R.I.P. David Bowie

"Buttercream" Mockbat Lottery from Paul Kaiju

    My wife and I bucked all sorts of traditions when we got married.  For starters we did it at a Philadelphia Flyers game in one of those fancy luxury suites rather than a church so we had no problem ignoring one of the more baffling things a couple can do, which is save part of their wedding cake to eat a year later.  I can think of much better ways to celebrate your anniversary than eating some stank old freezer burned confections.  But I do have an aversion to freezing food anyway, cause my mom used to freeze EVERYTHING.  Loaves of bread, snack cakes; if it was deemed edible it was deemed freezable.  There's not too many things in life worse than eating a sandwich with half thawed bread.

    This new Mockbat from Paul Kaiju is certified fresh indeed!  In fact, its down right pretty and looks delicious.  The only way you can own one is by entering the lottery when it goes live this Sunday at 6pm pacific time on www.paulkaiju.com.  All the details can be found there, while I can be found at the grocery store raiding their bakery.

"It's a F.A.D." 8 Inch Dunny Signing and Release Party with J*Ryu

    I love this Dunny from J*Ryu for many different reasons.  For one, it's a Dunny and I'm kinda partial to these make-believe critters.  And for two, it pretty much matches my authentic personal brand.  This is the most versatile Dunny ever created when it comes to enhancing how Sharon and I decorate our home.  It's ornate, it looks vintage, and it's a toy.  It could be a piece of architectural salvage from a French house of ill repute or it could be a haunted artifact inhabited by the vengeful spirit of some ancient Japanese demon.  Either way, that pretty much sums up our home design philosophy.

    This thing is gorgeous in every version I've seen of it and now he's been shrunken down to a more manageable 8 inch size.  There's even a chance you might get a 1 out of 4 chase piece in beautiful pewter.  Either way they both come with a removable vinyl key that fits in its chest, which makes your options for displaying it that much more dynamic.  This Friday you'll not only be able to get your figure early; you can also get it signed by the artist himself during a release party at Kidrobot San Francisco.  All the details you need are in the picture you see there, including the promise of a very specific type of gift with purchase.  Wait a second, I think I finally understand what the F.A.D. stands for.  This is like the time I realized that Guns and Rose song "Mr. Brownstone" wasn't about some creepy old dude that lived next door to Axl.

Translucent Grey Hawgmaw Blanks from Missmonster

 

    I'm not one for resolutions, be it the new year or not, but I was looking forward to my day off to get back into painting some toys I've had laying around forever.  Until I had to go to work cause everyone has death sickness cause they swear flu shots don't work yet here I am, antibodies filling my nooks and crannies, and not the least bit sick.  Which didn't really turn out great for me, because like I mentioned before I had to go into work.  So in reality that flu shot totally screwed my plans for the day and the kicker for that is my insurance didn't even cover it.

    If you are unlike me and actually able to utilize your days off them you should paint toys and allow the rest of us to live vicariously through you. And you can start with this amazing figure by Missmonster called Hawgmaw.  This dude is 7 inches tall, is detailed out the booty, and is ready for you to let your creativity run wild.  Or just leave it blank and appreciate him as he is.  Or just do whatever cause I'm not your life coach and if I was you'd owe me a lot of back pay.  I'll have my secretary tally up the bill.

Get your Hawgmaw on at http://missmonster.myshopify.com.

"Sinister Sandstorm" Alien from Super7

    Did you stay up late last night, drink yourself silly, and watch the ball in Times Square drop as it ushered in the new year?  I can't say that I made it past 10:30 as I dozed off while watching Netflix.  I celebrated the end of 2015 like a boss!  And I refuse to celebrate the beginning of 2016 just yet, cause what if it sucks and I already was really awesome to it then I'll feel like I've been had?  You're not tricking me 2016, I'll celebrate you when you prove yourself!

    If you've been collecting these Alien soft vinyl figures from Super7 then 2016 is off to a great start for you, cause they just released this Sinister Sandstorm version.  Pick one up for yourself at www.super7store.com and set the tone for how this year is gonna go.

