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!

Sidrick: Cosmic Calamity Part 2

Sidrick: Cosmic Calamity Part 2

Sidrick and the MvR characters are back! I hope you all enjoy reading the conclusion to this wacky adventure as much as I enjoyed creating it.

I have been writing and drawing "Sidrick Stories" since I was 9 years old, and honestly it is still just as much fun now as it was then. Back in those days I had an audience of one (my younger brother) so it's pretty cool to think that Sidrick is making his way into all your homes 30+ years later!

Many thanks to Matt, Marc and Ralph for putting so much time and energy into making these guys come alive and helping me finish this comic. They are truly all amazing at what they do, and I am humbled daily working alongside them. Extra special thanks to all of you for allowing me the opportunity to show my art and introduce Sidrick to the Glyos community. Hopefully he'll be making another appearance in the near future!  -Michelle

Mission Details

This release has been in the making since the beginning of the year. Pulling all the elements together has been a true challenge, with multiple roadblocks coming up as we developed the different aspects of this particular launch.

Some of the "secrets" we have in store you may have already guessed, but I'm fairly certain there are a few twists that you will not have seen coming, and I hope they make you crack a smile.

On an exciting note, our resident artists, Michelle and Ralph, have created some fresh content to spice things up!

Ralph has illustrated an all new comic that continues to prove why he is one of the brightest and most forward thinking creators working today. How he tackles Noboto and Gobon is a real trip!

Michelle has been cranking away on the second half of her latest Sidrick story, which sees good old Sidrick coming up against a familiar Traveler who does not enjoy redheaded kids messing with his stuff! Seeing Michelle pick up the markers again has been the best, and her dedication to getting back into the groove has inspired the hell out of Marc and I.

Speaking of Marcus, he completes the trio of talent, and is without a doubt the most versatile artist that I know (or will ever know). From running the site, formatting all the content, building the product color mechanicals and tackling the store year after year, I want to take a moment to give extra special thanks to my younger brother. There would be no Onell Design without Marc Beaudette.

For our friends who have been with us since the beginning, to those of you who may have just discovered this corner of the universe, Michelle, Marc and I hope you are ready to meet some new (and old) faces this Sunday night.

Whew! On to the details!
 

There will be purchasing limits on select items: 

-Armorvor (2 limit per customer) 

-Travelers/Noboto/???? (3 of each style per customer)  

-Syclodoc (2 limit per customer)



Enigma Source


 
Glyan -Neo Gatekeeper Standard (Warm Purple/Magenta with Black visors and White tampo) $8
Glyan -Neo Gatekeeper Reverse (Magenta/Warm Purple with Black visors and White tampo) $8
Glyan -Glyaxia Ivorinium Elite (Pearlescent White with Black visors and Black tampo) $8

Deep Space Glyan -Neo Gatekeeper Standard (Warm Purple/Magenta with Black visors and White tampo)$12
Deep Space Glyan -Neo Gatekeeper Reverse (Magenta/Warm Purple with Black visors and White tampo) $12
Deep Space Glyan -Glyaxia Ivorinium Elite (Pearlescent White with Black visors and Black tampo) $12
NOTE- Each Deep Space Glyan is made up of one Glyan and one painted Hub Set.

Neo Gatekeeper Viyer Sarvos (Warm Purple/Magenta with painted eyes, Magenta accents and bonus Phanost head) $8
Neo Gatekeeper Sullonev Pheyden (Magenta/Warm Purple with painted eyes, bonus Scar Pheyden head and scarf) $8


???? -$8
???? -$8
???? -$8


Noboto -Neo Gatekeeper Standard (Warm Purple/Magenta with painted eyes,White tampo and bonus head) $8   
Noboto -Neo Gatekeeper Reverse (Magenta/Warm Purple with painted eyes, White tampo and bonus head) $8    
Noboto -Mordireus Powered (Neon Clear Pink with painted eyes and bonus head)  $8  
Noboto -Ivorinium (Pearlescent White with painted eyes and bonus head)  $8  
  
Gobon -Mordireus Powered (Neon Clear Pink with painted eyes) $8 

Crayboth -Ivorinium (Pearlescent White) $3

Armorvor -Neo Gatekeeper Reverse Mimic (Magenta/Warm Purple with Black visors) $8


Swing Joint Set -Warm Purple $4
Swing Joint Set -Magenta $4
Swing Joint Set -Pearlescent White $3 -Special Price
 
Hub Set -Warm Purple with Black accent and White tampo $4
Hub Set -Magenta with Black accent and White tampo $4
Hub Set -Pearlescent White with Black accent and White tampo $4
NOTE- Each Hub Set is sold in a specific Drone configuration.

