It's one of the first things I do in the morning, even before I get coffee. I check the status of Shin Tanaka's site to see if anything new has been released. It's a bit manic, I know, but there are few things worse [relative to collecting paper toys, to put it in perspective] than having to be reminded of a toy you can not have. You see, Shin has a nasty habit of pulling the carpet out from under those of us who have made it a point to get their hands on whatever he makes available. One minute it's there for the mouse click, free for all, and the next minte it's gone.

Perverse. Unkind. Downright mean. But the habit lends an exclusitivity to his paper that many fellow designers would love to have attached to their own toys. And I get it, I do, and so I check, and check, and re-check, to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Which made the wait between the last release, and this newest one, all the more agonizing.

But joy, oh joy when yesterday morning I woke up, bleary eyed [remember, no coffee yet] and found this beauty. I love the South American vibe, and of course the colors. The textures are splendid and the build is a joy. Sitting there it seems so simple, but when you realize this comes from a piece of paper, and then what it must have taken to engineer it, it's easy to understand why Shin's toys are held in such high regard.

Begin your mania HERE.