Giant Mekaru Kun by BountyXHunter

Here's an old entry I started and never got around to finishing--

There have been several Mekaru Kuns made by Bounty Hunter in silver, black and even blue, but the two huge Mekaru Kuns that came out are just awesome, standout pieces of vinyl! I had a smaller, silver Mekarukun and let it go, but I see this one staying with me for quite some time. It is impressive.

This is another BxH on the Skull Kun which is based sort of on Frankenberry. Just as Godzilla and King Kong both at one point had mechanical versions of themselves in Japanese movies, I imagine this is what a giant Kun would look like if he was a robot..... and his skin was removed somehow... :)

Header //N/A//:
Not sure what this figure came in as it is so large. I imagine it would have been a BxH bag just like the rest of the Bounty Hunter toys I have seen.


Sculpt //4.5 out of 5//:
This is a solid, clean, mean looking machine. It takes elements of the original Kun and does a great job at making them look vintage robot style. The head still has the signature humps on the top, but in profile it has been elongated and almost appears wing-like.

It has some neat touches like the spikes on the shoulders and wrists (punk rocker jewelry?) and the indentions in lines that are like rivets or bolts. I like the robotic skeletal fingers as well.

The figure is cast in somewhat hard, matte surfaced vinyl that unfortunately shows scuffs, so be careful with handling if that is something you are concerned with.

The figure is articulated fairly well for a toy this size... it has a huge joint at the waist that allows the toy to really torn around for some poses. the arms swing at the shoulder and also rotate at the elbow which is a nice touch. The head and feet do not move.

I suppose the size of this can be a hindrance as well, as you will need quite a bit of shelf space to store him. It is tough to display all my Bounty Hunter toys together in my Detolf with this guy in the center.

Paint //5 out of 5//:
There is hardly any! Only the eyes are painted, but I am giving it a perfect score because the paint that is there is applied perfectly from what I can tell haha. Given what it is, I think this figure works best with this paint application. I mean, could you imagine the Terminator as anything but an all-steel body with those glowing eyes? Awesome

Coolness //5 out of 5//:
It's fucking gigantic! The only toy I really have that is equivalent in mass is my huge Stay Puft Marshmallow man made by Neca. This fact alone is reason enough to make it a great toy. Add on the fact that you can pose it a lot more than toys this size usually can be, and it it just one of the coolest figures I own.

Also, I was lucky enough with this figure to score the BxH store-exclusive towers that Mekaru Kun can lift and destroy. These are a very nice little bonus for this big guy.

Value //3.5 out of 5//:
I think at this point this toy is going to set you back quite a bit if you can actually find it anywhere, but I imagine that it still costs less than Kid Hunter. For that reason, I will say you'll be getting more bang for your buck here.

Overall //5 out of 5//:
Positives: Huge, decent articulation for a toy this shape and size, attitude and personality despite being a robot.

Negatives: Expensive, bulky to display

If you can find it and you like big big toys, this Giant Kun is for you!

Toypunks vol. 1

http://www.toypunks.com/

I was finally able to sit down and watch this new DVD recently, and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. At a runtime of about 45 minutes, it is full of clipped interviews from various influential figures in the street fashion and vinyl toy industry.

There is a lot with Hikaru Iwanaga, the founder of Bounty Hunter, which is fitting as it was his toy, the Kid Hunter, that essentially started the designer toy surge way back in 1997. There is a lot of interesting insight from the different interviews about their influences from overseas, old cartoons, etc.

I enjoyed seeing the bits with various collectors too... hearing why people like certain toys and why they collect the things they do. Seeing the sweet collections was nice too.

One thing that bothered me about the movie was not actually something with the movie, but rather with Frank Kozik's interview clips in the extra features about the "underground"... or in his opinion the lack thereof. I don't know exactly what to think about underground artwork, toys, etc., but in this clip, Frank says that if you are out there to sell toys then it is no longer underground.

Most likely, this comes down to semantics, but the thing that bothered me was the attitude about it all that came across in his interview. I'm no pie in the sky artsy guy bemoaning the death of the underground art world, but it seemed Frank's opinion is that it is all black or white. He said he has no trouble with Wal Mart and entities like that, and for some reason it felt a little disappointing to me. I'm not sure exactly why.

