In the store now:
http://monsterforge.storenvy.com/
Showing posts with label aliens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aliens. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Colorful Monsters
A few years ago I posted a blog about a couple of monster coloring books I bought online. These books were written and drawn by a superb artist by the name of Terence E. Hanley. His first two coloring books were Monsters and Aliens of America and Mothman, Aliens, & Flying Saucers. Both books are fantastic and fun pieces that harken back to a time almost lost these days... I fondly recall sitting down in the floor coloring in coloring books for hours as a kid. I don't really plan to color these books up because the art is so good as it is. The linework is wonderful and the included biographical information about each monster is a great bonus!
Well, today I received a copy of Mr. Hanley's latest coloring book in the mail. I present to you Monsters from the Mountains, a fantastic look at cryptids and aliens from the mountains of the Eastern United States.
Each page is lovingly crafted by an artist who truly has a love for the subject matter; it shows in each brush stroke!
Along with the images there is a section inside the front cover that gives brief histories for each montser in the book. In addition to that, there's a set of portraits on the back cover of famous Cryptozoologists and UFOlogists with biographies inside the back cover! It's a great starting point for doing some fun research about the unknown!
Mr. Hanley was nice enough to autograph the book and included this awesome Mothman sticker! Whatta nice guy!
I really don't think any searcher of the unknown can claim to have a full collection without these fantastic coloring books in his or her collection! They are a great introduction to folk stories and legends for kids who love monsters-- and really-- what kids don't love monsters?
Mr. Hanley hasn't set up a webstore just yet, but you can order the books from him directly.
His Blogspot site features all of his available products, and I've included his email address so you can contact him to order books if you so wish. Don't pass up an opportunity to own these super books and support an artist at the same time!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Grimthraxx update!
Grimthraxx! The slave warrior who became a legend in and out of the arena! Once condemned to a fate of eternal combat, Grimthraxx defied his masters and led one of the greatest revolts in Glyan history. Grimthraxx grew to be a mighty general commanding the freed warriors of the Galactic Arena in their struggle to find and tame a world of their own.
Each "Doughty-approved" Grimthraxx set includes one head and one arm that you can use to create your own Grimthraxx figure.
These are resin pieces cast by Steven Patt (AKA oOMoSOo of Papagrim Toys). He did a beautiful job with these, and I am so glad we finally got to work on a project together. If these go over well, I'm more than sure there will be more fun (decidedly more monstrous) stuff from us goons in the future!
Each set will come poly-bagged with a header. Each set will be randomly distributed, so there's no telling which color you'll wind up with. These pieces are unpainted blanks, but they are easily painted and fit most Glyos figures readily! I think they all look pretty nifty unpainted, but any of them could go on to be parts of wonderful individual custom pieces by you fantastic toy artists!!!
Each set will be $15.00 plus $3 S&H. These were made in an extremely limited number-- only 13 are being made available at this time, so grab 'em while you can. There is a STRICT limit of one set per person.
These sets will be available for sale in my store on Monday night (June 25th) at 8PM EST.
Thanks so much for your excitement and interest! You guys rule!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Awesome Anomalies!!!
I had a busy day in town today, but when I got home I found that I had a package waiting! I love packages!
NiStuff's Anomalies came in! Wooooooo!!!!
In case anyone hasn't seen these yet, here's a little run-down: Ni, a member of the October Toys Forum, has been making really cool Glyos custom figures for a good little while now, but only recently did he start making totally new figures that are all his own. He eventually sent them to a factory in China and had them made as production figures! There's something just ultra-cool about doing that!
These little dudes are called the Anomalies, and they are 2-3 inch solid PVC figurines that you can get in packs of six representing different races of aliens in his own universe. Each set comes with the Laion, the Ancient Astronaut, the Adaman, the Slir, the SEG and the Strugg. I'm still learning who is who, but I'll tell you this much: they're ALL awesome! If you want a set, check out Ni's store here. At only 15 bucks a set, you can't go wrong! Fantastic figures and a great deal! While you're there check out his more limited custom figures as well!
They're tied in in some way to the Glyos System universe, but I'm not 100% sure how exactly... I'm just getting into the story. They look really cool along with the Glyos figures!
One keen extra cool bit about this six pack is that it comes with a Glyos compatible head of a character called the Subject. How creepy is that? The head is a perfect match colorwise to the gray that has been used for Glyos figures in the past.
The alien races are as follows:
The Laion
The Strugg
The Slir
The SEG
The Adaman
The Ancient Astronaut
The detail is amazing... even the bottoms of the feet are sculpted. I can't rave about them enough!
