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New Figures from Beyond the Stars: Fox Forge Toys' Galactic Valor
365 Plays6 months ago
This week we're joined on the pod by New Jersey's own James from Fox Forge Toys to talk about their latest 1:12 scale sci-fi toyline, Galactic Valor! Learn about James' history with the toy industry, how he got his start with Fox Forge Toys, and hear all about Galactic Valor!
Back Galactic Valor
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/foxforgetoys/galactic-valor-action-figures?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=Galactic%20Valor
Follow Fox Forge Toys on Instagram @foxforgetoys
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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari
https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/
Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies
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Transcript
Introduction to Adventures in Collecting Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Are you ready, kids? Get your parents' permission, check your mailbox, and grab your shopping cart. It's time for the Adventures in Collecting podcast. I'm Eric. And I'm Dave. Welcome to Adventures in Collecting, where we talk toy news, culture, and halls, along with our journeys as collectors. Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Adventures in Collecting.
Dave's Upcoming Overseas Toy Hunt
00:00:33
Speaker
Hi. Dave, uh, we, we are, we are here. You, by the time everyone is hearing this, you will not be here. You will be in another country. I will. Um, I will be overseas. You will be posting pictures of Smith Smith Smith's toys. Smith's. Yeah. I always want to say, I always want to pronounce it like what the I sound like it's,
00:00:59
Speaker
Like it's Smythe from the Spider-Man. Yeah. I'm hoping to find one. I don't know. Like I looked the list of locations. I'm like, I know those are cities, but I don't know like where they're near or where I'm near. So, well, um, yeah, I know of a couple of places I'll be. So hopefully there's one nearby. I'm hoping, uh, I'm hoping you can, you can find one cause that'll, that'll be fun. Um, yeah. Amongst other like things like fun.
00:01:30
Speaker
vintage shops or something. Like sticky toffee pudding and chip buddies. And yes, beans on toast.
Indie Toy Successes on Kickstarter
00:01:40
Speaker
I meant like, well, there will be food, but I meant like vintage shops and like a toy shop. Yeah. Are you actually, we're totally going off the rails real quick here, but did you see that Frank Turner
00:01:57
Speaker
doing that like are you gonna be in the area when he's doing that no I'm gonna be I'll be home by then okay all right just for anyone that that cares music related if you are a fan of Frank Turner you probably heard about this already but the man is who is like a touring machine is going to try to break the world record by performing in the most cities within a 24-hour period and he's got like
00:02:25
Speaker
14 something cities lined up. Yeah, like and locations lined up So very that's gonna be that's gonna be fun to follow because I'm sure his social media will be Absolutely light that day. I'll be I'll be at a Manchester United game at some point. There we go. Yeah get a new scarf Yeah, cuz I don't know where mine is. So
00:02:50
Speaker
Um, but, but yeah, uh, Dave, uh, is there anything that I, anything else that I shouldn't do? Right. Right about now. Um, bury the lead. Yeah. No, you should do it. No, no, no, no. Um, it's been a wild time lately for, uh, indie toy makers and Kickstarter campaigns. Uh, you know, we last week, uh, if you haven't listened, um, definitely check that out. But we had a Jason Bienvenue returning guest.
00:03:17
Speaker
from Spiro Toys on talking about animal warriors of the kingdom. And as of the recording of this episode, they absolutely crushed it. Um, fully funded plus a ton of unlocks the unlocked birds. Uh, so congrats to, to, to Jason, uh, prior to that friends at, uh, nacelle toys had the, of course their expanse, uh, Kickstarter, which also was successful.
James from Fox Forge Toys Joins
00:03:39
Speaker
And today's guest.
00:03:41
Speaker
Is is going to be another successful kickstarter campaign which we know it calling out on this week's guest joins us from the far off reaches a place familiar to us but outright alien to most. New jersey here to talk about his new kickstarter campaign galactic valor we welcome james from fox forge toys james welcome to adventures in collecting hello thank you for having me.
00:04:09
Speaker
It's an absolute pleasure. Thank you for calling in from the far reaches of northern New Jersey. Welcome aboard from nearby. Yeah, I think it's great that we're legit, not even a 15 minute car ride from one another. Yeah, we could have literally, most of these we can't do in person, but we could have done this one in person if we really tried. Yeah, for sure. For audio purposes, the isolation is actually
00:04:38
Speaker
better. It enhances the mix, if you will. So before we happen to our main discussion here about Galactic Valor, the first question that we ask all of our guests, since this is a show about collecting, what are you currently collecting and what are some of your recent pickups?
