A new player has entered the toy game. An impressive set of credentials sets this group apart from many other start-ups. The name of the company is Four Horsemen. The co-owners and partners in this group are :

• Eric Treadaway - sculpting & design
• H. Eric 'Cornboy' Mayse - fabrication & design
• Jim Preziosi - fabrication & design
• Chris Dahlberg - sculpting & design

These names might sound familiar to you. These four individuals were core members of the McFarlane Toy Design Group and were involved in the creation of many classic McFarlane Toys action figures. We spoke with the new team to find out a little about what they have in store for this new venture.

"We left McFarlane Toys' design studio as a group in September in order to start our own toy design, and prototyping company" said H. Eric "Cornboy" Mayse.

These four individuals are responsible for the design, sculpting, fabrication, and prototyping of such figures as The Crow, Cyber-Spawn, Chucky, Mandarin Spawn,Cy-Gors 1 & 2, Leatherface, and yes, even Cornboy, among many, many others. So what does the team hope to do on its own?

"We are going to strive to integrate the qualities of the highly detailed, and collectable toys that we are known for, with the playability that toys were truly meant to have," said Eric Treadaway.

"Because of the way that the industry has evolved, toy buyers today expect a certain level of design quality when it comes to action figures. Our plan is to take these expectations to another level in new and innovative ways," adds Chris Dahlberg.

The group hasn't been idle since leaving McFarlane Toys. Although shrouded in secrecy, the Four Horsemen are actively working on a several projects that are sure to make the toy world sit up and take notice of this new studio. The details can't be revealed quite yet, but rest assured that when the time is right, you will read all about it right here.

In the meantime, we are pleased with the emergence of this new studio of young creators who have been so central to many of the cutting edge developments in the toy world over the last several years. Striking out on your own is never easy and we wish the Four Horsemen all the success in the world.

"We're very exited about our new venture, and we think that everyone is going to like what we have planned for the near future," said co-founder Jim Preziosi

[Updated 01/17/2000]