to play or not to play.

there are two types of collectors. two groups of people, separated by an ocean of ideals. one that few ever have the strength or the care to cross. those who play with their toys, and those who don't. there are warriors among both sides determined to sway their disillusioned brothers. "surely you can't be thinking of opening that vinyl-caped jawa. it's moc!" vs. "what good is an ewok village if you can't bash shit with the wrecking boulder?" this is exactly the reason for a lot of brother on brother violence.

i'm not here to judge... actually that's bullshit. i'm completely here to judge.

my line is drawn in the sand; the card sharks are wrong. toys fucking rule, and

not because they look nice on a pegboard. some of the greatest moments of my childhood involved a pile of g.i. joes and a mound of dirt. i could spend hours building forts with booby traps and hidden defenses. because the joy is in the story, not in how sharp the corners of the box are.

these faded shots are pure happiness.

look at the dedication... the jabba playset has evil dungeon lighting.

this is likely a seven-year-old. worried about atmospheric lighting...

you think the kid staring at a pristine cardboard box thinks about that shit?

look at all these awesome toys that you aren't allowed to touch.

now look at these...

tell me they don't get you excited to go bust out some action figures.

...this is how the creators start creating.

do you think george lucas kept his toys in the box?

this is all relevant, promise. there's a big decision fast approaching and some of you will get smacked in the face by it. nom de plume is soon to invade the wwrp world... and he comes in a insane blister pack. retrolicious and impossible to open without some cardboard casualty. so what do you do? if you have to think about it don't answer. you're just wrong. rip that fucker open the second he lands on your doorstep.

rock.

and just because i'm advocating unleashing this beast from his plastic prison, doesn't mean that i can't also be completely enthralled with the packaging.

look at it. simply perfect.

smell the retro love.

smells like christmas morning all over again.

1/12 scale means the mini de plumes are 6" tall...

do you realize how big that blister card is?

are you sure? look again.

...it's fucking gigantic.

pinky here is just a test dummy. just the most badass test dummy ever. and if for some reason you thought star wars figures were also 1/12 scale... this is what a hardcore stormie looks like next to noir.

so if you're lucky enough to have wwrp plumage headed your way, you know what to do. don't be a pussy. give the little dude some air.

pic of the badass jabba setup from zebra3x

pic of the the lucky little girl from aimeedars

pic of the x-wing from muteboy

pics of the mint in box collection from diefladercolb

pics of outdoor setups from originalpozer

pics of wwrp de plumes from the 3A production blog

the master blaster.

despite the wwrp line being out for a while now, we've not seen a crazy amount of customs. i suppose that's a credit to the incredible paint apps straight from the hatchery. people aren't too anxious to mess with perfection. then there are the brave, like crestone. who outfitted this bertie with some insane upgrades. one thing bertie will never be criticized for is lack of firepower. but that doesn't mean you can't have more of a great thing...

lucky bastard and little shit [great names by the way]

...the ladies call me thor.

i'm guessing little shit doesn't do a lot of typical square disarming.

seems more like the "grinding ash into your open wounds" type...

say hello to my little friend... and my other little friend.

and also my big friend.

crestone has also got this guy in the works... damn.

i believe the word i'm looking for is godlike.

a better look at the unpainted duo.

i'm also pretty sure i don't have to tell you to not make fun of the little legs...

the construction and intricacy of these is damned impressive. you'd think he had a tiny cnc machine sitting on his workbench. you will be watched closely sir. this is the kind of work that tends to get you noticed.

oh...

those awesome lyrics from the previous post?...

won me one of these ↑

unfuckingbelievable

needless to say, i'm a little excited about it.

further proof that this is ash's world, and we're lucky to be part of it.

rock.

gorgeous diy de plume shot from previous winner expathos

martian booty.

