Toy OTD: Gargamel Vinyl Figure: Smogun

I don't have a lot of old-school Japanese vinyl - it was an acquired taste for me. Initially, I was turned off by the soft sculpting and airbrush over-spray painting style - they looked like toys you should be able to get at a gas station for five dollars or something. Little by little, I grew to like that aesthetic, and started to buy both vintage and modern pieces. This is an example of current artists echoing that retro style (I think Gargamel is a group of artists, but I'm not positive).

I'm pretty picky about this type of toy - they have to appeal specifically to me, because I don't have any nostalgia for the style or the characters. I like this one mainly for the character - I just think it's cool that someone designed a monster made of tires and garbage, with wrecked cars for its head and feet. The colors are striking to me, too, and the faux-naive sculpt/paint work combine with its diminutive size (six inches) to make it cute and charming - at least, in a kaiju sort of way!

I think I paid $40 for this at last spring's Vinyl Toy Network. It's available in several different colorways, but you can still get this one for $43.00 + shipping from giantrobot.com. You can get a green version at ningyoushi.com for $40 + shipping, and Super 7 has the green version, and a pink colorway as well, both for $40 each. Use Google Image Search if you want to know what other versions are out there!