Dyzplastic Production Blog

A wild Big Box Edition appears!

2012-02-13T19:27:00.000-05:00

A lot of people have been asking about the mysterious Big Box Edition Android figures that have started showing up here and there! I was not directly in control of distribution of this edition, so I wasn't sure when they would hit stores, but it appears they have arrived.

This open (non-limited) edition features simple but fun designs in visible window boxes and was produced for large North American retailers (hopefully eventually in Europe as well!). They have started appearing in Urban Outfitters stores from LA to NY, and will soon arrive at other shops including FYE and Barnes & Noble. These are not part of the limited edition designer series or special editions.

No plans to have them on the DZ site for now, but maybe we'll snag some in the future.

Click through for plenty more pics!

Bear Tagged

Business Android

Pinkey

Ruby

Standard Green

Taxi

Yeti

O-No Sashimi: Grey

2012-02-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

This bloody little box of fun is a Rivet Gallery exclusive edition of 150pcs, on sale tomorrow February 14th at 12pm EST online and in their Columbus,OH shop!

Chinese New Year 2012 Android Mini Collectibles!

2012-01-22T13:53:00.001-05:00

Happy Year of the Dragonfrom Android and Dead Zebra, Inc!

You may remember last year's Chinese New Year edition God of Wealth, we've expanded on it this year to bring you a family full of Fortune (祿), Blessing (福) and Longevity (壽) !

While this is primarily an edition for our partners in Asia, we've brought a few sets over to the US! A limited quantity will be sold together in sets of 3 for $29.

The first batch will be available in the Dead Zebra Shop starting Wednesday, January 25th at 11AM Eastern Standard Time. The second batch will go online Wednesday, January 25th at 11PM Eastern Standard Time. They will start shipping the week after that.

Due to limited quantities, these are limited to one per household.We reserve the right to cancel any orders for any reason. If there is remaining stock after the initial releases we will put them back online for further orders, (unlikely in this case, so get in early)! As usual you might want to brush up on the Limited Edition release FAQ!

Hapy Holidays from Android

2011-12-21T15:48:00.000-05:00

Android mini collectibles all over the office! Happy Holidays from the Android team!

Toy Soldier - Android Special Edition

2011-12-09T14:00:00.000-05:00

Tis the season for Androids! Gary Ham once again ushers in the winter weather with a special edition Android mini collectible Toy Soldier design! Each soldier includes a decorative removable key accessory that fits into a hole in his back.

The first batch will be available in the Dead Zebra Shop starting Wednesday, December 14th at 11AM Eastern Standard Time. The second batch will go online Wednesday, December 14th at 11PM Eastern Standard Time.

Unfortunately due to a combination of production and shipping delays we're cutting it a bit close for x-mas, but most US orders via Priority Mail should arrive before the 25th. Luckily these guys are cool enough to display year round!

Since we know people will want to give some of these away, we're raising the initial limit to TWO per person/address. In the spirit of the holidays, please don't try to buy two for yourself and two more for your cat who lives suspiciously close to you. We reserve the right to cancel any orders for any reason. If there is remaining stock after the initial releases we will put them back online for further orders, but I don't think these will be around for long!

As usual you might want to brush up on the Limited Edition release FAQ , and take a peek at the Holiday Shipping Deadlines while you're at it!

Don Pablo Calaveroid - Day of the Dead Android

2011-10-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

Halloween is so October 31st... We're all about Dia de los Muertos now! This year we asked our friends Ernesto and Carlos East, aka the Beast Brothers to lend their Mexican flair to a Special Edition Android mini collectible!

The result is the beautiful and colorful "Calaveroid"! This limited special edition figure will be available at the Dead Zebra Shop starting on the Day of the Dead, November 1st, 2011 at 11am (EST) and again at 11pm (EST). In order to make it available to the most people, sales will be initially limited to 1 per person for the first few stock periods, and after we catch up we'll let the rest out for doubles or re-orders! There will also be a few available via select Asia retailers.

Oh, and who wouldn't want to don some Don Pablo? Delicious skull T's on both black and limited run purple will be making an appearance as well!

Adios!

O-No Sashimi: Red Snapper Edition

2011-10-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

If you love red but missed out on the super limited Singapore edition, you'll be happy to hear that the regular Red Snapper edition will be arriving soon! A small number of these are set to debut at this years New York Comic Con, Dumbrella booth #788, and will be available at toy and specialty retailers both online and in the real world shortly thereafter!

O-No Sashimi: Redfish in Coconut SGTCC Exclusive

2011-08-10T11:13:00.001-04:00

Based off of the colors and iconography of the Singaporean flag, this very special edition O-No Sashimi will only be available at the Singapore Toy, Games and Comic Convention on August 20-21, 2011!

Limited to only 150 pieces, each will retail for 50SGD.

Sorry, due to the small run we will not have additional sets available online.

Hero & Villain Android Summer & O-No Sashimi release info!

2011-07-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

Both Android Mini Collectibles "Heroes and Villains" Summer 2011 sets and O-No Sashimi "Bluefin" edition will be available at the Dead Zebra Shop starting Monday, August 1st at 11am EST (15 GMT) and again at 11pm EST (3 GMT August 2nd - time zone converter here). Limited to 1 Android set and/or 1 Sashimi per household (yes you can try for both but only one of each!).

