Note: Please place only ONE ORDER WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR TONIGHT. We will lift all limits after the first hour. Thanks for your cooperation. Have Fun!
I met Mike MZ online in early 2011, after he'd reached out about some of my older work, particularly the Rechlen and Aves series. His enthusiasm and genuine interest were the real deal, and we started to correspond regularly. Mike would go on to reveal his deep love of the classic OSM toyline, created by Mel Birnkrant, and the subsequent Four Horsemen relaunch of the line in 2010, which had led Mike to Glyos. We talked about how much the OSM had impacted the both of us, opening up new creative pathways and the desire to one day potentially build our own worlds. Mike really had an incredible drive to create, which became more and more evident as we continued to connect.
It wasn't long before Mike started sending packages up here, each one filled with extraordinary customs, painted and built with true talent pulled directly from his surprisingly wild imagination. I tried to return the gestures by hiding old hand cast Rechlen and Aves figures in his outgoing packages after we'd have a launch. What started out as some fun gift giving quickly escalated, with Mike sending up a complete vintage OSM Series 1 set, as a gift. To say I was shocked is beyond an understatement, but the day I opened that box will never be forgotten. I still have them stored in that very box they arrived in, adorned with Mike's writing, reflecting his dry sense of humor. It was the same box I'd sent to him earlier, so my message to him was also scrawled on the inside flap. A small testament to the early days of our friendship. I'm so thankful that I held onto that beat up old box.
Eventually in 2015, Mike decided that he wanted to get into the production end of things, so we worked together with our mutual great friend Marty Hansen (prototyping/casting), ace sculptor Rudy Garcia (sculpting) and at that time fellow upcoming Glyos "maker in the making" Pat Bussey (product art) to concept and create what would come to be known as the vinyl Zullbeast. Mike's endless love for all things cosmic and creepy really came through with the Zullbeast, and quickly rolled directly into the development of the PVC Zullen project at the end of 2015. For the Zullen, Mike and I imagined that a collective of alien races had stolen technology from across the other Glyos "lines" and worked in the background to manipulate the events of those other universes, sort of like a counterintelligence to the Delphi. Mike was all about collaborating and exploring together, and that was the case for as long as I knew him.
Before Mike passed away, we'd been working on his latest project, which we called the "Zulloid". This one began in 2019 and went through some deep iterations over the last 4 years, continuing development right through the heart of the pandemic. As always, Mike stayed dedicated to seeing the project through, despite a variety of challenges, frustrations and delays. Once again, we worked with Marty, Rudy and Pat, and soon welcomed the great Anthony Coffey on board to take on digital sculpting duties. The Zulloid served as my first real working project with Anthony, who has gone on to sculpt many subsequent Glyos projects. Once again, another new branch of creative collaboration grown thanks to Mike's desire to keep making things.
In my last conversation with Mike, which was literally the day before he moved on, he asked that we keep his world alive, and carry on the legacy of all that he'd worked on. I promised him that we would do so, and that his memory would live on with each and every figure that he brought to life, through his love of creating and the love he forever showed his friends.
We miss you Mike, and we won't let you down.
Note: All limits have been lifted, thanks for your cooperation!
Gearius and his various adventures over the years frames much of the creative journey that we've slowly explored since starting production Glyos back in 2007. One of the very first variant Pheydens was the Gear's Edge style, debuting in Wave 1 along with Standard Pheyden and Phase Pheyden. It was soon after that rollout that I carved a scar into one of the Gear's Edge Pheyden heads, which subsequently ended up becoming the prototype for the Scar Pheyden head that continues to be offered to this day.
Soul of the Traveler, arguably the magnum opus of the Passcode era (thanks in particular to the extraordinary original soundtrack created by Disasterpeace), prominently featured Gearius in one of the lead roles, piloting his beloved Rig right into the heart of an unfolding space-time tragedy. I'll never forget working with Rich and Marcus up in the attic together as we hammered out that whole project.
