The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Inspired Stormtrooper: Spaghetti Space Western

Because there will never be enough Star Wars merchandise in the world, Merchoid is selling this The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly-inspired stormtrooper statue. Complete with a cowboy hat and poncho, this stormtrooper is clearly ready to set out on his trusty steed (read: speeder bike) and seek his fortune. And if only he could hit the broad side of a barn with his blaster, he might actually stand a chance.

The statue measures approximately 18 cm (7 inches) tall and is cast from “the finest resin.” Not to be confused with just fine or finer resin, this is the finest resin, presumably mined from some planet in the Akkadese Maelstrom and used to cover the smuggling of glitterstim from Kessel. I’m not a Star Wars nerd; you are!

While the statue may have been made with the finest resin, it does not appear to have been made with the finest painting technique, with even the official product shots appearing as if they were painted by someone who assumed customers don’t have the same high standard in paint jobs as they do resin quality. That’s a shame, too, because I almost had my wife’s credit card out.

[via GeeksAreSexy]

Fauna series shows three almost-extinct species in Latin America

There are a lot of endangered species in our world right now, whether they’re flora or fauna. Some of these we’re already familiar with due to various campaigns from ecological organizations. But there are a lot that we may not know are already on the endangered list or we don’t even know they actually exist. Products that bring awareness to these and that are made from eco-friendly materials are always welcome to bring awareness and also to hopefully convince people to change some of their eco-harming habits.

Designers: Juan Carlos Franco and Jose Bermudez

These two designers decided to “abstract the essential form” of three particular animals that are currently in the endangered list in Mexico and Latin America. All these figurines are made using low-tech machinery and natural materials like oak and walnut. The main purpose of these concept designs is to have something on your desk to remind you of these almost-extinct animals and to have a piece of art at the same time.

Hearing the word “water monster” brings to mind the mysterious Loch Ness or other horror movie creatures. But there’s an actual animal called the axolotl or the Mexican water monster or walking fish that is in danger of just becoming a part of history or even mythology. This is an amphibian that can regenerate its limbs and some of its vital organs, something that is of interest to the medical community. But by this year, it is believed that the water monster will be extinct as it has disappeared from its natural habitat. The figurine they designed recreates its gills by giving it six limbs on top of an elongated body.

The Andean bear meanwhile is currently endangered due to poaching and loss of its natural habitat. There were only around 18,250 of these so-called spectacled bears as of 2004 and the numbers have been getting smaller over the years. They are important to the Colombian and Argentinian ecosystem as it opens trails that helps the mobility of the other species. The abstract rendering of this mid-sized bear is a simple brown bear-like body with black ears. It is made from solid French oak or American walnut.

The last one in this fauna series is a bit more familiar to most of us who have watched the animated movie Rio. Unfortunately, the blue macaw that was the inspiration for the movie is now officially extinct since 2018. The good news is that there are still several species of macaws in the world but even they are in danger of becoming extinct. Their interpretation of the macaw is a dark blue colored bird with a brown beak.

The post Fauna series shows three almost-extinct species in Latin America first appeared on Yanko Design.

Stormtroopers Playing Poker Figurine: Betting on The Empire

Because when it rains, it pours stormtroopers, hot on the white-booted heels of yesterday’s stormtrooper bookends, comes this figurine of four stormtroopers playing poker. So, if you were ever wondering what stormtroopers do in their time off from missing targets and holding books up, apparently it’s play cards. And from the look of things, one player has his blaster at his side ready to ‘Han shot first’ the rest of the gamblers in the event he loses. High stakes!

Created by Nemesis Now and available through Merchoid, the figure is cast from poly-resin and hand-painted. It measures approximately 7.2″ tall and is sure to be a conversation piece at your next get-together. Presumably, a conversation that goes something like, “Wow, there really is a market for Star Wars everything, isn’t there?”

Will stormtroopers playing poker be the new dogs playing poker? I doubt it. But did that stop me from buying a truckload of these figurines hoping to resell them on eBay for a profit? No, sadly, my credit card being declined did. Apparently, you’re supposed to pay them back monthly.

This Lucky Cat Has One Giant Muscle Arm

Because there’s a market for absolutely everything, this is a good luck Maneki-neko (“beckoning cat”) statue with a giant muscle arm. Obviously, if the luck it brings is directly proportional to the protein shakes the cat has had, you’re in for a metric ton of good luck.

Available in both a 9-inch $70 and 13-inch $120 model (affiliate link), the cat is also wearing some cool cat sunglasses, so of all the good luck cats, this is the coolest good luck cat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t actually wave, leading me to question whether it can actually provide any good fortune at all.

