NEW POST: While I’m not a parent, many of my friends are… and they do everything they can to make sure their kids don’t just sit infront of the TV or play video games. Which is why I like Promise Monsters, a family run small company that is looking to go national with the help of Kickstarter. You see, once a kid gets a Promise Monster, it comes with a Kindness Task for the kid to perform and, once completed, they are rewarded with a free add-on of their choosing from the Promise Monster website. It’s a really cool idea and, in the end, instills a good value system in children while also making them active within the world. You can see the campaign and find out more HERE. http://dlvr.it/3PrkM0

NEW POST: We gave you all quick teasers HERE and HERE last week of a new figure from John Santagada over at Radioactive Uppercut… and today, thanks to Topheroy, we have the above images of the new figure sculpt of “8-Ball” for this upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Sculpted by Josh Sutton of ERA Sculpture, this little guys is packed full of detail… oh man is it awesome… and it really reminds me of the creatures from Kaiju Big Battel… RAD!!! The Kisckstarter is supposed to go live on July 1st… and will have some awesome incentive tiers… so be on the lookout for more posts about it when the time comes! Want to know more… then follow Radioactive Uppercut on Facebook today! http://dlvr.it/3PN6vL

NEW POST: In just 8 days, @huckgee and the rest of the folks behind the upcoming handheld game “BattleTails” have been 100% funded via their Kickstarter campaign… a HUGE congrats goes out to all of the parties involved!!! Now, they are shooting for a ton of stretch goals and are now striving to push the support to the $100-200k mark. The more they raise, the more awesome the game!
We mentioned HERE that DJ Qbert would be involved with the soundtrack for this game… well, above is a quick sampling of DJ QBert’s “Labyrinth”… a taste of what you can come to expect… really nice!!! Huck also just unveiled the full 11”x17” map of Kinausu and made it available as an optional add-on item for $60 (including shipping). It is limited to 100 prints, only available to backers of the Kickstarter. Speaking of… head on over HERE now to back this project, you’ll be glad you did! http://dlvr.it/3NkzwL

NEW POST: We gave you all a quick teaser HERE last week of a new figure from John Santagada over at Radioactive Uppercut… and today, thanks to Niall Anderson aka [Tru:Tek] of Man-E-Toys.com, we have the above image and info!!! “_Revealed as the ‘Radioactive Rumblers’, the ongoing series is set to feature a number of 4″ designs inspired by old sci-fi and horror flicks, 80’s toys, garbage pail kids and comic books of the 50’s and 60’s, each coming rotocast in vinyl with a number of ‘city crushing’ points of articulation (3 in the case of 8-Ball!)_”. I am really diggin the direction of this, and I think is genius to promote the Kickstarter before it actually launches… the more you know, the more you are likely to fund it… right?!?! This si supposed to go live on July 1st… and will have some awesome incentive tiers… so be on the lookout for more posts about it when the time comes! Want to know more… then follow Radioactive Uppercut on Facebook today! http://dlvr.it/3NV2pd

NEW POST: Kickstarter has been an awesome tool for artists to get their work out into the public eye… and not only is that a HUGE benefit, but it also exposes said art to others who would not normally see it. That’s the case with the work of Jim McKenzie, and I am really excited to show off his amazing looking resin “Pumpkin Crab” figure. Based on a character that has popped up here and there in paintings that he has created over the years, he figured it was time to take this to the next level and recreate it as a resin art multiple. With the help of Kickstarter, you can go HERE now and get one of these fantastic 7” wide figures for just $70 ($100 once the Kickstarter campaign ends)… and just like most campaigns, there are all kinds of tiers you can donate to… all of which have some really amazing incentives!

“Pumpkin Crab Print”

I really just became privy to Jim’s work as of this Kickstarter… and I gotta say, I am already a HUGE fan. His painting style is really alot of fun, and has this fun, electric style about it. His Kickstarter campaign is set for 56 days… and it’s already 200% funded… but I think this figure, and this artist deserves so much more. So if you are looking to add a fantastic looking, new resin figure to your collection, head on over HERE now and support Jim and his art! http://dlvr.it/3M3dzc

NEW POST: Check out this really cool Kickstarter that features headphones with an urban twist as they feature a 3D printed element that surrounds the headband… SWEET! These “Resonant Sound” headphones are made of silicone rubber that are designed and laser cut int a 3D piece of art. They also are using high quality memory foam and speakers to make these headphones the best money can buy. These headphones as the crossroads between urban art, technology and state of the art manufacturing to create an awesome sound experience with a unique stylized look. It’s up HERE right now for funding, so if you dig what you see… go and back this fun project! http://dlvr.it/3LYns1

