While surfing the net recently, we came across some truly stunning masterpieces: a Hudson fan had the talent and dedication to make custom Bonk and Bomberman toys! We were thrilled to see our little heroes brought to life in such detail (although we were pretty bummed to find that these are one-of-a-kind and not for sale...they would really have spiced up the office!).
Keep reading below for Albert Art's story of how he brought Bonk into the third dimension and check out Part 1 of our exclusive Q&A. Stop back next week for Part 2 of the Q&A and pictures of Albert's Bomberman toy!!
Ever wish you could have a Bonk of your very own? Albert Art didn't just wish, he made one! Here he tells about his toy making experience. Check out his
blog and
portfolio for more pictures and info!
"Pop off their arms and head, and create parts for them. KidRobot's custom vinyl toys are the Mr. Potato Heads of this generation. Having for years been popular in Asia, Europe and more recently North America, Munny's, Dunny's, and other soft figurines have been a designer toy collectors dream. And for the artists who make them, creating these toys is just another way of putting their skills to the test. It's one part urban street art, another part cutesy cartoons, with a touch of disturbing humor, the vinyl toy trend is nothing but cool. You could say it was only time before videogame themed Munny's appeared on the scene, from Emilio Lopez's very sweet Gears of War Munny to my humble little Cave Kid Bonk, the Munny is the idle canvas for big headed Super Deformed characters.
I chose Bonk because of the uncomplicated design of the character. I'm also a huge fan of the franchise having played Bonk's Adventure on the TurboGrafx when I was younger. Along the way I made some stylistic choices as to not make an exact imitation of the character that appeared in the game.
It's quite different from painting on a regular canvas, this is a three-dimensional plastic character after all. Thanks to the Kidrobot forum, though, I was able to get some important questions answered before getting started. The Munny has no feet, but rather little stubs, so I took some super sculpey, carved out some feet and boiled that sucker together. Beats baking it in the oven. I couldn't resist making Bonk a little drumstick too. It's a cave boy essential. Made from super sculpey. The spotted fur he's wearing was actually found at a flea market!
Painting the Munny presented some interesting challenges. For one, I needed a lesson in patience. There were several 'prepping' steps I had to take before painting... like cleaning, priming, and sanding the Munny. Then while painting, waiting for the various layers to dry. After the blood sweat and tears, I can say that I'm pretty pleased with the way Bonk turned out.
I have to admit, arts and crafts has never been this fun before, and I'm already working on another one."
Where are you from and what do you do (besides make sweet Hudson toys)?
I'm from Vancouver, Canada, I work as an animator at a very cool video game company. On the side I do some freelance writing for various video game sites, maintain a couple of blogs (
rez2cool.1up.com and
rez2cool.blogspot.com), do some paintings, and customize vinyl toys. I'm pretty busy!
What is your first Hudson memory?
Definitely Bomberman on the TurboDuo, followed by Bonk's Adventure and Bonk's Revenge. One of my aunts was given a TurboDuo console when she was a journalist for a local newspaper, who at the time, did a story on NEC. Over the summer breaks and after school, I'd play for hours with each of those games. My love for those game characters started here in the early 90's.
What is it about Hudson games that you find appealing?
They're simple, uncomplicated fun. Anyone can pick them up and play fairly quickly, but also there's a certain degree of challenge that keeps me interested in playing them, whether in a multi-player or single player sense. Since I'm really into cartoony graphics (especially back then as a kid), I was impressed with how animated Bonk was. It was quite cartoony. Bomberman on the other hand is quite strategic in gameplay, and was a welcome alternative to your average side-scrolling platformer.
If you had to choose, what is your favorite game?
If I had to pick a favorite Hudson game, it'd obviously be a toss up between Bonk and Bomberman. Specifically Saturn Bomberman, for the Sega Saturn. It featured dinosaurs that could jump, a 10-player multi-player mode, and even an online mode which blew my mind. Online back then was not very common. The multi-player aspect was impressive, and was perfect for friends and family. Surprisingly, people still play the game at events like the Penny Arcade Expo.
Check back next week for Part 2 of our Q&A with Albert and for a peek at his one-of-a-kind Bomberman toy! 
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