00:04:56
Speaker
Yeah. So I've been collecting, I'm a big, huge Warhammer 40 K fan. So I'm super happy that we've gone from like 3d miniatures to now like full-blown posable action figures of like space Marines and stuff. So I just recently picked up, um, a McFarland toys terminator, ultra Marines terminator. So I was, I'm happy with that. It looks menacing on the shelf right now.
00:05:23
Speaker
Um, and then I picked up a, um, hot toys commander Fox figure as well. So that was, um, I've added that to my, my detail shelves as well. Amazing. Nice. Yeah. Those, uh, those Warhammer figures, I like that. Uh, he's kind of McFarland has kind of continued the tradition of putting out like the blank, like paintless ones that people can.
00:05:48
Speaker
You know, the same way that they, you know, paint the miniatures can now paint the big guys and have them move around. So yeah, it's a fun, fun little tradition that he's, uh, that he's kind of continued there. Yeah, for sure. Um, so before we get into the Kickstarter, tell us a bit about, uh, Foxforge toys and how did you get started with toy design?
James' Journey from Toys R Us to Fox Forge
00:06:08
Speaker
Yeah, sure. So it all started when I was working for Toys R Us corporate. I was part of their product development branch. So I was focused on their private label products. I got to learn about the product development lifecycle process and how to turn an idea and a concept and a drawing basically into a physical product you would see on store shelves. So as I was learning and talking to factories and
00:06:38
Speaker
understanding the process and all these other crucial like details when creating things. I was like, wow, I would love to apply this to like my own ideas and concepts that I have for like a toy for like an action figure line. Um, so in 2018, I, I launched, um, Fox forge toys. It started off with just, you know,
00:07:03
Speaker
working with sculptures, 3D printing them, and then selling them as these Stardust figures. That was our first line we did as just 3D prints. And then we did a Kickstarter campaign for that, and then we got funded, and then I was able to work with factories and get our sketches and ideas into people's hands, which I thought was amazing. So I can't wait to do that with Galactic Valor.
00:07:31
Speaker
So, so, you know, I didn't realize that your, your background actually came from, from toys or us. Well, you know, unfortunately you were, you were likely based on the timeline. You were saying you were likely there, you know, during those, those kinds of dying days of, of, of the company. But, you know, what was it, what was it like to be part of such a, uh, you know, formerly renowned company is something that like we all hold so dearly. Yeah. I mean, it was.
00:07:59
Speaker
Like right out of college, it was basically like, you know, the dream job, like what you're this, this massive corporate office that could hold like, I think anywhere from like 3000 to 4000 employees at a given time, there's math, massive office. And it was, you know, just crazy. There was just toys.
00:08:19
Speaker
all in the hallway it was basically you know like what you would imagine you know Santa's workshop to be with like all of these cubicles filled with you know Jeffrey the drafts like all these like prototypes and paint samples and
00:08:34
Speaker
factory samples from overseas, countless meetings going on, massive statues of minions from Despicable Me and Batman and Superman and the grand auditorium where the CEO would give his
00:08:49
Speaker
Is updates to people it was you know it was it was crazy working there you know i if you know toys rest didn't take the projection that it was doing i'd still be working there that have been a forever job for me but you know unfortunately it went out of you know business the first you don't go around so i lost my job i think.
00:09:14
Speaker
The reason, if I was still there, I don't think what I'm working on would have happened because you have all these things where you're not allowed to do certain things when you're employed for the company and stuff like that. So it was definitely a good opportunity.
00:09:32
Speaker
It was a massive learning experience and I was able to basically take all of these learnings and apply it to what I'm doing now. So I'm very grateful for it and for all the co-workers and bosses that I worked for because they definitely had really good input for what I'm trying to produce now. Yeah, it's still weird driving because we grew up in Northern. It's weird driving past what's now an Aldi.
