Whilst we endeavour to cover all of the latest production and self-made projects the art toy movement has to offer, one of the most important aspects of the scene is often neglected- custom toys. In our new weekly feature, we’ll be rounding up the best custom pieces the scene has to offer, including further links to featured artist’s work, availability, and pricing…

To kick our second week off, we be delving into the latest work from Jon Paul Kaiser, Carson Catlin, J*RYU and Zukaty to name but a few… Hope you enjoy!

Dragon Boy custom from J*RYU

As Dragatomi‘s ‘Year of the Dragon’ show looms ever closer (opening February 11th), we’re finally starting to get a look at some of the pieces that will feature, with J*RYU‘s entry, the Dragon Boy (WIP) our favourite yet. Based on the iconic Sam Flores x The Loyal Subject figure, J*RYU has re-sculpted the beautifully detailed head dress, finishing the custom with a bronze metal style colour scheme. Full reveal coming soon…

Riker’s Island Death Row Inmates from JC Rivera

The latest 3″ custom Dunny series from JC Rivera dropped this week in the form of the ’Riker’s Island Death Row Inmates’. Limited to an edition of just 5, the hand sculpted and painted thugs are available to purchase at Tenacious Toys, priced between $40 and $75 (plus shipping) depending on the level of modification.

Inmates backstory-

“… and so, as punishment for your heinous crimes, I hereby sentence each of you to death by lethal injection. You are remanded to Death Row on Riker’s Island to await your executions. Court adjourned.”

With the pounding of Judge Gerety’s gavel against his desk, the fates of the five criminals were sealed. The prosecuting attorney and the D.A. shook hands as the Inmates were led away in shackles through a door in the front of the courtroom. Reporters screamed a cacophony of questions and flashbulbs went off like strobe lights as the Inmates stepped into the beat-up, white DOC van. The short ride over the bridge to Riker’s Island would be the longest ride of their lives. It was over.

Custom NADE from JESTER

Created for Aerosol Warfare’s upcoming ‘Blow Up L.A!’ show, custom artist JESTER unveiled his latest custom NADE this week. Featuring an authentically weathered metal look, the deceptively ornate piece will be sitting alongside over 30 other custom 10″ NADE and BUD toys come the show’s opening on February 9th (Crewest Gallery).

Seven Six custom Munny from Carson Catlin

Swiftly following J*RYU this week, cut-out custom king Carson Catlin revealed yet another stunning entry for Dragatomi‘s upcoming ‘Year of the Dragon’ show, the 7″ Munny- ‘Seven Six’ (his birth year, and also a year of the Dragon). Featuring thousands of painstakingly applied bristles, the black and red dragon has got to be one of Carson’s best customs yet- here’s hoping we see more of this style in 2012!

The Buddha Munny and Daimyo from Jon Paul Kaiser

With the passing of another week comes even more hot customs from JPK, this time in the form of the ‘Buddha’ Munny and ‘Daimyo’ Android customs. Straying from the usual dark subject matter, Buddha’s smiling face and squinting eyes are a welcome change for Jon, proving that his unique b/w style can be applied to just about anything. The 3″ Daimyo on the other hand, is trademark JPK- the fully decked out samurai features some of the most insane detailing we’ve seen yet. No new as to wether these were privately commissioned, but we’ll let you know if these guys are ever made available…

The latest batch of customs from Zukaty

UK based artist Zukaty has been busy prepping his latest batch of customs for release this Saturday, February 4th. The fantastic collection is set to feature 3 8″ Dunny’s, a 7″ Munny, a 5″ MAD*L, and a Jubbs (expect prices between $40 and $160), all lovingly sprayed and brushed in Zukaty’s big, bold and brash style. In preparation for the big launch this weekend, 6 Fatcaps have been released on the store early, priced at $40 each plus shipping.

Mummy Mania! Customs from the Crypt at Super7

Held last weekend, Super7′s Mummy Mania! show featured over 40 Mummy Boy customs from some of the neo-kaiju scene’s biggest talents, including Mummy Boy sculptor Brian Flynn, Leecifer, Blurble, Paul Kaiju and Nebulon 5. All of the customs are now available to purchase through the Super7 store, with prices ranging between $55-$600. Our personal favourite is Rik Sans‘ neon-hued effort (pictured below left), the colours are quite simply out of this world- I have to say I’ve fallen in love with the pink to purple spray, but it’s that tight green detailing that really helps to make this Mummy pop. Where’s a spare $250 when you need it?!

Whilst we endeavour to cover all of the latest production and self-made projects the art toy movement has to offer, one of the most important aspects of the scene is often neglected- custom toys. In our new weekly feature, we’ll be rounding up the best custom pieces the scene has to offer, including further links to featured artist’s work, availability, and pricing…

To kick the feature off, we be delving into the latest work from NemO, Matt Jones, Chris Ryniak, and Kevin Gosselin to name but a few… Hope you enjoy!

Mr. AZ custom 5″ MAD*L by Kevin Gosselin

Heralded as one of the most skilled and imaginative customisers in the scene, Kevin Gosselin has just revealed his latest privately commissioned piece, the custom 5″ MAD*L Mr. AZ. Head over to Kevin’s site here for custom commission requests and one-off pieces.

