spent the weekend in NY, checking out the most fascinating vinyl art toy shop i’ve ever been to (no offense to Kidrobot of course). spent some time with owner Stephane Gerbier, whose encouragement and passion for this urban art industry is simply inspiring. came out of there with a renewed perspective and very excited about how things are going. for those of you traveling to NY, you can check the mimushis and other vinyl toy figurines at the store on 15 Gansevoort St., New York, NY 10014. i even left a 13.5″ high special edition mimushi! enjoy!

concept artist blattke & yoyamart store owner Stephane Gerbier celebrating mimushi @ yoya

Read up on what VinylAbuse has to say about mimushi’s wooden figurines!

http://www.vinylabuse.com/

VinylAbuse likes the way we think!

we actually had to go deep into the Amazon jungle to discover native partners that would materialize our vision · then the fruits of our labor began, and here is how it all boils down ·

we use renewable resources!

first we acquire wood from government regulated plantations, where the resources we use are immediately replaced · then we bring them to the shop and allow the to dry for about 2 weeks · After that we start cutting them into a squared block and then the fun begins ·

we begin the cutting process

after we symmetrically draw a “3D shadow” of our figurine onto the block of wood, we begin “moulding” the block of wood and cutting it into a rectangular shape that we can later carve and sand into the shape we want · this is obviously done at a very metioculous rate ·

ain't he cute?!? well, maybe for now, cause he's soon to become a fierce warrior

after this cutting process is taken care of, we have a nice squared shape figurine · soon he shall be morphed into our warrior of the psyche ·

and now we begin to carve · careful, we don't want an old chip off his shoulder

so slowly but surely we begin carving our ways into this marvel of nature and bending it our way ···

hey, you guys just carved a belly on me I didn't have before! you shall soon submit to my will!

after meticulously carving this piece now we have to sand it a bit··· a couple of hours/days later·

ok, now look into my eyes · i shall hipnotize you and turn you into my weapon ·

so, here’s the initial result, but were still not there···

hey, who are these guys? oh, ok, i see, so now boys, let's re-group and stand ground ·

after this we begin the wheat straw inlaying process · more on that on our next entry ·

just wanted to repost this funny video!

Very clean!

ok · so we kept you waiting for a while · our bad · but we brought you the new series of designer figurines, ones you’ll die to have! it’s the “dauntless gatekeepers” series, which for now you can only find at the online store · so, i would say the wait was worth it · this part of the mini-maniac mimushi brain comes in wood and wheat straw veneering (a delicate and painstaking process for which considerable dedication and time has to be put forth) ·

THE DAUNTLESS GATEKEEPERS · we guard the doors in mimushi's brain so no personality comes in or out without going through us first ·

wanna now how we got from

what was first, the block of wood or ...

to…

i am mimushibo benkei · part of an imperial psychological army ·

check our next post for details on the process!

for all of you out there, expectant observers, we now have the final matte copy… unfortunately, due to concepting and a new creative output, we have decided that this is not what we want, namely a toy that looks like something else, so we decided to start all over, with a new sculptor, new manufacturer, and the whole nine yards · check with us soon to see the new design and advancements, and wish us luck! (i suggest you subscribe to the blog, as the next post might take a little while…)

sorry dudes, i won't be hitting the shelves, but i have an evil semi-twin brother who will

we liked the colors but the result came out shiny for some lacquer our artist used, and we are remaking them for a better matted finish · for now, here are the pics of this week’s update ·

a bit shiny, ain't i?

arrrgh!

so, after a long awaited arrival, we finally get to see the first unpainted vinyl figurines for this series, which speak for themselves · we still have to examine some glitches on its matted finish and hardness, but this should be promptly fixed ·

our very own mimulk vinyl toys - unpainted

in order to go from wax to vinyl we need to create a master mold · The principal chemical process involved in this is Au+CuSo4==electric==Cu+AuSo4 · about a week after implementing this process, the wax surface will enclose the Cu ion, and the master mold will be created · you’ll have to wait until next week to see how the vinyl came out · you can also get more information on the process, industry, etc. on an article titled “vinyl fantastical” published by computer arts from the UK ·  i do recommend anyone who likes vinyl designer toys to read the article · here’s an excerpt on how time-consuming this process can be ·

“Once the sculpts have been made and approved, the figures are painted and another round of approvals and corrections is conducted. Once the paint has been agreed, the paint masks and moulds are produced and the vinyl toys can start rolling off the production line. The process is rather slow, often quoted at six months from conception to the figures appearing in stores. This includes a month on a boat from China, which is where most of the figures are made…” (Computer Arts)

perfect · no complaints here · this is what we wanted to see, this is what we got · it took a few weeks, a few drawbacks, a few phone calls, a few e-mails, a few moments of despair, but, hey here we are now, so let’s make this happen · on our next blog entry we’ll deal with the master mold!