00:09:59
Speaker
Well, not even that it's, you know, where, where I am, you know, in order to get to some places easier, like, like every time I go to Zap comics, I pass by the old headquarters and the sign instead of, you know, saying, you know, what one Joffrey way or Jeffrey way. Um, you know, I think they have like, just like a, like a crude, like a plaque over it right now, just to block it. But, you know, just, I, I always remember just driving past that, that corporate headquarters sign and like,
00:10:29
Speaker
It was like, almost like Willy Wonka in the toy factory. Like, wonder what goes on behind those walls, sort of thing. It was, it was, it was amazing. Especially during like the holiday times, like you'd have it to be where you could break, like the workers could bring their families in and you'd have it to be where kids were driving down in the big, huge, like R, remote controlled RC cars down the hallway and all that stuff. It was, it was, it was a remarkable, um, like workspace, that's for sure.
00:10:59
Speaker
Oh, really cool. Glad you were able to take the lemons and make lemonade as it were.
The Galactic Valor Storyline
00:11:07
Speaker
So let's talk a little bit about Galactic Valor. What's the story behind the line?
00:11:14
Speaker
Yeah. So like in terms of like the, the lore and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So like in terms of the lore, it's, it's, you know, it's, it's a sci-fi themed line. I love, you know, sci-fi. Um, so I wanted to continue with that. So basically it's set in the, in the, in the far future and it's setting up a lot in a system called the core thick system. And there's all these different planets in this system and each one is inhabited by different alien races. And as.
00:11:43
Speaker
time progresses, the alien races get more scientifically advanced, they start exploring, they start coming across one another, then tension builds, builds up. So as the tension starts to build, there's wars and there's further escalation, but while they're focused
00:12:02
Speaker
on all of this trying to survive and overcome one another. There's this bigger outside threat that's looming and they need to decide, all right, do we want to continue fighting one another and probably all get wiped out or do we want to all band together and take on this one big massive threat that is now starting to impose on their
00:12:25
Speaker
on their system. So that's like the overarching idea and story behind Galactic Valor and who these characters are and the initial offering of the wave. Nice. So Galactic Valor is the second 112 scale toy line that you've made. And you talked a little bit about this before from the Toys R Us experience and
00:12:51
Speaker
you know, the initial Kickstarter and such. But what did you learn from Stardust that helped you develop Galactic Valor? Yeah, so like Stardust was basically like, you know, get the ideas out there. You know, I can now say that I've been I've brought an action figure line to the market. So I know I can do it and I can do it efficiently because the quality of the product was really good.
00:13:17
Speaker
But as I'm going to conventions and I'm listening to people and you see these long lines at these exhibitor booths for like Four Horsemen, Spiro Toys, Action Force, Valaverse and all that. And it's like, you know, let me start talking to these other collectors and what are they like and what are they looking in for an action figure?
00:13:45
Speaker
It was a lot of, you know, taking on a lot of feedback. You know, Stardust did incredibly well. We're super happy with it. But I wanted to push it to the next level. And it was basically what I found out was higher detailed sculpt, more articulation, like soft goods, pinless joints, like removable armor.
00:14:06
Speaker
And that's all stuff that I kind of learned. And I was like, Oh, let me incorporate that into like this new line. So Galactic Valor is basically all that stuff molded into one and, um, and presented as it is in, in, in, in the Kickstarter campaign. Yeah. I mean, those, those Stardust figures, you know, even to this, this day, uh, I was what, what kind of took me back when you, when you, you know, you first put one of them in my hand, actually.
00:14:36
Speaker
was how good they felt for a indie action figure company. Just the way that they moved, the way that the joints felt, the way that everything held, it was remarkable. Usually you don't get that. Something feels kind of off, the plastic choices maybe.
00:14:59
Speaker
They felt very complete. So going from that to, you know, then the prototypes that, you know, we had, which again, thank you for, for letting us, you know, uh, play, but, uh, the prototypes, it's just, it's a night and day, like as good as those stardust figures felt and how good they moved. It's just like going from that to those prototypes was like, whoa, this is.
00:15:26
Speaker
Forget night and day, this is like a different galaxy, pun intended. It really is remarkable how different they are. Again, that's no knock to the Stardust figures. Those were fantastic. I mentioned the matte gray, kind of unpainted. You guys put a couple of those out as well, which
00:15:51
Speaker
We have something cooking with one of the ones that you gave us. We have a friend who's an artist that is going to do a one-of-one paint on that. And we're going to run it as a giveaway. Oh, that would be awesome. Stay tuned for that. But yeah, it's very interesting to see how you've taken the feedback and applied it to these new figures.
