Complexly
CREATOR
about 2 months ago
Project Update: Meet David Silva of Creative Beast Studio!
Hello friends!
We're very excited today to have a Q&A with David Silva, who spearheaded the design and development of the figures in this project. When Eons had the thought to create some figures to tie-in with our videos, he was the absolute no-brainer choice. David has created all kinds of incredible action figures and toys—some you may already have in your home. We encourage you to check out his website to see all the amazing dinosaurs and figures he's designed!
When did you start getting into toy design, and what inspired you to do so?
Toys were a very important part of my childhood growing up in the 80’s with toys like Transformers, Masters of the Universe, and Dino Riders. Fast forward to art school and I got back into collecting as a young adult with Beast Wars, Spawn, and the 200X Masters of the Universe toy lines. I eventually became so interested in toys, that I shifted my focus in school from comic books to concept design, which allowed me to get my foot in the door with Mcfarlane Toys as a designer three weeks after graduating.
What were some of the coolest things you made (before you started on dinosaurs)?
My favorite projects preceding Beasts of the Mesozoic would have to be the Scavenger Clan Dragon (McFarlane Toys), Star Wars Dewback (Hasbro), Pacific Rim Otachi (NECA), and anything from the Kenner Predator line (NECA).
What made you want to start Creative Beast Studio and your scientifically accurate dinosaur action figures?
There were a couple of potential opportunities to create this concept with my previous employers, but the projects in each case would be abandoned. I was already making science-based dinosaur model kits during this time as Creative Beast Studio and I felt strongly about the action figure idea, so after the second failed attempt, I decided to bring the concept to Kickstarter on my own and the rest is history.
What do you think makes your designs special and appealing to people?
The animal figures we create are a celebration of our natural world- vibrant, beautiful, and dangerous. There’s no Hollywood influence and no dumbing down of the data for mass consumption. We treat each design as a living breathing creature and attempt to capture a personality for each one. It’s part paleoart and part interactive model.
What were the challenges in designing the Proboscideans for this project?
Like any extinct animal, we had to be careful to find only the most current and widely accepted fossil reference. Each Proboscidean species has seen a variety of interpretations over the decades, and by working with artists experienced in reconstructing ancient mammals from fossil data, we created our own interpretations which aim to bring us closer to their actual appearance than ever before.
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