Secret Base Moves To Secret Location and Releases More Toys!!

I gotta hand it to Hiddy and the guys over at Secret Base cause they must be busy as hell churning out a ton of new figures! Not only do they have all that crazy Balzac goodness releasing over at Shocker World Wide, they have just released a number of completely sick brand new designs and colorways. On top of all that, they moved their retail location to somewhere secret enough that it still requires a map and good directions from a local. Thanks go to Mark "LivingDead" who lives in Japan and is the lucky owner of most of this Secret Base treasure!!!

Blood Pirate by Pushead x Secret Base. Leave your first born at the door step cause that's what it's gonna take to get one. Only 55 made to mark Secret Base's 5th Anniversary. Each one hand numbered...



Skullbee designed by Tattoo Artist Crank. Comes with Print. Uber Rare





Another colorway of the Crank Skullbee. Went for over $250 on Yahoo Japan Auctions the other night. Comes with the print in a nice little frame though!





Balzac Purple Bagman with Plushie inside



Rare Silver and Gold bling, bling versions of the Bagman!!!



Fan Club Only Skullbee set. Not available to most mortals!!!



Insane Devilock Palmboy Skullbee Collaboration to commemorate the 10th Anniversary. Yes, those are tiny Palmboys in each hand! Gold and Silver versions...



Glow in the Dark Balzac Obake Ghost was released today at the Tokyo Dome!!



Crazy little crystal red Skullbee



Remember that map I was telling you about? Just in case you're in Tokyo and need to find Secret Base, here's the map. I understand even with this map, it's hard to find so better bring a local like Mark!

Touma Mini Goons Preview!!!

Jack over at VinylPulse got wind of these upcoming Touma mini-Goons coming out in March, 2007. These little buggers will be less than 3 inches tall and will come in the familiar colorways of their larger siblings. I love minis and I think the more minis the better! I can't afford to get all the Goons I might want, so having a mini collection is really better. Takes up less shelf space too! They will look rad right next to my collection of mini knucklebears!! More Minis Please!!! I'll pre-order the entire set!!

New EXOHEAD Toys Dropping January 14th!!!

EXOHEAD is definitely one of my favorite toy lines so I was very happy to see that he's coming out with not only a new colorway of his insane "Man Machine" figure, but also a completely new sculp featuring a slightly phallic design!

In the picture below, A: MM-111 Russ and B: MM-106 Teet will be available January 14th. C. is a Kaiju-Taro Kai-Zine Subscriber only exclusive. There are only 3 made and you need to send in a form that is included in the magazine. The names will be drawn randomly. Lastly, picture D. are won by lottery to celebrate EXOHEAD's 1st anniversary. Only five made in each model, a lottery ticket is included in each Russ and Teet figure. I'm happy to be getting any new EXOHEAD figures, but I would sure like to have the Kai-Zine exclusive and the extra lottery armor as well!!!



New to EXOHEAD??? Check out my past articles on their amazing toys:
EXOHEAD and Skull Toys Collaboration
EXOHEAD Namesakes

Shocker World Wide New Years Toy Festival!!!

Shocker World Wide has struck a deal with the Devil himself (and Secret Base) to offer some of the sickest, very limited Secret Base / Balzac toys!!!

There will be two insane versions of this Balzac Obake Ghost released after January 6th: Glow in the Dark and the Blood Spray GID!!!



This purple Balzac Bagman will go on sale tomorrow January 4th so hopefully they have enough stock cause this one is gonna be popular!!



The first toy released was this bling, bling gold Skullman with the cloth skeleton suit and paper bag!! Only SIX(6) of these guys were sold to a mob of over 50 trying to clickity click their credit card numbers in the overloaded system!!! You can now get it on Yahoo Japan Auctions for a premium!!

New Votoms Gallery and Reviews!!!

It's been a while since my last real mecha gallery and review. I finally got around to taking some shots of these new/old Votoms figures. I purchased a new light and have been using these guys as guinea pigs.