00:16:20
Speaker
The evolution is outstanding. Thank you. Yeah, it's definitely, as you said, a lot of listening feedback. Stardust was and is like a retro themed line and I kind of wanted to do something more realistic and what the market is afterwards with the current trends in it.
00:16:49
Speaker
I feel like with what's being offered right now, I think I'm pretty happy with it. Are there a couple few, as the Kickstarter is progressing, are there a couple few little changes I would like to do? Absolutely. So we'll see where we get with the Kickstarter campaign. Well, you mentioned changes and you actually just recently announced one, right?
Customization in Galactic Valor Figures
00:17:11
Speaker
The boots. Yeah.
00:17:14
Speaker
One of the big callouts was, and we weren't aware of it going into the Kickstarter because we showed it off at Legion's Con. We got great feedback from there, so we applied that over the course of a couple months.
00:17:29
Speaker
But then it's like molds to make figures are just so expensive and mold reuse is definitely a big thing when it comes to making action figures. That was a big thing that we had to do in Toys R Us. And you hear it from every other indie toy maker or big company as well.
00:17:56
Speaker
But it was just like, all right, let's make these alien figures. Let's try and make them as different as possible. But one of the comments we got was, oh, the feet are the same across the board. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I totally get that. I totally understand.
00:18:09
Speaker
And it was one of them, I guess, points that was consistently brought up. So I was like, let's bring in, we'll do a free complimentary upgrade to where we'll include an extra pair of boots that come with the figures so you can have that added extra customization option with the figures. And that seems to have been taken on really well. So we're excited to see that.
00:18:37
Speaker
Yeah, and you mentioned this earlier, but both of these lines that you've worked on so far, the Stardusk and now Galactic Fowler, have both been firmly rooted in that science fiction genre.
Sci-Fi Inspirations and Future Plans
00:18:53
Speaker
What draws you to that genre? What made you want to make figures in this space?
00:18:59
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, like, I think it's, well, one is just like, I'm a big, huge, you know, sci fi nerd. I grew up loving, you know, Warhammer 40k, Star Wars, Star Trek.
00:19:15
Speaker
Halo mass effect. So it was like I kind of want to do something retro as well as realistic. So like that's the reason why I decided to stick with the theme. But I you know if as time develops and you know.
00:19:32
Speaker
The company continues rolling forward. I would love to do like historical like type figures as well like Romans and Greeks and stuff like that. Like that would be super fun as well. But that was the reason but sci-fi is kind of like it that that's where it hits home for me personally. Yeah. And you know it's it's one of those things where
00:19:56
Speaker
And I said this too, about the Stardust figures going back, that kind of space marine sci-fi market is big. And there isn't really a whole lot there in the world of toys. Representing that, you have basically what Jazzwares is out there doing with Halo. Halo, yeah. And for the most part, they focus primarily on the littler figures anyway. They do have six inch or seven inch scale figures. But mostly, their bread and butter is that four inch
00:20:27
Speaker
Scale for those figures for the most part Because NECA really didn't get involved in like when they were doing the Kenner retros of doing like everybody Yeah, no, they only did a few and then You know really, you know for horseman has that has one or two it's always hard to keep track of with them, but uh, I
00:20:48
Speaker
They have the cosmic legions now, but I think there is a gap there, especially with how much people love, like you said, those IPs, like the halos and the mass effects of the world. In terms of that corner of sci-fi, it's a really interesting zone to operate in.
00:21:12
Speaker
And, and to the name you picked, like you mentioned, like wanting to do other historical figures, you know, when, when this works out, you can keep the valor on the end of it and just change the beginning. Yeah. Roman Valor. That's a good idea. I like that. Like Viking Valor. You know, you could just, you could do, you just pick a different time period, different space, Valor on the end of it. That's your, that's your brand right there, man. Yeah. That is a very good idea. And now a word from our sponsors.