As you can see the figures are statically posed figurines much like MUSCLE figures. They're a bit bigger, but would look really cool with almost any mini figures.
I can't wait to get some free time to paint these suckers up!
NiStuff's Anomalies came in! Wooooooo!!!!
In case anyone hasn't seen these yet, here's a little run-down: Ni, a member of the October Toys Forum, has been making really cool Glyos custom figures for a good little while now, but only recently did he start making totally new figures that are all his own. He eventually sent them to a factory in China and had them made as production figures! There's something just ultra-cool about doing that!
These little dudes are called the Anomalies, and they are 2-3 inch solid PVC figurines that you can get in packs of six representing different races of aliens in his own universe. Each set comes with the Laion, the Ancient Astronaut, the Adaman, the Slir, the SEG and the Strugg. I'm still learning who is who, but I'll tell you this much: they're ALL awesome! If you want a set, check out Ni's store here. At only 15 bucks a set, you can't go wrong! Fantastic figures and a great deal! While you're there check out his more limited custom figures as well!
They're tied in in some way to the Glyos System universe, but I'm not 100% sure how exactly... I'm just getting into the story. They look really cool along with the Glyos figures!
One keen extra cool bit about this six pack is that it comes with a Glyos compatible head of a character called the Subject. How creepy is that? The head is a perfect match colorwise to the gray that has been used for Glyos figures in the past.
The alien races are as follows:
The Laion
The Strugg
The Slir
The SEG
The Adaman
The Ancient Astronaut
The detail is amazing... even the bottoms of the feet are sculpted. I can't rave about them enough!
As you can see the figures are statically posed figurines much like MUSCLE figures. They're a bit bigger, but would look really cool with almost any mini figures.
I can't wait to get some free time to paint these suckers up!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Monsters and Aliens and Crayons-- OH MY!!!
I got a really cool package in the mail today. (I love it when a store throws in extras like stickers and postcards!)
In a thread in the kaiju section of the Octorber Toys Forum (best forum EVAR!) someone mentioned a store called Monster Worship, and, while browsing for toys there, I came across a wonderful coloring book by artist Terence E. Hanley called Monsters and Aliens of America. I managed to snag the last one in stock at the time, but they have restocked, it appears! They have another of his coloring books that I'm probably going to eventually grab called Mothman, Aliens, & Flying Saucers
It's illustrated in a very classic style that makes me think back to the old coloring books I had when I was a kid. Have you guys seen coloring books these days? Most of the ones I've seen lately are just photographs that have been digitally wonked around with until they look like line drawings-- it's pretty sad. There used to be quite a bit of artistry in the making of coloring books
The way the creatures in the book are presented reminds of old episodes of In Search Of, a show that pretty much was responsible for 99% of the nightmares I had when I was a kid.
20 pages of fun critters and brief stories about each one. This is definitely one of those coloring books that will never be touched by a crayon, pencil, or brush-- the line work is just too perfectly beautiful to me to sully with any color. Not too shabby for 5 bucks, huh?
I looked up Terence E. Hanley, and he has a website for those who are interested in hearing more about him. Unfortunately it seems to be in its infancy with very few links or pages. Hopefully that will change. On the good side, it provides contact info for the artist!
If you like his stuff, let him know! Artists need to know they are appreciated! Sometimes we feel all alone, scratching away at our drawing boards like madmen!
In a thread in the kaiju section of the Octorber Toys Forum (best forum EVAR!) someone mentioned a store called Monster Worship, and, while browsing for toys there, I came across a wonderful coloring book by artist Terence E. Hanley called Monsters and Aliens of America. I managed to snag the last one in stock at the time, but they have restocked, it appears! They have another of his coloring books that I'm probably going to eventually grab called Mothman, Aliens, & Flying Saucers
It's illustrated in a very classic style that makes me think back to the old coloring books I had when I was a kid. Have you guys seen coloring books these days? Most of the ones I've seen lately are just photographs that have been digitally wonked around with until they look like line drawings-- it's pretty sad. There used to be quite a bit of artistry in the making of coloring books
The way the creatures in the book are presented reminds of old episodes of In Search Of, a show that pretty much was responsible for 99% of the nightmares I had when I was a kid.
20 pages of fun critters and brief stories about each one. This is definitely one of those coloring books that will never be touched by a crayon, pencil, or brush-- the line work is just too perfectly beautiful to me to sully with any color. Not too shabby for 5 bucks, huh?
