Odds ‘n Ends n’ Weekend Discussion Thread

October 27, 2012 | Poe

That’s right – Odds ‘n Ends is back! I’ve just got too much stuff to write about and don’t want to spam your RSS reader with a slew of Sightings posts, so instead I present the return of O&E.

Also, because I eliminated the discussion board, I thought I’d try creating a “weekend discussion thread” and see if it appealed to anyone. So feel free to post about any (toy-related) topic you want in the comments below.

Anyway, on the odds and ends.

Interview > Monster Artist Extraordinaire Matt Frank

October 22, 2012 | Poe

MattFrankArt.com

Matt Frank

Specialty: Drawing monsters
Base of Operations: MattFrank.com. You can find much more of his monstrous artwork here.
History: Matt Frank is based in the Golden Land of Texas. He likes pineapple juice. He also loves to draw monsters and anything else that happens to be very, very cool. His comics work includes IDW’s Godzilla and Transformers: Flash Forward and Bluewater Productions’ Ray Harryhausen Presents: Wrath of the Titans.

What toys did you collect as a kid, and what do you collect now?

When I was but a lad, my room (and our storage space) was practically bursting with toys. I had substantial collections relating to Power Rangers, Transformers, Jurassic Park, War Planets, Mighty Max, Ultraman, and, naturally, Godzilla. Largely this was thanks to my grandmother, God rest her soul, and her predilection towards expressing love via large purchases.

Nowadays, as an adult, I’ve had something of a change of priorities without a loss of motivation. My tastes have been refined, somewhat, in that I’ve trimmed my collecting habits down to mostly Godzilla and Ultraman related swag, with the occasional Transformer, but mostly keeping an eye open for the more interesting or unique toy/figure. For example, I came across a model of Osaka Castle that was quite nicely detailed, and it goes perfectly with my six-inch Bandai Godzilla figures! I also came across a rare Reptilicus figure (an exclusive for the Asian Fantasy Film Expo in 2000) while in New York City, and snagged it for my “rare and cool” shelf. (more…)

S.H.MonsterArts King Kong Revealed

October 11, 2012 | Poe

…and Tamashii takes even more of my money.

I’m fine with this being the 2005 version, because even though I’m not a fan of the movie (way too long, way too much slo-mo, completely overwrought), I do think it’s arguably the best Kong design.

Sightings > S.H.MonsterArts Burning Godzilla

July 30, 2012 | Poe

S.H.MonsterArts Burning Godzilla
Due 11/12 for 7,140 yen (U.S. price to be determined)

This figure, based on the Big G’s appearance in Godzilla vs. Destroyah, features an entirely a mostly brand-new sculpt and translucent orange parts (corrected because a few small parts like the claws may be re-used).