The Gara-fashion-conscious... what do they wear?

I have been inundated with such queries since the blog began- tens of thousands* of new converts to Garamania, wondering how they can best represent in the street- how they can fly the colors, as it were.

Well, let's do a brief survey of some of the recent commercially available options...

I think this shirt was an M-78 Shop release, and came in three different colors. This is the best of the bunch, a long-gone purple exclusive for Atmos.

Next, a relatively new one from Bandai, with art by Yoshito Sugawara:

I want to love this one; really, I think it would rule the roost...but for the inclusion of not one, not two, but four lines of charmless, titular/copyright-related text right next to Gary's head.
Wtf?!?

Now, look, I'm just an unfrozen Garamon collector... the mysterious decisions of t-shirt designers frighten and confuse me... but I DO know that this was a mistake... akin to the ruining of a great joke by poor delivery.

""GARAMON" is GARADAMA monster."

Ooooof......

Hell, the whole block of text could've been kept, moved to a sleeve or the back, and the end product would've been worlds better.

Here's what I'm sayin':

Right??

Anyway... let's look at a similar but superior design. Here's M-78's exclusive (and recently sold out) Pygmon shirt, produced for the 40th Ultra-anniversary in 2006:

This is a great shirt. I wish it came in another color besides white (say, pink or tan or a very light green), but that's a minor nitpick. I also wish they'd re-release it, as I slept on it for too long and missed out.

Finally... take a look (though it's a bit hard to see, I know) at Takashi Miike's outfit on the set of Ultraman Max, in this pic taken from August Ragone's ultra-essential Eiji Tsuburaya: Master Of Monsters:

Miike in a Garamaniac stylee!

I have actually seen this shirt come up for auction on YJA a couple of times. The design is kinda cool, in a lazy way: basically, it's a shot of a built-up Kaiyodo Garamon kit.

Now, to take it further, into the realm of accessories... you're really too cool for school if you finish things off with this smart pendant:

...or this handsome watch:

*Okay, six.**

**Okay, none.

Cardass.

What did you just call me?

Take it away, astromonster:

"I think this came as a bonus from an ebay seller in Japan when I ordered a recent book. The collaged group is the backing card, the separate images are peelable stickers. Plus an extry-big closeup for you. The figures appear to be CGI constructs--like the images on the recent Ultraman "Cardass" series.
Cardass.
I just had to write that again."

Yokota rocks

Going through the files, I just came across this pic of the sculpt for the 55cm Eye Scream Garamon (grabbed many moons ago from Temma Sakamoto).

I know I've said it before, but clay-pusher extraordinaire Ken Yokota really outdid himself on this one. I have wanted to interview Yokota for some time, but several leads I followed dead-ended; if anyone out there can help me in this, please give a shout...thanks!

The latest dispatch from our Chicago desk

Alex sent these new scans over, and he sez:

"Ultra Q 5 DaiKaiju TouJou! (Ultra Q 5 Great Monsters Debut!)

Kodama Manga Series Ultra Q

©1965 (this is not a typo)

Kodama Fonosheet Comic--greatly resembling Asahi Sonorama's Sonosheet releases. These days a licensee has an exclusive on the form as well as the content--it would no longer be possible for two different companies to release a flexi-disc comics of the same property.

This is the usual 16-pager, covers included. I haven't scanned it all--just the Gara-pages. Art is anonymous, likely a studio job, but very much in the style of Jiro (Eight Man) Kuwata."

Oh, and I had a great New Jersey vacation...and arrived home to find a fantastically well-kept copy of Ultra Q Graffiti in my mailbox! Thanks again, Mewsugoi!

In zee dark

I did a little pre-vacay cleaning and re-arrangement of the entire crew the other day. Migrated a whole bunch o' the boys from the shelves back into the Gara-Case (a highly-modded Detolf); it's a nice little mob scene in there, once again. I also picked up a great, powerful hand-held blacklight at Spencer's recently for $10...decided to take some psychedelightful snaps for you...enjoy:

Gara-custom eye candy for a(nother) rainy Wednesday

The Bert Gatchalian touch on a red blank Bullmark repro:

This is the preview shot Bert sent to me; this guy is currently winging his way east, and more shots of him will be featured in a future Nerdstrom Collection post.

