The Little Things

Triangle Tangle

The general process of creating new parts is a real combo of paper rumbles and mini studies. Ron always pushes me to make smaller test sculpts before jumping into the finished work, especially with the backwards compatibility of what we do. Most of the time I'll follow this method, but sometimes things just come out of nowhere and go straight to the finished prototype. Maybe it's akin to wanting to make a sandwich at 3AM when you had no intention of eating.

Which I did last night (salami and cheese special).

These new parts were more of a planned meal, due to the measurements needing to be pretty precise so that they would actually function properly. We went through three rounds of test shots before the final production pieces would work correctly. Nailing the new vinyl Switch Pin was possibly the toughest, as it has to hold the whole show together.

The above conceptual sketches are the usual mess of ideas, with a few done after the initial test shots failed to work (like the Switch Pin). Drawing stuff never gets old, and will always remain my first love.

Flex Appeal II

Continuing with the exploration of vinyl building potential, I find the main point of interest for me is that it has a certain lawlessness to it. Each time I start to think that a build might not work, it's refreshing to realize that things are different with rotocast vinyl. I'll still absolutely be a PVC geek for life, as there is a true magic to a toy with some limits to work around, but the more I experiment with vinyl, the more its potential is revealed.

Custom ships, structures, bases, mechs, and general vehicles are only a few of the themes that are possible to explore on a larger scale. Maybe that's the other big reason that vinyl appeals to me, because we can make true scale between the PVC figures and the vinyl constructs, a 1:1 ratio across the range.

Nailing the right pricing is always a major concern, and making the numbers work can be a challenge. These vinyl projects need to be affordable but pretty high quality to really survive. Kind of a working paradox in our present economy. That being said, I promise you guys I'll continue to keep the margins as tight as possible and the overall production level to our dedicated standards (translation: these new parts will not break the bank).

Some sketches are on deck next.

Options Open

One of the most appealing things about vinyl is that it can bend certain structural limits when combined with other vinyl parts. Since there is a more generous amount of "give" within a connection, neat cheats abound. Things that would normally retain a very rigid formation in another material are suddenly granted the ability to move, even if just a little bit, allowing for more options in a base configuration. The end result is a more organic connectivity between components. The PVC has this to a certain degree, but the rules are tighter, and in general have to obey the fit function assigned to each part. With rotocast vinyl you can cut a matching diameter hole into a piece and develop something completely outside the prescribed options. I think this is probably the greatest draw for me when building or playing with vinyl in general.

Lining Up

I've always loved the idea of sentient structures. Imagine if all the bricks in a building could think and move at a moments notice, reconfiguring into whatever design was requested, for whatever condition might arise.
I used to play with my construction blocks when I was a kid in such a way. Each block was alive and would work in unison with the other shapes. I had so much fun messing around with the simplest of things.

 In the 80's I discovered the amazing moving geometric puzzles that would later become a craze that swept the entire world. Rubik's Cube, Rubik's Magic Links, The Missing Link and the Magic Snake all drove me crazy. Especially the Magic Snake. I just wished that it could have come apart without breaking in the process. Do you guys remember these classics?

All these years later, I find myself wanting to revisit the "Sentient Structure" idea more than ever. This new project hopefully brings that old idea closer to reality, while paying deep homage to those classic puzzles and a few "Micro" themed playsets from the late 70's in the process

 Isosceles Triangle+?+Isosceles Triangle+?= Possible Fun Time

?=A long awaited vinyl part (at least for us over here).

I told you I was losing my mind.

Angled Effect

Sorry for the lack of action around here over the last few weeks. Multiple behind the scenes projects piled up, but are now about half sorted out. Some really cool things are on the horizon from our partners in crime that should continue to expand the possibilities of Glyos in general.

Speaking of expanding (and contracting), two oddball secret projects (lots of those floating around in this post) have made it over their last test shot bumps and look to be on deck for a sooner than later arrival. Maybe even in time for our upcoming late March release. The new parts were originally intended to debut with the Block, but getting their functionality correct proved to be a real challenge (as almost everything does with this stuff). Some sneaks will be popping up this week, starting with this post. These pieces are not very flashy or wild in their appearance, but with enough of them, you can create some pretty fun things. My obsession with angles just becomes more intense with each new endeavor!

A quick note about the March drop. Expect something a little different as far as color selections go, something that I've personally wanted to do ever since multiple character and accessory molds were created. It will seem kind of boring to some of you at first, but I'm hoping that once the building commences, my intentions will become clear and make a little bit of sense.

Or you'll just think I'm nuts.