Toy Review of HUÈXÖLOTL & Interview with Chauskoskis
In the video featured below, I reviewed the "Black Obsidian" colorway of @chauskoskis' brand new sofubi character creation known as "HUÈXÖLOTL 怪獣" (which I'd mistakenly mentioned as "Onyx" in the review video, apologies), and admittedly intentionally avoided pronouncing the character's full name (and continue to be confounded listening to it online :p)... :p
Featured here are still images I'd snapped of the 9.4" tall Japanese vinyl figure, along with a lil'INTERVIEW with Walter Jacott AKA Chauskoskis (Features on TOYSREVIL) about his toy-journey with this beastie, and catch up with what's happening in his toylife!
TOYSREVIL: After years of sculpting for other artists and toy brands, customizing and designing for other toy forms, is this your first all-original character creation?
CHAUSKOSKIS: It's not actually, but I see why some might think that. I do treat most of my customs as all originals, the key for me is thinking as if I had designed the base figure, or sometimes only as a structure for my design. Very rarely (do) I work on a piece that I consider a "custom".
TOYSREVIL: Fair enough, the consummate! creator! RESPECT! (*Not that I didn't have any in the first please, far from the truth!) ~ Why the "HUÈXÖLOTL"? What led to the decision? How was the design and creation process like for you? Compared to past projects?
CHAUSKOSKIS: It was just meant to be. Everything seemed to fall in place on its own. I'm Mexican, but rarely I use any of my mexican heritage or culture to create characters, I don't overly use the lucha libre, Aztec, Day of the Death etc themes. But being a lifelong Kaiju fan, I knew I wanted a Sofubi. I don't think the turkey was the first idea but once I had it in my mind, it was the ONE.
CHAUSKOSKIS: The Japanese word "Kaiju" means "strange beast" or "strange creature", Turkeys for the Aztecs were called "Huehxolotl", which roughly translates as "Big monster" or "old Monster", you can't just make that up! Add to that it's look, if I had to make a mexican monster who could fight Godzilla it had to be a turkey, those guys are ugly but beautiful at the same time.
TOYSREVIL: From figure, to fold out insert, to header card - walk us through your intents and design, please!
CHAUSKOSKIS: This is a great follow up for the second question. The idea was clear in my mind the moment it crossed my mind. I wanted to tell a story. I wanted to have a concept, not just make a random figure with no reason behind it. Probably I have the original sketch around. (I never throw away a piece of paper with a drawing, problem is to find it) probably I have sketches for every single figure I made (and not made) over the past 13-14 years ...
CHAUSKOSKIS: The idea is that Huehxolot was a real beast that existed hundreds of years ago. It's a creature that appears out of the waters every few centuries, its last record was in 1521, it appeared in the center of Mexico where the Aztecs had their empire, and it destroyed their whole civilization. History tells it was the Spaniards who came to conquer, but that history is just a cover up for the disturbing truth.
CHAUSKOSKIS: The Booklet or "Aztec Codex" is supposed to be a tell-tale through the eyes of the only aztec who survived the attack. For this I did lots of research, I had to contain myself because the more I was working on the history the more I wanted to make. and the last thing I worked on was the header art - which has a particular history behind it, but I'm leaving that for later. I'm in love with it as much as with the figure.
TOYSREVIL: How long did it take from sculpt to finally receiving the sofubi in your hand for the first time? How did it feel? Was it what you expected to feel?
CHAUSKOSKIS: YEARS! like 5? So many setbacks with this project, for those deep in the sofubi scene my figure got stuck in a very infamous situation with the intermediary between many of the artists and the factories in Japan. It took maybe a year from my sketch to the prototype and to the wax stage and first pull, then maybe 3 years recovering / finding my molds, then getting a new intermediary, had some issues there that delayed everything half a year, then I started to work really in the header art, and the codex.
At that point I just didn't care about time, I just knew that after waiting years to release it, it had to be released the way I pictured in my head the first day. It had to make me happy even if no one bought me one. This project became a project of love for the art and persistence.
CHAUSKOSKIS: So it had ups and downs, mostly downs, So you can imagine how much it warms my heart seeing it landing all over the world in so different hands. from some great artists from different disciplines , painters, sculptors, illustrators and collectors.
TOYSREVIL: Ouch. Thanks for sharing though. For folks outside of the "makers"-scene, we are generally oblivious to the process, joys and pains in bringing a collectible concept to "toylife", and sometimes take for granted what we see on the toy-shelves in-store and online, IMHO. How long have you been in this toy scene/culture/industry?
CHAUSKOSKIS: Jeez... officially I made my very first custom in 2008, so that's almost 13 years? But I've been a sculptor my whole life, I just didn't know then there was a "scene" or culture or name behind what I was doing since I had been a kid.
TOYSREVIL: From your experience and what you know now - what is the one thing that you would tell the 13-years-ago-YOU?
CHAUSKOSKIS: This ride ain't gonna be as fun as it sounds so get ready.
TOYSREVIL: Please share with TOYSREVIL readers - both long-time and new readers - WHO is "Chauskoskis"? What have you been doing? And what you are doing next!
CHAUSKOSKIS: For good or bad I'm a guy who has a lifelong passion for what I do, a creative, who for the past decade enjoyed creating characters. If I had the means I would put a sculpture or a toy every day of the year. boxes full of drawings and ideas waiting and wanting to be made patiently stare at me.
CHAUSKOSKIS: "What's next"? Hopefully a few things coming this year, (including) some collaborations, some new productions (unfortunately I fund myself and making toys ain't cheap). But I'm planning to be in full force this year - so many things are being cooking right now.
Thanks for all the support over all these years, Andy! Since you make me go in memory lane for a bit here, let me tell you that you made the first post about one of my pieces back in 2009.
THANK YOU for your time and patience, Walter, and Thank You for giving me an opportunity to own your creation! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
