1980~ Calbee Gamera Commercial

Randomly came across a vintage Calbee commercial featuring the great Gamera - Showa era, too! Can't get much better than this. The joys of having a largely Japanese Twitter feed.

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For some context, Calbee is a large food brand who's most prominent in Japan. They've done plenty of crossover promotions, from Batman to Evangelion. Small world, huh? Read all about it.

It's hard to tell exactly when this ad was run, as judging by what odd and obscure photos I've come across, plenty of promotional (non-screen used) Gamera suits existed up until the Heisei era reboot trilogy. I think it's most likely the "UchuGame" suit created for 1980's Gamera: Super Monster, based on the suit's glass eyes and the overall look of the commercial. A super obscure Japanese upload on Wikia claims I'm right, so we'll go with that. Who knows though, most vintage Gamera suits looked about the same.

Neat!

White Noise, Drifting

Vienna and Dev sketch,
"Cry, Cry 11"

I'm getting better at sleep.

Some nights, it just creeps up on you; but tonight, it's warm, and inviting. How strange.

Maybe it helps I've temporarily embraced a more nocturnal lifestyle; thankfully adaptive to work, and allowing for lots of introspection and mindfulness. Not to mention, a touch-base with religion. I'm glad to have this time to myself. 

Gotta work on the whole "being productive" part, though. There's a few tasks on my list - but I'd rather lay in bed. I deserve it - today was taxing, physically; though pretty calm otherwise. Good balance.

So, what does the future hold? None of my concern. We'll get there when we get there; water under the bridge. Until then, I've got other things to worry about.

I ought to sleep... Randy Savage needs cuddles. 

Review - Spirit Halloween Good Guy Doll (Chucky)

 

The Lakeshore Strangler awakens...

I've been on a major Chucky binge the past few months - it started when I rented the entire series from the Family Video at which I worked (rest in peace), and I haven't been able to shake it since. It's like a horrible, orange-haired chimp clung to my banana wielding psyche. Or something. 

Just recently, I snatched up this wicked little guy - er, Good Guy. Spirit Halloween's newest model of the titular terror, complete with replica box! 

Chucky's looked pretty different from film, to film - to TV show, nowadays. Just like Godzilla's ever-changing appearance, Chucky's design depends on everything from plot, to creative direction, to budget - making for plenty of variety between incarnations.

This particular edition seems to aim for a sort of generalized take on the character, though I think it looks most like the "disguised" Chucky as seen in Curse of Chucky. It's the buck teeth and heavy, sunken eyes. Admittedly, the face sculpt could use a bit of work - I'm not sure what it is, but something about the eyes and forehead seems pretty off when you're looking through the eyes of an over-scrutinizing fan. It isn't enough to completely throw off the likeness, but it certainly isn't what I'd call one-to-one. More like... three-and-a-half-to-one.

However, that aside, it should be noted this doll isn't particularly dedicated to onscreen accuracy, beyond some neat little details such as the patterns on the soles of his bright red shoes, or the open, sort of pointing sculpt on his hands. I'd venture to guess any semblance it has to one particular version or another is pure lucky coincidence - it's definitely a Good Guy doll, and that's all it needs to be.

At the end of the day, calling this a poor representation of the character by any stretch of the word just isn't fair. This is most definitely Barbie mode Chucky, at his glazed, glassy-eyed best. If you're looking for a Good Guy that leaps off the screen, you'll have to go a bit higher end.

 Something I'm a bit less receptive toward, as far as accuracy goes, is the box; the most glaring of which is the "Chucky" tagline across it's face, which was never there in any of the movies. It's one of those things where I understand why it's there - I just wish it wasn't.

The packaging is designed to be very reminiscent of it's onscreen counterpart - and, make no mistake, it gets the job done - but, choices such as the entirely new art of the Good Guys, or the self-referential additional taglines, sadly null any real accuracy the box could've had. 

Still, will I lose any sleep over the box being less than perfect? Of course not - it looks cool regardless, especially with the Chuckster sealed away inside. The colors are right on, and at about 31 inches, it looks just as tall and imposing as it did lining the warehouse shelves seen in the memorable climax of Child's Play 2.

Holding NECA's Ultimate Chucky

Chucky stands - that's right, stands! - about an inch shorter, making him quite a bit taller than most budget Chucky dolls. His head can turn, albeit very tightly, and both arms have been fitted with a bendable wire allowing for some simple posing. Allowing him to stand is very dense stuffing throughout his lower body; meaning, sadly, his legs and torso have almost no poseablity. It's awesome he can stand on his own, but I do wish he could at least sit down. 

