Robert DeCastro discusses his Combat-R-Zero vinyl toy icon.

Posted by Administrator
November 9, 2009

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John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

DeCastro: I had been a self taught artist all my life and had been working in the toy industry for several years. As a designer I created 1/6th scale military uniforms and accessories for companies like Ertle, Replay (sister company of Playmates), 21st Century Toys and independent projects with Don Levine and Kirk Bozigian, creators of the 12′ inch GI Joes in the 60′s and 80′s for Hasbro.

In 2005, upon rediscovering old Japanese toys from my childhood, an internet search led me to a site where I discovered “designer vinyl toys”, and a new world opened up. As an artist, this was an exciting new discovery. My illustration work was nearing a dead end, and I had lost interest in designing 1/6th scale military toys. This new genre of art and design was just what I needed to channel my creativity. The experience I’ve had in the toy industry and all the inside contacts I’ve established through the years made it easy to research the complexities of producing limited edition toys. My passion for Japanese pop culture made it clear what kind of toys I wanted to produce for our newly named company, Atomic Mushroom. As I mentioned earlier, I love robots and since few designer are doing robots, it was pretty much a no brainer. So after long sessions on my drawing table I came up with my first design. Combat-R Zero is a commixture of childhood memories of giant superhero robots and the pop culture that shadows it. http://www.atomicmushroomtoys.com/

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