It's a good time to brush up on the Limited Edition release FAQ!

Android Mini wins Designer Toy Awards honor for Fan Favorite!

2011-07-28T13:33:00.001-04:00

Trophy designed by Pete Fowler! Photo Courtesy NotCot

Last week in San Diego marked the annual gathering of the worlds biggest convention of comic, toy, game and pop culture fans at the 2011 International Comic Con. It also marked the first annual Designer Toy Awards put on by our friends at Clutter Magazine. I was proud to be the recipient of the coveted "Fan Favorite" award for my work on the Android Mini Collectibles project! Thanks to everyone who voted!

Special editions coming soon!

2011-07-25T11:16:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who made it out to San Diego for this years Comic-Con! We blew through some Blue Fin Sashimi at Dumbrella, while the special edition Hero and Villain Android mini collectibles battled it out over at the DKE booth. We even won an award somewhere in there, it's still a bit of a blur..

If you missed out on the comic-con madness, the special edition Androids will be available in the Dead Zebra Shop starting August 1st, and they'll be hitting some of our Asian retailers shortly. A smaller quantity of Blue Fin Sashimi figures will also be available! Details and times to follow shortly after I recover from the convention and fly back to New York!

Android Mini Collectible Summer special editions photos.

2011-07-05T11:01:00.000-04:00

A few extra photos for you!

The Hidden Task waits in the shadows, always prepared to set things right.

El Poderoso fights for justice, equality.. and fancy belts.

Greentooth is a master of mind control, be wary of his handshake.

Cycle-On is a power-hungry Android who will stop at nothing.

Android Mini Collectible Summer special editions!

2011-06-28T20:57:00.001-04:00

Making their debut at the 2011 International Comic-Con in San Diego, this limited special edition set of Android mini figures designed by Andrew Bell is sure to please the summer movie and comic loving crowd. One design will be available per day for 4 days starting on Wednesday July 20th at the booth of our distributor, DKE Toys (#4728)!

Got stuck in your man-sized sexy fox costume zipper and are bleeding on the hotel room floor unable to make it to the convention that day (or maybe you're just not going to the con)? Fear not caped crusader, as we will be making a number of sets available online shortly after the con at the Dead Zebra Shop and via several of our partner shops in Asia. Specifics to follow later!

The Hidden Task

El Poderoso

Greentooth

Cycle-On

We'll be back with a bunch more photos and some profile information soon!

Brave Heroes, Masked Avengers, Super Villains, Killer Robots... all in a Summer's work.

2011-06-24T01:44:00.001-04:00

Information next week...

Something fishy this way smells...

2011-06-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

Once again the international comic-con in San Diego is almost upon us! You know what that means, ~~a solid week of pain and suffering~~ fun new stuff!

O-No Sashimi (based on the popular Never Look Back II print) makes its delicious vinyl debut at the show, complete with blue special edition. I know the show sold out very early this year, and a lot of people can't make it, so we'll be holding a number of these for online sales in the dead zebra shop!

We'll also be serving up a few of the standard Green editions, these will be hitting toy and specialty shops worldwide shortly after the convention. The standard edition will retail for around $35 US and includes all delicious fish bits, two sets of eyes and a bowl in a supermarket fresh display tray!

The blue edition is limited to 250pcs and will retail for $40 US.

Here is O-No Sashimi compared in size to the original O-No Sushi!

A few more pics are up on Flickr! Nom nom nom..

Dead Zebra studio sale / moving auction

2011-06-11T12:03:00.001-04:00

Cross-post from Creatures. There are some rare / prototype toys and sculpts including androids (even a set signed by Andy Rubin and Andrew Bell!)

You may have noticed a lack of updates lately, part of that is due to the fact that we're moving! It's been about 7 years since the last relocation, so we've got quite a bit of stuff to go through. Everything from rare toy prototypes and master sculpts, to random toys and items from our personal collection will be on the eBay block. We're putting them up for sale to help clear out some clutter and more importantly to fund fun future projects.

But wait, that's not all! Every package will also include one piece of Random Crap^TM from the studio; it could be a sticker, a button, or a broken toy, and will almost certainly be completely useless and unrelated to the item you purchased... bonus !

Bidding runs for about a week, aiming to ship items out within a week of payment.

Happy bidding and thanks for the support!

Update: I do ship internationally, but eBay messed up the listings and I can't add real-time international shipping quotes without ending every single listing. You can still bid and I will charge a separate shipping fee if you win. Sorry for the inconvenience.

O-No Freshness

2011-04-27T20:45:00.000-04:00

We first previewed the painted master resin sculpt of O-No Sashimi in San Diego last summer at International Comic Con... then we got a little distracted by some Androids! Well, we're back on track, and these guys are set to be swimming(?) over the ocean soon. Currently scheduled for a 2011 International Comic Con debut along with a special edition perhaps?

Can't make it to San Diego this year? We'll have some fresh green fish online and in shops as well!

