DIY Dudes- let us know!

So, last post we announced two DIY Dudes available in small quantities while we test out the market for them.

Just curious to hear some feedback from folks who have bought them. Feel free to contact us with the form on the side banner => or sending us an email at cubedudes@shaw.ca

Were the instructions easy to follow? Would more photos have helped? More written instructions? Should we be more specific about the glue?

If these go over well, we're considering additional characters (someone has already asked for Jake to go with Finn) and can always do more of the characters we've already released ... with the disclaimer that colours may vary slightly based on paper availability...

So please, let us know what you thought! We'd love to hear your feedback so we can make them better!

DIY Dudes Release!

First two DIY Dudes packaged for sale

We're happy to announce that the first two DIY Dudes are finished! We only made up 5 kits of each character to test out how popular they'll be, and can make more if the demand is there. These two will be available for $10/kit, supply your own glue. All of the pieces are included to assemble the Dude pictured on the front, plus step by step instructions that (we hope) will walk you through the assembly. Of course, our email address is also included in case you have any questions and need any support.

Adventurous Finn!

Who here is a fan of Adventure Time? It seems to be one of our most popular requests, and I'm happy to say we have FINALLY been able to create an Adventure Time character!



Finn Prototype. Colours may vary, depending on how your screen display

So, last post I mentioned that we would be releasing 2 new characters exclusively as DIY Dudes: a kit of pieces you assemble yourself. We've done this before with nieces, nephews, siblings, and parents, and let's just say if you're young at heart and enjoy being a little crafty, chances are you'll love the DIY Dudes kit.

Kits will be available soon for $10, so be sure to keep an eye on us to find out the release date!

We're also working on getting an online store up and running, and these may be available for online order shortly.

DIY Dudes

If you're looking for a way to keep your kids entertained over the Christmas break, we'll have build-it-yourself DIY Dudes kits available! Each kit will come with step-by-step instructions, and each Dude will be 100% unique, as it will be built by YOU!

This year we'll have two characters available: a variation of Mr. T from the A-Team, and Finn from Adventure Time.

Last year we had a giant family Christmas. With so many nieces and nephews at their Grandparents' house, we wanted to help keep them entertained and busy. So we decided to bring up pre-cut Dudes for them to build. As you can see from the photo, everyone was having a great time!



Christmas 2012 with the Cube Dudes

The Incredible Tiger-Man: Report for the Council of World Leaders

The Incredible Tiger-Man

Name: The Incredible Tiger-man
Affiliation: The Cavalry
Alias: Sir William Hawksworth
Date of Birth: 07/07/1838
Sex: Male
Race: Feline/Human
Hair: Orange
Eyes: Blue
Distinguishing Marks: Resembles a Tiger
Weapon of Choice: Chieftain Staff
Aptitudes: Incredible strength, agility and speed.

History:
Sir William Hawksworth was an adept big game hunter seeking his latest conquest in the depths of India when he stumbled upon a one of a kind artifact. Buried in the dirt he found the Chieftain Staff of the Tribe of the Elders. While he was admiring this golden relic he was suddenly attacked by a Bengal tiger. As Sir William struggled with the tiger, fending it off with the Chieftain Staff, the staff was struck by lightening. Instantly Sir William and the tiger became one.

As Sir William made his way back home he frightened everyone he came across. Everyone he sought out for help was stymied, having no idea how to change him back. No one could even help him figure out how the Chieftain Staff worked. He had no idea what to do, or how to proceed as this monstrosity, until opportunity came knocking.

One day in 1884 P.T. Barnum appeared at Sir William's door. Barnum offered Sir William the opportunity to travel with his "Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome" as "The Incredible Tiger-Man." Sir William agreed, and enjoyed his new life entertaining the populace with feats of strength and agility until Barnum fell ill in 1890. Sir William was unsure what his future would hold, but once again opportunity came knocking.

John Magnus sought out The Incredible Tiger-Man with an offer to join the Cavalry and help to fend off the scourge of General Groule. Sir William jumped at the chance because, even though being an entertainer gave him great satisfaction, he knew that he couldn't turn down a chance to use his powers for the good of mankind.

