Saturday night I had the privilege of heading to Lawrence, Kansas to see my first custom Munny event. Lawrence is one of my favorite towns, so it was great to experience my first show there. The question asked was "What do you get when you strain several artists' abilities through a single sieve, giving them all the same teddy-bear-looking toy to design to contort any way they see fit?" and boy, were the results in,teresting.

There were nearly 100 different designs for viewing at the show's reception, including work from well known artists such as Gabriel Dorsey, JOUVELT and MAD. DJ Anastacios was there keeping a rockin' beat all throughout the night for people to jam to while they were looking around.

Hit the jump to see some of the very entertaining pieces I saw!

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Saturday night was the unveiling of Rivet Art's latest exhibit, entitled Noxious Fumes. The show featured artwork and creations by people such as Clint Carney, Kathie Olivas, Unkl, Chet Zar, and of course the enigmatic Doktor A. The good folks over at Rivet invited myself, alongside fellow Tomopop and Destructoid community members The Incredible Edible Egg and PetiePal, to journey into the depths of the artist's post-apocalyptic, gas mask required future.

All of the pieces on display were incredible to behold, but I think my fave of the show had to be Transmutation by Louis Fleischauer, a German-based artist who's hanging installation was equal parts creepy and awesome. It even leaked out smoke! Check out the photos to see everything from the show, and of course if you're in the Short North area of Columbus this month, be sure the first thing you do is head over to Rivet and check it all out for yourself.

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Obviously, if you're a fan of our site, you're no doubt a fan of the vinyl toy industry. Maybe you've been into vinyl for a long time, and know the background to the industry, but if you're like me, you're still technically a newbie to this world. Also, if you're anything like me, when you fall in love with something you want to know as much about it as possible. Thankfully, X-Ray Films released Toys are us: A Revolution in Plastic last month for your viewing pleasure. The trailer boasts of an in-depth look at the industry, with interviews with some of the most famous sculptors and artists that we happily buy up every month, but is the DVD worth your time? Hit the jump to find out.

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Excuse me miss, do you have the time? Oh, really, is it rape 'o clock already? Hm, well, you're here. And I'm here. Shall we just get this over with, then?

What we have for you today is a sample review of Mink's Nanase Koi figure from Night Shift Nurses, a series many of us over at Japanator are intimately informed about. Especially Dale North. He likes that kind of freaky stuff.

Ms. Nanase is in prime raping position, being tied up to the bed and all. Plus, for ease of use, all of her clothes are easily detachable, and comes with a complimentary blindfold, if you can't look her in the eyes.

The figure, set to come out in January of next year, and will be going for the hefty price of 12,600 yen. I sure hope Pyramid Head has saved up his yen. If not, he'll have to go on another raping spree in order to save up some more. And if you want one of these on Day 1, the reservation period is up at the end of the month.

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Again with the puns! I'm sorry, really I am, but there's just no other way to describe this stunning new pvc statue of Wagaya no Oinari-sama's main character, Kūgen. You'd be forgiven for not knowing who she is, though, given how under-appreciated the series seemed to be. That's why it's all the more surprising to see such a quality work come out, but FREEing doesn't leave fans hanging!

Sitting around 210mm tall, the detail in this beauty is certainly to be commended. From the translucent robes to the gorgeous multicolored flames, I can't say I've been this enthralled by a figure for some time. Even at a fairly heavy ¥8800 (approx. $83.21 USD), I certainly won't be passing this up. It helps to be a big fan of the show, of course, but it's such a well-done figure that any fan of foxgirls or miko would be hard-pressed to let this one slip by.

[via Moeyo]

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This is my first chance to post a custom vinyl here. I am constantly in awe of the way in which artists utilizing the same project base can create such varied artwork. This 16" custom Munny by Tan-Ki of KiToy Toys is one example. The overlapping birds and clouds and eye-like shapes remind me of M.C. Escher on hallucinogenics, amped up color palette and a touch of creepy cuteness. This custom was created for a private collector, but the artist does offer other toys for sale on the website.

[via Custom Vibe]

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Told you Good Smile Company brought a ton of new stuff along to the Degenki Bunko Autumn Festival. Want some more? How about photos of that Yoshika Miyafuji Nendoroid whose prototype we showed you a while back? 

This is the final sculpt and colorway, and we can now see that Yoshika will come with an alternate set of non-mecha (read: less fun) legs. Here's hoping the cool base attachment we saw in the early pics is still included, so she can look like she's flying. The pantsu princess is due out in February at 4,000 Yen.

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I have recently become obsessed with adding these Canico Cat vinyls to my toy collection. I must have missed the boat on the Godzilla Ya Canico Cat, but a few months back Lulubell Toy Bodega released the White and Orange vinyl cats, mascots for the Japanese Godzilla Ya toystore.  They also carry the Fisherman, Siamese, Black/White and Black Ears figures, but only the Siamese and Black Ears remain in stock. Other colors and accessorized editions are also available and seem to be sporadically available at Lulubell and other designer toy dealers (including Rotofugi who carries the Sepia cat and previously in-stock Sepia Memories of Summer).

These cute little 6" vinyl cats go for a whopping $60 and those with accessories (like the Fisherman and Memories of Summer) go for up to $75. The toys are by artist Canico and U.S. Toys. The accessorized cats seem to go pretty fast and have been sold out, so if you see one and are prepared to fork over the cash, snatch it up!

 [Via Toycyte]

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You may remember the Shakugan no Shana Figma prototype we showed you about a month ago. I'm proud to finally ... What? You don't remember the prototype? Well, there's no point in going back to look at it now, because I have pics of the final version to show you. Stay with me, people.

Max Factory unveiled this lovely addition to their line of uber-poseables at Degenki Bunko's Autumn Festival, and I have to admit, she looks ... well, totally badass. I'm kind of surprised how much I like what I see. And is that clear vinyl in the hair? Nice touch, Max Factory, nice touch indeed. She's still priced at 2,500 Yen with tax, and still due out in December.

[Via Hobby Stock]

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Light novel publisher Degenki Bunko -- the label under which series like Shakugan no Shana and Kino's Journey were first released -- is holding its inaugural Autumn Festival this weekend in Akihabara. Among the vendors on hand was Good Smile Company, and they surprisingly hauled in a ton of new stuff to display. 

First off is this set of four Petit Nendoroids from the upcoming DS game Cross of Venus, which features a score of Degenki Bunko characters. The four that made it to the Petit Nendoroid set are Shana, Kino, Taiga Aisaka from Tora Dora, and another cutie who I almost didn't recognize in Nendoroid form. I was ready to ask if any of you were up for a game of "Name that Nun" in the comments until I realized it was Index from Au Majutsu no Index. 

No word yet on when these tiny ladies will be available, but Cross of Venus is due out in Japan this winter, so they can't be far behind.

[Via Hobby Stock]

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