- Produced By = ‘Blurble’ (USA)
- Figure Name = Garglmon
- Edition Size = 10
- Material = Japanese Soft Vinyl
- Country of Production = Japan
- Height = 18 cm (head to feet)
- Depth = 4.5 cm (bottom to belly)
- Width = 7 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
- No of Parts = 4 (body / torso + two arms + head)
- Released = February 2018
- Sculpt Debut = August 2014 (Digital) + August 2015 (Physical)
- Release Price = $US 100
- Genre = Soft Vinyl Art Toy
Read the full review and pics after the jump…
Back Info
Mike Marinello aka ‘Blurble‘ is an American artist who has been active in the designer toy scene for many years, gaining a loyal following of fans and admirers along the way. Mike cut his teeth in the DIY resin and keshi (rubber toy) scene, progressing to factory made soft vinyl only recently – with the Garglmon his 2nd sofubi release, after debuting with the Kid Toxic figure a few years back.
And the technical details? This guy was 3D sculpted by fellow American Adil Muschelewicz aka ‘I am Scumbag’- based on designs by Blurble.
Garglmon is an obvious homage to the Ooze It mass market figure from the 1980’s, with touches of other kaiju tropes thrown in: claw hands, weird eyes and odd nose. With the spires on it’s head a direct yet subtle reference to the Smog Monster kaiju made popular originally by Japanese maker Bemon.
(Photo below of the Garglmon – Oil Slick version)
(Photo below of the Ooze It mass market toy)
(Photo below of the Smog Monster sofubi from Bemon)
The Sculpt
Garglmon stands tall. Eyes and mouth wide, long nose inhaling. Simian-like, with 2 arms, 2 legs, feet and head. Betraying it’s monster DNA are it’s claw hands and flat toeless feet.
…A closer inspection of Garglmon’s skin reveals an abundance of holes and pustules that weep an ungodly ooze. Unnervingly, it seems not to be in pain… Indeed a smile is visible on Garglmon’s face. We can thus only assume it is content. Even happy.
But… What purpose are it’s holes for? Why do they ooze? Answers we can not even guess at. Indeed… We dare not.
On a lighter note, we have to state that Garglmon has got major back! In the form of a very pert n juicy butt.
(Photos below of the Garglmon – Oil Slick version)
Material
Made in Japan from soft vinyl aka sofubi. It’s soft and semi pliable as to be expected.
Interestingly, this release is made of swirled / marbled sofubi – Green, yellow and black mixed together beautifully. The Oil Slick name being very much appropriate!
And yes marbled vinyl is cool and all… but DAMN has the scene exploded with it recently and as a result it’s kind of lost that ‘wow’ factor that it originally had, which was inevitable, but still a shame.
(A close up photo of the Garglmon – Oil Slick version below)
The Smell
Ohhhhhhh that sweet Japanese soft vinyl smell… it’s been a while for us and we missed it, and well… It feels good coming home baby! Hahahaha.
This time there are the usual organic overtones associated with Japanese vinyl but a bit more chemical than usual. Maybe it’s because of the marbling process? Maybe it’s a different factory? Something else even… Or a combination.
And the best part about smelling Japanese sofubi? You can sniff and inhale those fumes to your hearts content – as it lacks the head spinning, nausea inducing qualities of soft vinyl made in many other countries.
(Photo below showing Garglmon’s sweet perky butt – that oddly smells amazing!)
The Custom Work
None paint wise – this thing is pure unpainted virgin Japanese marbled vinyl.
Playability
* Can it Stand = Yes
* Can it Sit = No
* Is it Easily Breakable = Not at all really (though it could be melted)
* Accessories = None
Turn its head, pose the arms and even hold objects with his claws. Lotsa fun!
We do however wish it had joins / movable parts for the legs, and torso, as that would allow a lot more movement, such as allowing the figure to sit. Yes, these additions would also increase cost significantly, as each new join in a toy equals a new part and mould – but it would be cool to have them.
These missing joins are very much understandable and forgivable that said – As compromises are always needed due to financial restrictions, when it comes to DIY toys.
…Here, it is interesting to note that the original digital sculpt of Garglmon had not only movable legs, but also extra shoulder-pad-like areas around the neck. We can only assume these features were abandoned for artistic and cost reasons.
(Photos below showing the original 3D sculpt of Garglmon and the original 3D print)
Flaw(s)?
Almost none. Only one. And it is most likely unique to our version alone… But it is a big one, and something that should not occur at all with proper quality control.
What is it you ask? Well it seems that during assembly, the flashing (excess plastic) around the parts / joins was removed as normal… But whoever was doing it got a bit too happy with the scalpel near the neck, cutting away not just the flashing, but some of the structural plastic itself.
The result is a head that is ever so slightly loose when posed facing dead forward – which is a shame.
Another reminder of the need for quality control, and of it’s importance.
(Photo below showing the join flaw in the neck of our copy of the Garglmon – Oil Slick version)
Summery
A really fun toy.
Pure pop sofubi perfection basically!
…Yeah there are a few factors that point to us not liking it – how it’s more a tribute than a unique creation, it’s a digital as opposed to hand sculpt, it’s vibe that is more action figure than art-toy; and how it is lacking poseable legs. BUT we are admitted Ooze-It fanatics here at Art Whore, so we just had to grab it.
P.S – This isn’t a flaw technically… more just our feelings… but we have to admit that with EVERY 3D sculpted toy we see – like ole Garglmon here – we always wonder what it would have looked like if it was sculpted by hand instead of machine… And we kinda feel we would have dug it a lot more if it was… BUT the whole issue of hand Vs. digital sculpting is something that will be spoken about in a seperate article to come… So stay tuned to ole Art Whore for that!
(Photo below of the packaged figure)
Links
- Blurble – Online Store
- Blurble – Instagram
* Art Whore Toy Review art by Galdface *