I looked up Terence E. Hanley, and he has a website for those who are interested in hearing more about him. Unfortunately it seems to be in its infancy with very few links or pages. Hopefully that will change. On the good side, it provides contact info for the artist!
If you like his stuff, let him know! Artists need to know they are appreciated! Sometimes we feel all alone, scratching away at our drawing boards like madmen!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Glowy Glowy
I'm not really a huge fan of the show Ben 10. I liked it when it first started out-- when he was still a little kid. There was something magically awesome about a little ten-year-old boy running around saving the universe by becoming one of ten different aliens. The writers of the first Ben 10 series wove some interesting and fun stories.
Then... they made Ben mature a bit... and it killed it for me. I'm not saying the show became something bad... it just became something I didn't really care for.
One thing, however, remained the same: the alien designs kicked all kind of butt. One of my favorites from the newer Ben 10 stuff is Echo Echo. He's a very simple, sleek design with just enough character elements to give him an awesome attitude. I have no idea what the character on the show is like-- I just like the design!
I had been tempted to buy the toy for a while, but I was never really won over by it enough to do so. It was neat, but nothing about it really bowled me over.
Then I saw the second release of the figure, and it had the one thing that will usually compell me to buy something: it glows in the dark.
This is the "Echo Echo Defender" figure, which sets it apart from the regular figure who is just called "Echo Echo." I have no idea either.
He's a nicely sculpted figure with very clean lines. He's articulated at the neck, shoulders, hips and knees. He's not super poseable, but he does OK. You can get some basic poses out of him, but he's mainly there to look slick sitting on your shelf. He stands around 3 inches tall, so he's not exactly a massive toy. Good thing I love small figures, huh?
He has a little backpack with tubes that connect to the sides of his head like earphones. He has the look and feel of a designer toy, to be honest. If I had no idea what the character was all about I'd assume he was some intergalactic DJ or something... he has a funky urban feel to him.
The figure comes with some crappy bio card and a little clear plastic figurine of the character. The bottom of the mini figurine plugs into the "Omnitrix" (SOLD SEPARATELY!!!) accessory so you can pretend to be Ben or something. Whatever. If anyone wants the little accessory figurine feel free to let me know... I'll be glad to send it to the first person who claims it. I have no use for the thing.
The best part about the figure is this:
Oh yeah... GLOW, BABY! GLOW!
He looks epic next to my other glowing toys, and that's all that matters.
I bought this one for 6 bucks, but I find that he's worth it even though he's small and has limited articulation. Be sure to look for the glowing one... you can tell he glows if you really look at the two different Echo Echo figures next to each other. The glow in the dark one is kind of a milky, yellowish white, while the regular version is a very stark white. In my opinion buying one of these figures that doesn't glow for the same price as one that does is a waste of cash.
Then... they made Ben mature a bit... and it killed it for me. I'm not saying the show became something bad... it just became something I didn't really care for.
One thing, however, remained the same: the alien designs kicked all kind of butt. One of my favorites from the newer Ben 10 stuff is Echo Echo. He's a very simple, sleek design with just enough character elements to give him an awesome attitude. I have no idea what the character on the show is like-- I just like the design!
I had been tempted to buy the toy for a while, but I was never really won over by it enough to do so. It was neat, but nothing about it really bowled me over.
Then I saw the second release of the figure, and it had the one thing that will usually compell me to buy something: it glows in the dark.
This is the "Echo Echo Defender" figure, which sets it apart from the regular figure who is just called "Echo Echo." I have no idea either.
He's a nicely sculpted figure with very clean lines. He's articulated at the neck, shoulders, hips and knees. He's not super poseable, but he does OK. You can get some basic poses out of him, but he's mainly there to look slick sitting on your shelf. He stands around 3 inches tall, so he's not exactly a massive toy. Good thing I love small figures, huh?
He has a little backpack with tubes that connect to the sides of his head like earphones. He has the look and feel of a designer toy, to be honest. If I had no idea what the character was all about I'd assume he was some intergalactic DJ or something... he has a funky urban feel to him.
The figure comes with some crappy bio card and a little clear plastic figurine of the character. The bottom of the mini figurine plugs into the "Omnitrix" (SOLD SEPARATELY!!!) accessory so you can pretend to be Ben or something. Whatever. If anyone wants the little accessory figurine feel free to let me know... I'll be glad to send it to the first person who claims it. I have no use for the thing.
The best part about the figure is this:
Oh yeah... GLOW, BABY! GLOW!
He looks epic next to my other glowing toys, and that's all that matters.
