Kaiju Grubs - Series 1

Another fun project I was doing along side the larger beetle kit I shared recently! I'm hoping to share some painted versions soon. Sculpted digitally, prototyped and produced in resin.

KAIJU GRUBS - SERIES 1 -

The first collection of Kaiju Grub specimens has arrived!

"Long before the towering Kaiju emerge, their larval forms remain hidden around the world.”

Each specimen is available individually or together as a pack.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/IkamekaArt

KAIJU GRUBS - SERIES 1 - SOLD SEPARATELY or COMPLETE SET
The first collection of Kaiju Grub specimens has arrived.
"Long before the towering Kaiju emerge, their larval forms remain hidden around the world."

Each specimen has been assigned a designation and code name.

Specimen 001 - Egao
Egao spends much of its larval stage in dense forests, storing energy for a transformation few have witnessed. The species' unusual facial markings have inspired countless legends, with some cultures believing an Egao's smile is an omen of good fortune. Others insist the opposite is true.

Specimen 002 - Toge
Known for its dense plated hide and powerful mandibles. Geological surveys have revealed cavern systems large enough to house creatures of impossible scale, yet no mature Toge has ever been recovered. Only the tunnels remain.

Specimen 003 - Oshika
Oshika's dramatic cranial horn continues to grow throughout its lifespan, eventually becoming a formidable weapon. Mature Oshika are exceedingly rare. No one knows where they go once they take to the skies.

FEATURES
• Approximately 3 inches (7 cm) tall
• Each grub comes in 3 parts (head, body, base)
• Professionally keyed for assembly
• Highly detailed sculpt with layered organic surfaces and intricate anatomy
• Designed for hobbyists, painters, and garage kit collectors
• Colors will vary depending on resin mixture

WHAT'S INCLUDED
• Complete unassembled model and display base
• All parts required to build the creature shown
• Protective packaging for safe shipment

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
• Each specimen is sold separately.
• A bundle discount is available when purchasing the complete Series 1 collection.
• This is an unassembled and unpainted resin garage kit.

As with most garage kits, some preparation may be required before assembly and painting. Certain parts may contain minor support marks, layer lines, or small surface imperfections that can be easily addressed through standard hobby cleanup techniques such as sanding, filling, and priming.

Assembly, painting, glue, tools, and finishing materials are not included.

MANUFACTURER:
Created by: Kurt Papstein
Email: admin [!at] artofkurt.com
Every stage of production was completed by myself in my home studio, from the original digital sculpt and engineering to printing, prototyping, test fitting, and final kit preparation.

Product safety:
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD & RESIN SAFETY
• Contains small parts. Not intended for children under 14 years of age. Keep out of reach of pets.
• Dust mask (N95 or equivalent) and eye protection are recommended during sanding. Work in a well-ventilated area or use wet-sanding techniques to minimize airborne dust.
• Wash hands thoroughly after handling unpainted resin components. Do not ingest.
• Fully cured resin parts and cured sanding dust may be disposed of with standard household plastic waste where permitted by local regulations.

Manufacturer(s):

Created by: Kurt Papstein
Email: admin [!at] artofkurt.com

Product safety:

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD & RESIN SAFETY
Small Parts: Contains small pieces. Not for children under 14 years. Keep out of reach of pets.
Inhalation Hazard: Unassembled garage kit. Dust mask (N95) and eye protection required during sanding. Work in a well-ventilated area or use wet-sanding to prevent dust inhalation.
Skin Irritation: Wash hands thoroughly after handling unpainted resin components. Do not ingest.
If necessary, fully cured resin pieces and cured sanding dust can be disposed of with standard household plastic waste.

Beetle Kaiju - garage kit

Limited run of 25 units. Designed, sculpted, engineered, tested and packaged in my home studio. Made of tough flexible resin, soft to the touch and retains detail.

Thanks to all who’ve picked one up!

Still have a few available on my store, https://www.etsy.com/shop/IkamekaArt

Each kit includes an instruction booklet and certificate of authenticity

BEETLE KAIJU - SERIES 1 - Limited Edition Model Kit 1:35th Scale
A towering insectoid creature brought to life as a highly detailed model kit for collectors, painters, and creature enthusiasts.

This project began as a personal challenge to create a creature that felt both believable and unsettling. A specimen that might have crawled straight out of a forgotten forest. Over the course of many months, the sculpt evolved through countless revisions, test prints, failures, redesigns, and refinements before reaching its final form.