00:21:45
Speaker
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00:22:01
Speaker
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00:22:27
Speaker
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00:22:52
Speaker
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00:23:13
Speaker
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Unique Features of Galactic Valor
00:23:42
Speaker
So, you know, what makes Galactic Valor stand out from other sci-fi inspired lines on the market? Like, especially some of the ones that we just talked about, whether it's kind of that mainstream or even the indie toys. Yeah, I mean.
00:23:59
Speaker
Obviously, there's a lot of different IPs out there in the action figure world. I did a lot of research and I was looking at a bunch of different lines out there of what is the best articulation and stuff like that. I feel like with what it's currently providing, I'm happy with, with the
00:24:27
Speaker
removal armor, the pintless articulation, ankle rocker joints, the torso hinge and stuff like that. I feel like it's all
00:24:41
Speaker
areas and on the butterfly joints and the shoulders. Like I feel like those are all areas that, you know, make a really good figure. Um, so I would like to utilize that for, for galactic valor. Um, I feel like when it comes to like the removing, removing armor and, you know, pop and swapping, like the heads, the hands and the feet out and the armor out, it allows for like a great wealth of customization options to where, you know,
00:25:09
Speaker
you the collector could have your own unique figurine of that line, especially when you see customizers and all that go at it and they make basically the figure that they've taken from you and then make it 10 times better with just a couple easy quick fixes. So that's kind of the part that I'm most excited about.
00:25:34
Speaker
But yeah, I think that's like what I'm, I feel like kind of helps differentiate is with, with Galactic Valor and it's just like the passion behind it. I love, you know, making this, I'm, I'm a collector. So I try to hit all the nails on the head that everyone would want. Um, and yeah, so that's kind of how I feel and how I feel, you know, Galactic Valor can be, you know, good for the toy market.
00:26:03
Speaker
Do you think it's, you know, it's challenging to kind of strike out with like your own IP here, you know, like most of the toy lines that are out there, especially now, like nostalgia has been kind of such a big seller, you know, in the past, you know, 10, 15 years, you know, driving everything, you know, is it exciting
Challenges of Launching a New Toy IP
00:26:23
Speaker
for you? Is it nerve wracking? Is it, you know, challenging to like, think about your own IP going out there and kind of competing against all of these other,
00:26:31
Speaker
You know like really well-known name recognizable brands. Yeah, I mean Like I think the the first part is you know starting with the idea you start writing everything down That's a lot of fun and then you know getting the drawings made Getting this 3d sculpts made and you know writing down the story. That's all all fun and you know, I really enjoyed you know, you know working with
00:26:59
Speaker
you know friends and family and getting their input on the line and stuff like that and then listening to feedback at legions con and toy con new jersey.
00:27:11
Speaker
It's been such a blast making this line for me personally. But yes, as it comes to, hey, everybody, here's my idea. What do you think about it? And it's basically trying to get people to resonate with it and all that stuff. I think it's the coolest thing ever when people start
00:27:33
Speaker
you know, like making, you know, comments about it and, you know, finding interest in it and saying the character names that you've come up with and all that. So I think that's like so cool. But
00:27:48
Speaker
Yeah, once it gets to the big part where it's like, all right, I don't have $80,000 to get this going myself. I need to go to Kickstarter and I need to have the community help me get this up and running. Yeah, that's definitely nerve wracking and all that stuff.
00:28:10
Speaker
I'm confident. I've had a lot of fun making it. I'm willing to listen to feedback. And I feel like I've applied some of that to the line as it's been progressing. So yeah, that's how I feel about it at the moment. Yeah. And I think that's kind of one of the benefits, too, between quote unquote indie toy versus a quote unquote mainstream toy is like if you look at Star Wars or you look at Star Trek or you look at
00:28:40
Speaker
you know, Halo, the story is the story, right? Like there's, there is a distinct, you know, Star Wars movie that these characters are from, or there is a distinct, you know, Halo game that these characters are from or Warhammer or whatever the case may be. And yeah, you're playing along or you're watching along and you're seeing it unfold, but for, you know, a new IP, like the story is happening as, you know, there's a new wave, right? Like the story is ever evolving.
00:29:10
Speaker
Whereas here's this hour and a half, two hour thing. And you're also the master of that story. Yeah. Yeah. You're creating the story. You're figuring it out as you go. And I think that's, that's a huge advantage based off of, or that's like a huge kind of selling point is you're seeing everything evolve as it goes.
