                |
 |
 Sponsors and Curators
The Museum of Yo-Yo History is a labor of love, and we would not be able to stay up-to-date with exhibits without the support of our sponsors and curators. Big thanks go to One Drop Design and Duncan for supplying us with their latest models, YoYoExpert for their help and support, and to Cody Orr, TotalArtist and YoYoBrothers™ for allowing us to use their collections!
If you're a manufacturer, or just a big collector and you want to help support the Museum drop me at line at chimera@yoyomuseum.com
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| Round Spinning Objects Sushi 2022- titanium (mini) |
| Exhibit #4489 |
 |
|
| Type | Production |
| Shape | Concave )-( |
| Axle | Bearing |
| Finish | Polished |
| Color | Polished titanium |
| Packaging | Boxed |
| Construction | Titanium |
| Response | CBC Slim Pad |
| Diameter | 50.5mm |
| Width | 45mm |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Gap Width | 4.4mm |
| Weight | 63.7gm |
| Condition | Mint |
| Date | 2022 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
| Compare |  |
|
|
From https://roundspinningobjects.com/sushi:
• Round Spinning Objects SUSHI
• Release date April 17, 2022
• Sold direct
• Retail $379.99 USD
• Raw titanium
• 60 made
• Variable weight, from 59gm to 75.2gm, depending on the components installed
• Shipping weight of 63.7gm with One Drop aluminum disc Side Effects
• Diameter 50.5mm, Width 45mm, Gap 4.4mm
• Yoyorecreation NSK platinum double-straight, size C
• CLYW slim / G-grip sized Landing Pads for response
Sushi-holic
I am not a sushi connoisseur but definitely a sushiholic. Like most of you, I would be more than satisfied with a simple pre-packaged sushi roll from the supermarket!
My love for sushi stems from my fondness for Japan. In 2015, I proposed to my then-girlfriend on top of the Tokyo Skytree and attended the World Yo-Yo Contest. Fast forward to 2019, with a 6-month old toddler in tow, our little family toured the beautiful cities of Kyoto and Osaka. I am definitely going back to Japan when travel restrictions ease.
Although my family had memorable sushi meals in Japan, there is still a tinge of regret because we did not patronize the sushi outlet beside the Tsukiji market that time.
Japanese sushi chefs' love and respect for sushi preparation are awe-inspiring. Often lauded for their culinary excellence, they are immensely passionate about their craft and spend years honing their skills. You would easily find a delicious sushi meal in any random restaurant in Japan.
I have adopted a similar mindset for all RSO releases so far. RSO yo-yos are prototyped extensively, and the journey is comprehensively documented. Considerable time is also spent on the story, artwork, engraving, accessories and packaging for each release. These add production costs to each yo-yo, but RSO has been able to keep its prices similar to (if not lower than) many companies who mainly sell bare-bones titanium yo-yos today.
For an RSO yo-yo named Sushi, the intricate details had to be absolutely perfect.
Let's roll
Since the release of Gravity, I have been brainstorming for unique shapes that differ from the primarily organic RSO lineup. One of the most coveted RSO yo-yos is the Titanium Bowl: Japan Edition, which had a ramen theme. Naturally, making a second yo-yo that was inspired by another Japanese food staple was always on the cards.
This may sound ridiculous, but I went to great lengths to ensure that the yo-yo halves would look like they were cut from a sushi roll. Together, the pieces form a cylinder when lined up.
Why did I choose One Drop's Disc SE (Side Effect)) for Sushi?
Disc SE is the only one suitable for Sushi, as any other SE would reveal the hub and make the yo-yo look un-sushi-like. A piece of sushi does not have a nipple in the center. Note that while Disc SE fits the overall Sushi look, the same cannot be said for most other yo-yos (particularly V-shaped ones like Droid).
Moreover, it has been a long time since One Drop released a yo-yo that ships with Disc SE. A yo-yo equipped with Disc SE would have a novelty factor and would have some appeal.
The Disc SE is one of the heaviest SE available at 7.2gm. And they only come in aluminum. One Drop does not make them in brass for obvious reasons. Even with Disc SE installed, the shipping weight of Sushi is a very delectable 63.7g, due to the relatively low base weight of the yo-yo halves. With aluminum ultralight SE (2.5g) installed, Sushi weighs a mere 59.0g.
Having a palatable weight is a fundamental requirement for any yo-yo. Caps play an essential role in weight variation and changing the play and feel of the yo-yo, in addition to their ancillary function of improving the yo-yo's aesthetics. I did not want Sushi to weigh a hernia inducing 70g with the caps installed. With aluminum ultralight SE and the heaviest caps available installed, Sushi only weighs 64.6g.
Sushi is not a rim-weighted yo-yo, less so than Gravity. I designed Gravity so it closely matches Duncan's Freehand One weight (65.8gm) with aluminum ultralight SE, and the Freehand Zero caps (2.7gm each) installed. Sushi had to weigh less to avoid a "heavy" play and feel. Each half of Sushi is almost 1g lighter than a Gravity half.
There is something magical about Disc SE. Because they are heavy and have a broad profile, swapping them out for another SE changes the yo-yo's play and feel. Much more so than other SE types.
With the included Disc SE, Sushi plays unhurried, controlled and steady, just like an omakase meal you would have at a top tier Michelin-starred sushi restaurant. I would describe the play and feel as floaty.
However, suppose you want a quick sushi fix; simply swap out the Disc SE for the aluminum ultralight SE (not included). Sushi weighs a mere 59.0gm in this configuration. It plays zippy and light, and can instantly satisfy your sushi cravings.