Axis Joint Set -Warm Purple $4
Axis Joint Set -Magenta $4
Axis Joint Set -Pearlescent White $4

Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster Single Set -Warm Purple with Black accent $2
Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster Single Set -Magenta with Black accent $2
Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster Single Set -Pearlescent White with Black accent $2


Syclodoc -Gatekeeper Defender (Magenta/Warm Purple with White accents, Black Visor and white tampo- also features some additional chest paint) -$25



In all these years we have never really run a proper straight up magenta PVC. The original Gatekeeper run was close, but leaned more towards the pinkish side of things. With this new magenta hue, I've been able to mix and match with some of our more recent releases, creating some interesting color combinations that range from Robotech inspired to the old Transformers Seacons colors.

The warm purple is closer to things we have produced before, but with a richness to the hue that seems to pop more than usual. Nothing outrageous, but pretty deep. A Deep Purple.

Thanks as always for navigating the word minefield above! More pics and assorted images incoming...

Monsters VS Robots

The ever impressive Ralph Niese works his magic once again!

Michelle, Marc and I have been staring at this piece pretty much nonstop since first laying eyes on it.

Thanks a million Ralph! Now we just have to make a movie to match your poster!

Shipping Update

We have completed processing all the orders from Sunday's release and will start the shipping tomorrow morning, cranking through boxes until everything has hit the post.

Thanks again for your support and for the comments and emails, you guys keep our fires burning!

I'll be posting some points of interest in between the shipping maneuvers, some of which reveal odd items that I would love your opinions on. 

Thank You!!!

Thank you for being part of last night's mini release! I know that the timing of things seems to be getting tighter and tighter as we move along, so I'm extra grateful to everybody who participated in Noboto and Gobon's proper debut.

Even though this was a small rollout, it means the world to our family that you guys were there for it, especially after last month's calamities.

Since our tiny company has just passed the 6 year mark in regard to selling production figures, I can't help but look back on all the twists and turns that have occurred during the trip and reminisce a little, so please forgive my ramblings.

The memory of getting the very first shipment in is still as clear as ever, as well as the feeling of dread when I realized that almost every figure was painted poorly! Those were some long nights of PVC cleaning with my sister.

The days of traveling to the post office with hand written labels seems like only yesterday. Those postal workers wanted to kill me when I'd show up with a pile of boxes to send out, all having to be manually put into the system. It got so bad, that the post office actually sent a rep out to our house 3 times to help us get automated! In the end my sister Megan dragged us into the modern age of click and ship wonder, introducing light bulbs to our cave-dwelling clan.

As the collecting scene has changed over the years, we have tried to keep our finger on its pulse, but still offer an alternative to the mainstream market. I think about how many times we came right to the edge of shutting down in the beginning, and those thoughts keep me balanced against any small successes we may have had in the days that have followed. The grim reality is that it doesn't take much to wipe out a company these days, particularly the small ones.

I bring these things up because I want you each to truly know how much we value your dedication and friendship, whether from the very start or from just last night, you are never taken for granted. 

As long as you're there, we'll continue to give it everything we've got, hopefully for many years to come.

Thanks again for making this the best anniversary yet!

Sidrick: Cosmic Calamity

Sidrick: Cosmic Calamity

Hi guys, this is Michelle here. Thanks to everyone for supporting our launch tonight. It's pretty cool to see production Noboto and Gobon in their MVR standard colors. I want to thank my sweet husband Matt, whose support and words of encouragement kept me going into the wee hours of the morning, and Marcus for tutoring me on Photoshop and answering all of my dumb questions. I hope you all enjoy the comic; the rest should be coming in the next couple of weeks. Thanks again!

