RELEASE INFORMATION
Release date 29 JUNE 2020
Sold direct AND EXCLUSIVELY VIA YOYOEXPERT
Retail 399.99 USD
ANODIZED TITANIUM
53 MADE (52 OG, 1 SCALES EDITION)
Diameter 52mm, Width 40mm, Gap 4.4mm
Weight 67G
M4 x 8mm axle
CONCAVE C bearinG
19MM TYPE 40 LANDING PADS RESPONSE
THE YO-YO
Have you dreamed of playing the original Bapezilla without the vibe, in blue and green? Well, your dreams are now a reality. RSO presents the best playing and most attractive Bapezilla to date - the Mecha-Bapezilla Original Gangsta (OG) Edition.
The Mecha-Bapezilla OG Edition is based on the same CAD as the first run, except for a slight extension of the nipple. The yo-yo still spins as smooth as skating on ice behind a hockey zamboni. Weighing 67g, it is the same beast-slayer of a yo-yo which players couldn’t get enough of.
RSO’s proprietary maroon Type 40 Landing Pads are installed in every Mecha-Bapezilla. These are the softest pads in the Landing Pads range and give the yo-yo enough torque and power to rampage through your room. They bind just the right amount and allows a too predictable response. The maroon color also flows into the blue and green halves perfectly.
“BAPING” THE MECHA-BAPEZILLA
The electroplating process of the first run of the Mecha-Bapezilla and Mecha-Viszilla produced vibrant, eye-catching colors. There have been rave reviews on the matte black hard coat on the Mecha-Viszilla, which was reminiscent of the finish on the old Anti-Yos. Although these colors were an absolute first for any titanium yo-yo, I was limited by the choices of colorways I could offer with electroplating. The Mecha-Bapezilla would never be a complete tribute without the signature tribal blue and green halves of the Bapezilla. Following the pandemic-enforced closure of the coating factory, I embarked on a quest to “bring the bape” to the Mecha-Bapezilla.
Anodization, a completely different process compared to electroplating, is a far riskier and more difficult prospect for titanium yo-yos. It has been done by brands like Turning Point, Japan Technology, and Luftverk with varying degrees of success. I’d like to share the challenges I faced in my journey to add color to titanium.
It is tough to predict precisely how much material will be removed (or added) to the yo-yo during the titanium anodization process. After the yo-yo is machined into its final shape, must be polished and bathed in a solution (removing material) to prepare the surface for anodization. The anodizing process creates an intermediary oxide layer that adds material - the additional thickness can vary depending on the color. These variations are small (in micrometers) but can be significant. This in turn creates tolerance problems especially at the bearing seat, resulting in vibration and an increased risk of B-grades.
Titanium anodization does not produce the same color consistency and vibrancy as electroplating, given a subtle patchy appearance on the surface. However, the beauty of anodized titanium is in its unique iridescence, resulting from the interaction of light with the oxide layer. Besides, through handling and playing, the oils from your hand may further influence how light bounces off the yo-yo surface, causing darkening and/or fading. Because each of us has a different chemistry, this gives the yo-yo a unique footprint of your personality and throwing habits. Of course, you can always get back to a clean slate by merely wiping down the yo-yo with a soft cloth. Fun fact: throwing a blast layer on anodized titanium accentuates this darkened/faded appearance with skin contact - I therefore decided against blasting this run of “baped” Mecha-Bapezillas.
After an extensive trial and error period, producing a junk-yard pile of wasted yo-yo halves, the Mecha-Bapezilla OG Edition was born.
Note: All pictures shown are for illustration purposes only. The actual product, in particular the color uniformity, may vary.
MORE ON THE BAPEZILLA STORY
The journey to create a perfectly “baped” Mecha-Bapezilla required me to delve deeper into the rich history of the Bapezilla than any other yo-yo project.
The Bapezillas from the first run were assembled and packed in Kiya’s streetwear store, Turf Shoes San Mateo, where an assortment of yo-yos were was sold. During the Bapezilla packaging party (which involved a few adult beverages), the Anti-Yo owners and their wives spontaneously decided to craft written messages to toss inside every box. The box I have in my collection has a note written by Amanda (Sonny’s wife) and reads “I <3 MY NEW KICKS I GOT AT TURF”, a reference to Kiya’s retail store. Sonny himself wrote on a few of the boxes, but according to him, you probably can’t read his “chicken scratch.” Each box had a different message.
Each blue Bapezilla box was sealed with a gold Anti-Yo logo sticker. Serious collectors would access the box contents through the base of the box to avoid cutting the sticker.
A humorous tongue-in-cheek instruction sheet was always included in every Bapezilla package. I kept the personality of this element with the satirical style of the Mecha-Bapezilla certificate.
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 MAROON TYPE 40 RSO LANDING PADS
GREEN AND BLUE STRINGS
The Mecha-Bapezilla OG Edition comes with a new rebooted premium RSO branded box, one of two new types that will be included with future RSO releases. The RSO logo is elegantly displayed on the box's tongue and the yo-yo’s serial number is prominently written on the bottom of the box. The box’s interior is lined with an RSO art motif jointly created by artist Luis Atila along with designer Andrea Kuo at Singapore-based branding house The Candidate.
An all-new “Rock The Baby” Mecha-Bapezilla soft-touch enamel pin will be included as well! These have a slight color variation compared to the pins from the first run. A spare pair of maroon Type 40 RSO Landing Pads ensures that your Mecha-Bapezilla always stays fresh.
The certificate of authenticity and custom logo pouch are the same as what was shipped with the first run of Mecha-Bapezillas.
