Fan Art Friday: Just Toying Around

Go figure – it’s what these intrepid artists did.

Over the rich and storied history of Fan Art Friday, we’ve covered exciting topics like The Legend of Zelda and Art Nouveau, but for our third iteration, we wanted to cover something more tactile: toys. Over the last decade, the custom toy market has exploded, leading to some truly inspired works from some seriously talented artists. So, without further ado, take a gander at why toys aren’t just for kids anymore.

Outside the Box – The mad geniuses over at Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica apply their particular set of skills to transform Munnys from the mundane blank canvases they start as into some seriously impressive custom figures. In particular, their “Tribute” series sees the crew creating miniature versions of everyone from Gatchaman‘s Ken the Eagle to Ninja Gaiden‘s Ryu Hayabusa to Gundam RX78-2. If you can dream it, they can design it.

X Marks the Spot – Jin Saotome already sounds like he could be a Mega Man villain, so it makes perfect sense that he turned his talents toward making a custom figure of Sigma, the chimeric Mega Man X villain. Standing 8-1/2 inches tall, this “Marvel Legends”-style figure is an imposing little guy and one of the more impressive pieces of cobbled-together craftsmanship that we’ve seen.

Bison Barrage – Edgar Saavedra has a deft hand when it comes to creating custom figures, but he really shines when he’s modifying Kidrobot’s Mascot figure to look like the bad boys of Street Fighter. From top to bottom, this is a TKO as far as quality is concerned. And you’ve got to admit, tiny Balrog is pretty adorable. Does M. Bison approve of his new Kidrobot look? Yes, yes!

Oh No-toro! – While Studio Ghibli may publicly disavow the theory that Totoro is actually a shinigami (a god of death), we’re glad that J*Ryu of art collective Army of Snipers didn’t listen. His skeletal Totoro sculpt alongside a decidedly spectral Satsuki is equal parts creepy, clever and awesome. Waiting for the bus has never been quite this unnervingly cool.

Do you have a favorite custom toy designer? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter and Google+!

Forward to a Buddy Invite a Buddy