I bought this one for 6 bucks, but I find that he's worth it even though he's small and has limited articulation. Be sure to look for the glowing one... you can tell he glows if you really look at the two different Echo Echo figures next to each other. The glow in the dark one is kind of a milky, yellowish white, while the regular version is a very stark white. In my opinion buying one of these figures that doesn't glow for the same price as one that does is a waste of cash.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
PREDATORS!!!
Well... I just pooped my pants. Check this out... I had NO idea this was even in the works. I guess it shows how out of touch I have been with Hollywood lately:
======================
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/03/predators.html
Hero Complex
For your inner fanboy
'Predators' on the loose in Texas -- the hunt is back on
March 13, 2010
It's a big weekend for "Predators," the promising Fox film that began the ramp-up to its July 7 release with a sneak peek at South by Southwest in Austin. I just got off the phone with the film's director, Nimród Antal, and he seemed to be pulsing with enthusiasm.
"This is gasoline," the filmmaker said using an appropriately petroleum-based description for the film's building buzz at the Lone Star State gathering."We're very excited."
Antal is coming off the 2009 film "Armored" which did not go over well with critics although more than a few pointed out the filmmaker's flair in the ultimately disappointing heist movie. If the L.A. native needed a mentor, he's certainly got one with this revival of the well-known sci-fi franchise; "Predators" is a product of Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Texas and Rodriguez came up with the story. Antal said the property and the producer made this a dream gig for him.
"I grew up with 'Predator,' I loved it, I had the poster on my wall and it was a big thing for me," he said. "And working with Robert was amazing, he was unlike any other producer I've ever worked with. It was intimidating at first but it was a gift as the work went on. He knows when to leave a filmmaker alone and when to help, it was great for me."
The first "Predator" film, released in 1987, was directed by John McTiernan (who would go on to "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October") off a script by Jim and John Thomas. It starred not only Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers but also the signature work of creature-creator Stan Winston and his team. The plot: An elite commando team goes into the jungles of Central America to rescue some kidnapped airmen but find they are the prey of an alien creature with advanced technology who has come to Earth on an interstellar hunting safari.
The movie is one of the best-regarded sci-fi action films of its decade and its alien hunter proved so popular that he and his kind popped up in three more films ("Predator 2" in 1990, "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" in 2004 and "AVPR: Aliens vs Predator -- Requiem" in 2007) as well as in comics, video games and toys.
"Why was that first movie so special? If I could answer that I would bottle it up and sell it," Antal said. "There were so many elements that came together. It was like a really good band playing together. If one person is off, it doesn't work but when everybody is on, it's just magic. It was excellent film making by McTiernan, you had Arnold, the score, Stan Winston, the script. It was magic."
The sequels, well, they weren't nearly as special and Antal said the reason was "bad choices" when it came to tone. "The later movies lost the tension and the suspense of the hunt. They whole building the stress up during the hunt and the big reveal of the alien was lost as the movies went along. You see more and more of the alien and get less and less of the mood and tension."
(SPOILER ALERT: THE NEXT PARAGRAPH HAS PLOT INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW FILM)
The new film wipes much of the slate clean and, in narrative, goes back to a point not long after the events of the first film. The aliens, surprised to find that one of theirs has been killed on Earth, want to study humans in a controlled environment and so they pluck killers of different sorts (convicts, organized-crime killers, mercenaries, etc) from around the globe and take them to a preserve environment where a new hunt begins. The film stars Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, Lawrence Fishburne and Alice Braga as the confused humans who are suspicious of one another and not exactly team players. More than that, they find that there may be a serial killer in their own ranks as they tramp through the underbrush one step ahead of their high-tech hunters.
"They are all predators in their own right and they are at each others throats," Antal said. "We're expanding the mythology but we're also making a stand-alone film. And, I hope this doesn't sound arrogant, but when it comes to imagery that not one of the previous can come close to. I'm very proud of the way the film looks."
Those are big words from Antal and fans will take them seriously and deliver their own verdict. Welcome to the jungle, Mr. Antal, the hunt is on. . .
— Geoff Boucher
======================
WOW.
I looked up the director, Nimród Antal. It seems this is his 4th film; he directed Kontroll (2003 Hungary), Vacancy (2007 USA), Armored (2009 USA), and now this one. I haven't seen any of his other films, but his first movie, Kontrol, was showered with awards. Predators is produced by Robert Rodriguez, so someone with serious cash and cajones is backing it. The premise is nice and creepy-- I guess time will tell. Every time lately I've gotten excited about a movie I've been let down BIG time. Hopefully this one won't do the same.
