: Sumo Trooper from Kris Dulfer/Kid Ink Industries

    It always surprises me that sumo wrestling wasn't invented here.  We invented Burger King, stretch pants, and the Wing Bowl, which packs 20,000 into a stadium to watch people eat chicken as fast as they can.  Sumo seems like a no brainer.  But, since this is America, if we didn't invent it we sure as hell are gonna improve on it.  How much more awesome would sumo wrestling be if everyone wore Storm Trooper helmets?  That's a trick question because it is a known fact that everything, no matter what it is, is more awesome when Star Wars characters are involved.  Try and find something that's not and I'll make sure to send doctors to your house and declare you legally dead.  

   Kris Dulfer of Kid Ink Industries is doing his civic duty by banging out these Sumo Troopers.  These little resin dudes are insane.  He hooked me up with this one while back and I love it.  I took him outside today for a while to really charge up his special glow feature and that sucker was so bright I'm thinking about throwing my lamps out and just getting a bunch of these.

    Look at that dude shine!  It may be filled with magic, I dunno how these things work.  I'm just a simple toy bloggin bro.  What I do know (see how I just transitioned there?  that's called literature son) is that he just loaded his store up with a bunch of one-offs of these.  There's all kinds of different colors to pick from.  All you gotta do is go to http://kidinkindustries.storenvy.com/, pick one out, and place your order.  

    If you've never owned a hand made toy like this you're really missing out.  There's no factory or heavy machinery involved, you're buying a piece of art directly from the artist.  There's just a different feel about them when you realize the hard work that one lone person did to make this happen.  Kris is a master at his craft and his pieces never cease to blow me away, and they're even better in person.  

Alderaandie & Sith Resin Stormtroopers from Kid Ink Industries

    Just because you're all the same person underneath your helmets, doesn't mean you can't personalize your wardrobe.  These chill Stormtrooper bros know that no one can tell them apart (cause of the whole clone business) but they still want to express their feelings through fashion!!  Kris Dulfer/Kid Ink Industries just put these up for sale at http://kidinkindustries.storenvy.com/ and they're already starting to sell out, so stop reading my nonsense, click that link, and get yourself something cool.  

Seen at NYCC 2013: Kris Dulfer/Kid Ink Industries

    Kris Dulfer is a dude I've known for a bit online but never had the chance to meet in person, until New York Comic Con.  He is truly as nice of a guy as he is a great artist and it is really a pleasure to share his work with you.  It was great too to see a lot of these pieces in person rather than just pictures online, as you can better appreciate the craftsmanship and the personality of each one when they're right in front of you.  Check out some of the pictures of his work and then pay his store a visit to add some of it to your collection.

http://kidinkindustries.storenvy.com/

    This was a collaboration between Kris and DuBose Art.  Dubose made the praying mantis while Kris made these cool treasure boxes that they stood on.  

Super Series Sunday from Kid Ink Industries x Tenacious Toys

    Normally, I would never cut and paste anything on here.  I'd like to think part of the charm of this site is that I tell you personal stories, funny anecdotes, or just blather like an idiot all while informing you about cool new toys.  There are however good times to let the words of another stand in for my own.  So with that being said, I'm going to let Kris Dulfer of Kid Ink Industries tell you about his new resin figure The Wiseman and the Crane:

    My father is a Veteran of the Vietnam War. Without diving too deep into that part of the history, understand it was the origin point for how this resin piece came to be cast...

    During the traveling related to his tour of duty, my pops found himself briefly in Thailand. While in Thailand he came across a merchant who was selling different wares and curios. Among the objects he selected a metalish figurine of an old man with a crane perched at his feet. An excellent gift, he thought, for my grandmother. He eventually returned home from his tour. My grandmother possessed the figurine till she passed away, upon which my father reacquired it. The figurine was always on my father's dresser as far back as I could remember, and I was always fascinated by it.

    Fast forward 30 + years: now I'm an adult, and an artist, I make molds and cast things out of plastics. Recently while having breakfast with my pops we were chatting about things, when it occurred to him that the figurine of the old man and the crane would translate into a fantastic resin piece. He suggested it. At first I rejected the idea, but then as the day went on, I had a recollection from my childhood. The spark of fascination with the figurine was a formative event in my young creative mind. I didn't quite grasp it then; but a subconscious part of me desired to recreate it, to see it in varying colors, like a toy. I changed my mind and asked my father to borrow the figurine to recast. When I began the process of molding the figurine i decided to research it further. After a little research and digging I ascertained the figure was based on the symbolism of the "Wiseman" and the "Crane". The symbolism was universal across Asia in earlier centuries: wisdom and perseverance, and these two symbols combined together equaled "longevity". Research indicated that the figure I possessed was actually made in Italy, cast from an Original Ox Bone carving. During the 1960's and 1970's these ancient Ox Bone carvings were molded and used to create pewter casts. The pewter casts were then shipped back to Asia and sold by a handful of savvy Thai street vendors alongside their locally made finery and wares. The rest is lost to history, as the saying goes.

    There's a Zen-like element to this whole story, the wheel of eventuality completing itself, as I finally do something that I've secretly dreamed about since I was a child. I can picture the spirit of my grandmother smiling down and winking at me. A knowing wink tinted with Wisdom and Perseverance.

- K.Dulfer, 2013

    Pretty neat huh?  Well you can own one of these figures when they go on sale tomorrow (September 15th) at 2pm Eastern time through Tenacious Toys.  There are 36 different color variations that have all been blind bagged and will retail for $25.  These are just a few of the ones you may get:

Marvelous Death from Kris Dulfer

    Of course Death is a woman.  Do you know how many women have tried to kill me in my lifetime?  A lot.  The numbers would astound you.  And it's not as simple as using a gun or a knife nooooooooooooooooooooooo, they want to make my brain turn into a pile of mush and leak out of my ears.  That's why I don't sleep well.  My wife won't tell me why she's mad until at least two weeks after the offending act, so I live in a constant state of panic.  She could be plotting right now and I wouldn't know it.  

    Kris Dulfer has created 20 of these hand made resin figures and you can bring one home tomorrow for $65.  One lucky person will get a special one that is hand painted by Soko Cat.  Each one will also come with a 5 x 7 print featuring artwork from Brandon Vance.  All the other info you need is in the picture up there.  

http://kidinkindustries.storenvy.com/