...I like big bots and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a Drop walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a pistol in your face
You get shot, like a punk ass grunt
'Cause this you know this ain't no front
Blood on the clothes you're wearin'
You're hooked and you can't stop starin'
Oh Bertie, I wanna ride with ya
And meet your sister
My Legion tried to warn me
But those skinny little legs make me so horny
Ooh, a damn Large Martin
You say you wanna shell the reds?
Well torch 'em, burn 'em
Cause they ain't the average martians
I've seen Squares dancin'
And Armstrongs advancin'
Ready, to raid
Wastin' terrans like a Peace Day parade
I'm tired of M.O.D.
Saying hack bots are the thing
Ask Rothchild in his lunar seat
They gotta pack much heat
So, Legion (Yeah!) Legion (Yeah!)
Has your Bramble got the gat? (Hell Yeah!)
Tell 'em to pop it! (Pop it!) Pop it! (Pop it!)
Fill 'em full of lead!
3A got bots!

sir bramblelot image constructed by me from these. bramble. blaster. turntable.

war can change a man.

one minute he's nervously sitting in the chopper as it hovers over the flaming battlefield, the next he's emerging from the jungle weeks later wearing a shark's skull made from the blown barrel of a tank he took down with his bare hands.

eyes glazed over, heart lost somewhere in the fight and down to the last pack of smokes; yeah, you could call him changed.

holy shit. a custom jaws from the hand of dril one. like a rusty nail in the sole of your foot, slowly leaching tetanus up to your heart; you can't just walk this one off. he nailed it, i mean drilled it, i mean... fuck it, it just fucking rules. the mangled metal, endless rivets, ninja face mask... the addition of pants!

this is how it's done kids.

this is who rambo has nightmares about.

why you got so many nipples?

[famous last words before your brain exploded on the wall]

must have taken a bunker buster to get through that pec...

s-words.

seven samurai. exquisitely captured by the always sharp jon paul kaiser. that is one classy clan of munnys. brilliant job of giving each little dude his own unique expression and flavor.

giants of vinyl. 2.

giants second class is ready for graduation. once again we pay tribute to the artists that love to get fiberglass threads buried in the fingers and fill their heads with toxic plastic fumes. we've gone even bigger this time around, reaching ridiculous heights and girths. and both in some cases... #bramble# #cough#

the starting team [left to right]

elizabeth by kathie olivas : qee by toy2r : smokestack by mars-1

jaws by coarsetoys : manute bol as himself : daft punk bearbricks

dissected by kaws : bramble by ashley wood : van orlax and snorse by pete fowler

mc supersized by ron english : helper by tim biskup

zliks by andrew bell : grin by ron english

click it. it gets bigger.

this is the stage of addiction where sadness reigns supreme. sadness because we don't have thousands of extra dollars to blow on sweet shit like giant robots. but there's light at the end of the tunnel... most of these killer behemoths come in shelf size. let's explore.

inkslinger by kathie olivas and brandt peters

pic from vinylpulse

it was a tossup between inky and pinky as to who would appear in the giant lineup. pinky got the nod, so inky gets the breakout love. both were recently for sale at the incredible shared show. which means some lucky child gets to cry themselves to sleep every night while staring at those big noggins. for shelf size, you can always substitute the beautiful hazel...

formerly blank qee by jonpaulkaiser

pic from jon

since there may only be one giant blank qee, i got to choose a killer custom to showcase. this snarling dog with creepy man hands works perfectly. he can let himself outside and still piss on your tires.

smokestack by mars-1

pic from smokebelch

and we've got our first true miniaturized version. this tiny by comparison poison factory hails from the invisible plan series. creepy old man face is pretty much standard. the big daddy is from the nuclear mystic show at the jonathan levine gallery last year.

jaws by coarsetoys

pic from tetedelard

ah, the desolate noop. so emo. so shirtless. the giant fiberglass version was the crown jewel of the noop show at rotofugi, which rocked. basically coarse teased all of their coolest shit almost two years ago, and now they're slowly producing a chosen few. the big guy was a one off, but you can own one of the eleventy different flavors of regular sized jaws, which are not tiny by any means. you can not however own the completely awesome "it hurts" version... yet.

manute bol

pic from hsupreme

made the list because he looks completely impossible.

plus you can't beat a bol/muggsy combo pic.

daft punk bearbricks by toy2r

pic from eric..

the big ones rule because of the helmets. but the little ones have those adorable bear ears... either way da funk will rock your face off. so shiny! i'm admittedly not a big bearbrick guy, but i'd sell a toe for the 1000% duo. (with nail polish)

dissected by kaws

pic from kush images

the alpha and the omega. everyone loves dissected, especially awash in 90s dayglo. the midgets routinely fetch a g in the aftermarket. the big one is a steal at about 4-5 times that. both more than most can pay for some divinely sculpted guts. this goes on the lottery list.