Meet the Androids: Series 02 Preview (pt5)

2011-03-09T11:11:00.000-05:00

The time is upon us! Series 02 will start arriving shops this week (it will take a little longer for them to arrive at their European retailers). Here is a list of a few of the retailers that will be carrying them. Check out the last two standard editions!

Name: Iceberg
Artist: Andrew Bell
Ratio: 2/16

Name: Noogler
Artist: Jeff Yaksick for Google
Ratio: 1/16
(Yes, the propeller spins!)

If you want to try your luck at the Dead Zebra Shop, we'll be putting some of our stock up starting this Thursday night at 11pm EST (4 GMT) and again on Friday at 11am EST (16 GMT). Limited to 16 total pieces (1 case) per household for at least the first few releases. We'll have some more after that, but we'll need a week or so to catch up! It's a good time to brush up on the Limited Edition release FAQ.

Meet the Androids: Series 02 Preview (pt4)

2011-02-24T10:49:00.001-05:00

Most of the Series 2 designs can be found online after MWC if your google-fu is up to snuff, but I thought I'd keep going with the official photo previews! Here's another new friend!

Name: Blackbeard
Artist: Andrew Bell
Ratio: 1/16

OK this next bit might be somewhat unrelated to toy production, but it is related to a Series 2 design and I know a lot of Android fans read up on here I thought I should share...

Android on your floor! Custom made round rug available for pre-order right now!

We even mixed up a batch of PMS376 (aka Android Green) to make sure this rug was just right!

Hexcode Android approved!

Meet the Androids: Series 02 Preview (pt3)

2011-02-18T10:00:00.003-05:00

A few lucky people managed to get their hands on some Series 02 figures at Google's amazing Android "booth" at this years Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (check out Phandroid's short video of the amazing display)

Only a few more weeks before Series 02 hits shops both online and off! Look for them to start popping up stateside and Asia around the second week of March, and hitting Europe shortly thereafter. I'll put together a list of some of the shops that will be carrying them.

Name: Bernard
Artist: Scott Tolleson
Ratio: 1/16

Name: GD-927
Artist: Andrew Bell
Ratio: 1/16

Each box includes a little folding flyer checklist with figure names and artist information.

Meet the Androids: Series 02 Preview (pt2)

2011-02-08T13:06:00.002-05:00

Three more for you, and a little tidbit: in Series 02 there are only four 2/16 ratio designs. That means that in any full case you'll end up with 12 different designs in total, unlike Series 01 where you would end up with only 10!

Name: Bluebot
Artist: Google, Inc
Ratio: 2/16

Name: Racer
Artist: Jeff Yaksick for the Android Team
Ratio: 1/16

Name: Rupture
Artist: Doktor A
Ratio: 1/16

Meet the Androids: Series 02 Preview (pt1)

2011-01-31T16:19:00.001-05:00

Just a little over a year after the debut of Android Mini Collecibles Series 01, we're showing off some sneak previews of Series 02! Many thanks to the fans, collectors, shops and most of all Google for making the first series such a success.

Name: Hexcode
Artist: Andrew Bell
Ratio: 2/16

Name: Cupcake
Artist: Gary Ham
Ratio: 1/16

Name: Greeneon
Artist: Google, Inc
Ratio: 2/16

Each of these three have a little surprise of their own, but I'll leave that up to you to find out when they arrive!

Series 02 will be hitting the dead zebra shop and dozens of stores both online and in meatspace in early March! More details and previews as we get closer to release!

While you wait, you should see what Android fan Carsten did with one of his figures!

Chinese New Year Android mini collectible!

2010-12-30T13:45:00.003-05:00

On February 3rd, over a Billion people will be celebrating the Chinese New Year! To commemorate the event and to help usher in a year of prosperity, we got together with our Asia distributor to create a new special edition Asia exclusive Android mini figure. Meet Cai Shen, the god of wealth!

Unless you are lucky enough to work for Google, Inc in Beijing, or live in China or Taiwan, these little guys will be a bit tough to get. However, I managed to snag 200 for sale over on this side of the pond.

Because there are so few, we're going to a lottery system. If you live in Americas (North and South) or Europe, you can enter for the chance to purchase one. Despite the extra accessories, they'll still be $10 like the other special editions (plus shipping).

You can enter right here!

One entry per person, entries close January 4th.

If you do live in China or Taiwan, the figure will be available for sale at these and possibly other places starting January 5th!

Taiwan:
http://www.androidfanstore.tw

China:
http://www.hypepulse.com

Singapore: (coming soon)
Ozzo Collection

Malaysia
http://www.takenshop.com

A-Type: Do It Yourself

2010-12-29T22:59:00.002-05:00

Finally got some decent photos of the Do-It-Yourself edition of the A-Type figure from Dyzplastic x MPH Labs! I also uploaded a printable sketch template for everyone!

They are available at a few toy retailers already, and I'll have a few of these figures available in the Dead Zebra shop starting tomorrow for $35.

Printable (PDF) Sketch Template

Oh.. and keep your internet-brain tuned to this station for an exciting announcement in a few hours!

Android in Spaaaaaaaaaaaaceeeee

2010-12-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

An enterprising crew sent a few of our figures on an epic ride to the edge of the atmosphere!