To hopefully noone's suprprise, he's more of a decoration than a legitimate doll or action figure; which, to me, is why issues such as it's inaccuracies feel so important to point out. If he's designed for display, I'd think one may as well have aimed for the stars in lieu of the limitations necessary for your average toy.

Cult of Chucky establishes that the Good Guys brand has been reissued and remade ad-nauseum throughout the years, becoming something of an infamous horror icon - not unlike the ever-evolving, ever-trashy Child's Play saga. Maybe this is an example said reissues, what with the somewhat updated package design and, again, self-referential taglines. I could certainly see the demonic Play Pals cashing in on Andy Barclay's raves of killer dolls.

Personally, despite my criticisms, I dig this Chucky! It's not perfect, but then, for a representation of an extremely creepy doll from the 1980's... I'd say he's ticked all the boxes, really. 

Here's hoping I survive the night. 

Update - Messing around with him, I noticed the bendable wire actually does thread down into both legs. Still not very poseable, though - movement starts around the knee. Thought it was worth a mention!

Chrome

 

Things have been a bit quiet. With the way things tend to go, lately, a calm, uneventful day is a blessing in and of itself. Gotta keep an eye out for those silver linings. 

My team and I finished an early version of an AR tech project, as well worked with our collaborator to rough up some ideas for new concepts in art, animation and social engagement. I'm particularly proud of my success with the aforementioned AR tech; its something I've never quite tried, but lo and behold, I seem to have struck out on my first attempt. Amen to that.

Its all a bunch of very fun stuff - hard to stay so horribly vague, but, all in due time. Jumping the gun's never turned out well for anybody, besides Neo. 

It's been rainy, and grey; just the way I like it. Makes me feel revitalized, a little less alien. Something about the groggy warmth, the slick, monotone emptiness - you just can't go wrong. Less is more! Pair that with yet another viewing of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, one of my favorite go-to comfort flicks, and you've got one fine sleep schedule killer. 

I love watching the reflections of hazed orange and off-white as the rain trickles through their beams of broken light; the odd ambiance of a streetlamp, or stoplight, a beacon in the quiet murmur. It reminds you you're not alone. A reminder I needed, tonight.

Maybe someday, I'll always be out, among the stars, black, and dreamless water. It's where I feel safe. 

Sometimes, these passing days, weeks - they're sort of comforting. I have a feeling I won't particularly remember them, beyond a lingering mood; tenseness, loneliness. The usual back-order. But, it always leads to rainbows; I look forward to spring, summer, and all those awful, sweaty months of Floridian torture. 

Who am I kidding. Here's to hurricane season. 

The Corona Chronicles - Well

I seem to have missed a year... or so. My bad.

So, what all's happened in the wild and often-later-deleted life of the Wastelnd's finest trashman? 

Well... I've moved, I've panicked, I've ghosted, I've stood, I've smiled, I've loved, and I've unfortunately done just about everything one might expect to have happened during a long period of unexplained absence. That's right down to getting my first tattoo - what can I say! I've grown attached to the lovely little numbers of seven and one; coincidentally, also the name of my start-up production company. What are the odds?

But, enough about that; there's a very good reason these events have gone unmentioned, and it's simply because I didn't feel much of it was worth dwelling on - let alone archiving and displaying along my dusty, toy review laden little corner of the internet. That's the past, this is now... though, the difference is a bit debatable, as the years continue to more or less bleed into one another.

As such, the virus continues on...  

Speaking of which, that's another accomplishment crossed off my "dissappearance duties" list; I caught a terrifying disease! That's right; I'm a warrior, baby. I took the punches, I took the two weeks off, and I came back standing. Complete with multiple hours of Marvel and Hammer binge-watching. For what it's worth, there wasn't much in terms of discomfort; it was basically an exaggerated cold, with lots of pressure and discomfort in my chest and legs. Hate to say it, but I've had worse. 

In brighter news, though, my friends and I have begun work on some very exciting animation and illustration projects; not the least of which includes my pilot, which has evolved and morphed into a pulsating wildebeest the likes of which you've probably seen before. Long story short, I've decided to dip into the neon pools of experimental filmmaking; finally putting those few college years to use as I translate the completed pilot script into something a bit more cerebral. I've included a teaser trailer below... 