Now part of the Cavalry, Sir William has permanently adopted "The Incredible Tiger-Man" persona and uses the Chieftain Staff that transformed him as a weapon to battle Groule's Fist.

Evil Dr. B- Report for the Council of World Leaders

Evil Dr. B

Name: Evil Dr. B
Affiliation: Groule's Fist
Alias: Biagio Biancanello
Date of Birth: 02/09/1859
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Hair: Red
Eyes: Brown
Distinguishing Marks: N/A
Weapon of Choice: The Tablet of Location
Aptitudes: Archaeology.

History:
Biagio Biancanello was a renowned archaeologiest working to uncover the artifacts of the Tempas/Grax war when one day an attractive young lady by the name of Cherie Bombardier came to ask for his advice and lessons on the techniques for uncovering artifacts. Biancanello was instantly smitten with Bombardier and quickly fell in love with this beautiful girl. Bombardier was too driven to notice Biancanello though, and as quickly as she came into his life she was gone.

Biancanello tried to forget about the girl and move on with his work. Eventually he made a discovery that would cement his place in the annals of history. Biancanello uncovered the lost Tablet of Location; an artifact that was thought to be lost forever. This Tempas relic can locate anything that the user wishes to find. Unfortunately Biancanello could not get the tablet to work and therefore could not locate his lost love.

One day Biancanello was set to enjoy a moving picture at an "Edi's Moving Picture House" when he saw a "Breaking News" report about General Groule. To his surprise, there in the background of the news, was Bombardier (now known as Cherry Bomb). Biancanello started to develop a plan to be reunited with his beloved Cherry Bomb.

Biancanello knew that Groule would be interested in the Tablet of Location and its ability to locate the Great Ruin; that was his leverage. He reinvented himself as "Evil Dr. B." "Evil" to catch Groule's attention and so that Groule would know he was not to be trifled with. "Dr." to impress Cherry Bomb with his social status and "B" because he was tired of everybody massacring his name while trying to pronounce it.

Evil Dr. B then sought out Groule and managed to convince him to allow him to join Groule's Fist. The truth of the matter was that Groule was more interested in the Tablet of Location and how it could be used to find The Great Ruin than Evil Dr. B himself, but Evil Dr. B was still overjoyed because now he could be close to his one true love.

Evil Dr. B is still trying to figure out the secrets of the Tablet of Location under Groule's constant threats, while trying to catch Cherry Bomb's attention.

Big kids, with big allowances - Victoria News

So, we were recently in the news! Thanks to the awesome folks at Saanich News!
Big kids, with big allowances - Victoria News

Toy Show prep!

Our house has been overrun by preparations for the upcoming Toy Show. Thought you might like a sneak peek at the madness.

Craft room chaos

Notice the many empty pop cans and scrap paper EVERYWHERE

Library full of gear to set up our table

Summer 1885

The Council of World Leaders is putting together a team to put a stop to General Groule and Edi! The first two members of The Cavalry are sworn in.

Our future is in the Cavalry's hands!

Spring 1881

More news clips on The Great Ruin have been discovered.

The strange body recovered by the Vega expedition has gone missing.

Who would steal this strange corpse? And what dangers does this relic pose to the public?

And now to show off something different...

So, every Toy Show we make a large set and donate it to the Silent Auction. This show, it's the Turtle van with April, Splinter, Rocksteady, Bebop, and Krang.

 

Similar to the A-team van we built a while ago, this van has magnetic doors that can open and close, and a standard sized Dude fits inside (up to 4 Dudes can fit inside). Splinter's ears make him just a bit too tall, so if you want him to ride in style, you'll need to bend them down slightly.

 

We hope to see you all at the show, and be sure to bid on this completely one of a kind set built entirely out of paper!

 

And of course, the 4 turtles and Shredder will be available for sale at our table if you'd like to complete your set.

Proof I need a larger photo box... maybe something more professional

It's a hold up!

What are they to do?