Standard Green Android hitting shops

2010-12-12T14:57:00.017-05:00

As I had mentioned a while back, future releases like the Green, DIY and Series 02 Androids will be available from a variety of shops. We got our first shipment of Standard Green Androids in, and they are showing up at retailers! The green guys have their own dedicated box this time.

Here is a quick short list of some shops that have / will have them, many of these shops have physical locations as well! I'll have mine up in a week or so.

US Based:
www.animeoc.com
www.rivetart.com
www.plasticchapel.com
www.tenacioustoys.com
www.myplasticheart.com
www.androidstickers.com

Europe:
www.artoyz.com

China:
www.hypepulse.com

Taiwan:
www.androidfanstore.tw

Coming soon to these and many more:
http://www.kidrobot.com
http://www.newburycomics.com

Sold out for now but likely restocking soon:
www.dragatomi.com
www.toyqube.com
www.rotofugi.com
www.frozenempiretoys.com

Miss out on a snowman? We'll have a few more up randomly throughout the week.

Also a good time to note that there has been a flood of the crappy knockoffs, if it sounds too cheap to be true, it probably is. Any "short box" style unopened Series 1 or Green/White toys you see for sale from questionable retailers out there are likely bad copies.

Android Snowman desktop wallpaper!

2010-12-06T20:54:00.000-05:00

Gary has gifted us with this fantastic winter theme Android snowman wallpaper! Click the image above to start cropping your own custom desktop image!

The first release today was a success, with the server holding up perfectly! We'll be making the second drop available on 12/8 at 11PM Eastern Standard Time. Any snowmen remaining the day after that will be up for grabs in case you wanted to pick up a second one for a gift!

Android Snowman mini collectible release info

2010-12-03T16:40:00.001-05:00

Gary Ham's Snowman Android design will sell for $10 and see two separate releases in the Dead Zebra Shop (to help accommodate the vampires and Australians). The first batch will be available starting Monday, December 6th at 11AM Eastern Standard Time. The second batch will go online Wednesday, December 8th at 11PM Eastern Standard Time.

In order to give the most people a chance, we're limiting it to ONE per person/address (not per release, just one overall). In the spirit of the holidays, please don't try to buy one for yourself and one for your cat who lives suspiciously close to you. We reserve the right to cancel any orders for any reason. If there is remaining stock after the 8th, then you can order another one!

As usual you might want to brush up on the Limited Edition release FAQ , and take a peek at the Holiday Shipping Deadlines while you're at it!

After the unfortunate spontaneous combustion of the Power Vampire release server gerbils, our replacement server wombats have been injected with steroids and given daily protein shakes. There will still be a mad dash, and I expect some slowness and a few errors, but hopefully things will be a bit smoother.

Happy Year-End Generic Non-Denominational Holidays!

2010-12-01T11:20:00.001-05:00

This Android mini collectible special edition Snowman was designed by our friend Gary Ham.

Check back in a few days for sales and availability information!

A-Type coming soon!

2010-11-29T14:56:00.002-05:00

We teamed up with myplasticheart to produce the new A-Type platform figure for production and do-it-yourself pieces! It stands about 6" tall and 8" wide and can be displayed right-side up, up-side down, hanging, standing, sitting.. pretty much any way you want.

Check out Vinyl Pulse for an intro and interview, with part two and a giveaway on myplasticheart!

Bla Bla! Power Vampire available now!

2010-10-31T14:01:00.001-04:00

~~Available~~ Sold Out now in the Dead Zebra Shop!

Boo! Halloween Vampire Surprise!

2010-10-19T14:46:00.001-04:00

Don't look now, special Halloween Day release!

"Power Vampire" special window box edition very limited Halloween release will be available for sale on shop.deadzebra.com for $10 on Halloween day, October 31st, at 2pm EST / 11am PST (18 GMT) and shipping out shortly thereafter!

We're letting you know ahead of time, and putting most of them up at once. Limit 2 per household. You might want to read this handy little Limited Edition release guide and FAQ before the big day!

In the meantime please enjoy this little desktop/phone wallpaper! 1920x1200 edition is right here, or you can select your own size and layout by using the wallpaper cropper tool!

I'm also sharing some of the graphical elements for you to spruce up your own sites! The images below are available in the scalable .SVG format and are free to use under the CC Attribution License!

Android Halloween Imagery by Andrew Bell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License..

Did you hear something?

2010-10-18T01:10:00.000-04:00

Did you hear something? I thought I heard something.. it was probably just the wind.

Field guide to spotting fake Android mini collectibles!

2010-09-10T14:36:00.004-04:00

* Update 10/18/10: Looks like they finally got around to bootlegging some of the other designs in the first series. I've seen some photos and the paint jobs are pretty lousy. These bootlegs are untested, badly painted and of dubious quality. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. *

Flattering as it may be, some suppliers in China have taken to counterfeiting the Android mini collectibles and passing them off as the real thing to unwitting collectors, a few shops have even picked up the fakes and are redistributing them. But isn't the Android creative commons you may ask? The original 2D character design is, but the toy designs and packaging that I spent months and thousands of dollars developing, not so much. Also the actual ANDROID logo text that appears on the box and back of the figure is trademarked property of Google, Inc and is not supposed to be used without permission.