I will be the first to admit that what I do for a living (graphic design) is pretty much selling out artistically speaking, and I have no problem with someone wanting to make a living with their craft, but the attitude that Kozik seemed to express here is one of embracing the selling out and the lack of an underground. It's hard to explain for me, but it waters down Kozik's work to me... like there is less feeling put into the things he puts out maybe... like it cheapens it all in a way.

Shit, what do I know? I'm just a loser on a crappy blog who will most likely never make money on toys or art.

I'm not great at reviewing movies and stuff like that, but this little film serves as a great primer into vinyl toy collecting, design, etc., and I look forward to volume two.

Great job, guys!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

On an aside, another thing I thought was awesome about this flick was seeing my Bounty Hunter photography in there! I don't like to toot my own horn, but I was really excited when Justin from the toypunks crew contacted me about the photography I display on this little blog. It was very cool sitting here watching the movie, seeing my photographs alongside the others with the punk music and interviews, and then seeing my name in the credits.

The toypunks guys were really cool and considerate in asking to use my photos, and this copy of the movie i watched was complimentary for their use. I am proud that these photos became a part of the project.

My first custom paint job

I'm moving this article from late November until now to better match up with my Hedoro Kun blog

I tried out the new Iwata airbrush on a vinyl toy for the first time on this toy. It's nothing special by any means... I took a my purple Hedoro Kun by Bounty Hunter and made it gloss black.

I like how it turned out - I decided not to try anything else since the solid color looks like a Bounty Hunter style color scheme anyway.

This was mainly a chance for me to see how the airbrush works on a 3-dimensional surface and to see how v-color paint lays down and dries and stuff like that.

Hedoro Kun by Bounty Hunter

This is actually the first Bounty Hunter figure I purchased. There is no real reason for it other than it was the first one that became available to me when I went on my BxH buying spree, but it is fitting because Hedorah was in fact the creature that got me hooked on all these Japanese toys in the first place. What I found appealing about Hedorah was the way that different companies would approach his sculpt. It is a free flowing form essentially that has been presented in many different shapes and colors. 

As far as I know, there is no story behind this figure other than it is jsut paying homage to the classic smog monster Hedorah from the 70s Toho Godzilla movie. Many Bounty Hunter toys do just that... they aren't trying to be witty and out there... just cool, simple toys that work and show respect to things that Hikaru Iwanaga holds dear.

Header //N/A//:
The same Bounty Hunter clear plastic bag.

Sculpt //4 out of 5//:

This figure looks like what you would get if you took the OG BxH Kun and caked it with purple candle wax. The figure is actually cast in solid purple vinyl. There are other HedoroKuns around cast in other colors as well.

It still has the familiar Kun proportions with the big belly, lobes on his head, bear trap style choppers, long arms, and squared feet with not much in the way of legs. 

The waist joint could fit together a little better I think, as it is very obvious where it is. The lumps don't really match up. Having the waist able to turn, however, does add to the poseability of the figure. 

Unlike other BxH Kuns, no matter what position it is posed in, this figure seems to maintain its balance very well.

The feature I like the best of this toy are the bejeweled eyes. They really make the focal point of the figure the face. The Hedorah character from the original movie had large, colorful, unusually placed eyes that really stood out. Other companies that have made Hedorah toys have made the eyes a focal point, and Bounty Hunter has done it in a simple and unique way.

Paint //N/A//:

No paint.

Coolness //2.75 out of 5//:
It's not the most eye catching Bounty Hunter toy, and it isn't the most unique. The purple color makes it stand out from its brethren, but it's not the flashiest of the bunch by any means.

Value //4 out of 5//:
The purple version of this toy is not super difficult to find, and can probably still be found for close to retail. At that price, it is a good value.

Overall //3 out of 5//:
Positives: Started off my BxH collection as my kaiju collection started; bejeweled eyes

Negatives: Kind of boring in comparison, waist joint

This is a solid piece and I am glad I have it. It photographs well and adds a little variety in the Bounty Hunter group. I think I would like this figure better in black. The only one I have seen like that is in Iwanaga's personal collection. 

