Dinner Companions

Took this one in the kitchen, right before the kids chowed down on their dinners.

The PVC marbling on these two looked kind of neat under the tiny kitchen lights.

Experimenting with the metallics and pearlescent plastics this year has been a big highlight on the production side of things. Just a little tweak to the old mix can result in some interesting effects!

Phaseon Phundamentals

When samples for this new order arrived a little while back, the first thing I did was start building with the Phaseons (closely followed by the Buildman figures). Since the funny history of the Phaseon's path to production is always present in my head,  my creativity seems affected in a unique way when playing with the parts. The fact that the Phaseon mold arose from the ashes of the Beanbot design, which in turn was actually pulled from early MVR concepts, just adds to my odd fascination with the unassuming little clunker.

The build shown above is pretty contained, except for 17 Switch Pins that were left out. There are spaces to insert them for a more aggressive "spikey" look, but for this one the rounder finish made the final cut. The core construction of this "Range" Phaseon is a variation of the "Task Major" design, which I've been  messing around with over here for a bit.

This Range Phaseon has been battling with many a Glyan across our tables and floors, and is now searching for some Phase Arms and Gobon Blasters to add to its form!

Mission Details

The photography on this round has been a bear! Due to the special effects in the plastics (neon, metallic and pearlescent), trying to nail the precise color balance proved a bit trickier than usual. As we go further into the spectrum of hues, especially with pearlescent, neon and metallic additives, capturing exactly what these plastics do under different lighting becomes more challenging. The pics seen above are accurate under the lights in the studio, but outside -bathed in the rays of the sun- they can look quite different. Photographing the figures can make your eyes cross, but having fun playing with them makes up for the madness!

All that being said, I'm digging this round of PVC! The actual material has a rich luster, and each color really, really pops.The durometer is slightly harder than earlier waves this year, so you may want to warm the parts up before building as the weather becomes colder.

On to the details! We are confirmed for this Sunday, December 1st at 9:30PM EST!


There will be purchasing limits on select items: 

-Armorvor (3 limit per customer) 

-Travelers/Noboto/???? (4 of each style per customer)  

-Syclodoc (2 limit per customer)



The Ecroyex Initiative

 
Glyan -Ecroyex Standard (Bright Blue/Dark Blue with Red visors and White tampo) $8
Glyan -Ecroyex Reverse (Dark Blue/Bright Blue with Red visors and White tampo) $8
Neo Sincroid -Gendrone Rebellion (Metallic Pearlescent Red with Black visors and White tampos) $8

Deep Space Glyan -Ecroyex Standard (Bright Blue/Dark Blue with Red visors and White tampo) $12
Deep Space Glyan -Ecroyex Reverse (Dark Blue/Bright Blue with Red visors and White tampo) $12
NOTE- Each Deep Space Glyan is made up of one Glyan and one painted Hub Set.

Ecroyex Commander Cynorico Sarvos (Bright Blue/Dark Blue with painted eyes, Dark Blue accents and bonus Phanost head) $8
Ecroyex Dark Traveler Strellevan (Dark Blue/Bright Blue with painted eyes, removable belt and inner/outer scarves) $8
Lost Sincroid Army -Gendrone Rebellion (Metallic Pearlescent Red with painted eyes, removable belt, small scarf and bonus Elder Exellis head) $8
Elder Exellis -Neo Eclipse (Black/White with painted eyes, removable belt and bonus LSA head) $8
Lost Sincroid Army -Neo Empire (White/Black with painted eyes, removable belt, small scraf and bonus Elder Exellis head) $8


???? -$8

Noboto -Gendrone Rebellion (Metallic Pearlescent Red w/ painted eyes, bonus head and White tampos) $8

Buildman -Argen MK VIII Gendrone Rebellion (Metallic Pearlescent Red with Black visors and White tampos) $8 

Gobon -Gendrone Rebellion (Metallic Pearlescent Red with Black visors and White tampos) $8

Phaseon -Gendrone Rebellion (Metallic Pearlescent Red with Black visors and White tampos) $6

Armorvor  -Gendrone Rebellion Mimic (Metallic Pearlescent Red/Silver Paint with Black visors) $8

Crayboth -Bright Blue $3
Crayboth -Dark Blue $3
Crayboth -Metallic Pearlescent Red $3



Swing Joint Set -Bright Blue $4
Swing Joint Set -Dark Blue $4
Swing Joint Set -Metallic Pearlescent Red $3 -Special Price
 
Hub Set -Bright Blue with Red accent and White tampo $4
Hub Set -Dark Blue with Red accent and White tampo $4
Hub Set -Metallic Pearlescent Red with Black accent and White tampo $4
NOTE- Each Hub Set is sold in a specific Drone configuration.

Axis Joint Set -Bright Blue $4
Axis Joint Set -Dark Blue $4
Axis Joint Set -Metallic Pearlescent Red $4 
 
Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster Single Set -Bright Blue with Red accent $2
Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster Single Set -Dark Blue with Red accent $2
Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster Single Set -Metallic Pearlescent Red with Black accent $2


Syclodoc -Ecroyex Guardian (Dark Blue/Bright Blue with White eye, Red Visor and white tampo- also features Bright Blue chest paint -also includes Armodoc head)-$25



Playing with Micronauts and Adventure People as a kid truly had a profound influence on the direction of my creativity, and being able to come full circle and pay homage to those classic toy lines this year has been something of a personal dream come true. For whatever reason, building with the Metallic Pearlescent Red Phaseons and all the matching accessories has been extra fun, and having Argen back (and finally in red) rounds out the return of these two Gendrones after nearly a year out of full production.

