Welcome to the Glyos System 2: Kabuto Mushi

I cannot say I have met many folks that make toys for a living, but I was very excited to meet Marty “The Godbeast” Hansen at Wizard World Des Moines. (Mystic Warriors of the Ring creator Mark Vasquez was also in attendance, but more on his work in future columns.) The creator of the Kabuto Mushi line of figures, he showed off his then-upcoming Shogun Warriors inspired figures at the show, and I personally picked up a couple with strong resemblances to Skeletor and Hordak. I instantly was drawn into the looks of the Kabuto Mushi Mark II line, as it featured tons of detail and often more detailed paint schemes than other Glyos toys.

To me, this is the toy that best shows off just how much you can do with one figure mold. Through various paint and plastic layouts, one toy can look drastically different than the next despite using the same parts and design. The backpack of the standard mushi also can serve as a second head for figures promoted as Instar Warriors.

Some of the other Glyos-linked toys from Onell Design or Toyfinity have detailed back stories, the Mushis have very little so far (though their creator has ensured me a lot more is to come). I think that might draw me to Kabuto Mushi a bit more because he (or is it she?) is a character I could totally wrap a compelling narrative around. I can see this strange figure coming to Earth to right some wrong or defeat some evil. That is one of the things I enjoy most about the strange and wild world of independent toys: embracing the oddities and letting them inspire me.

For more on Kabuto Mushi, visit The Godbeast’s site or pick up some great figures at the Kabuto Mushi store.