Here is a quick guide to spotting some of the fakes that may pop up on eBay or other sites ( also know as a guide to making better fake Androids, but let's hope that it does more good than harm! ).

First up, almost all the fakes are either "Standard Green" or "Albino", simply because these are the two simplest versions to copy. It takes some time/money/effort/skill to replicate the complex paint applications found in Series 1 designs, so the fake factories don't bother.

The packaging on the fakes varies from simple to pretty close to the original. All of the fakes I've seen are based off of the smaller boxes from the first run of Series 1, so if yours came inone of the newer, taller boxes you're probably good!

The fake box above is mostly accurate, except that the colors are all too dark and there is this glaring error, the real Hi-Voltage edition has no green in it.

Ironically some of the fake Androids come with "authenticity seals", this one even has my URL on it and a unique number! There are no such seals on the authentic boxes.

Another obvious tell is that the fakes are usually packed with the "Android" logo facing front. On the real figures, the Android logo is on the back. Here we also see white foam used to protect the antennae on the fake edition.The real first editions of the figures are in plain foil bags with no foam, while the updated second shipment are in printed foil bags with a black foam square on top.

The real Android minis are painted green, it has a nice solid rich matte finish. Most of the fakes I've seen are molded directly in green plastic. The logo on the back is also much less pronounced.

While the real Android figures also have a seam along the arm, it is much more obvious on the fake ones. The arms on the fake ones are also often glossy, not matching the rest of the body. The fake antenna are also longer and more fragile than the real ones.

Here is a product shot from a US company that is re-selling fake editions. You can see the fake box, forward facing logo, shiny arms and overly-long antenna. I've gotten a few e-mails from customers who were quite annoyed with the shoddy fakes and unable to secure refunds.

You can see in the above photo of more recent fakes. The hi-voltage is right but the "Worker" is yellowed on one and missing dots next to the word "Worker" on another, there should be four rows of each like the others. Also, the shadows under the icons are black, where they should be grey.

I realize some of you may not care because you just have to have your Android fix, this article obviously isn't for you. However I know there are a lot of great people out there would rather support a small business and independent artist; people who don't want to throw money away on an inferior knock-off product. Thanks for your support and hopefully this will help you avoid getting scammed. Remember that more Androids are coming to more stores near you!

Thanks again for your support,

- Andrew

Good news everyone! Androids will be in shops!

2010-09-02T15:14:00.000-04:00

I've had a talk with the G-men, and we are clear to open up Android minis to wholesale customers once again! What does this mean? More Androids, more places, making them easier to get in the future. You'll be able to find future releases in toy, tech and specialty shops, both online and in meatspace!

While there will be a few editions that remain exclusive to the Dead Zebra shop and Google, Inc, you'll be able to find Standard Androids, Do It Yourself Androids (a new and improved version) and Series 02 at shops across the world!

Series 02 is in the works and is due out Q1 2011 along with an easier to disassemble version of the Do It Yourself Androids! Look for some Standard Androids in a new standalone box (not marked series 01) at select shops this fall.

If you are a merchant and you have been in touch about wholesale distribution, we'll add you to the list when reservation information goes out. If you have a shop and haven't been in touch, you can e-mail our distributor DKE Toys with your business information at dkelemer@aol.com with the subject "Android Wholesale" to get on their offering list!

Android mini back in stock!

2010-08-10T11:45:00.001-04:00

I'll have part 6 of the Production blog up eventually, but for now I thought you might be interested to know that the mini collectibles will be back in stock in our new shop!

Starting tomorrow, August 11th 2010, we'll be adding stock of random, cases, 4-packs, standard green and new blank do-it-yourself Androids to the shop every couple of hours ALL WEEK! Thanks to our new system, they won't all be gone in 5 minutes (we hope!).

Note that orders are being limited to 20 total pieces and one order per household for the first week, this is to ensure that more people have a fair chance of picking up a little robot love.

A few insider tips. They will still move pretty quickly, Credit Card is the fastest way to pay and ensure that no one 'cart-jacks' you before you finish payment (although that can still happen, it's not "yours" until payment is processed). Make sure your billing and shipping addresses are on file with your bank/credit card company, and have that CCV code handy!

Good luck!

Do-It-Yourself Androids coming soon / SDCC update!

2010-07-19T17:14:00.000-04:00

We take a break from our regularly scheduled production party to bring word that pure white blank Do-It-Yourself Androids will be coming soon! We'll be bringing a small number of them to the International Comic-Con this week, along with several cases of Series 1. Blanks will be available for $6 each, with Series 1 at $7 and cases at $110, we will be limiting the number of sales each day to give more attendees a chance!

Can't make it to Comic-Con? D-I-Y and Series 1 will be available again online shortly after our return from sunny California! We will be doing some shop beta testing sales the last week of July, and hope to be open for business the first week of August. Want to help beta test the shop and guarantee yourself some sweet vinyl love? Leave a comment with your e-mail address and country (it will not be published to the public) and we will randomly select participants from those comments!

One more thing...

Copperbot Android t-shirts! With metallic copper ink! Available at the booth for $20 (or $17 in a 3 pack with other shirts), and available online along with the toys once the shop relaunches!

