Friday, January 4, 2013

Action Figure Friday- Playmate's Kirk and Shuttlecraft Galileo

I'll go ahead and say it, I do not collect a lot of Star Trek toys. I really don't. I have maybe three action figures from the playmates line and one vehicle. The Shuttlecraft Galileo and Kirk are the one figure and one vehicle that make up half of that collection. I normally wouldn't go out of the way to talk about a Star Trek toy from Playmates except for this toy combo. And, seeing as this is my second time to own this set, I believe that there is something special about it that definitely warrants a viewing. So, let's take a look at it.

This set not only has classic Kirk, but has Kirk in his away team sweater. This is the only time you will get this version of Captain Kirk in the Playmates Star Trek toy line. If you can find the away team Spock that is just like this action figure instead in blue and with a new head sculpt, you are set for a shuttlecraft crew. Like most of the Playmates Star Trek action figures, this version of Kirk has standard articulation. He didn't come with any accessories, unless you count the shuttlecraft. But we are not really here to talk about the Kirk action figure as much as we are here to talk about the Shuttlecraft Galileo itself. This is a truly wonderful toy! I had this vehicle back when it hit shelfs in the late 90's. I sold it in a garage sell and regretted it for years. I ended up getting another as a birthday gift many years later. Ever since I got this toy back in my hands, I have refused to give it up. Again, it is that cool.

If you look at the scale of Kirk to the shuttle, you can see that the scale is way off. This shuttle has no electronic sound or lights like the other shuttles in the line. So, what makes this thing so good? It is the design. Plain, simple, concise is what this toy is. It has playable options that are hidden behind doors and uses all available space within the toy to seat two characters. It has a two part opening back bay door. It has two opening maintenance doors to repair the nacelles. It has a phaser door to reveal the weapons bank, a two part opening pilot door, moveable chairs, an opening nose door to the cockpit and a detachable spring loaded firing canon! All of that is included in a toy that is really no longer than 12 inches; and... and it comes with a Captain Kirk action figure!

Apart from all of the moving parts, this toy has a nice sculpt to it. If you open all of the doors on this thing and look inside, you will notice a lot of cabin detail inside. I also like the sticker decals that are added to this toy. It is not overkill, but enough to decorate this ship and make it special. I am having a hard time finding any fault with this toy. If you are in the market to get the shuttlecraft, there are a few on the amazon market place to buy. Here is a listing for it:

Classic 30th anniversary Star Trek Galileo shuttlecraft with exclusive Kirk figure

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how.

The long awaited issue 4 of Xenex the Bug Man is now up for order. It's a great looking comic book! Head on over to the Bug Man site and see what I'm talking about!

If you have not heard about the Podcast called, "Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff", then it's time I let you know! Jeff and I are on the show where we talk about toys! (Go figure, I mean Go action figure!) Seems simple enough. We pick out a toy line to discuss in each show. We share our childhood memories, our favorite five, and talk about the one toy in the line that got away. Jeff talks about how he cherished his toys and I talk about how they ended up in the garden! The other two shows are The pilot episode, where Jeff and Josh Taylor break down the Pilot Episode in TV series, and The Loosely Based Podcast where Brynna and Jeff compare the book to the movie adaptation! The shows are great! If you are interested in what we got, go to Marvindogmedia.com and give us a listen. You can subscribe to the shows on itunes and get up to date info on upcoming shows on facebook:
Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff on facebook
The Loosely Based Podcast on facebook
The Pilot Episode on facebook

Give us a like! And, if you like what we have, be sure to tell your friends! We need your word of mouth to help us keep making shows!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Taylor's Toy Wednesday's DIY Custom- Mer-Man!

When I got to the third issue of the new DC comics Masters of the Universe He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comic book, I was reminded of how cool Mer-Man could be. He is not just the lord of the Eternian Sea, he is master of it. He is able to move and mold the waters to do his bidding. So, naturally I feel as though the evil overlord of the ocean should have a very oceanic feel about him. When I first started on this toy, I struggled to find a way to create a heavy theme of the sea in the design of Mer-Man. I didn't want just another Mer-Man that was just like the available toy versions that are out on market now. The fish feel was there in those versions, but I never felt that he was a true master of the ocean. So, my solution was to bring aspects of the ocean onto Mer-Man himself. Coral is a part of the ocean just as much as a fish. Any extra things I could think of at the time was added. Starfish, sand dollars, shells, net, fins, and sea anemones add to the Master of the sea design. Hopefully, I accomplished that with my custom Creatology DIY action figure. Now, I've got some important updates, so more pictures will be at the end of this posting. Enjoy the pics. I've got to get back to illustrating comic books! :)

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how.