How many did I just buy? That depends on who’s asking. If you’re my wife, I didn’t buy any at all. If you’re anybody else, I bought two for each room of the house. How will I explain all the giant muscle arm good luck cats when she notices them? The same way I explained all of our dogs: they just wandered in and made themselves at home.

[via DudeIWantThat]

These Stonks collectible figurines celebrate the biggest Reddit vs Wall Street memes of the year!

Can you believe the Salt Bae phenomenon was literally 4 years ago?? The internet knows how to move fast, quickly flitting from one topic to the next, and this year we can all agree that the GameStop saga had everyone’s attention. It started with the Reddit group r/WallStreetBets banding together to take on hedge-funds that were targeting the share price of GameStop, a brick and mortar game retail store. While the hedge-funds had shorted the stock massively, an entire warrior-clan of Redditors decided to buy the company’s stocks, taking them so high that multiple hedge-funds went into severe losses.

Far be it for a design site to discuss market speculation, but here at Yanko Design, we’re more captivated by these adorable vinyl figurines that were born out of this modern financial revolution! Say hello to Stonks and his alter-ego Stinks, two collectibles from Youtooz that stand at 5-inches tall and perfectly embody the pop-culture element of this movement. Clad in the classic suit and tie, while standing in front of an arrow chart that either indicates growth or decline (or a bull or bear run if you’re fancy), Stonks and Stinks are memes brought to life, and I honestly have never wanted something so ridiculous this bad! Both figures are a part of a limited-edition and are priced at $30 each. Grab one before their value quadruples on eBay!

Designer: Youtooz

Great Scott! Watch an Artist Sculpt a Tiny Doc Brown Sculpture from Scratch

Juliana Lepine makes all kinds of intricate figurines from clay, and it’s always a treat to watch her create new life out of nothing. She usually starts with a skeleton and builds the face right on top like a forensics genius. In the video below she makes one of her coolest creations yet. Doc Emmett Brown from Back to the Future.

First she puts some eyes on the skeleton, then adds a bit of skin and that’s when the sculpting magic begins. Doc Brown comes to life before our very eyes. The she builds his body with some wire and a skeleton. There are also some layers of foil and masking tape. After that she adds the skin and sculpts it to perfection. And since you can’t have Doc Brown running around naked with Marty, she dresses him up in some screen-accurate clothing.

The level of detail that she puts into each handmade piece is just incredible. I mean, just look at his sneakers alone. She even gave him his remote control accessory. When it is all done, we have a droolworthy sculpture that any fan would pay dearly to own and add to their collection.

Rock Your Star Wars Pride in Style This May the Fourth

Celebrate the awesomeness that was Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by getting your hands on this cool collector’s box, filled with some great loot. The Rogue One: A Star Wars Story NEFF Collector’s Box is jam-packed with goodies that only a true Star Wars fan would own. Plus, it’s on sale for $79 (USD) – that’s 27% off the regular price. And you can use code MAYTHEFOURTH for an additional 10% off.

With the collectibles in this box, you’ll be able to rock your Star Wars pride in style. Get a NEFF collector’s t-shirt, two pieces of NEFF collector’s headwear, a Funko figurine, a signed Star Wars novel, and a whole lot more. There’s over $150 worth of goodies in each box.

Proclaim your Rogue One appreciation with this collector’s box. It’s on sale now for only $79 in the Technabob Shop. Don’t forget to use promo code MAYTHEFOURTH.

Official Undertale Figurines Are Gonna Be Your Besties

Undertale fans, your wallets are about to get dunked on. Fangamer will be releasing official figurines based on the game’s characters with the help of toy sculptor Gijs Van Kooten. The first wave of figurines consists of the Human, Lesser Dog, Papyrus, Toriel and Sans. Undyne is not going to be happy about this. Each figure ranges from 2.5″ to 3.6″ tall.

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The figurines will cost $15 (USD) each, but you can also buy all five for $70. There’s no release date yet, but you can have Fangamer send you an email when they’re available.

[via Siliconera]

Transistor Red Figurine Awaits Her Turn()

Supergiant Games collaborated with We Love Fine for its first ever figurine. The limited-edition collectible is a cartoony version of Red from the developer’s hit action RPG Transistor. I haven’t finished the game yet so I think this is the first time I’ve seen Red smile. Good for her!

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The figurine stands 6″ tall and is wielding The Transistor. It comes in a translucent box so you finicky collectors can both admire and preserve her.

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Jaunt() to Supergiant Games’ store and pre-order the figurine for $35 (USD).

[via Super Punch]