For a number of years I concentrated on trying to make a bendy line, called Bendirions, that were much in the same vein as the beloved original bendy Outer Space Men. The approach was to design the body types in a way that took full advantage of the inner wire articulation, so most of the characters needed to be a bit lanky. To add some variation to the skinny crew, a couple of beefy characters were generated. These stocky aliens would have been shot in a very squishy PVC, to take a beating like the Mordles used to in Rocks & Bugs & Things.
I imagined that these guys could grapple and twist up together, even spiraling into bigger beings. Different sizes would represent the various species and some of the Bendirions would even sport slide on armor.
I still kind of wish that we could make at least one of these oddballs come to life. It would be fun to introduce a few Bendirions into the current Glyos ranks and see what kind of weirdness might occur. Bendy inner phantoms inside of a clear Armodoc would be something.
Bendirions. More than just a cruddy name!
Posts
Wow.. I'm not very fond of bendy toys but I have to admit that I like those designs..!
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, they reminded me a little of the OSM, and then I read on to find out why. They look great, especially the last one. It reminds me a bit of an alien in the old Gobbledygook comic from Mirage Studios, if you remember it you'll know the one I mean. Has a great alien look to it.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see this, or those little guys that remind me of an SD Creature from the Black Lagoon, as OSM style figures in the future, they'd fit right in with that lineup. :)
Thanks for sharing these cool ideas and pictures!
Please, no bendy, inner-wire toys; they never last & "bendy wire" is not articulation. I have always despised those toys.
ReplyDeleteGreat character designs though, I love Concept 1, 2 & 5
those sketches are OUTSTANDING as usual.
ReplyDeleteThese are some really great designs, Matt! Even if bendy figures aren't in Glyos' future, I'm sure they'd be a hit in PVC. We'd just need a new joint system, or a lot of cleverly-hidden Axis Joint spheres, to give them the flexibility these lanky fellows the freedom of movement that they'd need, no?
ReplyDeletethe two "little" guys are incredible!!
ReplyDeleteWhat great designs. Would love to see them materialize in the Glyos universe, especially the 2nd design, that guy is awesome looking and last one.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for sharing all this behind the scenes goodness, it's greatly appreciated and enjoyed!
I really dig the green one near the top. It looks like it'd make a great 3 3/4-inch figure to me.
ReplyDeleteMan, they would fit right in with my mini-collection of bendies...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/microbry/7631415758/in/set-72157622781466482/lightbox/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/microbry/sets/72157607228143675/
I REALLY like that 1st one, but with the smooth mouth without the Pheyden-like "teeth". I would totally carry that guy around with me. Plus, it looks like his hands could hold weapons so that'd just add to the fun. I'd like to see him made in some form or another, the last sketch & the top short-alien designs are also appealing to my eye.
ReplyDeleteI remember you mentioning this concept to me once before, maybe during our first meeting at Toy Fair 2009. I still have the sketch I did of a bendy creature with 5 tentacles & a mouth that would fit over a Traveler's head so it could "eat" them.
Despite the problems with the wires eventually snapping, as is what seems to happen with all wire-bendy figures, I would love to see at least 1 of these made.
I think an inner skeleton for the Armodoc would be a wonderful use for something like that.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see these as a skeleton for an Armodoc... especially if it was Glow In the Dark... I still miss the spirit figures that were originally included
ReplyDeleteI really love these, I hope you find a way to make them some day! They would be pretty easy to even make homemade I would think!
ReplyDelete