PS- Thanks Ralph for the special easter egg... it's Bo-nasty!

Noboto Activate!

The store is Live!

Refresh: http://onelldesign.com/store

To avoid any repeat PayPal issues, please read below carefully:

We are asking that each customer place ONLY ONE order in the first hour. If you do not see an order confirmation on screen or via email, please be patient and DO NOT place another order. Due to the high volume of activity, it may take extra time for PayPal to process all transactions. Please also be sure your PayPal cart is EMPTY before you begin shopping.

Hope you guys have fun! We'll be posting up a brand new Sidrick comic by Michelle shortly- check back for the link!

Ro-bit Run

A little pixel animation inspired by Monsters VS Robots. I love how Michelle creates worlds within worlds in her comics, and this is another interpretation of the game that Sidrick and his buds play.

Growing up, my twin brother John and I played Nintendo games like Bubble Bobble and 3D World Runner endlessly, and those memories will forever spill into anything I create. In fact, when Matt and I first met I think we had busted out that 8-bit machine and were head to head in Balloon Fight within the first few hours. (I won... once. He won the other 38 rounds.)

Noggin Swap

Proto Clone Beta's alternate Noboto head.

Painting the sclera of the eyes dark makes for a pretty menacing looking munchkin!

Alternate Means

One of the original color schemes for Noboto featured a light green head and all yellow body. It was only closer to when Michelle put out her second Sidrick book that we really switched the colors around, basically making Noboto's Reverse into his Standard.

Being able to have both styles was one of the reasons the second "Clone" head was created, as the old Noboto head design also had a point where it was bumpier and a bit more skull like.

Noboto, meet Noboto.


EDIT: I forgot to mention that Reverse Noboto (Otobon?) up there is sporting a few tweaks to his core build, with a flipped chest (macho style), reversed thighs (to stand up straight), flipped biceps (bent for battle) and a swapped belt and scarf (for sleeker lines and, uh, pockets on the back of his head).

I imagine this form being favored by the more aggressive Noboto Clones out there causing trouble.

Mini Mission Details

My apologies for popping the details for this list up so late, but there was some behind the scenes activity that I had to clarify before all the items could be finalized.

To celebrate this 6th anniversary mini release, we have lowered Gobon's price to $8, to hopefully make it a little easier to put together the original MVR team!


MVR

Noboto -MVR Standard (Light Yellow Noboto head, Light Green/Light Brown body with painted eyes) Also includes Light Brown Clone Head $8
Noboto -Proto Clone Alpha (Light Yellow Clone head, Light Brown/Light Yellow body with painted eyes) Also includes Light Green Noboto Head $8
Noboto -Proto Clone Beta (Light Green Clone head, Light Yellow/Light Green body with painted eyes) Also includes Light Brown Noboto Head $8

Gobon -MVR Standard (Light Yellow/White with painted eyes) $8
Gobon -MVR Reverse (White/Light Yellow with painted eyes) $8

???? -$8


It's a small release, but a very special one for Michelle and I.

Thanks again for your help in bringing these guys to life!

Early Figure Steps

Noboto saw a decent amount of changes during the early days of his toy form development, initially materializing as a more compact little guy with some less bulb-like head designs (although the ones in the above drawing did inspire the current Noboto's alternate Clone noggin).

On the other hand, Gobon maintained a basic bell body shape right up until full production, even though its overall proportions were pushed and pulled to try and find just the right balance before we settled on a final form.

The above sketches are also from 2006, when Michelle and I were revising the MVR team for the second Sidrick book and tightening the overall look for the jump to 3D sculpts.

The odd floating mechanical head up there is a character named Gloot, another weirdo who's part of Noboto's crew. That long strand of junk coming from beneath it was supposed to serve as a potential stand for a toy version. Both Michelle and I want to see old Gloot make an appearance as an actual toy at some point, even though he's just a little saucer head!