Why yes, Krang does come out of his Robot Body

Nik- Report for the Council of World Leaders

Nik

Name: Nik
Affiliation: The Cavalry
Alias: N.T.
Date of Birth: 07/10/1856
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Distinguishing Marks: None
Weapon of Choice: The Death-la Coil
Aptitudes: Electrical and mechanical engineering.

History:
Nik devoted the majority of his life to unlocking the secrets and advancing the knowledge of the relics from the Tempas/Grax war with his friend and partner Edi. That is until one day their differing visions of what to do with these new found wonders came to a head.

Nik believed that these relics should be used for the betterment of mankind and should be given freely to the people. Edi disagreed and the two became bitter enemies from then on.

Nik continued his work in a small laboratory until he received word from a friend in Sweden that Edi had released an ancient alien who was bent on universal domination. Nik then approached the newly formed Council of World Leaders with this information. All involved agreed General Groule and Edi had to be stopped.

The Council of World Leaders created a task force codenamed "The Cavalry" which Nik not only helped form, but joined to become the resident engineering expert.

Currently Nik uses all his expertise to arm and prepare The Cavalry for the battle against General Groule and more importantly, Edi.

Edi- Report for the Council of World Leaders

Edi

Name: Edi
Affiliation: Groule's Fist
Alias: T.A.E.
Date of Birth: 02/11/1847
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Hair: Grey
Eyes: Black
Distinguishing Marks: None
Weapon of Choice: The Slamophone
Aptitudes: Inventing, business acumen and smear campaigns.

History:
Edi devoted the majority of his life to unlocking the secrets and advancing the knowledge of the relics from the Tempas/Grax war with his friend and partner Nik. That is until one day their differing visions of what to do with these new found wonders came to a head.

Edi believed that these relics should bring them fame, and more importantly, fortune. Nik disagreed and the two became bitter enemies from then on.

Edi used all of the knowledge he gained from the relics to amass a great fortune and build the greatest laboratory any scientist or inventor could dream of. This still wasn't enough for Edi; he wanted to rule the world with his advanced knowledge of the relics.

Desperate for this, he released General Groule from a laboratory in Sweden to try and discover the location of The Great Ruin, which he was sure was the key to his goal of ruling the world. Much to his dismay, he fell into serving General Groule in Groule's Fist.

He now serves General Groule loyally but is waiting for the moment he can mount a mutiny and take over Groule's Fist to use it for his own heinous purposes.

Kiva- Report for the Council of World Leaders

Kiva

Name: Kiva
Affiliation: The Cavalry
Alias: Little One
Date of Birth: 03/21/66,003,121 BC
Sex: Female
Race: Tempas
Hair: None
Eyes: Purple
Distinguishing Marks: None
Weapon of Choice: Power Crystals
Aptitudes: Expert in mystical powers and universal history

History:
One day while Nik was trying to improve the Death-la Coil, he tried to increase the power by using a mystical orb he bought from an archeologist friend. When he tried to turn it on, the combination of mysticism and technology caused an unpredictable time rift. Kiva was immediately transported from the peak of the Tempas/Grax war 66 million years ago to 1890. After figuring out what happened, Kiva immediately berated Nik for doing something so foolish and explained the danger of combining tech and the mystic. She warned him he could have destroyed the universe.

Upon questioning Kiva further, Nik realized just how much knowledge she had and what an asset she could be to The Cavalry. Nik brought her to Magnus, hoping he would agree that she should join the team. Magnus did.

This was far more respect than Kiva had ever received in her life. In the Tempas race, the singular tentacle on her head was a sign of weakness. She was never shown respect, nor were her opinions taken seriously. She thought she could prove herself by joining the Tempas military, and even though she was at the top of her class in all her training, it was to no avail. When she joined the Tempas/Grax war she was nicknamed "Little One" and only given menial tasks.

After Magnus and Nik showed the respect she longed for, she quickly joined The Cavalry and now serves as their smartest and advisor and one of their most powerful soldiers.