Every stage of production was completed by myself in my home studio, from the original digital sculpt and engineering to printing, prototyping, test fitting, and final kit preparation.

FEATURES
• Approximately 10 inches (25 cm) tall when assembled
• 29 individual resin parts
• Professionally keyed for assembly
• Highly detailed sculpt with layered organic surfaces and intricate anatomy
• Designed for hobbyists, painters, and garage kit collectors
• Limited first production run of only 25 kits

WHAT'S INCLUDED
• Complete unassembled resin garage kit
• All parts required to build the creature shown
• Certificate of authenticity
• Protective packaging for safe shipment

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This is an unassembled and unpainted resin garage kit intended for experienced hobbyists and model builders.

As with most garage kits, some preparation may be required before assembly and painting. Certain parts may contain minor support marks, layer lines, or small surface imperfections that can be easily addressed through standard hobby cleanup techniques such as sanding, filling, and priming.

Assembly, painting, glue, tools, and finishing materials are not included.

LIMITED FIRST RUN
Only 25 kits are being produced in this initial release. Each kit is carefully inspected, packaged, and prepared by hand.

Thank you for supporting independent artists and creature design. Every purchase directly helps fund future sculptures, creature concepts, and garage kit releases.

Whether displayed raw, professionally painted, or customized into your own interpretation, I hope this creature finds a worthy place in your collection.

Manufacturer(s):

Created by: Kurt Papstein
Email: admin@artofkurt.com

Product safety:

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD & RESIN SAFETY
Small Parts: Contains small pieces. Not for children under 14 years. Keep out of reach of pets.
Inhalation Hazard: Unassembled garage kit. Dust mask (N95) and eye protection required during sanding. Work in a well-ventilated area or use wet-sanding to prevent dust inhalation.
Skin Irritation: Wash hands thoroughly after handling unpainted resin components. Do not ingest.
If necessary, fully cured resin pieces and cured sanding dust can be disposed of with standard household plastic waste.

Reindeer - Christmas '25

Here’s something that’s a little different from my usual stuff, for Christmas this year I wanted to make a cute lil’ guy for my brother. He’s been collecting some of my printing experiments that are usually failures, putting them on display. Typically these are pumpkins, monsters, mutants. At his request, I agreed to do something cute and cheerful for the holiday. Something intentional and not just another printing error.

To start, I sculpted this little guy in ZBrush with a quick Polypaint pass to get an idea of how it will look. I then spent some time slicing him up, keying the parts, and getting him supported for print.

Of course, then came the errors. I was honestly suprised because I’ve been printing a ton with no problem! Come to find out, the resin tray had a micro-leak, resulting in resin gradually pooling underneath the tray and curing. Creating these gnarly wounds in the first batch of Reindeer!

Eventually, I decided to stop playing around and went with the “flexible” tough resin. pictured below. This stuff stinks, but it sure is reliable.

Painting began, pretty basic with the airbrush and hand painting the snow on the antlers, no masking yet.

Eventually I busted out the masking tape. I know there are better options out there, but at the time all I had was this blue construction tape. It still did the job!

The final shots of this lil’ Reindeer -

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!
- Kurt

Life Drawing - 2025

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I wasn’t able to attend as many sessions as I would’ve liked, but life happens (pun intended). Still, I’m happy to see some progress towards the end of the year, pushing a little bit and finding some rhythm with the medium.

May 5th Session

August 2nd Session

September 19th Session

December 1st Session

December 15th Session

Beetles and Bugs Updates

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First and foremost, Happy New Year! 2026, wow!
It’s been a minute. Haven’t been blogging much, most of my updates have been on Instagram, but honestly I’ve been missing the blog format. It’s dated, but it’s a great way of keeping track of works in progress. Gives a better glimpse than just a Reel or Story post.

Anyways, I’ve been doing a ton of work with resin! 3d printing has pretty much consumed my artistic life, and it’s been extremely refreshing.

This is a big post, lots to catch up on! ~

Little Bugs

Lots of these little guys! Hoping to make them available soon for everyone to paint. They’ve been fun to design and noodle on.

The first test prints, they feel solid in your hand!

Another design I’m toying with.

Resin Kits

Everyone’s seen this guy a bunch, it’s been a project I repurpose year after year. Always something new I’m trying with him it seems. Rendering, NFTs (cringe), prints.

Lately he’s been the subject of a garage kit build! Below are some progress shots of the journey. There’s been a lot of challenges with him, the scale is difficult. Very very delicate.