I stumbled across these pics this morn- custom work by yours truly on a Marmit Para-Baby Garamon:




I did this one a few years ago; as far as I know, it still resides in the collection of Carl Kent-Smith.

Sushi time!

My newfound "cuz" and fellow Garamaniac Bill Nordstrom (whose alter ego may or may not be NORDBOT- all I can tell you is, I've never seen 'em both in the same place at the same time...) and his lovely wife Mika put together this GREAT lil' photocomic- thanks, kids!

CLICK 'EM:

The Nerdstrom Collection, Pt. 10

Pygmon on ice...

Round-up: Interesting Gara-auction pics

Just a couple...first up, a nicer-than-usual build-up of the Bandai styrene kit:


Gotta get around to building mine!
I think I may want to pick up a second kit at some point, and use the spines from it to double the amount of them on a single build...I think that would fill him out nicely and look ver' ver' cool.

Next- okay, this was great to see- wind-up avocado Gary, I believe the manufacturer was called Shinbashi...?




Love it!
I've only seen this toy listed once before, and it's such a great, crazed, hilarious piece.
'Twas snatched up within 8 hours of listing (the buy-it-now price was not at all bad, though still too rich for my blood, at present...oh well...someday...).

The Nerdstrom Collection, Pt. 9

Custom X-Plus Garamon by master pigment-slinger Joe Dunaway...

Round-up: Gara-graphic Greatness, Vol. II

Nice Ultraman Max Pygmon portrait by Kevin Cross:

Holy Fong, I love this one (grabbed from here):


HA!
Grabbin' em!
Right outta the air!
Sans thumbs, even!


Artist unknown...sent over by Alex, natch.

Remind you of anyone?

The Devil Scorpionfish, inspiration to Tohl Narita while he was working on the design for Garamon.

Coppertone

I had Mr. Allred add some highlights to my Atelier G-1 kit build-up (previously seen here)...veddy nice:

Answers From Alex, Part 17

Our main Garamania answer-man, Alex Wald, comes through again...this time with clarifying info about the shots featured in this post...check it:

I saw your new post today and I have the very item those photos came from. In fact, I recommend you track it down- I got mine on eBay years ago. In case you don't already know, it's a book of photos by Kuge Yasuhide Yasuhide and they are indeed of the Tsuburaya kaiju nuigurumi (costumes) --the real thing. AND all this wonderment is accompanied by a CD of sonic delights by Jackie & the Cedrics, Friends of Dean Martinez, and other purveyors of space/surf rock. Highly recommended!!!!

Awesome, and yes, I will most certainly be obtaining a copy- looks dynamite! I'm very curious to find out when exactly these shots were taken...all of the suits look to be in remarkably good shape; from the look of the Gara-suit, I have to think the snaps were taken post-Ultra Q but pre-Pygmon...

Down with OPG

Other People's Garys...

Knittable ガラモン:

...und mit barf:
Fantastical shot of the RAH Garamon by fellow collector Richard ("bxhtouma"):

Oooh, lord...they don't paint 'em like they useta...
Wondrous Bullmark Garamon from the collection of collector "kaiwi":

The Academy of St. Gary In The Fields....

...conducted by Sir Ningen Semimarriner:

Look...if that photo don't move ya...well, then...I think...maybe we should start seeing other people.

Seriously, can someone please esplain to me, me with my very poor (okay- nonexistent) Japanese, what the hell is happening on these three beguiling pages?

Shot after eerily atmospheric shot of klassic ultra-kaiju, including The Crusty One...and if I'm not mistaken...these are homemade suits?!?
Killin' me....

Here are the other amazing shots of Garamon from the first page...


If these are indeed fan-made, the dedication and craftsmanship is superbly awesome, and I need, in a major way, to get in touch with the maker...

This type o' Gary, that type o' Gary...

...and a Gary made o' type...
Thanks, Alex!