RELEASE INFORMATION
Release date 20 OCTOBER 2019
Sold direct AND EXCLUSIVELY VIA YOYOEXPERT
Retail 379.99 USD (BOTH RAW AND GOLD)
RAW AND ELECTROPLATED TITANIUM
49 MADE (29 RAW, 16 GOLD,4 ROSE GOLD)
ONLY ONE ROSE GOLD WAS AVAILABLE FOR SALE
Diameter 52mm, Width 40mm, Gap 4.4mm
Weight 67G
M4 x 8mm axle
CONCAVE C bearing
STANDARD 19MM RESPONSE
THE BAPEZILLA STORY
The founders of Anti-Yo were Kiya Babzani and Sonny Patrick, but Elon Musk and Peter Thiel were early Anti-Yo investors. Kind of… okay, not really, no. A close friend of the Anti-Yo guys worked at PayPal when it was still part of eBay and got them a great deal on machining yo-yos. This deal made starting Anti-Yo financially feasible. The Anti-Yo owners used to pick up hundreds of pounds of yo-yos, including the Bapezilla, from this friend’s souped-up Honda Civic in the PayPal corporate parking space.
The Eetsit and Bapezilla came about as the guys at Anti-Yo wanted something more pocket friendly than their first model, the Fluchs. The lips of the Bapezilla were heavily inspired by the O-Rings on the Dif-E-Yo Sportster, which was Sonny’s favorite yo-yo at that time.
The name Bapezilla was inspired by the streetwear brand A Bathing Ape, affectionately known as BAPE, that had gained popularity in the yo-yo scene at that time. During the assembly of the green and blue anodized halves, the name Bapezilla was born. This colorway has attained legendary status today, with other brands adopting the same name.
The Bapezilla used recessed Baz response pads, a C-sized bearing, and a thick black axle. With manufacturing technology not as precise as the tight tolerances achievable today, vibe was a huge problem back in the day. The Bapezilla was notoriously difficult to tune as the axle had to be right smack in the center of the yo-yo - if it was screwed more into one side, the yo-yo would have terrible vibe. If there was wear on the axle, a little Teflon tape would fix it somewhat.
Fun fact: all the money Anti-Yo made off the Bapezilla was spent flying the Anti-Yo team to the Bay Area to hang out!
THE YO-YO
It is no secret that many yo-yo players have been Godzilla-sized fans of the Bapezilla, even with its functional shortcomings. I approached Sonny hoping that he would agree to do a collaboration on a titanium Bapezilla. He graciously agreed! The proposed Mecha-Bapezilla name brought an ear-to-ear smile of approval from the man himself.
The Mecha-Bapezilla is meant to be a throw-back for die-hard Bapezilla fans, so it has to similar to the original, but without the personality flaws. We were set on keeping the same diameter (52mm) and width (40mm) as the Eetsit, which was how Anti-Yo intended the yo-yo to play.
The innards were upgraded to a more modern axle and response system of M4 x 8mm and 19mm respectively. The catch zone near the bearing seat on the Mecha-Bapezilla is borrowed from the Bowl series, with subtle Schmoove rings allowing for a wider gap of 4.4mm. Blue and green response pads, one in each yo-yo half, are included. So the next time you have to take apart the halves, you’ll remember the story behind this great piece of yo-yo history.
Make no mistake, by today’s standards, the 67g Mecha-Bapezilla is a heavy yo-yo. It is a beast that will destroy everything in its way, so look before you throw! However, for those of you that typically prefer the featherweight class of yo-yos, we know you’ll still be very excited to finally throw a glass smooth Bapezilla yo-yo.
The Mecha-Bapezilla is an absolute must-have for hardcore Anti-Yo fans.
THE ANTI-YO NIPPLE
Due to the higher density of titanium, the yo-yo body and nipple were shrunk proportionately to keep the same weight distribution as the original Bapezilla. This allowed both the aluminum and titanium versions of the Bapezilla to play almost identically.
Recreating the signature Anti-Yo nipple was the greatest challenge - the original file specifications that Sonny sent me did not match up with the production model. How is that even possible?! Well, modifications were done on-the-fly at the shop during the machining process. The first Mecha-Bapezilla prototype played fantastically although the nipple thickness was 1mm smaller than the original (this was however not noticeable aesthetically). The nipple size was increased to match the original Bapezilla for the production model.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
Certificate of authenticity IN THE FORM OF AN INSTRUCTION SHEET
CUSTOM LOGO POUCH
ROCK THE BABY MECHA-BAPEZILLA ENAMEL PIN
A PAIR OF BLUE AND GREEN PADS AND STRINGS
The Mecha-Bapezilla will arrive on your doorstep with a custom purple pouch, a spare pair of blue and green pads, strings, a certificate of authenticity, and a “Rock the Baby Mecha-Bapezilla” soft enamel pin to stick on your favorite jacket.
LOGO INSPIRED BY A CHILDHOOD CLASSIC
The artwork was inspired by one of everyone’s favorite show from yesteryear - Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. You can get that feel from just glancing at the logo.
ART BY ATILA
As a tribute to the creator, we threw Sonny into the Mecha-Bapezilla for a little driving action as he is the driving force behind this perfect yo-yo. And so Sonny didn’t have to leave his cat behind, Hame is co-piloting from his shoulder! And I am sitting on the beast’s tail. The box’s side-flaps show the Mecha-Bapezilla pulling off various fundamental classics such as Forward Pass, Rock the Baby, and Man On the Trapeze.
