Xmas Play Time

I hope everyone had a great Holiday weekend!! As most of my twitter followers know, my awesome gf got me an airbrush for Christmas. Needless to say I hibernated most of the weekend and played around with it. I'm still a traditional brush lover, but damn is this thing a lot of FUN! I can already tell how it's going to alter my game plans for 2011. Of course some of my fx will always be done with brushes, but having this tool for Kaiju is going to be awesome!

Here's the mini Hedo I was toying around with over the weekend. I didn't put clear coat on it yet, because I figure I'll keep messing with it. I was mostly playing with color blending and getting a feel for the brush. I also plan on picking up some Monster Kolors soon to really start in on some Kaiju customs.




I hope all of you have a great New Years!!

"primaL" - MadL Commission

I just put the finishing touches on this custom MadL commission last night. It's name is "primaL". Platform integrity was of high importance to the commissioner, so I went down a different path for the texturing this time.

Here's primaL's backstory:

Although no one is certain how long the statue of primaL has stood, it's story has been passed down from generation to generation. Legends say that primaL was once the ""Great Provider" of the land, meeting and conversing with shamans on a transcendental plane. Telling them the ways of the land and how to manipulate it for the gain of their people. As with all knowledge, too much can poison even the clearest of minds. Soon the tribes of the shamans wanted exclusive access to the words of primaL, warring with one another until all was plundered and razed. Leaving the tribespeople without homes and or food, this became known as the "Great Punishment". The spirit of primaL was no longer accessible to the shamans, condemning the men to death unless they learned to work with one another again. Mending their broken relationships, the tribes began anew and as one. While primaL has never returned to help, the people of the land still make the journey to the monolithic statue to pay reverence of it's teachings.

Turtlenecks and Dunnys

This past weekend I sported this fabulous snowman turtleneck to a friend's Christmas party, my neck hasn't felt that secure in years!



Due to a snowy day yesterday, I was able to knock out a MadL commission I had on the to-do list. I should have some pics up of the finished piece soon. Now that I have a little break between commissions I'm going to try my best to get a Holiday Dunny series out there. Stay tuned for more info about this series.

On another Dunny related note, "Wangetsu" and all of the other customs for The Almighty Dunny Show are now available on the Genuine Artikle site.

"Oumono" and "Kisaki" Dunnsais

I just finished these Dunnsai commissions last night, I give you "Oumono" and "Kisaki". The commissioner wanted a mixture of styles I had done in the past. This time around though, I opted not to moss the trunks, mostly due to everything going on on top, but I think the exposed trunk came out nicely in the end.















I'm currently taking commissions, so if you'd like a Dunnsai of your own or another creation you can email me at troystith@hotmail.com

Resin Heads

Jeremy Brautman posted this article on twitter earlier today, for the most part I can agree and see where they're coming from with everything. Although, this line perturbed me a bit "But the days of small run productions are over."

Obviously the person who wrote this article, has never heard of the resin toy makers out there. I think the cost of producing vinyl, coupled with the ease of setting up your own resin operation go hand in hand. By taking out the big companies and all the back and forth with a vinyl factory in China, resin toy makers take on all aspects of what they produce. Also by doing so, the artist/creators stand to gain more $$ from a popular piece.

I say let the big guys keep doing what they're doing, but the rise of resin will keep coming and coming as time goes on. Anyone with the time and space can create their own designer toy these days. Same goes for vinyl, but with a hell of a lot more overhead and product on their hands. If it doesn't sell, I'd much rather be stuck with 10-15 resin pieces than 100-200 vinyl pieces.

While I'm very very thankful for what customizing vinyl has done for me, this article definitely makes me want to strive to get back to my roots and start producing my own toys again. Waiting around for your big break accomplishes nothing, get out there and do the work yourself. The 'Toy Karma' (Thanks for the new term Mark Nagata) will come back around, it just takes the time and dedication for it to do so.

I was just talking to someone yesterday who said they wish more product would come out and less customs would happen. While I enjoy both sides, I totally agree with what they're saying. The bigger companies we expect to turn out what they do, but the fresh breath of the scene is coming from those who are giving us new toys that haven't been done and putting their heart and sweat into each piece.

Ok rant over, take it for what you will. I'd love to hear what all of you think.

A Lazy But Productive Weekend

I say 'lazy' because I had the chance to just stay around my place most of the weekend. Last weekend with the holiday and all, I was running around like crazy, plus trying to get the final touches done on "Bodhi". Now that I'm through the show gauntlet for a stint, I have the opportunity to get to backlogged things like this.

I had planned on giving Eyzor a revamp, but he was purchased from my shop before I had the chance to do so. I gave the buyer the option to take him 'as is' or to let me do the revamp I had in mind for it. Thankfully they wanted to see the revamped version and I think it plays to it's character much better. Now it looks as if it's been waiting outside of Professor Lindmir's workshop for a long while. Hoping to get the chance to blast trespassers with a lethal dose of steam.

I only took desk pics of this custom because I know the buyer will be snapping better ones. I'll post those once they've been taken :)






Besides revamping Eyzor, I got started on Dunnsai commissions. Since I'm not apart of any shows until next year at this point, I'd really like to start filling in that time with commissions. If you're interested, shoot me an email (troystith@hotmail.com).

I have plans of launching another Dunnsai series that will have a more sculpted look like Wangetsu. Plus I really want to get back to my roots with resin and start producing my own creations once again. Although 2010 was pretty much a show year for me, especially the 2nd half. 2011 will be a lot more productive personally for me. I'm really looking forward to pursuing the things I had to put off this year.

"Wangetsu" Dunnsai for The Almighty Dunny Show

I have to admit, it sure was strange customizing a 3" dunny from what I have been customizing lately. I didn't mind the smaller scale since it meant a WAY faster turnaround.








This is my latest Dunnsai "Wangetsu", it's for "The Almighty Dunny Show" being held at Halcyon on December 11th. Then being moved over to Genuine Artikle after the weekend. I'll be doing more Dunnsais like this soon, combining what I used to do with them plus the additional sculpts that I've been doing lately. Keep an eye out for an upcoming series, or if you need yours ASAP I'm always open for commissions.