Gearius also reappeared once again as part of what stands as our most successful assortment to date "by the numbers", Wave 90. Who would think that a brown based wave would land at the top spot of all our statistics, but such is the case.
Though he's a Second Generation Traveler, Gearius has really been with us from the start, so it's felt extra satisfying to fill your packages with the latest iteration of a somewhat unassuming, yet very pivotal, "new" old version of one of the first Pheydens.
As of this writing, all orders have been packed and shipped out. Michelle and I were on duo duty, so it took a little longer to process the pile, but thanks to her we stayed on track. The main listening selection in the barn this time was to the 1980 Astro Boy animation, which I've watched so many times that I can "see" it, even if only just hearing the audio. We also listened to the new Indiana Jones soundtrack from the latest movie for a spell. We'll always love Indy around here.
Our next round will be in conjunction with the upcoming trip to Power-Con in early August. The meeting of Glyos makers in the special "Glyos Alley" section of this beefy show covers almost everybody who is currently active in production, so it should be a good one. We plan to offer what we're bringing to the show online in our store at the same time as the convention, so this would mark the return of the "non-con" release, much like what we would sometimes do back in the SDCC days. Expect a direct crossover with the Culture Pirates shop as well.
Thank you once again for all the genuine creative freedom that you've fostered and shared throughout the last 16 years. Let's keep at it and see where the Dimension Gate takes us next!
*Extra special thanks to Cady for the powerful illustration of Gearius shown above! Truly amazing work, Bubba!
Note: Please place only ONE ORDER WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR TONIGHT. We will lift all limits after the first hour. Thanks for your cooperation. Have Fun!
Thanks for the awesome Crayboth pic, CC! Your future job as official Onell photographer awaits!
Accompanying the return of the Standard Manglord and the special Protolord from the previous Toyfinity preorder is the Manglord Dactylian Acolyte. Shot in a deep and vivid purple and accented with a very interesting, almost color shifting paint (watch the color pop simply by passing from shadow into light), the Dactylian Acolyte comes forth to test the Manglord on behalf of his master and terror from the skies, the Manglodactyl itself!
Don't forget to also capture the latest tribes of Mordles while exploring the catacombs of the Toyfinity shop!
We're working closely with John Kent and Erwin Papa to help expand the world of Toyfinity's Manglors and think the next chapter might really rattle your bones!
Since last year that hope has turned into reality, with Sen producing a number of wicked illustrations that have accompanied our releases. But at the same time, in the background, they'd been working on another really killer project that's finally ready to rollout!
Head over to Sen's Hellomugicha Etsy Shop to discover not only their excellent (and official) SD holo sticker versions of many familiar Glyos characters (presented in the classic Bikkuriman style), but also a large variety of other amazing stickers showcasing Sen's awesome range of talent!
We've truly loved working with Sen over the last year and look forward to the extraordinary artwork they have on the horizon!
Thanks Sen!
Huge thanks for supporting the return of the EMD in all its intense orange madness! You've all kept Michelle and I very busy over the last couple of weeks, and we are supremely grateful for that!
Revisiting familiar color combinations is something we enjoy doing around here, but certain older waves specifically represent the times when this project ventured into uncharted territory, such as the original EMD assortment.
Not only did Wave 19 mark the beginning of what would be a loaded 2012, but it also ushered in the advent of the vinyl "Core Block". The memory of cracking open the first cases of the Blocks and realizing that I could legitimately build actual towers and sprawling structures is still very clear. We even tried playing a bizarro game of reverse Jenga when the first shipment arrived, seeing just how high we could stack the Block structures (multiple citadels right to the ceiling). It was a unique and different way to explore building and I'm happy we had the chance to do it. Our latest iteration of the EMD pays tribute to those days with the featured crossover builds.