It's about darn time the big hunters were back on the screen as a serious threat-- Predator is one of my all-time favorite movies...EVAR. I like the direction they're taking with this one... let's hope it kicks serious butt!
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/03/predators.html
Hero Complex
For your inner fanboy
'Predators' on the loose in Texas -- the hunt is back on
March 13, 2010
It's a big weekend for "Predators," the promising Fox film that began the ramp-up to its July 7 release with a sneak peek at South by Southwest in Austin. I just got off the phone with the film's director, Nimród Antal, and he seemed to be pulsing with enthusiasm.
"This is gasoline," the filmmaker said using an appropriately petroleum-based description for the film's building buzz at the Lone Star State gathering."We're very excited."
Antal is coming off the 2009 film "Armored" which did not go over well with critics although more than a few pointed out the filmmaker's flair in the ultimately disappointing heist movie. If the L.A. native needed a mentor, he's certainly got one with this revival of the well-known sci-fi franchise; "Predators" is a product of Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Texas and Rodriguez came up with the story. Antal said the property and the producer made this a dream gig for him.
"I grew up with 'Predator,' I loved it, I had the poster on my wall and it was a big thing for me," he said. "And working with Robert was amazing, he was unlike any other producer I've ever worked with. It was intimidating at first but it was a gift as the work went on. He knows when to leave a filmmaker alone and when to help, it was great for me."
The first "Predator" film, released in 1987, was directed by John McTiernan (who would go on to "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October") off a script by Jim and John Thomas. It starred not only Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers but also the signature work of creature-creator Stan Winston and his team. The plot: An elite commando team goes into the jungles of Central America to rescue some kidnapped airmen but find they are the prey of an alien creature with advanced technology who has come to Earth on an interstellar hunting safari.
The movie is one of the best-regarded sci-fi action films of its decade and its alien hunter proved so popular that he and his kind popped up in three more films ("Predator 2" in 1990, "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" in 2004 and "AVPR: Aliens vs Predator -- Requiem" in 2007) as well as in comics, video games and toys.
"Why was that first movie so special? If I could answer that I would bottle it up and sell it," Antal said. "There were so many elements that came together. It was like a really good band playing together. If one person is off, it doesn't work but when everybody is on, it's just magic. It was excellent film making by McTiernan, you had Arnold, the score, Stan Winston, the script. It was magic."
The sequels, well, they weren't nearly as special and Antal said the reason was "bad choices" when it came to tone. "The later movies lost the tension and the suspense of the hunt. They whole building the stress up during the hunt and the big reveal of the alien was lost as the movies went along. You see more and more of the alien and get less and less of the mood and tension."
(SPOILER ALERT: THE NEXT PARAGRAPH HAS PLOT INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW FILM)
The new film wipes much of the slate clean and, in narrative, goes back to a point not long after the events of the first film. The aliens, surprised to find that one of theirs has been killed on Earth, want to study humans in a controlled environment and so they pluck killers of different sorts (convicts, organized-crime killers, mercenaries, etc) from around the globe and take them to a preserve environment where a new hunt begins. The film stars Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, Lawrence Fishburne and Alice Braga as the confused humans who are suspicious of one another and not exactly team players. More than that, they find that there may be a serial killer in their own ranks as they tramp through the underbrush one step ahead of their high-tech hunters.
"They are all predators in their own right and they are at each others throats," Antal said. "We're expanding the mythology but we're also making a stand-alone film. And, I hope this doesn't sound arrogant, but when it comes to imagery that not one of the previous can come close to. I'm very proud of the way the film looks."
Those are big words from Antal and fans will take them seriously and deliver their own verdict. Welcome to the jungle, Mr. Antal, the hunt is on. . .
— Geoff Boucher
WOW.
I looked up the director, Nimród Antal. It seems this is his 4th film; he directed Kontroll (2003 Hungary), Vacancy (2007 USA), Armored (2009 USA), and now this one. I haven't seen any of his other films, but his first movie, Kontrol, was showered with awards. Predators is produced by Robert Rodriguez, so someone with serious cash and cajones is backing it. The premise is nice and creepy-- I guess time will tell. Every time lately I've gotten excited about a movie I've been let down BIG time. Hopefully this one won't do the same.
It's about darn time the big hunters were back on the screen as a serious threat-- Predator is one of my all-time favorite movies...EVAR. I like the direction they're taking with this one... let's hope it kicks serious butt!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Lil Gree-Nee!
Well... I listed my first item on Etsy.com! It's a Saucer Baby! Go take a look at the listing... I hope everyone there likes the little guy. Here are some pics of him; you'll notice my hammy cat got in on the photo shoot!
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