The first round of prints were done with a high-res 8k resin. Captures the details perfectly, unfortunately proved to be extremely brittle with the thinner limbs.

local IPA for scale ;)

Slicing has been done, and redone. Lost count of how many revisions of this guy I have. Trying to make sure it’s done right and can be reproduced consistently. Supports have been redone countless times as well, trying to find that sweet spot with the printers and resin types.

Production is rolling!

In the Gallery

Featured in the local Redwood Arts Association Gallery show: Beyond The Page 2025
Very cool to see my work on display in my home town.

Flexible Resin Kits

The latest and greatest iteration of the kit, in a new “flexible” resin! The results are fantastic. The final result is a durable, detailed, somewhat soft to the touch kit that is ready for a coat of paint!

There’s still more I have to test before I call this one ready for release… But it’s on the right track!

Splitgate 2 Announcement Trailer

Excited that our announcement trailer dropped today!

Proud of this team and all the hard work we’ve put into this project so far. I joined the team back in September of 2023, and I’m constantly blown away by the talent here. Looking forward to release day!

Inktober week 1

While I’m not following any prompts and I’m not technically using real ink… I’m using Inktober to flex my drawing muscles some! Using only ink brushes in Procreate on the iPad pro. Here’s to week one! Only three more to go!

TK Cornelius and The Fight of The Next: Pre-Orders Available!

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𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘​. Acquire your ​𝘾𝙊𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙐𝙎 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙉𝙀𝙓𝙏 ​Limited Edition Polystone Statue today before they’re gone! #preorder #nowlive #ashleywood #7174 #tomorrowkings #level52studios #cornelius #art #arttoy #statue #collectible #premium #level52 #collectibles #limitededition

Pre-Order

Monsterpalooza / SDCC19

I realize it’s been a while since I’ve updated anything here, social media makes it easy to just blast your work on their platforms while forgetting your own hub.

Lets start with Monsterpalooza!

Had a great time debuting my sculpt, The Hound at the show! Both large and small scales, I was really blown away by the production quality and paintwork done by the talented folks at Level52 Studios. The fan reception to seeing the wolf was outstanding, it really means a lot to hear all the positivity and interest! I will be announcing soon when the pre-orders will be available, as well as Frank! Don’t worry you haven’t missed it yet.

On top of that, the prototype of my Tomorrow King sculpt was debuted at Monsterpalooza! Again the fan reception was great, which means a lot as a fellow collector to Ashley Wood’s work. This has been a dream project of mine, so it was great to see it come to life on the floor.

next up, San Diego Comic Con 2019

SDCC was a blast as well. It was really nice being able to connect with Ash and the fans at his gallery booth as we unveiled the painted prototype of his Cornelius vs TK Hunter Premium Statue! Seems like everyone’s excited!

A big thank you to Level52 Studios for bringing me on board for these projects and hosting my work at their tables! And of course to Ashley Wood for entrusting us with his work!

You can follow me here for upcoming release dates and information on Frank and the Werewolf. Also check my social media for more regular updates and art!

Thanks again all!
- Kurt

Ashley Wood + Level 52 Studios

2019 is looking up!!!

I'm so excited! This is a dream opportunity as both a fan and collector. I'll be helping the awesome crew at Level 52 with this new adventure into the worlds of Ashley Wood!

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It's an all new year, and we've got an all new license. The Level52 Studios team is proud to publicly announce our new partnership with international artist Ashley Wood and the World of 7174 to bring you thrilling new lines of collectible statues from the Popbot universe featuring Tomorrow Kings, Tomorrow Queens and more.

Skillfully crafted to embody the drama, grit, and voltaic pugnacity of Ashley Wood's iconic artwork, these limited edition Dynamic Format statues will delight fans in a range of scales. Keep an eye on our instagram @level52_studios and @ashleywoodart for future behind-the-scenes updates on prototype development, exclusive colorway reveals, and other related announcements. - Level 52 Studios

Wild Beyond!

Officially Announced!

I've had the pleasure of working on this title for the last few years here at PocketGems, under the Strange Sevens Studio team. I can't wait to show more of what we've been making here.

Making characters is my passion, and this project really allowed me to explore a range of designs across the many factions in the game. I helped design the look, had a hand in the character concepts, models/textures, production pipe, and even some marketing and cinematic work!

INC ART DUMP!!! Stay tuned ;)

Kurt

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