Skum Kun by Bounty Hunter

This is one of my favorite Bounty Hunter toys. I don't know much of the background of this particular sculpt, although evidently it was made in reaction to a bootlegging problem in China.

The Bounty Hunter Kuns were pretty popular, and pirated versions of them were popping up... some of which had been changed. This pissed off guy was designed and his hands were made to look like one of the bootlegged pieces.

Then again, this could all be incorrect, and it could just be another toy in my strange little collection with no story other than it's more shit to buy.

Header //N/A//:
The same Bounty Hunter clear plastic bag.

Sculpt //3.75 out of 5//:
While having is obvious similarities with the Bounty Hunter Kun character, this piece has some definite differences, as you can probably see.

There is a departure here from as cartoony a form, as this Kun goes for a more streamlined body so to speak. There are no ribs, but rather a Punisher like X-skull icon on his chest and hands.I'm not sure of the significance (if any) of these symbols.

The teeth are more rounded and even than other Kun releases, and obviously the eyes have changed from their original simple round shape.

The biggest difference for me are the changes to the hands and arms. This figure's arms are much longer than I have seen on any Kun, and they are articulated at the wrist as well as the shoulder, which adds a dimension to this piece's posing and look. I really like the hands on this piece, but it's possible they were made to stand out like this since the bootleg versions hand such different hands than the original BxH Kuns.

The figure is well balanced and has a very nice, matte surface that softens it.

However, this matte surface is very prone to scuffs and fingerprints.

I would have liked to seen a flush joint at the waist as opposed to the larger sized lower half that makes it seem like the figure is wearing big pants. But all the Kuns have this same design, so I guess it is intentional.

Paint //4 out of 5//:
Besides the eyes and symbols, there is no paint... but what is there is clean and very effective.

Coolness //5 out of 5//:
The sleek and angry appearance of this toy makes it very cool in my book. It's different without being out there.

Also, the fact that it probably a bootleg of a bootleg makes it even cooler.

Value //4 out of 5//:
I don't know if this is one of the more popular Bounty Hunter toys, so it can still be found for close to retail. Pretty good deal considering...

Overall //5 out of 5//:
Positives: Bootleg of a bootleg, looks like a zombie, nice soft black appearance, photographs well

Negatives: clown pants, easy to scuff

Even if the little background I know if made up/false, it's still a cool enough story for me to really appreciate this figure. I really like how it differs almost completely from the other Skull Kuns, yet still is recognizable as one. I know my points don't seem to average out to this high overall, but this one just for some reason hold a special place with me.

DX Sukeru Kun by Bounty Hunter and Secret Base

There have been a few toys released, particularly lately, that pay homage to the old Waldar toys by Takara from the 1970s. The DX Sukeru Kun is a toy that pays homage to one character from the Henshin toyline.

Before there was Microman and the precursor to Transformers, there were the clear Henshin Cyborgs.

In the early 1970s, Takara of Japan obtained the rights to produce the GI Joe bodies that were so popular in the United States. Using this basic form, Takara created the Henshin ("transforming") Cyborg toy line basically by making the GI Joe body clear and adding robotic guts.

The villain of this series was Waldar, a clear figure that had organic innards as opposed to the robotic guts of his rival Henshin Cyborg. (photo shown to the right here was lifted from tikitoys.com) Also, unlike the cyborgs that had accessories and armor to attach, the Waldar villain had various sub-forms thanks to vinyl "costumes" that went on different bodies...

There was the Plant Phantom (not sure of the exact name here), a green based suit on a clear green body, Satan King, a red horned suit on a yellow body, and what seems to be the most popular to this day... the Dokuro King suit; an armored skeleton-themed suit on the classic purple body seen here.

The DX Sukeru Kun uses the already existing skeleton theme of the Bounty Hunter Kun figure and adds some nice elements to represent the unique appearance of Dokuro King. 

Header //N/A//:
The same Bounty Hunter clear plastic bag.

