In October of 2003, V2 Records contacted Highly Flammable Toys
with a request that seemed both inspiring and impossible. They were grooming a new rock band,
Pre)Thing whose debut album
would be released in Spring 2004. The VP of Promotions saw our mention in Time Out: New York and wanted us not
simply to create an action figure based on the front man, Rust Epique...
...but to make 50 of them.
For a factory, 50 is so small a number it's economically unviable,
but when everything is made by hand and painted by hand, it's a huge number. Even after the prototype of the figure and the graphics on the
backing board were approved, we needed to multiply everything. 50 figures, 50 guitars, 50 standees, 50 cards, 50 plastic blister
packages, and then it all had to be assembled. HFT had never attempted anything that ambitious, but it was a challenge we
couldn't pass up.
The thumbnails above are one of the finished 50. The packaging was based on designs by V2's in-house graphic designer, David
Calderley. The idea was that the front of the packaging tied into a 'Double Dragon-esque' video game, starring Rust,
that was being developed to be released with the album. It's actually a modified screenshot of one of the game's environments.
The back of the packaging relies heavily on the actual art from the album jacket.
Rust came packaged with two accessories: his bayonnet/guitar and a cowering, 'hapless' programming director. Initially, V2
wondered if we could inlcude a second figure with all of the Rust's, representing the programming directors they would be
sent to. We eventually settled on a minature 'standee' (like you see in the lobbies of movie theaters), with the faces and
station logos Photoshopped on.
 
Here are some very happy, skilled workers. The one with the beard won the "Employee of the Moment" Award.
 
The amount of plastic parts scattered about was astounding...
 
...and that's only 1/3 of the total order!!.
HFT would like this opportunity to thank everyone involved with the Prething project: Matt, Rob, David and everyone
at V2 for allowing us this opportunity to grow, George and Mark for your hard work and skilled hands, Scott, Marc and Mike,
for your good humor, dedication and attention to detail, Jessica Cekala,Paragon DPI and Costume Armour for helping us duplicate the impossible on an impossible deadline,
Yvette for your support and studio space, and my family and Becca for your unwavering and eternally enthusiastic support
and advice, and last but not least, to Rust Epique for creating Pre)Thing to begin with.
|