Sushi's squarish shape might fool you. However, it is comfortable to hold. Despite its reasonably high walls, it has a generous gap, and effortlessly handles multiple string layers. It is also one of the more stable RSO throws so far. This performance means that you can focus entirely on the gastronomic experience and not on the yo-yo's tilt.
Dance to a different tuna
The Sushi shape might look simple, but it was one of the yo-yos I spent the most time prototyping after the Doombot and Droid RSO models. My insistence on retaining the cylindrical shape was the root of all the problems.
Sushi started out as a 52mm diameter aluminum yo-yo with a hollow construct. My initial plan was to anodize the caps in different colors to match typical sushi ingredients (for example, yellow for tamago, pink for sashimi and orange for uni). I could do a fairly large run and price them low so that more people would be able to own an RSO.
The caps were CNC machined out of 6061 aluminum, and measured 1mm at their thinnest portions. They were also made marginally larger than the cap grooves, letting you press-fit them firmly into the yo-yo.
The aluminum prototype failed miserably. The yo-yo was smooth if assembled without the caps, but installing the caps introduced an intolerable pulse vibration. It was the most vibe-acious prototype since I started making yo-yos. The problem was that the caps were too thin and had warped during the machining or press-fit process. This prototype plays extremely floaty.
The solution seemed simple initially - just make the caps thicker! However, I could not remove enough weight from the yo-yo body to redistribute to the caps after countless attempts. In addition, the inherent cylindrical shape of the yo-yo necessitated a significant amount of material at the yo-yo's rims since the rims extend outwards to span almost the entire width of the yo-yo. Conversely, a V-shaped yo-yo with similar dimensions would take up less weight (if you find it hard to visualize this, just compare the volumes of a cylinder and a cone).
Sushi was only possible with a titanium SE design, which allowed for retention of a similar aesthetic with caps installed. As much as I love how yo-yos play in titanium more than aluminum, there was much inertia to take this route because the small size of the market for such a peculiar shape. Would anyone buy a titanium yo-yo with a squarish shape? I decided to bite the bullet anyway, ultimately making a small run of 60 yo-yos for Sushi.
The titanium prototype had one thing that I did not like - its size. It felt large in the hand at 52mm. And, it was not small enough to look like a convincing piece of sushi (you must be tired of my obsession with making the yo-yo look exactly like a piece of sushi by now). The 52mm diameter also made the Disc SE look relatively small and not "fill" the hub.
Ideally, I would have liked the yo-yo diameter to be 50mm. However, I wanted to make the accessories backwards compatible with Gravity and was constrained by the 48mm diameter of the Freehand Zero caps. Sufficient material is needed at the cap groove for the yo-yo to be machinable. I eventually settled for a 50.5mm diameter for the production version of Sushi, with the thickness of the cap groove measuring a safe 1.25mm.
Before I put Sushi into production, a final prototype with a 50.5mm diameter was made.
Tastes better, together
I spared no effort in creating the complete package for Sushi.
Like Gravity, Sushi comes with a set of rings and caps, allowing for weight variation. Due to the collaborative nature of the Gravity project and associated cost constraints, a full set of custom CNC machined polycarbonate rings was only included with the Lunar Edition Gravity. This time, the full set is included with every Sushi, at a lower price compared to Gravity.
The components included with Sushi are as follows:
• Yo-yo body, 53.7gm
• RSO CLYW slim / G-grip sized Landing Pads and Yoyorecreation NSK platinum double straight C Bearing, 2.3gm
• Aluminum disc One Drop SE 2x, 7.2gm total
• Pair of rubber cylindrical weight rings 2x, 3.6gm total
• Pair of custom polycarbonate thin rings 2x, 2.8gm total
• Pair of custom polycarbonate thick rings 2x, 4.4gm total
• Pair of custom polycarbonate caps 2x, 5.6gm total
• Pair of FHZ caps 2x, 5.4gm total
The polycarbonate rings and caps were custom CNC machined to achieve a perfect fit. They have a slightly different design compared to the ones included with Gravity. The hole in the center of the thick rings measures about an inch, which is a hair wider than the Disc SE and allows the SE to pass through.
Three pairs of meticulously designed stickers were produced. They fit perfectly on the included polycarbonate caps to make your yo-yo look exactly like a piece of sushi.
Feast your eyes
The artwork is by RSO's resident artist, ATILA.
The cover star is a sumo wrestler inspired by one of my favorite Street Fighter characters of all time, E-Honda.
For the side flaps, I referenced a few scenes that depict the sushi-making process from the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Despite being in his late nineties, its chef Jiro Ono is still involved in the restaurant's daily operations.
Special thanks to RSO's long time friends, Yuuki Yoneno (@ynnyuux) and Shimon Osada (@shimoff_2), who helped with the Japanese banners in the background.
Sushi includes a redesigned cap removal tool. The new tool is longer, which allows the caps to be removed easily.
The certificate of authenticity features an oroshigane, used for grating wasabi.
What's in the box
• A pair of polycarbonate caps
• A pair of thick polycarbonate rings
• A pair of thin polycarbonate rings
• A pair of Duncan Freehand Zero side caps
• A pair of rubber weight rings
• New, improved cap removal tool
• Oroshigane certificate of authenticity
• Hangiri enamel pin
• Rice print protective cloth
• CLYW slim / G-grip size white, type 50 RSO Landing Pads
Green string
© ELVIN LIM"
Of interest...
To see all mini yo-yos in this museum, in the left panel, select Exhibits.
In the right pane, in the Name/Model field, type mini, then select Browse. | |
| |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