The long awaited issue 4 of Xenex the Bug Man is now up for order. It's a great looking comic book! Head on over to the Bug Man site and see what I'm talking about!

Now here's some Pictures of Mer-Man!

Mer-man Custom by Taylor Lymbery

I also have this posted in my devianart gallery here.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Pin-Up of the Day- Gorilla and Kitten!

Gorilla and Kitten by Taylor Lymbery

I was commissioned to make a piece for a present to give to my first Fine Art instructor who is a truly inspiring woman named Robbie Lacomb Roach. (you can see her website here) The instructions were to make a piece that reflected me. That seems like an easy thing to do, but it really isn't. The subject matter came to me while I was eating breakfast one day. I'm not entirely sure what inspired me to do this, but I do like how it turned out. I think my favorite aspect of this piece is the slight uneasiness that the viewer gets from the gorilla. I will have to say that this piece does reflect some aspects of who I am while still appealing to the idea of this being Art with a capital "A". It's not just an illustration piece, it has a message. "What's the message?", you ask. Well, that is all up to your interpretation of this piece. What I get out of it is the reminder of nature, but that is only my interpretation. Call it what you want.

This piece was made on a 14 X11" ragboard. I used watercolor and watered inks to make the wash of the gorilla. I also used colored sharpies to get the bold colors of the cat and the tutu. I used sharpie and india ink for the black line work.

You can also see this piece in my deviantart gallery.

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how.

The long awaited issue 4 of Xenex the Bug Man is now up for order. It's a great looking comic book! Head on over to the Bug Man site and see what I'm talking about!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Action Figure Friday- MOTU Classics- Snout Spout!

One of my presents this year was the ever awesome Snout Spout from the Masters of the Universe Classics toy line! I have to admit, I really like him! I have my complaints about him, but I love his design. Now Snout Spout has a basic male buck from the line. This time, he has all new forearms and boots sculpts. His hands are new as well match his gloves. His loin cloth/tights are made of that very rubbery plastic. I do wish that there was a bit more rigidity to this plastic. I feel that it is too rubbery. The other thing that I have noticed is that his feet do not move too well at the ankle joint to his boots. Some of the sculpt gets in the way. Snout Spout comes with two accessories, an axe and a "jaws of life" claw. I like how the claw has an elephant face sculpted into the design. That is a very nice touch. I do have a bit of a problem with the axe. In the original vintage release of the axe, it had a handle about mid way down for the action figure to hold on to. In some ways, I wish mattel would have added that handle back. My axe continually slides down in ole' Spout's hands. As far as this action figures uniform, he does come with removable armor and backpack and a removable head. Ok, so his head. The trunk is bendable. Over the plastic/rubber that was used to make the truck is a matte grey paint. When you bend the trunk, the paint seems to squish. So far I've not seen any areas where the paint has broken, but this should be a word of warning to make sure that you take heed when you are posing this guy. Even with all of the little quirks that are enough to make me complain about it, overall, I really like this guy. I had a vintage version of him from back in the day, and I kind of wish I still had him. This version is not as overly technological as the 200X version was, but it is a nice update to the vintage. If you like this guy, and I mean, really like him, this version is a nice addition to any Masters of the Universe line.

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how.

The long awaited issue 4 of Xenex the Bug Man is now up for order. It's a great looking comic book! Head on over to the Bug Man site and see what I'm talking about!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Taylor's Toy Wednesday's DIY Custom- Nick "Santa" Slay!

Every winter, Nick Slay, codenamed "Santa" goes out to battle the evil doings of Iceman and his penguin henchmen! Armed with a Heat Armament Ray (H.A.R.), "Santa" truly slays the icy grip of death to protect all the nice children of the world!

When I saw that Creatology was putting out a whole series of Christmas based DIY Vinyl action figure kits, I decided that I should try my hand at some holiday goodness! Here is the first in a small line of action figures in my custom toy line named, Slayed. Overall, I am very happy with how this toy came out. His arms unfortunately do not move. They had to be glued into place because of the cracking that had started occurring in his elbow. His head does turn, but is limited due to his beard. His massive weapon does come out of his hands. It is made from various plastic objects pulled together to make a crazy oversized sci-fi weapon. I did get a second DIY Santa action Figure to do another version of Nick "Santa" Slay. I will work hard to make sure that that version of Nick's arms will move. Now, I've got some important updates, so more pictures will be at the end of this posting. Enjoy the pics. I've got to get back to illustrating comic books! :)

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how.

The long awaited issue 4 of Xenex the Bug Man is now up for order. It's a great looking comic book! Head on over to the Bug Man site and see what I'm talking about!