3DRetro Exclusive Releases for the Life is Beautiful Festival

   I've never been to Las Vegas, but I live about 15 minutes from Atlantic City so I feel I've gotten the Cliffs Notes version of it.  Casinos are a disorienting carnival of free drinks, flashing lights, and forgetting momentarily that the money you're feeding that slot machine is proportionate to the amount you have to bargain with the electric company to not cut your power off.  I can see the appeal, don't get me wrong, especially as easily distracted as I am by shiny things. And I don't know anyone who doesn't have a dream about being independently wealthy.  I had a dream last night that I lived in this massive house that kept getting bigger the more I explored it and I never had to leave because it had a grocery store and a doctor's office.

    The casinos are pretty much all Atlantic City has going for it so I am extremely jealous of events such as this that are absent from our little seaside den of sin.  The Life is Beautiful Festival promises attendees a weekend of music and art, and while most of the bands aren't my cup of tea, the art alone is worth the trip.  M Modern Gallery has a lineup for their Crime on Canvas exhibit that is beyond drool worthy, and 3DRetro will be there selling some exclusive vinyl toys.  There will be new releases from personal favorites Gary Baseman and Shag, as well as a glow in the dark edition of KRK Ryden's Moe Hawk figure.  Check out the pictures and if you're in the Las Vegas area this weekend and an art fan, you have no excuse not to be a part of this.

Bullet Edition Crimson Ghost from The Misfits x Super7

    The Misfits are one of my all time favorite bands and I was finally able to see them with Danzig when they played in New Jersey this past May.  Of course I had to catch a stomach bug the day of the show, so the drive to Newark involved more than one pit stop and a lot of praying in between each.  Had it been any other show I might have turned around to be sick in the comfort of my own home, but there was no guarantee they would ever play together again after this one.  I manned up harder than I ever had before and made it through.  As I'm rereading this it sounds like one of those "how I spent my summer vacation" essays they make you write in school.  Deal with it.

    Super7 continues their awesome collaboration with The Misfits with the Bullet edition of their Crimson Ghost mascot.  He comes blood spattered to mimic what I'm sure was a controversial cover at the time and what most likely will be when people see this (it's actually already started on a post made to Super7's Instagram). Last time I checked we as human being had much more important things to worry about, but why bother solving bigger issues when we can be outraged on the internet about things that don't really matter?  We are so easily distracted.

    Releasing next Wednesday, September 19th, you can add this to your collection by visiting www.super7.com.

Danger Dog Vinyl Figure from Tenacious Toys

    All work places should have dogs.  That is legislation that could really impact everyone's lives in a positive fashion.  Whenever someone brings a dog in where I work it instantly downgrades what is usually a fecal hurricane into a mild tropical storm.  Dealing with the public is not the unicorns and rainbows anyone would make it out to be, but a visit form a little doggie makes it so much better.

    The blue dog in the Tenacious Toys logo is like the Colonial Sanders of the designer toy world, minus the fancy white suit and all the chicken parts.  What I'm trying to say is he's instantly recognizable and just like I did with my Colonial Sanders plastic bank from the 1970's, you can add him to your ever growing collection.  Available in a painted edition, or as a blank in either blue or white, pick em up now at www.tenacioustoys.com.  Sculpted by Mike Nemo Mendez based on the art of Playful Gorilla.

Hyper Orange Semi Korosiya from Cop A Squat Toys x Science Patrols

    Good lord is that not the brightest orange you have ever seen?  No amount of adjusting your computer's display will bring that sucker into focus.  The Semi Korosiya figure from Cop A Squat Toys was thought to be a thing of the past, as the molds were seemingly "lost" and forced this dude into an early retirement.  Enter Science Patrols, who retrieved the original iron needed to make these suckers and subsequently produced the orangiest orange I have ever seen.  I feel like I should be looking at this thing through those eclipse glasses to protect my retinas.  

    You'll be able to snag one of these blank figures tomorrow from http://sciencepatrol.storenvy.com when they go on sale at 12:00 pm jst.  There will also be an orange version of Husk, which is the cute little cicada pictured below.  I'm actually assuming it's a cicada based on it's name as they leave those little husks of their former selves attached to trees, but I could be wrong.  

The Diver Resin Figure from Pocket Watch Toys

    The octopus is smarter than most of the people you work with.  They're great problem solvers unlike some people we know who surprise us every day that their lungs continue to inhale and exhale without you having to assist and who skate by oblivious to the fact that every day feels like their first day to fellow employees.  Not that I speak from such experience, but if any aquarium is interested in loaning me an octopus to test a theory, please shoot me an email.  

    Until I am able to replace a few people with cephalopods, I will continue to dream about what awesome coworkers they would make.  Check this one out from Pocket Watch Toys,  who has found himself a cool diving helmet to up his selfie game on Instagram.  This dude is limited to 15 pieces, features a removable helmet, and can be obtained right now at http://pocketwatchtoys.co.uk/shop/.

Royals 2.0 Tuttz Mini from Argonaut Resins

    When I was in kindergarten I wanted nothing more than to be an archaeologist.  Between my obsession with dinosaurs and Ancient Egypt I was ready at five years old to pack my bags and dig up some old corpses in the middle of the desert.  Honestly, that still sounds like a perfect day out so if anyone is ever going to do that I'm down for an invite.  I can't remember why that career goal didn't stick with me through the years,  maybe once I discovered rock music and wasn't willing to admit my guitar playing was a mess.  Or maybe someone told me that Indiana Jones was not the typical scenario and it was going to be more sweeping dirt than punching bad guys in the face.  That movie should have had a disclaimer.

    I imagine that if I unearthed a burial chamber along the banks of the Nile that treasures like these Tuttz from Argonaut Resins would be front and center.  Look at how absolutely regal these look, which is fitting being that they are named Royals.  Standing 3 and 1/2 inches tall and clad in a black and gold combo or completely in a luxurious reflective gold, these resin kitties are available now by visiting https://argonautresins.bigcartel.com.

The Deadly Spawn Vinyl Figure Kickstarter from Justin Ishmael

    No, this is not one of the parasites from the next season of Monsters Inside Me, though if a doctor were to ever find something like this growing within someone I hope he has the presence of mine to put them down.  Tapeworms are horrifying enough, especially when they decide they need some air fresher than that of your inner colon and venture forth from your backside.  There's nothing out here for you little buddy, so you just stay inside where I can be blissfully unaware of your presence.  Editors note: I do not actually have a tapeworm.

   While this may look like the result of eating undercooked pork, it is actually the star of the cult classic horror film The Deadly Spawn.  Justin Ishmael decided to bring him to frightening life by turning him into an officially licensed vinyl toy, which is now on Kickstarter to raise money for production.  As of this writing he has received 83% of his goal in just under two days, so I think it's safe to say this nine inch tall monstrosity and his larvae are well on their way to becoming reality.  Both of these figures were sculpted by toy industry legend James Groman, who you may know from such famous lines as Madballs or his own crazy Kaiju figures that defy logic in size and detail.  Check out the link here to get in on this campaign and score these figures in their various iterations.