bramble by ashley wood

pic from twobags

oh bramble. how i love thee. the key to my lock. the icing to my cake. the heroin to my addict. you can't begin to understand the level of cool until you hold one in your hand. or in the case of the 1:1; hold its hand. i'm lucky enough to own one of the big little guys, and maybe someday i'll get close enough to just sniff the giant, but probably not. he will continue to tease me from across the interwebs. and i'm ok with that.

van orlax by pete fowler

pic from s2ok

just a horny little bastard with opposable toes. there are no little van orlaxi running around. which is a shame because he looks like he'd be a responsible father. on second thought, he does look a little high... and his hands are buried in the eye sockets of a skull... and that might be leprosy on his face... but other than that... totally responsible.

snorse by pete fowler

pic from expectmohr

the nosy steed takes flight! snorse just flat out rules. this little dude showed up in the blind box monsterism series 3, along with a ton of other classics... fun fact: for the longest time i thought his nostrils were eyes.

mc supersized by ron english

pic from vtss vince

as american as crocs and elastic waist pants, mc supersized smiles lovingly at your exponentially expanding waistline. the sick little bastard knows what makes you drool. give him what he wants.

helper by tim biskup

pic from espritmentheaction

ah, the classic helper: like a cross between bender and a rancid hotdog. just as happy to help you off a cliff as across the street. the super giant version towers over your insecurities and still manages to tickle your soul. he looks so intense, but maybe he's just really in need of eye drops.

zliks by andrew bell

pic from joe marinaro

attention all zlik owners! the government has ordered that all zliks be released back into the gulf of mexico to eat their way through some sort of oil spill. probably no big deal, they should be back by dinner.

grin by ron english

pic from **shifty**

charlie may look cute, but he's got a devil inside just like everyone else. his just happens to be working its way out. keep stretching that skin skully, you'll be strangling lucy before you know it.

so there you go. the second round of giants already released to do their worst on the wallets of you and i. there's just too much talent floating around, which is good. the wanting is what makes it fun. so it's back to the lottery tickets. someday...

here's the original giants post for more big love.

class pic again by me, the mastodon. created with images stolen from these fine chaps. qee. smokestack. jaws. manute. daft punk. bramble. van orlax. snorse. mc supersized. helper. zlik.

dark days and brilliant nights.

dump the pitchers of beer. put down your jager bombs. pour out the 40 for a fallen homie...

ashley wood - "NW/DW are the fine wine of 3A..."

let's class this joint up. put a little nightwatch and daywatch on the table. the oft misunderstood warriors aren't just generic bots...

ashley wood - "NW and DW do exude a classy more elitist feel, and that's what they are supposed to do, presidential guard, parades, etc, they don't see action on dirty battlegrounds."

photo from ail.

the clouds began to part, but 86 new there would still be rain...

shot by cris rose.

separated from his detachment, his deep six programming

ensured this snow would soon blossom with red.

from the killer collection of tigerfeet.

private school bots always know how to party.

i must say, their effect does multiply quite substantially once they have serious numbers. tigerfeet's collection completely stopped me in my tracks. for any of you on the fence about the glossy sheen of the nw/dw crew, give it a minute, like all of 3A these guys will have you by the throat before you know what hit you.

building an army.

no big deal. just some mind blowing preview shots of the army assembling in beijing. event explained here. i'm really quite surprised the chinese have allowed such a formidable opponent to set up shop right in the heart of their country. it must be the squares... they have no idea how dangerous the little fuckers can be.

1:1 squares

yeah, you gotta watch em.

this one tried to bite my nut off yesterday...

that little tooth isn't so little when it's buried in your thigh.

1:1 large martin weapon of choice.

oh, i didn't mention that?...

IT'S FOR FUCKING SALE.

yeah. i know. crazy right?

3A is on the verge of going supernova, with ash as the most brilliant mad toy scientist the world has seen yet. this is epic stuff they're doing. for the first time since i was 7 (or maybe the first time i saw the internet), there's something that feels truly big. something far beyond normal parameters. something to get really fucking excited about. i am in awe again, and it feels fantastic. i'm just happy to be along for the ride.