This final color selection for 2013 is about as direct a tribute to the Takara/Mego masterpiece Giant Acroyear as I could muster. It's my hope that some of you find yourselves transported to the golden memories of being a kid when you see these particular colors together again.

This wave has electrified my desire to build and take the figures on new mini adventures in a big way. After an especially tough 2013, I still believe it's important that we take a little time and remember to play once in a while.

With whatever the toy may be.

Thanks for reading this last list of 2013!

Red Metal

It has been a wild whirlwind over here for the last week and a bit. With the year coming to a close, the activity at the factory has been nonstop, as well as the action here in the house!

Our final wave for 2013 is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, December 1st at 9:30PM EST. 

Everything is currently on track, but with the intense shipping across the globe right now, there is a small chance that the release date may get bumped a few days. I'm hoping that's not the case, but the holiday season can create roadblocks from seemingly out of nowhere.

A full list will be up on Wednesday.

Over this entire week, we'll be posting up pics of this new round, which is paying homage to multiple classic toylines, with the most prominent being the Microman/Micronauts Giant Acroyear figure (which was a two tone blue with red accent parts). While studying the pantones of the old Giant Acroyear, I couldn't help but notice the parallels between the palette of GI Joe's Cobra and Microman's Acroyears. I've noticed the connection before, but when you get down to the details, the similarities are pretty neat.

The big event for me personally in this wave is finally running a Red Metallic (with pearlescent additive) Argen, along with the rest of the molds. Nailing a proper Red Metallic has been a bit tricky, as too much metallic additive pushes the hue towards a grungier red base color, almost looking more crimson/purplish than a true red.

Now that I have a few of these new Red Metallics in hand, I can safely say that they are a true red hue, akin to the Reydurran red we ran earlier this year. The pearlescent finish creates some vivid effects, which are of course very difficult to photograph!

Overall I'm really excited to have another metallic/pearlescent color to add to the build catalog. I hope you guys are in the mood for some Red Metal!

Clearlander

Ni will be releasing an all new Clear Outlander tonight, November 15th, at 9PM EST.

You can find this stealthy new creature over at the 481 Universe STORE. Make sure to also check out Ni's Customs page, as there are some excellent new selections of Monster Kolor infused figures on deck!

Maxx Works 3

As Ron and I worked out the proportions for Maxx, we tried different sizes for the little bot's head, starting with a significantly smaller noggin on top.

Using existing Glyos production figures for the scale match was a very important part of the blocking process, and served as a central point of measure.

The primary goal at this stage was to find just the right size for this new Robo Force. We wanted the sculpts to appear powerful and fairly massive in comparison to what we had worked on before, yet also maintain 100% compatibility with everything else already in full production.

The other major concern was that Robo Force would make sense financially for the Toyfinity team to produce, so we moved forward with certain dimensions and metrics in mind, conceived to hopefully result in an overall success and not just simply a redesigned classic robot.

Real X Head Bariban

On our recent trip overseas to Japan, Jesse and I were treated to an assortment of new Real X Head sofubi from Mori that made our heads spin.

The new RXH character shown above, called Bariban, is Mori's tribute to the Metal Hero Series of Tokusatsu, specifically Space Sheriff Sharivan. Over the years, I've discovered that Mori is a huge Metal Hero fan, as well as an avid Spiral Zone and 80's Real Type design aesthetic enthusiast. The futuristic look of his most recent works is an indicator of these little known interests.

Mori and I discussed 2014 a lot during our time visiting together in September (Japan) and October (NYCC), and some special releases are being lined up for a few all new crossover projects that have been quietly cooking in our respective kitchens.

Bariban here would look pretty killer with a RoboCop paintjob.

RHND!!!

Titanic

Head over to the Callgrim Store and check out Jesse's latest mini assortment!

Exellis doesn't seem to know what to make of the whopping blue titan standing in his usual hang out. Jumbo Callgrim is like five Blocks high!

From Below

Jesse is right on track for his 9 PM EST mini (and jumbo) launch tonight!

While taking the pics of the Jumbo Callgrim, it was pretty neat to shoot from angles that are normally not on the menu. Looking up from the very bottom of an Order soldier's foot is something I never thought I'd get to do.

These titans are something else!

Mercenary Alert

Our favorite King Under the Mountain, Jesse Moore, has emerged from his secret location for a surprise launch this Friday, November 8th, at 9PM EST.

The special edition NYCC 2013 Gray Galaxy Callgrim will be available, as well as a handful of the Test Type Jumbo Callgrim vinyl behemoths.

We've missed you, Thorin.

Maxx Works 2

Above are a few pics from the early development of Maxx Zero.

Ron and I sized Maxx's "Core Block" so that it would line up with our old Rechlen and Aves Trapping Rigs (a prototype of one can be seen in the background of the top pic).  That original set of proportions was worked directly into the new Maxx design, and thanks to the Toyfinity team being so open minded about new directions, we incorporated that DNA right into Maxx's code.

Regular Hexagons and Isosceles Trapezoids also factored into Maxx Zero big time, as these basic shapes emerged as the top problem solvers, especially on the tread base (more on that later).

Future Rewind

Toyfinity's John Kent brought his impressive Robo Force vintage collection up for another fun visit, and the boxy bots still remain as charming and quirky as ever.

These shots were taken as the classic and new Robo Force characters discussed their next set of moves on our kitchen counter.

I'm pretty certain that I overheard Hun-Dred mention something about a metallic pearlescent red...