NEW POST: As we’d previously alluded to, the one-and-only @huckgee (in collaboration with Nom Games and Bearo Toys) is creating a side-scrolling Tower Defense game for used on both the Android and iPhone/iTouch devices! Set in the Great Kingdom of Kinausu within his Gold Life universe, this game — ”Battle Tails” — allows you to take the reigns and command one of three clans to defend the city: the mischievous Snow Monkeys of Clan Six Tails, the magic-wielding warrior tigers of Clan Ten Thousand Winds, or the rag-tag group of human punks and troublemakers known as the nefarious Boso Ichiban Clan. With a Kickstarter campaign created to fund it, this amazing looking game is already in development and includes a soundtrack by the great DJ QBert! We were able to catch up with Gee and ask him a couple quick questions about “Battle Tails”:
SpankyStokes: Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Why did you choose to use Kickstarter for this project? You’re obviously capable of getting backers and sponsors, so you must’ve opted to use a crowd funding for a reason.

@huckgee: I suppose I could’ve possibly funded this through traditional fundraising and investment methods but Kickstarter outweighs that route in a couple key areas. First and foremost crowd funding reduces risk, you get the support up front, there’s less risk of releasing a product that doesn’t sell or recoup it’s investment. Second and just as important, Kickstarter is a wonderful PR tool. The groundswell of support early in development brings attention to your product and builds a community around it. And if you nurture that community it can have valuable input on the final design. It’s win win for everyone involved.
SS: It’s great to see that Gold Life has grown into such a well-developed world. When you first thought of it, did you have everything planned out in your head or did it evolve as you created pieces?

Gee: It evolved naturally. From the first time I coined the term Gold Life I envisioned a tiny snapshot of the world. And with every consecutive illustration and/or character design I’ve turned corners, explored new regions and the story has grown. There’s still a ton of ideas and designs I haven’t had a chance to put down on paper but BattleTails gives me a new outlet for these adventures. Looking forward to seeing what’s next.
SS: I notice that a lot of the designs are things we’ve previously seen you build into custom creations… Are there some sneak peeks of potential forthcoming customs in there?

Gee: Quite possibly. ;)

SS: Do you have any plans once the game is made (we’ll safely assume you’ll reach the goal) to do any special out-of-game offers through the game to players? Like a @huckgee shop within the game or something.

Gee: I’ve had some very interesting discussions with the crew at NOM games touching on elements we could build into this area. In game store? Exclusive custom or toy releases to players of the game? Perhaps having to unlock a character in game to gain access to purchasing it online? That idea puts an interesting spin on the blind box or collector phenomenon.

It’s all just rough ideas at this point but it’s fun exploring the possibilities.

SS: And just so we end on the most amazing note, can you please tell me how much the game will cost to download when it’s done?

Gee: Free! It will be a free-to-play download.

Yes, that’s right… ”Battle Tails” will be completely free when it is released later this year! With some amazing rewards — including a large cache of Gee customs, 33 in total! — let’s make this game happen, folks! Show your support and head on over to the Kickstarter campaign now! http://dlvr.it/3LDqwt

NEW POST: You may recall our post HERE a few weeks back where Scottish artist Brian Taylor of CandyKiller fame launched a rad new Kickstarter campaign titled ‘Lucy and the Anvil’ which is a children’s book written by Adam Kline! Well, this project is well underway and they are getting some good funding… but need that last push! That being said, one of the BIG draws for this project is a really cool tier where Bigshot Toyworks is making a resin 5” tall Anvil… a neat little collectible for this project! There are only 14 of these left to be picked up, and they are part of the $200 tiere so not only do you get the rad resin piece, but you also get one book signed by author and illustrator, one original letterpress print signed and numbered by Brian, and one formal acknowledgement of gratitude printed within the book itself… well worth it! So head on over HERE and help this project get funded! http://dlvr.it/3JtTYz

NEW POST: The folks who launched the “PapaBehr” Kickstarter project are currently in their last week… and even though they hit thier goal a few weeks back, they are still pumping out stretch goals which was just hit!!! This means that their second toy, “Destroyed” PapaBehr, is now available to backers! Anyone who has pledged the ‘Heroic’ mode ($100) and up will receive the limited edition “Destroyed” PapaBehr. He’s equipped with a detached bionic eye, detachable chest plate (so you can see his inner circuitry), and hand cannon! They are on their way to their second stretch goal of 50K: The Neo-Samurai Armour and Weapon Set… so head on over HERE now and back this cool project!!! http://dlvr.it/3JMxpC