Sculpt //4.75 out of 5//: This sculpt is the same as the plain clear Skull Kun. It is made from clear blue vinyl that is not tacky like the plain clear. 

The big difference obviously is the included spiked helmet. There are a few versions of this figure, but the blue is my favorite because of this helmet. It has similar shaped spikes and the added pointy elfy ears like Dokuro King does, but what sets this one apart from the other DX Skull Kuns is the metallic finish on the helmet. It is so reflective that it is hard not to take a photo of yourself when trying to snap a pic! The others as far as I have seen have plain black helmets... not nearly as cool as this. The sculpt fits perfectly and makes it obvious what this toy is paying homage to.

Also different are the sculpted guts inside the DX Kun. As it is a collaboration with Secret Base, the Skull Bee makes an appearance here... you can see a Skull Bee face in the guts. (Check the next to last photo below for a close up shot of that.) The guts are 3-dimensional and not just a paper insert, and stylistically pays its respects to the internal organs of Waldars of old. 

To be nit-picky, it just suffers from the same lack of poseability as most other BxH Kuns do... this one even moreso because the helmet definitely gets in the way of the rising arms.

Paint //5 out of 5//:
Not sure if it is actually paint, but the silver reflective whatever it is on the helmet and the Skull Bee face on the guts makes this figure stand out from all the DX Kuns for me. It is well applied, with some black showing through, and there are no damaged areas as you see with some metallic finish toys like this. 

Coolness //5 out of 5//:
Frankenberry's Skeleton meets classic evil skeleton toy. Very cool especially knowing some background on Henshin figures. These old toys were obviously loved by the DX creators.

Value //2 out of 5//:
You can still get the blue ones for a somewhat reasonable price, but significantly more expensive than many of the Bounty Hunter toys. Some other colors of the DX Kun are even pricier.

Overall //5 out of 5//:
Positives: Great piece showing respect for toy history while being a part of it at the same time, awesome reflective surfaces

Negatives: Lack of poses

An awesome piece if you can pick one up. It looks great with actual Dokuro King figures, and gets all fellow fanboys oohing and ahhing.

It glows!

In my article about Bounty Hunter's Clear Skull Kun, I mentioned filling the figure with stuff, so I filled it with these small glow-in-the-dark tracer BBs from Dick's Sporting Goods. They are plastic and used for air rifles. You can get a canister of them for about 6 bucks.

I bought two canisters, although you may be able to get by with one. I just stuffed as many as possible in there while still being able to get the figure back together.

The figure itself is soft, so you do not really need to heat it up to get the waist separated and back together. It just takes some tucking in when you do put it back.

I filled the legs and the torso/head as well as I could (with a bit more piled onto the torso because the toso's flashing has to fit inside the legs). I brought the two filled halves together, and slowly tilted them toward one another. I had to let a few fall out to allow room for the pieces to fit back together, but I think it filled nicely.

Here's the effect:

Clear Skull Kun by Bounty Hunter

This review will essentially be the same as the Original Skull Kun since they are essentially the same sculpt with a few minor differences.

Header //N/A//:
The same Bounty Hunter clear plastic bag.

Sculpt //4.5 out of 5//: Again, simple yet effective. The stylized skeleton of Frankenberry, with clean lines, good balance, and small elements sculpted into the surface to add detail.This is important here, obviously, since there is no paint to create detail otherwise.

The vinyl used on this figure is different than I have felt before. It is soft and smooth yet almost sticky feeling (but not to the point where things actually stick to it) ... perhaps this is because it was produced in Japan and the vinyl quality is higher, or it is an effect of properly producing the clear vinyl. Lots more solvents to kill the environment!

The difference with the original Sukeru Kun are pretty subtle.

For one, the arms come out a bit from the belly. This allows more range in the movement of thew, which aids in the posing of the toy. The hands at the wrist are a bit shorter which keeps them from sticking out too far since they are sculpted to come away from the body a bit.

There are also now joints at the ankles where the two feet attach. Not sure if this was just necessary to attach everything together properly in this seemingly more delicate vinyl, but it allows the feet to rotate a bit. It's not much, but it's nice to be able to move it if you'd like.

