RAMPAGE x Imps and Monsters MANOTAUR sofubi: in WAX!

Manotaur WAX!, originally uploaded by rampage.toys.

Jon Malmstedt sends us word from Japan- another project in the works! This is the Manotaur figure he's creating with Justin Hillgrove of Imps and Monsters- a SWEET sculpt if I do say so myself. In terms of the progression of how a vinyl toy is created, it needs to be molded in clay, and then wax. The clay is "waxi-fied", and the wax was at the mold maker as of the 21st of Ferbruary, meaning this project is well underway! The official release is scheduled for the weekend of Emerald City Comic Con - Seattle's Comic Con - starting March 29th. There will be blanks up first, and a really small batch of RAMPAGE handpaints as well.

After the event, anything left will go in the Imps and Monsters site (http://www.impsandmonsters.com/3dstuff.html), and I think Justin might be offering a pre-order now as well. Blanks will retail for $65 - painted versions pricing TBD. You can also follow that link to read the backstory on the Manotaur.

Jon says: Following the initial release of blanks and handpaints, we will be having masks made, and regular runs will be painted in (generally) simple masked paint schemes - with one-offs from Both Justin and myself and RAMPAGE micro-runs on occasion. You can expect some teaming up of the Manotaur and the Ugly Unicorn.

Pictures of the monster, 8 inch Wax Proto can be found on Jon's Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27483582@N00/

WIP pics for Rampage Toys x Imps and Monsters Sofubi: The Manotaur

Friend and toymaker Jon Malmstedt (Rampage Toys) sends us this REALLY exciting work-in-progress image of a new sofubi he will be helping produce locally in Tokyo: The Manotaur. Designed and sculpted by Justin Hillgrove (Imps and Monsters), this awesome 8-inch Japanese soft vinyl toy will be made in limited colorway runs. The aim is to debut the toy at Justin's booth at the Emerald City ComicCon in Seattle in the spring.

"The Manotaur roams the world in search of something he can’t quite remember. In fact, ever since he invited that fire spirit into his head he’s had trouble concentrating on little other than catering to his countless neuroses and consuming anything with the word “gummy” in the description. In any case, he’s pretty sure he’s forgetting something really important..."

Here's the illustration upon which this character is based:

Geek-centric DENIATH.COM Relaunches Membership-Only Pop Culture Flash Sale Site

New Deals Commence on November 14th, 2011

SEATTLE, WA (November 8, 2011) - After a brief hiatus, Deniath (deniath.com), a members-only flash sale site for pop-culture and geek collectibles and merchandise has relaunched, announcing new brand partnerships, a big promotional sweepstakes and a revamped blog.


Launched in December 2010, Deniath is a members-only site, offering 72-hour deals on a variety of geek products and services including toys, event deals, board games, video-game related products, comics, and other pop-culture collectibles. CEO and Co-Founder, Wade Sugiyama explains, “We intend to produce the ultimate geek experience by feeding member’s geek obsessions and helping them discover new ones. We believe that our exclusive, 3-day deals are merely the first step in that process.”


Access to Deniath and their 72-hour deals is free, however, it’s only available to Deniath members.   Sugiyama added, “And while membership is exclusive, it isn't designed to keep fans and geeks excluded.  There are a number of ways to become a Deniath member. The quickest and easiest way is to be invited by an existing member. If you can’t find a current member, invite requests are also available on the site, which can take a few days.”


On November 14th, 2011 at 9am PST, Deniath deals will commence and members will be able to start their geek holiday shopping. After previously successful partnerships with Funko, ZipZip, and artists Stephen Silver and David Colman, Deniath’s Fall lineup includes exciting new partnerships with companies like Kotobukiya, Big Bad Toy Store, and artist Imps and Monsters. “We are extremely excited about the brands that we’ve partnered with, and we can’t wait for our members to see the deals we have in store for them.”


Starting today, as part of the relaunch, Deniath has partnered with Newsarama.com, the #1 Comic News Source, to host a sweepstakes offering an enormous assortment of prizes. "Newsarama has their hands on the pulse on the comic book community and we're extremely enthusiastic about collectively organizing a sweepstakes of this size and magnitude."


The Deniath Blog has also been revamped, providing interviews, news, and more geek content for all customers. "The blog is an integral piece of the Deniath experience,” added Sugiyama, "and we hope our members enjoy the additional content and deeper look into what Deniath is all about.”


"Deniath will continue to evolve," according to Sugiyama, "with our hopes being that not only will we offer an exciting, new shopping experience specifically tailored for the geek community, but also that we will bring like-minded fans together in a community where they can share their obsessions. November 14th can’t come soon enough!"