Old Color Tests

This sketch of Noboto and Gobon dates back to around 2006, and served as a study to refine the details and color selections of the characters in relation to each other.  This doodle was also used as a guide while I worked on the original prototype of Noboto at the shop.

Looking at it now, I remember Michelle and I discussing whether or not to leave the detailed area on Noboto's forehead on or off. In the end I'm happy we kept it simple, though now I want to make a variant!

The Original Program

Yesterday (7/21) was a special day over here, as it marked a couple of anniversaries for our family. The first one was for the 11th year Michelle and I have been married (15 together), and the second one was for our 6th year of selling full production Glyos figures.

To celebrate our survival on both accounts, we have put together a small, but very special release for this Sunday, July 28th at 9:30PM EST.

After more than a decade since their original designs were doodled by two goofs in a Saturn dealership, Noboto and Gobon will finally be available as a duo -in their Monsters VS Robots "Standard" colors from Michelle's original 2007 Sidrick comic to boot!

Michelle, Marcus and I have been very excited to share these figures, as nailing the hues for this Mini Anniversary Wave took a lot of back and forth between all of us. We really wanted to achieve just the right "butter", "pistachio" and "caramel' mix (thanks for the gastronomic descriptions Ralpho!).

Over the years we have tried to develop a specific color palette for our "Standard" characters, one that hopefully defines each character in a memorable way. Noboto's specific MVR Standard colors were decided back in 2007, when Michelle rolled out her second Sidrick comic, which featured the MVR cast causing grief throughout the pages. Michelle's comic also locked in how Gobon would be colored for what we thought would be its Standard look. Eventually Gobon was changed to silver for its first release, but Michelle and I have always seen the big bongo as yellow and white (as well as red and grey)! Funny how things loop back.

We'll be posting some more about the history of Noboto and Gobon this week, along with old sketches and assorted blocks of information. A list will be posted for what will be available on the 28th as well, which will only be 6 figures deep.

I can't believe that the pictures up there even exist after so many years in the making.

It's thanks to you that they do.

Turnaround

A few pics of the new (old) little guy from the front and the back. Noboto has 19 parts,  and features a removable collar (scarf), belt, backpack and an alternate head.

The core sculpt has been modified from the first version, most heavily throughout the arms and legs, but also across the main body. The original chest had the backpack and collar permanently attached, and the pelvis had the belt also locked in place. The hands have both been converted into fit functioning fists, with a definitive right and left hand. Originally they were closer to a Traveler's paws, with an open left hand and closed right fist. The alternate head represents Noboto's clones, and is more Sincroid like, sporting a little mouth and pronounced edges.

Overall, the new additions have effectively created what amounts to a Dwarf/Hobbit Traveler/Sincroid body, with elements added that I wish the original Pheyden had, specifically a removable belt, holes in the feet and a hole in the back.

Noboto's connections to Pheyden and the LSA go very deep, and will be explored as the year progresses.
We may even have a little surprise towards the end of this month to celebrate our 6th anniversary running production figures-just have to see how our luck turns before anything concrete is announced!

Lost Projects: Noboto

The character called Noboto has a pretty significant role in our stories Monsters VS Robots (Michelle) and Rechlen and Aves (me).  We created each plot to crossover at certain points, but in our usual strange ways.

In MvR, Noboto is the leader of the Monster hunting Robots, chasing a renegade group of creatures across Glyos, but all told in the form of a comic that Michelle's character Sidrick loves to read. So a comic within a comic -MvR appears inside the Sidrick stories.

In Rechlen and Aves, Noboto is a prototype Sincroid that is dispatched by the Lost Sincroid Army to find a way through the Edge of Space -with the hope of locating their missing leader, Exellis.

The RA version of Noboto sets out on this mission piloting a special Sarvonic Gendrone (Gobon), which helps regulate Noboto's unstable prototype body.  Due to his ability to manifest something called the "Phanost Effect", Noboto is able to reach into the Edge of Space, but only through a tethered phantom version of himself. Believe it or not this weirdness was all laid out back in 2004!

Both Michelle and I have wanted to bring Noboto into the production mix for a pretty long time.

Maybe 2013 will be the little guy's year!