The head on this figure also appears to be just a tiny bit smaller in comparison to the body than the original Kun.


Paint //N/A//:
None!

Coolness //5 out of 5//:
Frankenberry's skeleton... and it is x-ray style. Very cool.

Plus, the vinyl is soft so you can get it apart fairly easily and fill it with goodies!


Value //3.5 out of 5//:
Tis figure was produced much more recently, so odds are you can find it at a much better price than the original black and white Skull Kun.

Overall //4.75 out of 5//:
Positives: A nice take on the original, added poseability, clear, smells good like a Trapper Keeper

Negatives: Probably extra poisonous haha

If you like the original, this one is a no brainer.

Sukeru (Skull) Kun by Bounty Hunter

Next up, also from 1997, we have the Sukeru Kun by Bounty Hunter. I won't go into all the Bounty Hunter detail again like on the Kid Hunter blog, but since then I did read in Super7 magazine that the Sukeru Kun is supposed to be the skeleton of the famous cereal mascot Frankenberry! Very cool idea. I wonder how this Kun would look with the long spindly limbs like Frankenberry has.

I believe the Skull Kun was a toy before the character was featured on a shirt unlike Kid Hunter.

Header //N/A//:
The same Bounty Hunter clear plastic bag.

Sculpt //4 out of 5//: Simple yet effective. Knowing the inspiration behind the figure adds a lot to the sculpt in my opinion. The form is great for it... it is obviously the Frankenberry form while being different enough to not have ripped it off. I love the long slender arms and the hands that rest across the big pot belly. The teeth and protruding lower jaw look great I think.

The lines are clean and the figure is very well balanced with a low center of gravity. The detail work is even sculpted into this piece and not just painted on... from the comic crack in the skull to the round eyes to the bones along the arms to the stylized rib cage... they all are dimensional elements of the vinyl highlighted with the paint.

One thing I might like to see different is the joint at the waist. The pelvis/legs are obviously wider than the torso, and I would like to have seen this more flush. The change from the upper to the lower part are so blatant, that I think it must have been the sculptor's intention to do so. The bottom half blends nicely into the squared off feet, so maybe this lower half is made to resemble.

I would also have liked to have seen a little more poseability. The shoulders move and the waist rotates, but there were later BxH Kuns released that had joints on the arms as well as the ankles.

Also, the shape of the arms keeps them very close to the body. While I really like the look that this provides with the hands resting around the large belly, it really limits where the arms can be posed. They essentially have to stay at the bottom of the belly because they can rub the paint of the face or just not be raised much higher than that.

The sculpt is a great blend of rounded, cartoon lines and more traditional Japanese monsters.

Paint //3 out of 5//:
A trademark of Bounty Hunter, the paint is minimal and intended to maintain a monochrome appearance. The piece is sculpted entirely out of black vinyl and white is painted on top for the skeleton parts. This makes it a definite stand out piece.

The paint application itself is fine, but it could have been done a bit cleaner. Perhaps I am spoiled by the Japanese toys made today, but there are some edges where the white was masked that are a little soft, and this figure and paint style benefits from sharp, clean lines.

Coolness //4.5 out of 5//:
Frankenberry's skeleton. If that sounds like a cool idea to you, then this is a figure for you.

I had to deduct just a little because I think Kid Hunter is a bit cooler haha.

Value //2.5 out of 5//:
It's going to be pricey just because of it's history. It was actually produced in China, and it is not the original Bounty Hunter toy, but because it is getting up there in age and is still part of the foundation of Bounty Hunter's venture into toy production, collectors will be more reluctant to let it go.

Overall //4.25 out of 5//:
Positives: An OG piece, nicely stylized, Frankenberry's skeleton

Negatives: Lax paint application, expensive on secondary market, limited poseability

Despite the negatives listed, I really would recommend this toy to a collector. It has attitude while not taking itself too seriously. It's a great mix of the Western style we see today, marketing characters of the past, with a taste of kaiju thrown in.

