And the Official Count is...

... 63

Trick-or-Treaters tonight. Not a bad number, it was over 70 degrees tonight with no rain so the kids had a decent night. No real memorable costumes though (what ever happened to creative costumes?) hell, I even saw a Power Ranger tonight! Are they still around??

Happy Halloween

Here at work (K'NEX) Halloween is a pretty big deal, and wearing a costume on the day at work is, well, not required (but expected). So what to do? Well, when you have the type of hairline that I do (nearly none) you go that extra mile, and shave it off.
And come dressed as Uncle Fester.

A well hung Transformer

This is an oldie, but a goodie!

Back in 1984-85 (I believe) while working at Hasbro we would get the new Transformer models (at least the early ones designed in Japan) so we could draw them for package illustration positioning. For the most part the models looked like your typical Transformer, except.... for the original Shockwave.

Shockwave was a Transformer that changed from a gun into a robot (or was that a robot that changed into a gun?) Anyway, when Shockwave was a gun he worked and looked fine. Pull the trigger and the gun would light up and make cool noises.

But when he switched to his Robot form........ oops.

Yes, the word "trigger" brought on a new meaning. Maybe it was a way of teaching kids where new Transformers came from.
In any event Shockwave was "redesigned" so the masses wouldn't have a fit.

I mean, we must think of the children!

:b

Today's NO PUN INTENDED

Yes, they're agonizingly painful to read....
but I still have plenty left, so here are more
No Pun Intendeds!

No... the cat isn't dead.

Here's where I can be found on an occasional Saturday night (and after hours during the week.) My home studio consists of:
• Drawing board (my original, have had it since 1977!!)
• My G5 MAC (just upgraded my MAC this year from my old G4 to this new G5)
• Two monitors
• HP LaserJet Printer
• Scanner
• Cat, to annoy me when I'm trying to work

K'NEX Builds

One thing I noticed when I began working here at K'NEX this past May, are the builds (the builds are what they call whatever is built with K'NEX) are EVERYWHERE!

Really, everywhere. It's as if no matter where you look around here, along walls, on tables or tucked into corners of rooms are massive builds of just about anything you could imagine. Mostly what you'll see are roller coasters or ferris wheels. K'NEX are known for their elaborate (and working) amusement park rides. In the picture above, are several versions of the new Serpent Spiral Roller Coaster. It, along with other new products made their debut at Toy Fair last week.

Below is a Bus built out of K'NEX. It's over 5 feet long and 2.5 feet tall.

I'll post more pictures of even more builds when time allows.

Imagine•Build•Play

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting what I've been up to, which includes my new day job as Senior Designer for K'NEX, the Construction Toy.

I started here in May and it feels as if I'd never left the Toy Industry (I left Hasbro in March of 1989 so it's been at least 17 years!)
I wasn't that aware of K'NEX before starting here, having been more of an action figure or collectible toy buying in the last decade rather than a construction toy collector. But what I've seen here in the 5 months since I started is a really good product with a lot of potential.

Might as well leave a link to the K'NEX site. The K'NEX Search logo that's featured on the site ois just one of the many things that I've done since I began here in May.

More later...

Good Knight Nurse!

It's being reported on the net that another Marvel Comics character will be appearing on the screen (albeit the small screen). Moon Knight the silver/white caped crusader (no, he's not a Bat Man rip-off) who first appeared as a villain to Marvel's Werewolf By Night waaaay back in the early 70's. He gained great (well, comics readership great) popularity in the late 70's and early 80's, thanks in part to the art of Bill Sienkiewicz.

Included in this press release was this:

"The production will be spearheaded by No Equal Entertainment’s Sugar. Sugar brings to the project over 35 years experience as a Hollywood executive and producer. His track record includes a wide array of global television series, including: “The Collector,” “Romeo,” “First Wave,” “Dead Man’s Gun,” and “So Weird.”

Wow.... that's some track record.

I'm Back!!!

Yes, after nearly a year, I've returned to the land of online B'Sing (or Blogging as it's called).

So where have I been and what have I been doing?
Well.....
First, I got laid off in December,
Second, despite the Steelers winning the Super Bowl, I got depressed in February,
Third, things began to perk up by getting steady freelance in March (from, ironically, the company that laid me off),
Fourth, I interviewed and got hired for a new (and better paying job) in April, with K'NEX the constructing toy company. Yep, after 15 years I'm back in the toy industry,
Fifth, I decided to go ahead and print up my long awaited first issue of Action Figure
and Sixth...
There is no Sixth!!!
Seventh, I'll be posting regularly here with news of my new books, new (and old) comics and other stuff.

So bookmark today!