00:29:29
Speaker
Yeah, no, I definitely agree with you. The characters that are in the initial offering of the Kickstarter, they're just some of the characters that are in the story. There's countless other characters that have yet to be revealed. There's a lot of concept art that I haven't shared and stuff like that.
00:29:48
Speaker
Yeah, it's been a lot of fun making this and developing the story and it can basically bleed down a bunch of different avenues. But I'm definitely excited with what the future holds for the line, definitely with the ideas that are there. So you mentioned kind of taking feedback and pivoting and applying that to some of the decisions that you made about this line and the Kickstarter campaign itself.
Influences on Galactic Valor Design
00:30:18
Speaker
What really inspired the overall aesthetic and design of these characters? Going from Stardust to this, it's such a contrast and so different, but these characters also fall into that. I used a much more clever term for this the last time we talked about it, but it's like...
00:30:40
Speaker
new, but also familiar at the same time. And it's one of the, I think that makes it kind of easy for people to connect to. Like I know I made, not a, it was not a joke or a dig at all, but when I first saw your, your main villain, um, the in hand, the first thing I thought of like, was a galaxy quest. I was like, this looks like the main villain a little bit, like reminds me of the main, especially with the, once you put the cape on him and like, he's just, he's brooding and he's menacing and like you could picture him
00:31:09
Speaker
Standing on like the deck of a big ship looking out a giant window as as he's like ready to like siege a planet But like I I love that I think that's that's awesome that there's that like just tinge of familiarity to it But but where did these designs kind of come from? Yeah, so like I mean I
00:31:30
Speaker
These are all ideas that have come from, obviously, growing up with all these different sci-fi stories and stuff like that, but I've always been a fan of
00:31:44
Speaker
With the aliens, there's Jurassic Park. That was a big, big thing I absolutely loved. So there's a lot of reptilian vibes in there. I also think it's amazing how you brought up Galaxy Quest. Loved that film as a kid. So I didn't realize that until I looked him up and I was like, huh, oh yeah, it does look like him.
00:32:08
Speaker
So I love when people bring up like, oh, this looks like something out of, this looks like a halo alien or something like that. And I'm like, it makes me happy because that is obviously, it resonates, it helps, has the,
00:32:23
Speaker
it makes the line help resonate with them. Um, so like that's, that's, yeah, that's kind of like where the ideas have come from is just all this, you know, past, um, and current love for all these different, uh, things in the sci-fi space that I absolutely love. Yeah. So, um, as you close in on the funding goal and
00:32:48
Speaker
You know, as of airtime, we're in that final sprint. So let's keep everything moving, everybody. But what are the future plans for the line past the campaign?
Future Plans for Galactic Valor Expansion
00:33:01
Speaker
Yeah, so with the campaign, we're closing in on the funding goal. I'm blown away as it is with what we've achieved already. It's been a really surreal experience with the exposure and how many people are talking about it.
00:33:20
Speaker
So the plans are when in the Kickstarter campaign, I have it to where there's like some pretty good stretch goals in there. So with like the Nexus, it's like a brand new, like 100% new molds from top to bottom, which will allow for where we want it to do where you can pop and swap the heads off the aliens because aliens become more involved with Nexus. And then we also have on there the
00:33:48
Speaker
the warmock, which is basically this massive, like, brute of a beast that stands, like, roughly nine inches tall. So, like, in that campaign there, we kind of wanted to highlight, like, this is the ideas that we have, and, like, these are the different types of avenues that we want to take and how serious we are with wanting to expand the line.
00:34:17
Speaker
we want to do like um like little you know personal sized vehicles for the 112 scale we want to do more aliens we want to bring in more factions like a great example is like the current spirit toys kickstarter that just ended where they just did countless amounts of different moles and now where they've achieved that they can go down so many different avenues with so many different types of different animals so that is kind of like
00:34:44
Speaker
where I want to take it, I want to unlock all these different molds so we can do so many different characters. You know, time will, you know, that'll take time, but it's, I feel like we're definitely off in a good direction. So, you know, again, as of air time, there's roughly 48 hours left to go on the campaign.
00:35:13
Speaker
If there's anyone that's on the fence in these kind of final days and that final sprint, what would you tell them to kind of gently nudge them onto the other side of the fence to back this campaign?
