Fanmode faves

Fanmode presents about a few hundred toy-related links every month and it’s possible a few may have slipped your attention. Here are ten of our favourites for June ‘08.

Lady Roses Coral.
Bike transformers are tough to pull off. We consider the Gobots Throttle to be the best of the 80s and Transformers Animated Prowl to be the cream of the crop in modern times. That is, until we saw Basil’s 12,000 yen 1/18-scale garage kit. Takara Tomy, get this man a job.

Sonic Diver Rei-jin in action.
Tamaki’s Little Treasure may update infrequently but we still check the site almost daily because the new digirama is always a treat.

Barricade Girl.
A remarkable Transformers-inspired custom figure by shibamura_prime. (See also.)

What’s this?
Plamoo’s stop-motion toy videos are typically brilliant and nigh incomprehensible.

Cobraganda.
Wars are not won with ninja commandos alone. Chris Sims takes a look at G.I. Joe’s efforts to win hearts and minds.

The Meat.
We’ve seen some strange toys over the years but this accessory set from the JAKKS Pacific Rocky line was completely unexpected.

Cosmo Crusher, Gaia and God Mars (Lego-style).
Johnny Tang’s Lego reproductions of classic super robots are always link-worthy.

Gizmodo goes to Lego.
Learn what Lego calls its pieces, why both “Lego” or “Legos” are wrong, how many pieces have been produced since 1958, why Lego sets are expensive and what the best-selling set is among other things.

Cutar.
This isn’t the most intricate of Lego MOCs but we simply love the fact izzo was inspired by his son’s drawing. (More.)

Lego Darth Vader.
He’s more Lego than man now.

Toy links

Tell Lara I love her.
A cool Stikfas custom by Phil Ashby of the ABC Warriors character Mongrol.

Bukiborg.
Fanmodes made from Kabaya’s line of interchangeable trading figures.

G.I. Joe convention recap. [via]
“… the Joefans in attendance got the opportunity to take part in something pretty special… G4 Television’s COBRA Commander campaign for President in 2008!”

Tyco’s Incredible Crash Dummies.
“The endearing dummies had an unlikely birthplace-the U.S. Department of Transportation … (Tyco) found that the DOT’s female character, Darlene, didn’t play well with little boys, who cringed at the notion of cracking up a girl. So Darlene became Daryl. ‘He still has a strangely shaped chest …’” A Newsweek article from 1992.

My Little Tattoo.

Toy links

Even geniuses have their limits.
An amusing photo by ricko. (On the other hand ….)

Showdown.
Two movie toys enter, only one walks/rolls away.

You simians may refer to me merely as “Sir”.
A custom Edwin Odesseiron Lego minifig. (More custom Baldur’s Gate minifigs.)

The Africa Toy Shop.
“The wooden handmade toys are carved with the most basic tool imaginable, a pocket knife. And the colours are produced from roots found in nature. One of the most popular toys, quirky-looking dolls called ’shwe-shwe poppies’, were designed by children who had to draw a picture of what their perfect doll looks like.”

The Force is with TRU.
“… the toy seller, which is based in Wayne, N.J., was the first to offer ‘Star Wars’ toys when the original movie came out in 1977. … ‘Star Wars’ was the third-highest ranked toy brand over all for 2005, the year the last film, ‘Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,; was released. The next year, it was the top-selling boys’ toy brand in the United States, and in 2007 remained in the top 10 over all.”

Toy links

Kaiyodo Revoltech AssembleBorg figures previewed.
Taoo takes a thorough look at sample figures of Mr. Assemble, Baron and Cyber which he won. The frequently delayed AssembleBorg line is due to be released this December.

Onua drill tank.
A fantastic transforming Lego Bionicle MOC by kawazu1120. (More.)

LiGaiGar.
Transformers Baka Ichidai’s fanmode combines the Transformers Galaxy Force Liger Jack and the GaoMachines from the DX GaoGaiGar set.

Groundmaster Hyper Alan.
Misodrill’s Microman Masterforce fanmode.

Optimus Magnus.
Transformers Animated Optimus Prime gets a fanmode trailer in the form of Micron Legend Ultra Magnus which also transforms into a command chair. (Click on the thumbnail for a closer look.)

Kamen Rider Kiva DoGaBaKi Form.
Shishioh shows how to reproduce the DoGaBaKi Form with Souchaku Henshin figures.

Yamato GN-U YF-19 modded.
Damien Sancho shows how he improved the articulation of the figure and approximated the pinpoint barrier system with jewellery stickers.

3Rs and toys.
“Can the rising price of gas discourage the production of collectors’ action figures and other toys?”

Grover Miller’s wooden toy masterpieces.
”You could sell them for a fortune … I don’t need [the money]. Giving them away is more fun than selling them.”

Toys for the elderly.
“Japan is the first developed country to register more annual deaths than births and the elderly will outnumber children two to one within five years … ‘The (toy) industry is addressing the problem by widening its target age. The idea is toys aren’t just for kids.’”

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