NEW POST: Shepard “Obey Giant” Fairey has officially put his amazing talent to use in helping Ondi Timoner’s Kickstarter campaign to fund her documentary web series about technology. For $15 you get a Digital Poster of Fairey’s design, $25 gets you a postcard of the image, and at $125 you’ll receive a signed and numbered print copy. So all you Obey fans should head on over to the campaign and show your support! http://dlvr.it/3FQdcr

NEW POST: Scottish artist Brian Taylor of CandyKiller fame is part of a rad new Kickstarter campaign titled ‘Lucy and the Anvil’ which is a children’s book written by Adam Kline! Brian did all the illustrations for this really cool looking book, and it’s on Kickstarter right now for funding.

There are tiers for everyone, and $25 gets you a copy of this soon to be published book… if it gets funded of course. There is also a really cool tier where Bigshot Toyworks is making a resin 5” tall Anvil… a neat little collectible for this project! So head on over HERE and pledge some money if you see fit! http://dlvr.it/3FDBhB

NEW POST: Bay Area artist and inki-Jinx founder Shelly Rodriguez recently launched a Kickstarter project to help fund her newest plush, Crabapple — a 12” wide crab/apple hybrid made from soft, minky faux fur. But she needs our help! The initial goal was to raise $4,500 — enough to bring 250 of these cranky crustaceans into existence. Well guess what? That goal’s been blown out of the water and we’ve now entered stretch goal territory. With $6,235 bagged and still 8 days to go, Rodriguez has her sights set on the next level: $12,500, and we want to help get her there! More funding means more Crabapples for all, and on top of that, everyone who pledges at the $65+ mark will also receive a bonus Ika plush in an all-new navy blue x aqua colourway if it’s funded. THAT’S A CRAB AND A SQUID FOR THE PRICE OF ONE, PEOPLE! Wooty-woo! So watch the video, pledge what you can, and help support this awesome indie company!
http://dlvr.it/3D9Y9p

NEW POST: It’s been too long, Oben, we missed you… Yes, Ben Goretsky of 3D Retro joins George and Ayleen Gaspar on the Toy Break couch. As is only right, there’s a bit of ToyConUK talk including the freshly announced @sergeysafonov “Govra” pieces, an update on the OMFG! Series 3 Kickstarter, and a wonderful contest for some Fugi.me prints is announced as well! http://dlvr.it/3B91BT

NEW POST: Love him or hate him, you’ve got to respect @frankkozik as a prolific member of the Designer Toy community as well as one of our founding fathers (why do people always forget that the Labbit was initially released by Bounty Hunter in 2000?). But, whatever your feeling on the man, the beautiful “Dead Kozik” bust from Kevin Gosselin — which is currently being funded for production on Kickstarter — will surely satisfy. With only a week left to reach funding, we’re happy to remind you to pop over to the Kickstarter campaign and reserve either your own copy of the $200 bust or even just snag one of the $30 t-shirts. Every little bit helps! http://dlvr.it/39s1Yb

NEW POST: Have you back the O.M.F.G. Series 3 Kickstarter yet?!?!?! Well, if you haven’t, maybe this announcement will push you to do so as the the folks over at October Toys have been working hard trying to find some small way to say thank you to everyone who is supporting the OMFG line, and they finally hit on something really exciting… Z.O.M.B.I.E. Pheyden! October Toys have teamed up with Onell Design to create a unique, undead mini figure version of the popular Glyos character, Pheyden.

Based on a drawing by the super talented L’amour Supreme and sculpted by October Toys own George Gaspar, this solid mini figure stands just over 2” tall. Now for the really exciting part. For all pledges $25 and over, they will include a Z.O.M.B.I.E. Pheyden to match each set of OMFG in your pledge… for no extra charge! So if you pledge for one set of flesh OMFG and one set of black OMFG, you will also receive one flesh Z.O.M.B.I.E. Pheyden and one black Z.O.M.B.I.E. Pheyden. This Pheyden figure is not part of the OMFG line, but presented as a bonus October Toy Mini Figure (OTMF) who will also play well with your other October Toys Z.O.M.B.I.E. figures. So yeah… head on over HERE now to support this awesome new line of figures and get this rad bonus for FREE!!! http://dlvr.it/39Nsjg