The first guy up is CM's 1/35 scale Calamity Dog Zerberus VR-Maxima Limited Edition!! I wrote about this guy way back in May in this earlier post. Ugh, I know, I know. I've been pretty back logged with toys that I would love to shoot and review. Anyways, better late than never. The Limited Edition signifies the special metallic blue color. I love this finish and the pearlescent quality really stands out. CM's Corporation makes a fine action figure. Great detail, hefty feeling piece. My only criticism is that the joints are a bit loosey-goosey. Not sure if it's just this one piece, but I would like a bit more tension in my joints so that I can pose him anyway I want. Right now, I couldn't get him to even lift up his own rifle!! What's up with that? However, Don't let this sway you...I would purchase him all over again. Guess what? You can too! Unfortunately the sick Limited Edition Pearl Blue one is sold out, but the normal version is still in stock at Hobby Link Japan for around $38 before shipping.








The next two 1/35 scale Votoms figures are from an older series from manufacturer Xebec. These little gems have to be some of best action figures around. I believe they only made six different Votoms in the series, but the detail, paint and weathering are all top notch. I got most of these on Yahoo Japan Auctions, but there are a few on eBay still. At anywhere from $20 to $35, I think these are some of the best deals around. Check out the mud splatter on this Bloodsucker! Incredible detail!! The down side to these guys is that there is not a lot of articulation. Contrary to their CM's sibling above, these joints hardly move at all so not too many crazy dynamic poses going on here!!! They are a bit fragile too. I broke an antennae on one of them during this shoot. Don't think those red shoulder fins on the Bloodsucker would survive a dive from the shelf!! And unlike the incredible Takara AG series, these guys don't transform into "Down" Mode. Still...totally worth it and if you get a chance to buy one, do it!!

Ga-Ga for Gargamel Lucky Bags!!!

Every New Year's, Japanese toy manufacturer Gargamel produces Lucky Bags. If you're lucky, you can purchase these blind bags either in two versions of the 20,000 yen bag or an 80,000 yen bag. You don't get to choose any of the toys inside - you get what you get. Normally, I really, really hate any kind of blind situation. Usually nothing good can come out of a blind situation: blind date, blind curve, blind-sided - these are all bad! However, in the case of Gargamel's Lucky Bags, it appears everything that begins blind ends up in bright, cheery and slightly fluorescent Gargamel goodness!!! Gargamel Lucky bags feature never-seen before painted and un-painted colorways of all your favorite Gargamel sculps plus a few new ones! Depending on the version and size Lucky Bag you buy, you get a variety of large and mini figures some painted and un-painted. Through the magic of the internet, you get to see into (several) Gargamel Lucky Bags from auctions on eBay and Yahoo Japan. Put a blindfold on me cause i'll take any and all of it!!

New I.W.G. Rockets Landing Soon!!!

Rocket World's new Retro Rockets should be dropping from the sky anytime now. They are designed to fit the I.W.G. Mini Figures that were all over the place this year. Rocket World's Commander in Chief is Patrick York Ma. I met Patrick several years ago when he used to sell high-end knives and outdoor gear from his Live/Work loft in Oakland. My best knives came from his first company Triple Aught Design which now has a really cool and big retail store in San Francisco featuring all the gear that a Army Ranger would want if he was going camping. REI this is not.



Rocket World Staff. Would you fcuk with these guys? They make toys?


A few years ago, Patrick who is holds a Masters in 3D Arts started Rocket World and took the toy world by storm with his innovative I.W.G. toy line. "Insurgents Wilderness Gruppo" are endangered animals with assault weapons hunting humans. I love the toys and the irony. Check out these new Rockets that will be flying into your favorite retail stores shortly. They come in several different colors and include a mini figure!





Also check out this exclusive SDCC "Punisher" Bear I got in San Diego last July. The Bear itself is really cool. It's the same bear Patrick used for this other custom one-off Punisher Bear for MTV's Overground Book Launch Party earlier this year. What I really like is the incorporation of these hyper-realistic weapons and gear from those 12-Inch Dragon Action Figures. This backpack opens and has tiny buckles. All the weapons have removable magazines and rackable slides!! Crazy!!