Android mini production - Part 5: A fresh coat of paint

2010-07-12T20:03:00.001-04:00

Long time no update! Sorry about that, things have been very busy over here. For those looking to buy some more figures, you'll be happy to know that they have arrived and will be available for sale soon! The first few cases will be accompanying me to San Diego for the International Comic-Con (Booth 1335/1337), with the rest going on sale online upon my return. We're setting up a new shop and doing smaller timed 'drops' to ensure that more people than last time have a chance to get some figures!

Back to the progress! This is what a finished, cooled off, assembled and completely naked Android looks like. Please try not to stare.

That is much better. The standard green Android is a pretty straight-forward matter of spray-painting the correct colors in the correct areas. The more interesting part here is that little strip of color swatches on the right.

All you non-designers out there may not be familiar with how hard it is to match 'on-screen' colors to 'real world' colors. Those color swatches are part of an industry-wide color reference system from PANTONE. Basically the factory has a copy of that book, I have a copy of the same book, and we can all agree on what the final color should look like without having to worry about anyone properly color-calibrating monitors or printers between offices (and countries). In every design file for each Android variation I make note of which specific color codes to reference (by the way, Android green is PANTONE code 376!).

For designs that go beyond basic painting we turn to the mighty machine for assistance. This one is called a "pad printer", because it uses rubber pads to transfer paint onto curved and irregular surfaces. The artwork is etched onto the pad much like a traditional rubber stamp, but this pad is much softer. When the pad is pulled down onto the Android it deforms over the shape, depositing the paint in all the right places (hopefully).

Despite all the metal, this is still a mostly manual operation. The operator has to be quite skilled in order to line up all of the tiny details on the more complex designs. Some of the Androids use dozens of different pads in conjunction with complicated spray paint masks.

Next Time: Shape up, ship out and party down!

Android mini production - Part 4: Molds and Pulls

2010-05-10T22:10:00.001-04:00

Hello again everyone! The behind the scenes look continues, and now we're getting to the messy bits!

Multiple copies of the a metal molds are created from the original master mold.

These molds are then attached to a frame built specifically for a roto-casting (aka rotational casting) machine. These particular frames pictured hold 12 android body molds. Hot liquid vinyl is poured into each form on the frame.

The molds are then capped off and inserted into a large roto-casting machine. This machine is essentially a large oven that spins the molds around in different directions while they bake. By spinning the molds we can ensure that the liquid vinyl coats all of the inside surfaces of the molds evenly and fully. Rotocasting also requires far less material than solid molding, and results in a lighter and more flexible product.

After a quick cool-down, the raw forms are still warm and soft enough to easily be pulled out of their molds. The excess material around the seams is trimmed off.

Sometimes the figures will become somewhat warped when they are pulled out of the molds. A quick trip to a heating rack makes them pop back into their original heat-formed shape.

Arms and antennae are too small and precise to be rotationally molded, those are created by a process called injection molding. Here the material is injected under extreme heat and pressure into a two part mold made from a solid aluminum block. Here you can see half the antennae on the left and half an arm on the right. That "gunk" you see helps lubricate the mold and ensure a good solid seal between the two parts.

Next Time: Painting pretty colors!

Android mini production - Part 3: Sculpting and Packaging

2010-04-16T14:55:00.001-04:00

Time to move on to the physical production stage! With the reference design finalized, we start on a sculpt. Sometimes I'll work out a rough in clay myself, but given the precise and geometric nature of this project I decided to leave it to an expert! Prototypes are typically 5-8% larger than the target production size to compensate for the shrinking that occurs due to mold production and material cooling.

A few revisions later and we're getting pretty close. I went back and forth with the sculptor a few times annotating photos of the prototype in order to get the arms, legs and antennae just right.

Once the sculpt is finalized, a copy of the prototype body is cast in wax for final clean-up and mold creation. The body will be made of rotational-cast vinyl and the wax will be melted out when the mold is formed (molds pics in next update!).

Work on the packaging starts during figure production so that everything can be ready to go at once! Here is an individual box layout, nothing too exciting to see here but it is kind of neat to see it all flat.

A separate layer in the artwork file denotes areas that are to get a hit of glossy clear coating. This makes the boxes eye catching and also gives them a nice physical texture when you hold them.

Each figure is wrapped in an individual foil bag. This helps protect the figure from scuffing, but it also helps prevent tampering with blind-boxes. Originally the Androids had this neat printed pattern on their foil bags. Unfortunately the bag printer had just switched ink suppliers and hadn't fully tested the new inks with the foil. Opening a few boxes led to little flakes of black paint all over your fingers, table and clothing, not good! At the last minute I had to ditch the printed bags and go back to plain old "ooohh shiny!". I think a few of these printed bags may have slipped through into the final production cases, consider yourself lucky if you found one, and go wash your hands.

Next Installment: Molds, hot vinyl!

Android mini production - Part 2: design layout

2010-03-31T11:49:00.001-04:00

Hello again everyone! Last time we were laying the groundwork for the project to move forward, now the real fun begins as a final figure is fleshed out.

