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Copyright Acknowledgment: All images of THE OUTER SPACE MEN , THE WORLD OF THE FUTURE and other Products and Images, created by Mel Birnkrant, are Copyright (c) MEL BIRNKRANT
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CYCLOPSTM Giant from beyond the MILKY WAY
Beyond the stars and star smoke of our Milky Way! Out past the shining citadels of other Galaxies as numerous as stars! From a place so vast it cannot have a name, comes CYCLOPS, mighty intergalactic giant! Great Warrior of the Cosmos! In his forehead, the All-Seeing Eye; with it he can witness all that is happening anywhere in the Universe. In his belt, he carries two additional eyes. One can see the Past, the other, the Future. Gliding swiftly between the stars, through the darkest reaches of intergalactic space, he travels throughout eternity, forever seeking “more than meets the eye.”
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MOUSE OVER TO SEE BACK OF CARD
Eric did a Fantastic job on Cyclops. He captured his essence, coming right out of the gate. The visual material, and a thousand words (mercifully omitted here) called for very few changes. The photo, below, shows Eric’s original figure in the middle. I altered the figure on the left, using Photoshop. 1. The feet needed to be thicker. 2. The angle that the lower legs set into the feet should match that of Colossus Rex, on the far right. 3. The collar had to be thicker to grab the transparent dome. 4. The chest emblem was thickened, and the pectoral muscles rounded off to extend under his arms. These few alterations, using exactly the same pieces, resulted in a figure that appears larger.
The overlay below shows the development under the arms. I realized in looking at the photos I shot for Eric that was the one area that didn't show up clearly. The sides of the pecks needed to be rounded and travel around the body, rather than being squared off. There is some squaring along the bottom edge, but it becomes rounded and voluptuous at the sides meeting right in the middle under the arms. This view also shows the feet thickened and the legs straightened up to match the Colossus angle, the collar has been thickened and the head raised and repositioned. Changes to the side of the head are indicated, but they are shown more clearly on the head close ups.
The head photos below pretty much tell the story. The notes on the overlays were self-explanatory.
Meanwhile, Matt called me one day, and we got into a conversation that lasted all afternoon. We began to discuss the Cosmic Connection and the almost spooky affinity that he feels for the OSM. And he pointed out something to me that I find rather uncanny! THE EMBLEM ON CYCLOPS’ CHEST IS “PHEYDEN”!
So, we agreed that to ask Eric to be aware of that, and subtly bring the image out. We went back and forth with sketches and discussion and both did drawings. I soon realized that they were unnecessary! In the end, I simply copied the photo of the emblem and in 2 minutes on Photoshop added two lines to represent the teeth and two dots to indicate small balls for eyes. Another solution was to just add the teeth lines and let the negative space and the shadow it creates, imply the eyes. Subtle and more secretive; the more I looked at it, the more I liked it best. It allows the viewer to see and experience what Matt saw. The teeth alone are all it needs. Eric agreed! To the uninitiated, this will just look like part of the 45 year old design, which, indeed, it is! But this really establishes a connection with Pheyden, originating somewhere, out there, beyond the Milky Way!
So, we agreed that to ask Eric to be aware of that, and subtly bring the image out. We went back and forth with sketches and discussion and both did drawings. I soon realized that they were unnecessary! In the end, I simply copied the photo of the emblem and in 2 minutes on Photoshop added two lines to represent the teeth and two dots to indicate small balls for eyes. Another solution was to just add the teeth lines and let the negative space and the shadow it creates, imply the eyes. Subtle and more secretive; the more I looked at it, the more I liked it best. It allows the viewer to see and experience what Matt saw. The teeth alone are all it needs. Eric agreed! To the uninitiated, this will just look like part of the 45 year old design, which, indeed, it is! But this really establishes a connection with Pheyden, originating somewhere, out there, beyond the Milky Way!
Last of all, Eric sent photos of the armor. It was perfect! I had only one small change. At this point my computer was gone, I had no means to print and scan. Thus I could do no overlays. So I made this little diagram using Photoshop on my old Windows 98.
Here is the finished prototype as it appeared at the Futuretro Show. Its disclosure paved the way for me to show photos here. By the way, what did I think? An old expression comes to mind, one that my mother used to use: I was tickled Pink!
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