US Soldier makes custom toys in Afghanistan

[ODBJBG]

PFC Rupert Valero is a soldier serving the in Army currently stationed in Afghanistan, and he's also a toy fan. In his down time, he makes custom toys - both as gifts for the local children to help foster peace and trust with the locals, and as large pieces perfect for collectors. Every one of his toys is made from items found on his military base in Afghanistan, giving them a backstory that can't be matched by something made in a factory and sold in your local big box store.



I had a great interview with Rupert a while back and thought I would show it here for those who haven't seen it. He builds toys from anything and everything, like bottle caps, deodorant cans and much more. You'll be surprised at how cool his work is and also how big of a heart this US solider has. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did.

Infinite Hollywood: Rupert Valero Custom Toys in Afghanistan

Thanks for reading, if you do.

USA! USA! USA!

[toys2cool]

that's pretty darn cool

[garagesale]

Yeah. Nice stuff. I seriously dig that!

JamesD

[mazinz]

those are awesome

[livnxxxl]

Neat idea. I like to make ordinary things out of not so ordinary items as well.

I am not so sure that I am completely sold on the fosters peace part of it though. That picture above although a neat concept with the weapons does not look very peaceful to me.

[thunderbolt]

WOW, I love the newer robots with the more rustic beat up look to them. His stuff is amazing.

[GaryPlaysWithDolls]

damn, that is cool!

[ODBJBG]

Neat idea. I like to make ordinary things out of not so ordinary items as well.

I am not so sure that I am completely sold on the fosters peace part of it though. That picture above although a neat concept with the weapons does not look very peaceful to me.

Those aren't the toys that he's giving to Afghan children. Read the interview.

[MegoSteve]

That is completely awesome. Thanks for posting... I think I'm going to post it to Metafilter.

[sauce]

Very very cool!
I'll also help spread the word on my networks.

I'm impressed and inspired!

[Anarchy]

awesome!! I just bought one of his robots, very very cool stuff!

[ODBJBG]

That is completely awesome. Thanks for posting... I think I'm going to post it to Metafilter.

Much appreciated Steve I mean it.

It's also much appreciated for responding to the nitwits who post "It's basically just repainted Bionicles"... I've had two people say that to me. Which means either they have very low comprehension and counting skills (as there are over 40 unique robots pictured on my interview with him that use nothing but bottle caps, old bottles and bungee cord compared to a whopping NINE unique figures that use a few Bionicle parts in addition to tons of custom scraps) or are just plain ignorant and rude for the sake of being so.

The story really isn't what he makes them out of, but the conditions and reasoning behind his creations... The fact that he makes them out of recycled junk is just a bonus... But I guess if you somehow read that story and all you get out of it is that he repainted Bionicles, you can't be helped anyway. Some people really disappoint me.

[vulcan2074]

WOW! Thats some serious ingenuity. This guy has some serious skills.
Sammy

[MegoSteve]

Much appreciated Steve I mean it.

It's also much appreciated for responding to the nitwits who post "It's basically just repainted Bionicles"... I've had two people say that to me. Which means either they have very low comprehension and counting skills (as there are over 40 unique robots pictured on my interview with him that use nothing but bottle caps, old bottles and bungee cord compared to a whopping NINE unique figures that use a few Bionicle parts in addition to tons of custom scraps) or are just plain ignorant and rude for the sake of being so.

The story really isn't what he makes them out of, but the conditions and reasoning behind his creations... The fact that he makes them out of recycled junk is just a bonus... But I guess if you somehow read that story and all you get out of it is that he repainted Bionicles, you can't be helped anyway. Some people really disappoint me.

I wouldn't take it personally or anything, and I hope he doesn't.

To be honest, "it's Bionicle pieces" was one of my first reactions, because those arms and legs look awesome when he uses them and to find out he didn't actually make those from scratch was a little deflating. But then I thought about it a little bit... He's not just putting them together; he's engineered a way to make those arms and legs work on commonly found items there, then weathered them with paint to customize it and turned it into something completely different than what they were before he put them together. Some people just have no clue how much work it is to assemble things in a pleasing way, even if the parts exist already.

Throw in the context of being a soldier in Afghanistan with extreme limitations on available materials and tools and it make his work that much more meaningful. What he's doing is the equivalent of those WWII soldiers who would craft things out of shell casings and found objects while overseas. His work isn't just toy robots... it's history AND it's "outsider art."

I noticed that his Etsy store is about half what it was when I looked at it yesterday, too, and those Bionicle pieces were probably the first to go (they're my favorite, too... love the ones with the rounded bodies he made out of deodorant containers).

[starsky]

awesome article!!