Tale of Two Skullwings

This is the Tale of Two Skullwings. Two Skullwings customized. One for the love of a best friend. One for the love of the Skullwing itself. Both amazing examples of dedication to the niche genre of Japanese Vinyl toys. Wait, what the hell are Skullwings? They are fairly rare Japanese vinyl toys made by Secret Base in collaboration with San Francisco artist Pushead. You will probably recognize his artwork from those Metallica covers you used to gaze at while ditching Chem class in your parent's basement getting stoned, gobbling Cheetos and rocking your head back and forth. I would say this particular design is one of the reasons why I was attracted to collecting Japanese vinyl (that and my high school flashbacks).



The tale of the first Skullwing is all about the passion for the toy and the Red version of this toy that has eluded this dedicated collector. Skullbrain member Locomoco is pretty serious about Pushead toys. So much so that he patiently waited in line very early to grab two very, very, very rare handpainted figures from the man himself at this year's San Diego Comic Con. With the money Locomoco spent on these two toys, he could of purchased a small (albeit used) car. Luckily for Locomoco, he already has a car. It's a bit ironic that Locomoco actually scored two custom figures, one of which is a Skullwing, that are more rare than the Red Skullwing that eludes him. So what did Locomoco do? He busted out his trusty airbrush and customized a Red Skullwing for himself! Seeing his other customs and actually having the priviledge of owning one myself, I would say that his custom Skullwing is MUCH cooler than the actual Red Skullwing itself. Awesome job Locomoco!!!





Here's the production Red Skullwing for comparison. What do you think? Which one is better?




Now the tale of the second custom Skullwing is a tear-jerker and is a perfect example of what friendship is all about. Skullbrain member "HavingMySay" took his best friend to this year's San Diego Comic Con. She apparently came home with a love for all things in pink vinyl. (see pink Gargamel Hedorah below).




She then asked HMS for a pink Skullwing, which does not exist. So in what could be the most elaborate Birthday gift any friend, toy collector or not, could offer, HMS recruited fellow skullbrain members MutonisMyFriend and PaulKaiju to help create the Pink Skullwing that did not exist up until now.



First of all, getting a Skullwing period is not easy. They are damn expensive just the way they are and not easy to get for under $100. Muton helped out with this part and i'm sure at a very reasonable price as well! Next up was getting this Skullwing painted pink. There are a few artists that could do the job, but Paul Kaiju is definitely the right choice as you can see. Knowing Paul a bit, i'm sure he was touched with the idea and happy to help! The crowning touches were done by HMS himself which include this amazing custom header card and buttons!





We understand from HMS that his best friend was indeed moved and tears came out as he presented this wonderful gift! HMS, as I've said before, we should all be as lucky to have a best friend like you. Well done.