Cherry Bomb- Report for the Council of World Leaders

Cherry Bomb

Name: Cherry Bomb
Affiliation: Groule's Fist
Alias: Cherie Bombardier
Date of Birth: 12/04/1864
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Distinguishing Marks: N/A
Weapon of Choice: Vexies' Mask
Aptitudes: Martial arts, infiltration and evasion

History:
Cherie Bombardier was the daughter of a French immigrant and a Cree native of North America. As such, she was an outcast. She just didn't seem to fit in anywhere, and growing up Cherie was picked on by everyone she met.

When she was 16, Cherie met the son of a railway worker named Keung. Keung was instantly smitten with Cherie and the two became fast friends. Keung taught her martial arts so that she could defend herself against all of the bullies she seemed to encounter through her life. Even though Cherie was proficient with the technical skills of the martial arts she was taught, it just caused her more trouble for herself whenever she tried to fight. Cherie suffered loss after loss, until she could take it no longer.

Cherie left behind Keung in search for any relic from the Grax/Tempas was that would gain her an advantage. Using very amateur archaeology she managed to stumble onto the ancient mask of the Shaman Vexies. She put it on not knowing what to expect. At first Cherie thought it was broken, but then she quickly realized she was actually seeing 2 seconds into the future. This was the advantage Cherie had been searching for.

From then on Cherie never lost a fight, able to know exactly what her opponent was going to do before they even did. She also used the mask to conceal her presence from others because she always knew exactly where they were going to look or move next. Cherie was now known as the Cherry Bomb, the greatest ninja who ever lived. She now spent her time robbing banks, trains, or any place she could find a good score.

This was until Cherry Bomb tried to rob a stagecoach transporting General Groule. Fortunately for Cherry Bomb, Groule saw how useful she could be to him in his search for The Great Ruin. Groule spared her life in exchange for unquestioned loyalty and a member of Groule's Fist. Over the years she has become his most trusted warrior and his right hand woman.

General Groule - Report for the Council of World Leaders

General Groule

Name: General Groule
Affiliation: Groule's Fist
Alias: N/A
Date of Birth: 05/24/66,003,135 BC
Sex: Male
Race: Grax
Hair: Black
Eyes: Red/Silver
Distinguishing Marks: Robot Body
Weapon of Choice: The Great Ruin
Aptitudes: Science, military strategy, and hand to hand combat.

History:
When the Tempas crashed the Grax space station into the Earth, General Groule was thrown into a glacier where he was flash frozen. There Groule remained for 66 million years.

In 1979 the Vega expedition stumbled upon General Groule's frozen body and promptly brought it back to Sweden. The country's top scientists were able to thaw out Groule and recover him. Unfortunately Groule's body was damaged beyond repair and was amputated. Scientsts kept Groule's head alive using the healing gloves of the Karé. This allowed them to question Groule about his knowledge of the discovered Grax technology, the Tempas magic, and ultimately The Great Ruin.

The scientists published all their new found knowledge and through some simple investigation Edi discovered how all this knowledge was gained. Realizing the fame and fortune The Great Ruin could bring him, he set out to free Groule and with his help find The Great Ruin.

Freeing Groule was a simple affair, after which Edi built Groule a mechanized body. With Groule's natural leadership abilities and intimidating nature Edi quickly became a follower of Groule.

Groule continues his search for The Great Ruin, recruiting anyone who could be useful to him into his personal army he calls "Groule's Fist."

Spring 1880

Another news clip has been found in the hunt for info on The Great Ruin.

An arctic expedition brings back a strange body, frozen in ice. What will this mystery man teach us about our past, our present, and our future?

John Magnus- Report for the Council of World Leaders

John Magnus

Name: John Magnus
Affiliation: The Cavalry
Alias: None
Date of Birth: Unknown
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Hair: Grey
Eyes: Blue
Distinguishing marks: Left eye scarred
Weapon of choice: Custom 6 shooters
Aptitudes: Tracking, investigation, sharp shooting, hand to hand combat

History:
Not much is known about John Magnus prior to the Civil War. Magnus served the Union as a legendary soldier. His skill and bravery was well known, yet he refused every promotion offered to him, claiming to be a soldier, not a leader.

