In the early days of Four Horsemen Studios, we used a process called the “FANtastic Exclusive” to allow our fans to help us in the creation of our original, in-house releases. This voting process began by showing fans a number of potential properties from which they could choose. “Seventh Kingdom” and “Gothitropolis” were two examples of these choices, and both of those went on to be made into lines that spawned many figures.
As you would imagine, besides those two aforementioned properties, the voting process presented a number of other lines that never fully saw the light of day because they did not win the vote. One of those is the subject of this “Behind the Scenes” article – our Symbiotech line.
What is Symbiotech?
The Symbiotech line of toys was conceived as set of figures that would go together in a “symbiotic” relationship. Each set would have included a smaller character or “rider” alongside a larger figure. In some cases the smaller figure would fit inside the larger one, while in others they may have ridden on the back of the larger toy.
One of the coolest parts of this line was the variety of character types it allowed us to explore. We had plans for mechanical characters, plant-creatures, animal creations, and more! Symbiotech really would have been a line with something for everyone.
Character Designs
The designs shown in this article reveal some of the ideas we explored for Symbiotech. Many of these were shown to fans during the FANtastic voting process so they could get a sense of the line and decide whether or not to cast their vote for these toys. Again, looking at the illustrations, you can see what a fun and varied line this would’ve been.
Symbiotech Prototypes
While the Symbiotech line never saw the light of day, we did produce prototypes for some the toys, including the pair of feline warriors shown below! You can see the concept art for this set, as well as the prototype of the toy itself. This set is now on display in our studio as a fun bit of history for a cool concept that was alas never meant to be.
Published on 10.30.20