Mr. AZ backstory-

It is not known who Mr. AZ is but the Hopi people in Kykotsmovi Village will tell you that one day this outsider began showing up asking for food and water. The outsider would appear every few days for about half of a year.  When he stopped the Hopi feared for his safety and set out to locate him.  They found he had created a permanent camp a few miles from their Village.  As he was not disturbing anyone they let him be but kept a careful watch over him.  In the next few years they would learn little of him. Where he came from and why he was here? Who was he protecting himself from with his primitive stone spear?  These are questions the Hopi have no answer for.

The Hopi would tell Mr. AZ that he was being cared for by Madl. In Hopi mythology, Madl is the Kachina spirit dedicated to the troubled soul seeking penance.  Madl watches over these souls and keeps them safe until they find inner peace.

Over time the Hopi believed Mr AZ did find peace and he devoted his life to the Kachina spirit Madl.  He has built a monument dedicated to the spirit and dwells within.

Boba Fett 10″ Teddy Troop custom by Jon Paul Kaiser

Revealed on Clutter Magazine, Jon Paul Kaiser treated us all to yet another beautiful custom piece this week, in the form of the privately commissioned Boba Fett 10″ Teddy Troop. Coming in his trademark graphic b/w style, the piece’s red accents really help to make this one stand out. JPK x Star Wars = guaranteed success!

Head over to Jon’s twitter feed for any custom requests, and check his Flickr for a huge collection of past works. We’ll be posting an exclusive interview with the man himself next week, so stay tuned!

The “156st Dskunk Squad” custom Squadt by Dust

Previewed last week, German customiser Dust has finally revealed full pics of his latest custom, the “156st Dskunk Squad” custom Squadt. Currently winging its way to one lucky collector, the custom Squadt comes replete with custom guns, knives, and diorama, finished in Dust’s trademark weathered style. Head over to the artist’s site here for more details on custom requests.

JuJu the Witch Doctor Clown custom 8″ Dunny by JFury

Coming with one of the first customs of Jesse Hernandez’s new “Calavera” Dunny, artist Justin P. aka JFury revealed his latest piece this week, JuJu the Witch Doctor. Painted in a beautiful white, blue, red, and gold colour scheme, there’s no news yet as to the availability of the toy, but check Justin’s twitter feed for more info on his work.

“Lapin dans une Tasse de Thé“ custom Eeerz by Matt Jones

Coinciding with Thursday’s launch of the second leg of the Eeerz DIY Tour at Artoyz, Matt Jones aka Lunartik, has just revealed his second custom for the show, the  “Lapin dans une Tasse de Thé“. A mixture of Eeerz Rabbid and Lunartik in a Cup of Tea, the “French impressionist artist” should be available to purchase through Matt’s store at the end of the tour.

The Navigator custom 8″ Dunny from Hugh Rose

Revealed on the Kidrobot forums yesterday, The Navigator is the latest custom 8″ Dunny from Guernsey based artist, Hugh Rose. Created to reflect the nautical history of his island, the stunningly painted figure was inspired by the artist’s contribution to the ‘Icons’ custom toy show at Leeds back in October.

No news as to the availability of the toy, but head over to Hugh’s site with any custom requests.

The Navigator backstory-

The navigator is a mysterious fisherman who can sometimes be seen fishing off the coast of Guernsey, my island home. His knowledge of the treacherous local reefs and submerged rocks is unrivalled, and he has been fishing for so long that his beard is woven into a fishing net.

The fish he has caught in his beard is a fully functional wind-up toy, although it looks like his swimming days are over!

Doodle Budz customs from NemO

Bad Applez INC’s Mike Mendez aka NemO revealed his latest Doodle Budz customs in the form of Doodle Bat and Bluebud (the first of three tribesmen). Both of the 3.5″ vinyl toys are available to purchase now- the bat through the Bad Applez store for $45, and Bluebud through Tenacious Toys for $50.

Custom Horselington from Rsin

Just finished by Rsin this week comes the first of three Horselington customs that the artist will be working on in 2012. Unfortunately, this one was for a private commission, but head over to his twitter feed to find out the availability of the other two. Based on the beautiful sculpt and painting work of the first, we doubt they’ll be around for long…

Custom Bee Skelve by Chrisosaur

After the overwhelming response to his first custom Bee Skelve, Chrisosaur has announced that he will be working on a further three this year on top of the original privately commissioned piece. Available to pre-order through Chrisosaur’s shop here from Friday (January 27th), the figures will set you back $150 a piece.

Flocked Dog custom Stitch from Motorbot

Revealed on Motorbot’s twitter feed yesterday comes the latest, and sadly penultimate Stitch custom to come from the talented artist. Re-sculpting the muzzle and eyes, Motorbot has coated the dog custom in good, old fashioned black and white flocking, resulting in one of our favourite customs from the artist so far. No news as to the availability of the toy, but expect it to land on the Deadbear shop for around $110 soon.

Baby Blewgle custom Stitch from Chris Ryniak

Yet another Stitch custom was brought to light this week, in the form of Chris Ryniak’s Baby Blewgle. Created for Dragatomi’s Year of the Dragon show (launching February 11th), the intricately sculpted figure will be available to purchase at the end of the show on the Dragatomi store. Check their site here for more details…