Odin's Film Corner: The Death of Superman Lives

    I've been wanting to see The Death of Superman Lives since before it was made.  See, the film is about that aborted attempt to make Nicholas Cage the Caped Crusader and you know there had to be some fascinating stories that just begged to be told.  Then one day I'm on my little Google machine and I come across this documentary and it was quickly added to my must watch list, which is like my Netflix cue but completely in my head and most of the time forgotten about due to various blows to the skull as a young lad.  On to the movie.

    The film that never happened was being pushed through a twisty perilous birth canal by a man we'll call Douche Magee.  He was evidently a hair dresser who made a pact with a three eyed witch, got some cash, and made some movies you've seen.  He's also the type of person anyone with a thread of creativity really really hates.  He has a lot of money, which translates to a lot of power, which translates to many ideas being vomited from his mouth that he thinks are brilliant but have all the value of owl pellets.  He's got to be the guy behind all the remakes Hollywood is for some reason obsessed with making.  There's no other explanation unless the actual devil from actual Hell is finally calling in all those favors promised him.  I'd watch that if someone would make it.

      Kevin Smith, who wrote the first draft of the never to be Superman film, really wants to talk smack on the guy, you can tell because his hockey jersey is literally bursting with jokes.  Normally I wouldn't trust someone's opinion whose laundry day resembles that of the Detroit Red Wings, but Douche Magee kept getting less and less respectable as the documentary went on.  Maybe Kevin Smith held back cause he was worried that a phone call could be made and it would derail his career, or maybe because Mr. Magee also loves to street fight.

Literally.

Some 500 times, apparently.

    The real story was not this guy though, or even that Nicholas Cage and Tim Burton having conversations is one of those few times in my life where I questioned if English was really my first language.  The real story was that I'll never understand how anything actually gets made in Hollywood.  This documentary, possible without intending to do so, makes film making a painful looking process.  You have some cool ideas by really creative people being dumbed down until they're completely unrecognizable and beyond rational comprehension.  Then after they spend millions of dollars trying to figure out how to get a giant spider involved it the whole thing they just decide that "ya know, we're gotta put all our effort in this Will Smith sci-fi western to save us from certain financial ruin."  This type of decision making is exactly why I won't let my cats open that massage parlor they're always talking about, no matter how many times they swear to keep it "totes legit."

    The documentary is fascinating though and the folks behind it did a great job putting it all together as I was utterly enthralled by things other than Nicholas Cage's hair.  I'm a sucker for anything that gives me a behind the scenes look at jobs I probably will never have.  But what really struck me, and trust me how shocked I am to be saying this, is I really think the Superman film could have been good.  That particular character has never really interested me in the same way that Batman does because he feels so one sided.  He's a puritan as Clark Kent and he's a puritan when he's saving bus loads of children in peril.  There's never any real emotional conflict that despite all he does to help humanity, he can never truly be human.  He's not terribly bothered by being the last of his kind and we're not terribly bothered that he might snap one day and turn on us.  From watching the documentary we learn that Tim Burton wanted to add that dimension to the character and that would have really upped my interest level.

    So in closing, you should watch The Death of Superman Lives cause I liked it and my taste has proven to be rather stellar over the years.  I guess I could have just opened with that and saved myself a lot of time.

Steel Age Batman from 3A

    Hope you saved some of that money you got for Christmas, cause I'm about to spend it for you.  Allow your eyes to gaze upon the beauty that is this Steel Age Batman from 3A.  He's always been  man defined by his duel personas and the design of this figure echoes the fight within.  His medieval armor says "I'm ready to dole out some rough justice", while his Dr. Marten-esque boots say "I've got tickets to the Nine Inch Nails show."   Either way, heads are gonna get stomped.  

    You already know you want one.  Heck, you might have stopped reading this awhile back and are currently planning what you can get rid of to make room for it.  After you've finished you're going to want to know that this figure, in all of its 1/6th scale glory, will be available December 31st for $240. Be the envy of all your friends only from http://www.bambalandstore.com.