Once we had settled on the basic design, I created this line art "turnaround" reference. This layout includes basic scale measurements and detail notations for the sculptor as well as joint notations for the factory. It was also the first time I was able to show the rest of the guys working on the project exactly what I had in mind from all angles... which meant this was the first time that they had seen their mascot with my "fat" legs design.

This naturally lead to a discussion on the best way to create a compelling figure while staying as true to form as possible. Using brand-accurate rounded cylindrical legs would pose a problem, our little Android wouldn't be able to stand up on his own! Being an avid collector myself, figures flopping over and taking Olympic caliber Shelf Dives is one of my pet peeves. The collector in me also knew that a stand is usually just an extraneous piece of plastic bound to be lost or broken. So I presented the team with a number of options including the above "fat" leg, which is brand-accurate from the front and at an angle, but not from the side; a short-round leg which was cylindrical, but had to be comically short to maintain a low center of gravity; and thin semi-rounded legs that could be longer, but would need to be angled to create a more stable triangular base.

Here is the final template, you can see which legs won in the end! I am still confident that this was the best balance of brand accuracy and real-world practicality. You can see on the lower right an area marked "Pantone reference". For those unfamiliar with design in general, Pantone is an industry standard color reference guide. On-screen colors are often quite different from physical paint colors, so it is important to have an agreed-upon color goal. Typically a designer will have a book of color swatches and a factory will have the same book along with a formula guide to reproduce that exact color in paint.

Ok, maybe NOW the real fun has started. Designs are roughed out, refined and placed into the standard layout template. Here's an edition of Creature Android that was a little too busy, we dropped the cityscape and the flames, but most of the design remained intact through the final round. Some other designs weren't so lucky...

This guy never made it past revision 1. With plenty of design ideas around and a limited number we could produce, it was important to balance variety, novelty and fun. There were some good designs that hit the Series 1 cutting room floor, but hopefully we'll be able to revisit a few of those in the future!

Next Installment: Sculpting, packaging.

Android mini production - Part 1: groundwork

2010-03-24T12:03:00.002-04:00

While we all sit quietly and wait patiently for the next shipment of Android Series 1 mini figures to arrive, I thought I would entertain / inform you with a series of posts chronicling the creation of these little guys from start to finish!

It all started with this logo and a couple of designers working on the Android platform. Like many designers these days, they had become fans of the growing genre of limited edition vinyl figures created by artists specifically for an art-collecting adult audience. With a great mascot, a love of all things collectible, and a desire to do something cool, they set about to bring their idea to life.

Luckily another friend of theirs at Android happened to know someone with experience in vinyl collectible production, which is where I came in!

At the end of 2008 we started talking about the best way to go from logo to collectible. Could we adjust Android to an existing platform? Should we do a large expensive collectible? Can they all have different heads? Would a mini series be cool? Is blind box a fun format for tech centric people who may not be as familiar with the concept as traditional toy collectors? During the course of our discussions I threw together this mock-up of what a figure of the logo could actually look like.

It seemed that we were heading in the right direction with a multiple design mini series. I quickly created a set of simple concepts to illustrate that a series would give us the opportunity to create a variety of designs and showcase the versatility of their deceptively simple mascot. Even though these were early concepts, you can see that a few of the ideas and design elements made it all the way to the final products. Some designs (such as BSOD-BOT shown here) were scrapped for pretty obvious PR / legal reasons. Still, it was worth a shot!

With the concept hammered out and an OK from the big Android himself Andy Rubin, the project was a go! We were all set to create a mini series with a relatively small budget for a small quantity of figures destined for internal promotions and giveaways. Yes, originally these guys were not necessarily going to find their way into the hands of fans and collectors (and some of you would argue that they still haven't!). This was shaping up to be a fun project, and I knew it would have some appeal in the world at large, although how much appeal was hard to judge. Selling collectibles based on mobile operating systems was an untested market to say the least. Thanks to the enthusiasm (and legal wrangling) of the guys at Android, we were able to work out a deal wherein I could produce a few more units to be sold directly to fans and shops.

Next Installment: Getting down to business on design.

Android mini collectibles in shops

2010-03-13T23:00:00.005-05:00

Android toys are finally hitting a few select toy retailers. Here is a short list to get you started on your quest:

Illinois
rotofugi *

Ohio
rivet *

New York
my plastic heart *
toytokyo *
frozen empire

California
3d retro
cardboard spaceship
dragatomi
ningyoushi
Neon Monster *

United Kingdom
playlounge *
Tokyo Toy Store

*denoted that store also has a physical location.

Some shops have already gone through their stock, but others haven't put them online yet. Some shops keep a few sets for their retail storefronts. Hint: newsletter subscribers got this information first!

More coming this summer if you miss out on these, including at the 2010 International Comic-Con!

Meet the Androids: Albino and APK 2008

2010-02-16T12:39:00.001-05:00

Reminder: Do not go wasting your cash on eBay resellers with jacked-up prices, there will be more Androids in the future if you are patient!

People are starting to get their Androids! If you have some good photos why not drop them into our Flickr Pool?

One last "regular" Android to show off, followed by one of the rarer chase editions.. so don't scroll down if you don't want spoilers!