Kid Hunter by Bounty Hunter

Now we take it to where it all began. The whole designer toy craze that we all know and love now was started with this figure: Kid Hunter by Bounty Hunter!

Bounty Hunter started in 1995 in the Harajuku district of Tokyo as a store with a punk sensibility selling various things from clothing to older toys that owner Hikaru Iwanaga would pick up on frequent trips to the United States (Spawn toys, Star Wars, old cereal mascots...). Iwanaga says that the name Bounty Hunter pays homage to the Star Wars character Boba Fett and also that the name comes from the actual hunting of these things (the bounty).

In the upcoming Toypunks documentary (www.toypunks.com), Iwanaga talks about discovering toys and punk rock music when he was growing up, comparing the two as similar experiences. Be it a talking GI Joe or the Sex Pistols, it all blew him away. He was very interested in the punk rock music and lifestyle as well as the American commercial culture such as cereal mascots.

As the shop expanded, they began to make their own shirts and toys. Friends would help the cause, and eventually in 1997 a character from a tshirt was made into what would be the first designer vinyl. Now famous A Bathing Ape designer Skatething developed the Kid Hunter character... sort of a punk rock kid version of Captain Crunch... and an excellent combination of Iwanaga's passions. He wanted to make a toy that was round like Snoopy as opposed to the harsh lines of McFarlane's Spawn toys that were so popular in the late 90s.

"One only has to see how the character is the embodiment of the Bounty Hunter aesthetic; a combination of a nod to the vinyl figures of American cereal characters and the kitschiness that represents, with the unsettling evil imagery and air of dissent that the punk cultivates. When Kid Hunter was released in 1997 the designer vinyl scene had begun."

Fuck Art. Let's Punk.
Thanks also to:

All Other Toys Suck
This is the article that pushed me over the BxH ledge!

Header //N/A//:
As far as I know, Bounty Hunter toys do not come in designed packaging of any kind. Every one I have seen comes in a clear plastic bag with a big BXH logo and a sticker stapled to the top.


Sculpt //4.5 out of 5//:
I probably can't say much about this figure that has not been said before. Knowing the intent behind this design, I would have to say they nailed it. This toy is the punk rock of toys... when the popular toys of the time were highly detailed sculpts, this toy went against the grain completely and brought something more simple, stripped down and different to the table. Realism is forgone here for a nicely stylized, pissed off little pirate kid.

The balance on the figure is slightly off because of his giant head, but as long as both arms stay in their original position this is not such an issue. The undersized legs that are unable to be moved adds to the instability.

The seams are all well integrated in the design, with the seam underneath the striped shirt being very well placed. For such a simple figure, the poses that can be obtained are great.

Paint //4 out of 5//:
The paint on this figure is unlike many toys that I will talk about on this blog, but it is just what the figure needs. Clean lines and solid application... bold contrast just as the cartoony cereal mascots it is paying homage to would have been represented with. The mostly black and white approach would apparently guide the color scheme of many Bounty Hunter toys that would follow.

There are some small issues with detail work, particularly on the stringy hair hanging from under the hat, but nothing major. Overall a clean, appropriate paint job.


Coolness //5 out of 5//:
It's the first designer vinyl toy. It's application is well thought out and executed. It's a punk rock pirate with a pot belly.

If this figure were to come out today, I don't know that my feelings about this piece would be what they are, but the fact that it is a little piece of vinyl history really adds to it for me.

It is just a cool toy with a really cool history.

Value //3 out of 5//:
I have no idea how many of these are around now, or how much it cost initially, but now it is pricey on the secondhand market. I would rate it lower on value except for the history and the fact that it is a decade old. I could see the prices of these increasing with the release of the toypunks film in November.

Overall //5 out of 5//:
Positives: An original, attitude, awesome belly

Negatives: Expensive now and will only become moreso, top-heavy

If you are a fan of the current wave of vinyl toys out there, this piece could be a part of your collection and make sense with all of it. Bounty Hunter helped to start the toy lives of Frank Kozik, James Jarvis, and KAWS, and Kid Hunter was the toy that paved the way. Highly recommended.