Michelle and I tackled the processing and shipping as quickly as we could, though the rate of orders was a little steadier than usual, hence the lateness of this post. We finally managed to catch up over the weekend and are now in the pocket as far as pacing goes. I spent most of the barn time listening to classic tunes from the 70s (ELO, Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel -yes, I am old), episodes of Galaxy Rangers and some episodes of the 2004 Astro Boy (some of the best animation of its time). One particular 12-hour packing and taping stint was supercharged by these glorious pieces of entertainment. As of this writing, everything has hit the post.
Looking ahead, we are shooting for a late June/early July Wave 98, which will also serve as our 16th anniversary assortment. Hopefully you'll enjoy what we have on deck for it.
To say we are thankful for the dedication that each of you continues to bring to the equation doesn't remotely cover how we feel. It's a state of perpetual gratitude that will last long after this all ends.
As always, we'll give it everything we've got to try and keep the project as interesting, unexpected and most of all fun, as possible.
Special thanks to SeN for the wicked illustration shown above! We love it!
Note: Please place only ONE ORDER WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR TONIGHT. We will lift all limits after the first hour. Thanks for your cooperation. Have Fun!
As Toyfinity's main man, John Kent, detailed over on his blog, the road to bringing the Manglors line back to life started over a decade ago, transforming repeatedly during its development. We explored some wild concepts together, with multiple artists lending their abilities as things took shape. I still remember very clearly talking to Ralph Niese about the early Toyfinity plans and then waking up days later to a barrage of amazing concept art that he'd whipped up, based on just some early sketches I'd shared with him. That wicked artwork Ralph created became part of the foundation of the project, providing an awesome "what if" visual companion as we continued to reimagine a bunch of crazy old toy lines.
Many years and many drawings later, when the time finally came to actually bring the Manglors project into the process of full production, we sadly found ourselves living in a world without Ralph in it. Luckily for all of us, we were able to welcome another mega level talent to the mayhem, in the form of Erwin Papa.
I'd met and worked with Erwin on multiple Toy Pizza/KOTS projects thanks to our favorite raconteur and super creative, Jesse DeStasio, so the timing seemed perfect. It's truly due to the infusion of Erwin's wildly original and creative style that the new Manglors initiative finally reached the right level to reemerge with purpose. We can't thank Erwin enough for his incredible contributions and steadfast dedication to resurrecting the Manglors series with Toyfinity and all of us over here. There's even more wild Erwin-Powered creature action on the horizon!
We also want to send out an extra special and massive thank you to the Cosmic Class artist that is Nate Baertsch! Nate's extraordinary digital painting for the Toyfinity Manglors launch was an absolute showstopper, continuing to fuel his meteoric rise to the ultimate levels of Frank Frazetta and Ken Kelly. No small statement, but absolutely true to the last word. Thank you, Nate!
Last but not least, thank you to our own Cady Doughty for putting together the new Manglors theme music! Cady really delivered on the challenge to come up with something "brief, spooky and cool", capturing the vibes flowing through Nate's art and Erwin's sculpting. Coupled with the supremely skilled Marcus working the animation in perfect timing as usual, we were all able to enjoy something really special.
As of this writing, all the orders since the new release (except a few from today) have been shipped out and should have already started landing. Michelle and I worked together at triple speed to try and push everything out the door as quickly as possible, though a nice ice and snow mini front decided to give the old shovel muscles a mid-packing workout. Music in the barn once again leaned into the Interstellar soundtrack peppered with a little GI Joe: The Movie "listening" as the tape gun was flying. Seemed appropriate to channel some Cobra-La, seeing how that and Inhumanoids lent some serious DNA to the new Manglors aesthetics.
Looking ahead, the current plan is to return in early April with Wave 97 if momentum continues to pick up at the factory. Expect some more monstrous action within a decent sized assortment. For 2023 in general, we're going to try an alternating schedule between mini and medium scaled offerings about every other month, barring any slowdowns.
Thanks once again for being part of this ongoing project we call Glyos. It's because of all of you that we're able to keep on making unique and strange things to share with true authenticity. You allow us to pursue our creativity without interference, and for that our entire family couldn't be more grateful.
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