Looking at... Rare French Gorillaz Advertisement

One of the coolest pieces in my Gorillaz collection is an obscure French ad from 2001 promoting the Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 singles. While this may seem unremarkable at fist glance, what makes the advertisement notable is the extremely rare artwork spanning it's front - a piece that, besides the extremely low quality version pictured to the right, exists nowhere else on the web. In fact, my version is different from the "Rasputin Music" equivalent; Murdoc being a briny green on my copy, while theirs shows a tan skinned take on the character. How strange is that?

Some suggest that it may be a green overlay on the photo, while others think it could come down to a difference in how certain monitors and cameras pick up colors. You'll notice 2-D's hair is noticably lighter in the Rasputin image, while on mine, it's a bit more purple. Based on the Rasputin image being a digital version with mine a physical, I'm assuming there was, in fact, a green hue added to my version of the artwork; as further suggested by Noodle and Russel's greyer skin, and the general darkness of the colors.

A later version of the above image

Astute fans will notice that this art was conceptually reused during Gorillaz' second marketing phase, with each character replaced by their updated designs; though, the second version appears to be an entirely new drawing, simply sharing a similar structure. No other versions of this artwork exist, making it exclusive to Gorillaz' first two eras; though, unsurprisingly, countless artists have taken it upon themselves to fill in the blanks.


The ad is printed on glossy cardstock, and is a big larger than your average paper, suggesting to me that it was a sort of "flyer" available perhaps at record stores or similar shops. I recall similar ads were listed by the person I bought mine from, which further supports my theory. From what I've translated, it boasts of the singles' success, as well as what radio and television stations will be airing the accompanying music videos. Very interesting to jump back to a time before some of the most famous of Gorillaz content had been realized.

Having reintroduced the artwork to fans years ago, it's awesome seeing it become a common image among the following; once all but unknown, now respected and loved by many - I've even seen fully animated incarnations made! As small as my relation is, it's great to have made a small impact by rediscovering this neat little image. 

The Corona Chronicles - They've Come To Save Us, The Space Invaders

What's this? A followup post to an entry made over three years ago?!

An empty WalMart aisle; ignoring one odd stack of plates

That's right - another natural disaster has fallen upon us; this time not a hurricane, but a horrible, world-spanning sickness! Coronavirus - How nice.

International travel has been barred, supplies are running out fast, and people - broadly speaking - seem to be driving directly into a wall of panic; perhaps rightfully so. I'm a bit of a "don't believe it until you see it" type when it comes to mass chaos - I've seen enough world-ending disasters tumble by to grow totally unphased by yet another black death. Anyone remember Swine Flu?

Occam's Ashes' "PigBus"

Still, as I mentioned, there might be a bit of legitimacy to this round of hysteria. Enough mass gatherings and everyday services have cancelled to the point where the economy is taking a hit. Even my job, a shipping gig, seems to be taking a hit; with only one very sparsely packed truck coming in this week, rather than the usual two or three.

That said, though, not much has particularly affected me. I'm still coasting along my odd, dreary life - bouncing between drawing, writing, and haunting around the local soon-to-be-gone Macy's.

It's interesting how the slow decline of Macy's has closely paralleled not only the concluding days of my authoring of Fate, but also the end of my life in Florida; the store's dwindling shelves and disappearing furnishings mirroring my fading regard for what many experiences I've gathered here; from long-lost friends, to sullen experiences, to sights and sounds of days passed. MidLife itself retells my life as an unwilling Floridian - unbelievably fitting that it finally reaches birth as I prepare to abandon the state in which it was conceived. Things always make sense in hindsight; as I've always strongly believed, everything happens for a reason.

Only seven days left until the store finally closes it's doors. I've only bought one thing thus far... a clipboard. Hey, I needed one anyways. I really wanted to buy one of the huge fiberglass leaves taken from the store's pillars-turned-palm trees, but sadly, I don't think it'd be all that worth it when I'm weeks from a nation-crossing move. Still, very neat pieces of obscure history. Guess that shows what'll happen to the store's huge entry display, itself a sized-up version of the aforementioned palm trees.

There really isn't much else of interest, unfortunately. Loads of branded shelves, some random brand iconography, but nothing all that unique. Even the clothes themselves aren't that enticing - I think the core crowd, as of now, are just above the thrift store types. A little too proud for Goodwill, but not quite above Ross. In other words, the Bealls Outlet society.


Surprisingly the store, as well as the attached mall itself, isn't all that quiet in the midst of the Corona scare; probably because we all have little else to do, bored out of our minds without work, school, or any other viable time wasters. Odd time to be alive, isn't it?

Also, I drove by the seemingly abandoned "chocolate factory" I discovered a few posts back, only to discover it is finally back in business! Glad to see things are going well.