00:35:28
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like it's a line that definitely tugs on the heartstrings for all sci-fi lovers. I feel that it complements a lot of lines to where it can be compatible with a bunch of different
00:35:46
Speaker
action figures like I've heard from people at conventions like all of these would go great with cosmic legions these would go great with star wars figures in like a cantina scene um it like it's it sounds like from what i'm hearing that it could be a multi-use it could be used across a bunch of different um
00:36:06
Speaker
Action figure lines another thing is like we're also offering exclusive pricing on the kickstarter so this is the it's the cheapest place where you can you can get these these these figures. And then like another thing is like.
00:36:23
Speaker
It's just you know a lot of passion and like this love and has been put into this line It's coming from a collector that likes to you know that has like a bunch of action figures that enjoys the hobby So I that's what I would I would say and then we're just you know, we're super transparent we're always listen to feedback we like providing updates to everybody so we know so we can share the journey with you I think
00:36:53
Speaker
seeing the factory make the stuff is like really awesome. So I'll be sharing all of that as, as time goes on. Um, so that would be what I would say if you're on the fence in the last 48 hours, I think it would be a very fun journey if you were to join us on it. And, and I can confirm, you know, having had the chance to kind of play with the, the prototypes, they do fit in with, with quite a lot. Um, I, I enjoyed shooting them with GI Joe, uh, classified.
00:37:22
Speaker
Like they looked really great with like the bats and like, uh, and the mind bender and stuff like that. Uh, they fit right in. Um, but also, you know, definitely Marvel legends. So, you know, any, any of your cosmic themed Marvel legends can bump into some, uh, some aliens out there, but, uh, but yeah, they are, you know, firsthand. They're amazing. Um, they're, they are a lot of, they were a lot of fun to play with like half glued together.
00:37:52
Speaker
So I can't imagine how much fun they actually are when I don't have to put sticky tack on them to make their hands stay. Um, yeah, that was the first time I have ever had the opportunity to like shoot with prototypes like that, which was two things. We didn't, we didn't actually get to like fully like, um, debrief on this, but like terrifying. Cause I was like, Oh my God, don't break. Oh my God, don't break. Oh my God. And then like something would fall off to be like, Oh my God, I broke it. It's done forever.
00:38:21
Speaker
James is never going to speak to me again. And then I'm like, look like shaking and looking at that sheet, like, Oh, is that supposed to move? I don't think that part was supposed to move. Um, but no, like even like glued together prototypes, they still, like you could, you could see the detail of the care. When I, when I, I tried to get it to come across some photos and it's really one of those things that I think you kind of have to see them in person to pick up.
00:38:48
Speaker
But the textures and the details that you have on the bodies, on those reptilian bodies, it's fantastic. Shouts to your painter to paint at those things. Oh my god, they were gorgeous. Yeah, I'll quickly do a shout out to everybody involved because they deserve it. So the sculptor that helped take my drawings and turning them into a sculpt is Rafael Fernandez. He's been amazing to work with.
00:39:18
Speaker
And then the painter that we worked with was Nikki Nicole Customs, who's done, you know, she does great work for, you know, she did Savage Crucible. I think she's done a couple Mythic Legions figures custom-wise. But yeah, she's been a pleasure to work with. And then see Jessam and his wife for Tigron's soft cape.
00:39:43
Speaker
And then with the photographs, we were able to work with Trevor, one six shooter, and then Jared, AKA Sir Dorr. Yeah. Awesome. Absolutely stellar. Awesome group of people. They say it takes an army. And your takes a village, takes an army, takes a village. One of those things. It takes one of those things. Group of people.
