Beach Creatures

A small restock of silver accessories and the Buildman Infiltrator Buildborn are active over in the store. 

This alternate Strayline version of the entity that would become Argen now walks a different path, though it does share a natural curiosity common between each reality. 

Edge Raptor Sunrise

Shoreliner

Old Orchard Beach is still something special, even in hibernation mode.

Just ask the Blow Bros.

Beyond the Black Nebula Part 2

When I first received the Knight of Darkness "doll" from my folks back in the late 70's, I was really taken by the strange and blunted "Vader-like" look of the helmet, as well as the silver and black color combination. Because I was also obsessed with Stormtroopers at the time, I thought the Knight also looked like some kind of elite version of the Empire's prime military force. Naturally, I expected to see other S.T.A.R. Team antagonists like the Knight show up at the toy store, filling out the "bad guy" ranks like Star Wars was starting to do. Each time my family traveled to The Maine Mall I was on the lookout for new S.T.A.R. Team recruits, but nothing ever materialized beyond the Knight and a few Zem 21 figures. This actually bugged me more than it ever should have, especially since legitimate Star Wars figures were starting to invade the shelves. The Knight of Darkness needed his own troopers to command!

I kept my original Knight of Darkness for many years, losing various pieces of its body as time rolled on. Eventually all that remained was the poor guy's head, battered and scraped from years of service. The Knight's noggin one day ended up on my work desk, while I had some cruddy enamel model paint opened up (80's kids know the kind). I thought back to my desire of seeing a trooper versions of the Knight and I applied some of that nasty enamel paint (a red color) to its worn out dome. Needless to say, the paint refused to dry, but for a small window I was able to sneak a glimpse of what might have been.

Fast forward to nearly 4 years ago, around the time I started to develop new S.T.A.R. Team (Project X) concepts with Toyfinity's John Kent (who now held the licenses for some of my most beloved Ideal toy lines including S.T.A.R. Team) and our long time collaborator Ralph Niese. During those extensive work sessions, we discussed how we could bring back the Knight of Darkness and give him an army of armored soldiers. The old "trooper" concept then resurfaced from my youth, and things began to fall into focus for the Knight's resurrection.

More to explore in Part 3!

Infinite Shores

Mechanical Grin

I was first introduced to the great Palace Playland arcade back in 1978, while our family was living in Buxton, Maine for a few years after Megan was born. To this day, whenever we visit this old gem up in Old Orchard Beach, I feel inspired and connected to my early days of creating little creatures from beyond. If you're ever near the southern coast of Maine, try checking the whole Old Orchard Beach area out for a great classic amusement park throwback experience. It has just the right amount of grittiness.

Also, Lisa's Pizza on the corner of Old Orchard St and 1st is eternally glorious.

Summer Sojourns

Things behind the scenes are starting to ramp back up around here after enjoying a great summer with the family. The various mini trips up to Maine and Gloucester over the last few months really provided some quality time with the girls, as well as a solid flow of creative inspiration.

We are currently working away on the early September release, which focuses on Argen and the splintering Gendrone Forces. Some of you may instantly recognize what the upcoming colors pay tribute to when we roll out the new assortment, especially if you remember the Red Rocker and the Blue Bomber.

Stryker Lock has been in production for a number of months, and Mori is very close to wrapping up the final touches on the Standard White rerun. As soon as the figures come in, we'll give some advanced notice of the sale date, but expect them to appear in the store pretty quickly after that announcement. Both Mori and I are still figuring out the best system of manufacturing these little buggers, specifically due to the higher production numbers. It has been a true prototype phase that I believe will be worth the extra wait in the end.

Sincere thanks from Mori and I for your prolonged patience as we continue to build out this new part of our crossover universe!

Axis Factor

Phase Bathing

Walkenplating