Magnus' career as a soldier came to an end when he came within a few feet of a plasma blast. After months of recovery, the only sign of Magnus' injuries was the loss of his left eye. Magnus was back stronger and with more gusto than he had previously shown in any  battle, which was a lot. After the war, he became a bounty hunter and was feared by every scofflaw he hunted.

When the Council of World Leaders formed The Cavalry, they approached Magnus to take command of the task force. Magnus declined, once again claiming he was a soldier and not a leader. Even Nik's pleas fell on deaf ears, until Magnus heard General Groule's name. No one knows why Magnus immediately changed his mind and agreed to lead the Cavalry, everyone is just glad he did.

Magnus refuses to use any Tempas/Grax relics found, or any technology or mystic ways developed because of them. No one is quite sure why, but the main theory is a fear developed from the plasma blast that took his eye.

The Great Ruin - Report for the Council of World Leaders

Mock up of The Great Ruin as described by Kiva

Weapon: The Great Ruin
Owner: None
Power Source: Edenshia Moon Crystals
Range: Unknown
Accuracy: Unknown
Blast Radius: Unknown
Mobility: Unknown
Rate of Fire: Unknown
Max Ammo: Unknown
Other Attributes: Unknown

History:
As long as the universe has existed there has been technology and mysticism. The two have always remained separate, and every attempt at combining them has been unstable and ended with disastrous consequences. That is, until one day many lifetimes ago, a hermit named Pao living alone on the third moon of the planet Edenshia did the impossible. Pao was an excellent inventor. Living free from distractions, Pao managed to successfully combine the mystical powers of the crystals of his moon with the technological marvels of Edenshia. The machine he created had great power; so much so Pao was to afraid to discover its full potential. He dubbed the machine "The Great Ruin". Fearful it would fall into the wrong hands, Pao launched The Great Ruin randomly into space so that even he would not know its location.          

Unfortunately the Grax, led by the nefarious General Groule, observed the launch. The Grax were know for razing their native planet of all its natural resources in order to take their technology to its highest peak. After their own world was barren, the Grax set out into space in a massive space station, robbing other planets of their natural resources and enslaving their native populations. Curious, General Groule captured Pao and forced him to explain what he launched into the vast depths of space. Groule knew that The Great Ruin would make him unstoppable, so he had to have it. His best minds determined that the trajectory of The Great Ruin sent it straight to a small planet named Earth, which was populated with species that would later be known as dinosaurs.      

Groule’s obsession with The Great Ruin gave Pao a chance to escape to the nearby planet of Tempa. The Tempas race were masters of the mystic ways of the universe, making them very powerful warriors. Pao explained Groule’s plan to the Tempas, and they swiftly set out to stop him and his army in order to save the universe. Arriving on Earth nearly simultaneously the Grax and the Tempas waged in a hundred year war. During this time Groule used all of his resources to search for The Great Ruin while the Tempas did everything in their power to stop him. The war was finally ended when the Tempas sabotaged the Grax space station crashing it into Earth; wiping out the Grax and most other life on the planet, including the dinosaurs.

In the year 1802 the first relic of the war between the Grax and the Tempas was found. By 1864, thousands of relics had been found and Earth's greatest minds set out to discover their secrets. By 1890 the human race had a far greater understanding of technology and the mystic ways of the universe than natural evolution would have allowed.

The Great Ruin still remains unfound.



  

The Great Ruin: First Video

All right folks- I know it's been pretty much forever since I updated the blog. I apologize for that. We started experiencing technical difficulties (blogger wouldn't let me upload pics), and so it just sort of fell off my radar. After all, stuff was going up on our facebook page, right?

Well- in the past year, we've done a lot. Too much for me to update in one post. So instead, I'll keep this one about our exciting new project. We're creating our own story line, with our very own characters! These guys will be released at Victoria's Ultimate Hobby and Toy Fair on October 6th in Victoria, BC. To help us tell their story, we're creating secret government files for each character and their weapon, plus short news clips.

So here it is. The first ever Cube Dudes movie!