00:40:11
Speaker
Um, but yeah, no, it's really exciting watching this come together and, you know, uh, yeah, wish you nothing but the best
James' Interest in Flaw Toys
00:40:20
Speaker
man. I mean, yeah. And it's, you know, it's that common thing where everybody's like the thing everybody says is, Oh, it's like a, such a great time to be, you know, a wrestling toy collector, because there's so many companies doing that, whether it's mainstream or indie, but like,
00:40:35
Speaker
Sci-fi I think is kind of like that low-key quiet like oh, no, it's really also a good time to be Quite a time to be a sci-fi toy collector too because yeah You do have the Star Wars and the halos and all those going around but like if you think about it like animal warriors of the kingdom galactic Valor cosmic legions like there's a lot going on and
00:41:01
Speaker
that indie space too so it's I would say just as good of a time to be a sci-fi collector as well yeah I agree and especially with projects like this like collectors have a chance to be involved directly so yeah this is this is your chance to get involved in making something else successful so if you like sci-fi toys
00:41:23
Speaker
Yeah, this is your time. Boy, do we have a good one for you. So before we let you go, and we give one more round of just kind of plugs, we do have a tradition here on Adventures in Collecting. So Dave, would you like to fulfill your role as this podcast's James Lipton and ask our final question? Well, yes, I would. The final question that we ask all of our guests
00:41:53
Speaker
What is your favorite and or strangest piece in your collection? It can be one of each or it can be both. So, yes, I was having a look through what I have and I was like, those are pretty strange, but also up there is one of my favorites. It's a, like there's like, there's action figures and there's designer toys. So there's this designer toy artist I absolutely love called Flaw Toys.
00:42:23
Speaker
And he does these translucent, it's like a translucent plastic, and then inside of it is like a skeleton, and it's called a stranger. So it's like, it's kind of, you have to look it up, but it's the company, or the guy, the artist that has it is called Flawtoys, and he has all these different types of translucent figurines that he does, and they're really awesome.
00:42:51
Speaker
Oh my god, these are beautiful! Yeah, I have an orange one, I have a cyan one that glows in the dark, and then I have a silver and gold one. Oh man, I like that he does no-face too. The translucent no-face figures from Spirited Away, that's awesome. Yeah. Very, very cool. Yeah, that's really cool. Shouts to Fallotoys, that's awesome.
00:43:21
Speaker
Very, very cool. Uh, yeah, that definitely, that's, that's a first for the show. We have not heard of toys or seen this before. And are they, are they glass or are they? It's like super polished resin. Okay. Wow. Yeah, that's really cool. Yeah. I like this one with the roses in it. That's cool. Oh yeah. Look at that. This is, this guy's clever.
00:43:50
Speaker
This is pretty cool. Hey, if you're listening, flaw toys, reach out to us. Let's, let's have a conversation about the show. Um, all right. Uh, James, that's, that's fantastic. Uh, thank you. Thank you for, for clueing us into that. That's great. Um, so before we say good evening, uh, one more time, remind our, uh, our followers, our listeners, um, where can they follow, uh, Fox forge toys on the internet and most importantly,
00:44:19
Speaker
Where can they back Galactic Valor?
00:44:39
Speaker
occasionally, but we'll be doing it more as time progresses as we're into the final stage of the Kickstarter, but foxforgetoys.com. And then if you want to find the Kickstarter, if you type in action figures or galacticvalor on kickstarter.com, you can find the campaign there.
00:45:01
Speaker
Awesome. And we'll make sure to put links to both of those, uh, you know, both the Instagram account and the Kickstarter in the show notes. Um, just in case, uh, you have the chance to go and tap away. That way you don't have to go searching and finding things. Um, you can just go right to the show notes and tap to follow. And most importantly to back galactic valor. Uh, James, uh, with that, I think that's, uh, that's, that's a wrap. Um,
00:45:30
Speaker
Again, like good luck. You're almost there. It's the home stretch. So hopefully by the time this airs where you've already crossed the finish line and we're talking about, you know, we're looking at stretch goals, but, you know, you're so close. I got a good feeling. Thanks. I appreciate it. Let's see what happens. I'm excited. All right, Dave, send us home. Let's get some more toys made, everybody.
00:46:03
Speaker
Thank you, dear listener, for hanging out with us today. Subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you listen, and then tell your friends to do it. Thanks also to Joe Azari, the golden voice behind our intro. Our music is Game Boy Horror by the Zombie Dandies. Find more about them both on our show notes.
00:46:19
Speaker
Follow us on social media at AIC underscore podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Stop by and say hi. Show us your toy hauls and share your toy stories. Maybe we'll talk about it in a future episode.
00:46:43
Speaker
This has been a non-productive media presentation, executive producer Frank Kablaui. This program and many others like it on the non-productive network is distributed under a Creative Commons attribution non-commercial no derivatives license. Please share it, but ask before trying to change it or sell it. For more information, visit non-productive.com.