Name: Albino
ID: 09
Ratio: 1/16

High gloss white finish with red eyes.

--- Yarr, below there be spoilers! ---

Name: APK 2008
ID: 11
Ratio: ?/??

Someone had requested an explaination of this guy. Most Android devs and quite a few users will be familiar with APK, the file format for Android install packages. 2008 is the year Android debuted. The whole thing? An pretty blatant homage to one of my favorite classic Sci-Fi movies!

Release the Robots! SOLD OUT

2010-02-10T09:18:00.005-05:00

What a crazy rush! Unfortunately we are now super extra sold out of our online stock. We had hoped to offer more this evening, but a software issue caused some over-sales.

If you missed out today, check back here in a week or two for a list of stores that will have some! If you miss those, there should be more available in a few months when our second shipment comes in! FEAR NOT, Androids shall be yours!

Meet the Androids: Worker & Octopoid

2010-02-09T12:52:00.002-05:00

A two-for Tuesday! Excited about tomorrow? I know the one lady who will be shipping all of these orders is! Perhaps I am confusing "excited" with "terrified".

In case you're wondering when the figures will be available tomorrow, it will be a random time, and I will be adding stock throughout the day to give people in different time zones a chance! Don't forget that a few cases of these will also be hitting select retailers in a couple of weeks. So if you miss out here, all hope is not lost.

Name: Worker
ID: 07
Ratio: 1/16

Will work for recharge.

Name: Octopoid
ID: 08
Ratio: 1/16

He's all legs and suckers.

Meet the Androids: Creature

2010-02-08T11:56:00.000-05:00

This red hot monster has quite a set of chompers on him. Do not insert finger.

Name: Creature
ID: 03
Ratio: 2/16

Meet the Androids: CopperBot & Reactor

2010-02-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

Two for one mega-size Friday update! This is perhaps the most anticipated of the Androids teased so far. Say hello to my little friend, CopperBot.

Name: CopperBot
ID: 04
Ratio: 2/16

Metallic copper finish with mechanical detailing and an overwhelming desire to be loved.

Name: Reactor
ID: 06
Ratio: 1/16

You could even say it glows! (it does, in the dark)

Finally on another note, I will be at myplasticheart in NYC for a bit tonight to attend the opening reception for New Moon 2010! If you enjoy toys and art and are in the New York area, why not stop in?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Meet the Androids: Darknet

2010-02-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

We continue our introduction to the designs! Half-way through working on this post the power went out in my building. Coincidence? Most definitely. This guy is named "Darknet", not "Blackout". He features black on black artwork and a crazy look in his red eyes.

ID: 05
Name: Darknet
Ratio: 2/16

Meet the Androids: Hi-Voltage

2010-02-03T12:00:00.002-05:00

I'll be taking the opportunity over the next few days to introduce some of the designs and share some more information!

As some of you have figured out, these guys will be available February 10th. The first batch will hit right here online (yes we ship internationally), followed in a week or two by a limited release in toy and collectible shops both online and in the real world! After that I'm afraid you'll be waiting a few months while our replication pods recharge, so good luck! Price? About $7.25 per box, with discounts on cases of 16.

We've already seen standard Android, so today we start up with this electrifying Android.

ID: 02
Name: Hi-Voltage
Ratio: 2/16

Warning: Do not attempt to plug in.

Android mini collectibles

2010-02-01T12:00:00.004-05:00

New from artist Andrew Bell and Google’s Android™ platform comes Android mini collectibles series 01!

Andrew, an avid Android user himself, teamed up with some friends at Google to bring their little green mascot to life. Series 1 features 12 different designs in blind-boxed cases of 16. Pick up a few and try your luck, or grab a whole case to secure a nearly-full set. Be on the lookout for some super rare chase editions. Each vinyl figure stands 3” tall and features a rotating head and arms.

Check back throughout the next few weeks for more photos and info!

Series 1 will be available later this month right here in an online Android collectibles shop and in specialty retailers. For wholesale inquiries contact DKE distribution.

Android™, related logo and character design are trademark Google Inc. and are used under license.

Hi.

2010-01-25T14:31:00.003-05:00

Hi.

something is coming...

2009-12-30T00:15:00.002-05:00

O-No Sushi giveaway via NOTCOT

2009-12-18T21:56:00.002-05:00

Our friends at NOTCOT have a pre-release Green edition O-No Sushi figure to give away as a holiday promotion! Head on over there to check out the details!

http://www.notcot.com/gift-guide-2009/holiday_feature_o-no_sushi_figure_giveaway.php

You will also be pleased to know that the new shipment is IN and that your favorite stores will once again have Red O-No Sushi figures starting this week! Green on the way in January!

This one tastes a little off...

2009-11-28T23:29:00.005-05:00

Oh my, what is this? Something looks like it may have gone a little off...

On the boat...

2009-11-15T23:04:00.002-05:00

Word from the factory is that there is more sushi on the way! Better late than never, these guys should be back in stock online and in stores starting early December!

Why hello there!

2009-11-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Dyzplastic production blog! Here we will update you about ongoing Dyzplastic productions, upcoming releases, events, etc.

Don't forget to visit the Creatures in my Head for more general updates and artwork from Andrew Bell.