Artist Spotlight: Max Toy Co, Mark Nagata and 21 Years of American Kaiju
Max Toy Co is done. Mark Nagata closed the web store at the end of April 2026, 21 years after he started putting American made kaiju into soft vinyl. He calls it semi retirement. For collectors that means one simple thing: no more new Max Toy releases, ever. What is out there is all there is. We have been stocking Max Toy for years, and right now there are over 140 pieces in the shop, from $18 gacha pulls to signed micro run customs. Here is who Nagata is, why his toys matter, and what is still on the shelf.
Artist Spotlight
1st Clear Yellow Negora, Sealed
Clear yellow vinyl with the classic fish detail sealed inside the figure. Hold it up to the light and the fish appear. This is Max Toy’s first edition Negora, never cracked out of the original burlap bag. Header is not included, and that is the only knock on it. Brand new condition on a piece from the earliest days of Max Toy. Sealed examples do not come around often, and now that the company is closed, they never will again.
$249 In stock View →
From Goosebumps Covers to Kaiju
Nagata’s story is a good one. California kid raised on comic books and classic Japanese monster shows. He went to the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, then spent over ten years as a commercial illustrator working for Lucasfilm, DC Comics, Hasbro and Sony. His paintings are on more than 40 covers of the Give Yourself Goosebumps book series. If you grew up in the 90s, you have probably held his art without knowing it.
In 2001 he co-founded Super7 magazine, covering vintage Japanese vinyl back when almost nobody in the States cared. In 2005 he went all the way in and started Max Toy Company: original kaiju like Eyezon, Drazoran and Alien Xam, a hero line around Captain Maxx and Lady Maxx, licensed Tsuburaya monsters, and collabs with half the artists in the scene. His personal collection of vintage Japanese toys even got its own museum show, Kaiju vs Heroes at the Japanese American National Museum in 2018.
The family line is not done either. His son Max Nagata is making his own sofubi now. But the Max Toy catalog itself is closed. Finite. That changes how you look at every piece below.
Eyezon, the House Kaiju
Eyezon is Nagata’s signature monster, the one with the big eye staring out of its belly. It has been released in more colorways than anyone can count, and it is the sculpt other artists line up to customize. Our Eyezon wall runs deep.
Golden Eye Iridescent Kaiju Eyezon
Hold this one to bright light and teal shimmer shows up all through the figure. Whether it is iridescent vinyl or paint does not matter, the effect is mesmerizing. Gold and black accents finish the colorway. Incredible in hand, pictures do not do it justice. Loose, no packaging, like new condition.
$229 In stock View →
Konatsu Black on Grey King Negora
Negora is the cat kaiju created by Japanese artist Konatsu, and Max Toy is the company that put her monster cat into vinyl. This King Negora runs grey vinyl with black and gold painted details, one of the most sophisticated colorways we have had on the sculpt. Classic Konatsu look. Loose, no packaging, like new condition. If you just want the cat on your desk, the micro Negoras come in a pile of colors at $27 each.
$229 In stock View →
The Tsuburaya Line
Max Toy held a license most sofubi makers only dream about: Tsuburaya Productions, the studio behind Ultraman and Ultra Q. Nagata put out Ultraman, Booska, Garamon, Zazahn, Gomess and more, all in proper Japanese made soft vinyl with colorways you will not find anywhere else.
Shin Ultraman Black Gomess
Black vinyl with reddish, silver and more paint. This is the Shin Ultraman take on Gomess, released as a DCon 2023 exclusive. Sweet sofubi, just landed in the shop this month. Loose, comes with header only, like new condition.
$129 In stock View →
Pink US Edition Lady Maxx
Max Toy was never just monsters. Nagata built a whole hero universe around Captain Maxx, and Lady Maxx is its leading lady. This US Edition runs flesh vinyl with pink and silver paint, and it includes an alternate head for display. Loose, no packaging, like new condition. Her villain counterpart Masked Lady Darkness is in stock too, same price.
$99 In stock View →
The Collab Wall
Nagata collaborated constantly, and the customs are where Max Toy prices are headed now that the well is capped. These are tiny runs, most of them signed and numbered.
Nagata x Jeff Lamm x Clutter Kaaarg
Three way collab. Jeff Lamm and Clutter provided the vinyl, Nagata handled the paint. Green base with blue, purple, green and more paint in his signature style. Signed on the bottom, dated 2020, numbered 3 of 5. A true micro run. Loose, no packaging, like new condition.
$279 In stock View →
- Javier Jimenez Gangsta Kaiju Eyezon, signed on both feet, numbered 2 of 5. The top piece on the wall at $399.
- Obsessed Panda Alien Xam 2.0, glow vinyl micro run, new in bag with header. $265.
- Teresa Chiba custom glow Kibunadon, painted for the Kaiju Girls show back in 2015. Amazing in hand. $149.
- Candie Bolton Pink Kitsura, pink vinyl with yellow and black. $99.
Metallic Purple Tripus 2.0
The big vinyl. Max Toy’s massive Tripus 2.0 absolutely covered in metallic purple, blue and red paint, heavy enough that the finish reads almost chrome. Serious shelf presence. Loose, no bag or header, like new condition. Want big without the paint? The Rainy Day Kaiju Dualos is clear blue vinyl at Max Toy’s largest scale, new in bag, $199.
$265 In stock View →
Getting In Under $40
Not every Max Toy piece is collab money. The minis, micros and gacha figures are the easiest way to put a real Nagata kaiju on your desk while that is still possible.
Brown Mini Drazoran
Brown vinyl with red, white and more paint. Just added this week. Straight talk: there is a slight bit of paint wear on one tooth and the tip of the top horn, priced accordingly. Otherwise nice condition and it still displays well. Nice figure.
$34 In stock View →
- One Eye Gacha Eyezons in grey, flesh, brown and glow. $38 each.
- Micro Kaiju Negoras in cream, flesh, yellow, red, brown, army green and tan. $27 each.
- Mecha Nekorons in six colorways, glow included. $28 each.
- Medicom VAG Series 4 Red Buster One, the cheapest Max Toy in the shop at $18.
Sold Out / The Ones That Got Away
Gone from the shop, listed for the record. This is what the aftermarket chase looks like now.
- Blobpus Custom Painted Tripus, sold at $299.
- Paul Kaiju Glowing Alien Argus, sold at $165.
- 16th Release SDCC 2012 White and Blue Negora, sold at $99.
- 9th Release Wonder Festival Red Negora, sold at $99.
- One Up Izon Clear Rainbow Kaiju Eyezon, sold at $249.
- Mad Monk x Mark Nagata Galaxy Custom Mad Moon, sold at $349.
The Catalog Is Finite Now
Every Max Toy figure that exists has already been made. That is a strange thing to type, but it is the situation. When a colorway sells through, that is it. Browse the full Max Toy Co section while the wall is still deep, and pour one out for 21 years of American kaiju. Thanks, Mark. Fun stuff, all of it.
