LJN Toy Guide template created! :)

Hi gang,

With no offense directed at MannyF or anybody else (because I know Manny's had a lot of crap to deal with in his family life recently), I've nevertheless been very concerned about the fact that as yet 99% of the Toys material has yet to be transferred over to the new site. I believe that our Toys section is one of the things that very first put this website on the map and IMO it would be a sin for it to go offline for more than a brief time... :(

So, I set aside a couple of hours earlier this evening and I've put together a template for the LJN Toy Guide we have on this site! :)

Here's the link: http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/toys/ljn/ljn-toy-guide/lion-o-orange-hair-variant

If Neil, MannyC and all the rest of the team are happy with the way this looks then my plan, if he's up for it, is to talk Neil through the process of duplicating this template and editing it to create each entry for the LJN Toy Guide - I've already spoken to him about the possibility of he & I having a chat on Skype / MSN regarding using the WordPress interface and what I've learned about it... :)

Obviously this is just something I've been playing around with and if Neil and/or MannyC don't like anything about it then I'll do my best to change it. :)

A couple of notes before that however:

1) The smaller header that says "profile" is a placeholder - I need to create a graphic that says "Facts, Features & Tips"

2) There are differences between the colour scheme and fonts used in this version and the version on the site currently. I've made these changes (for example, changing the colour of the Toy Viewer) so that the look of this is consistent with the rest of the site. Whilst I will happily make any changes Neil or MannyC would like, I do believe that the new fonts, colours, etc., are necessary to avoid the Toy Section clashing with the new look of the rest of the site. :)

3) The Toy Viewer is set up completely differently to the way the old one works, this new version uses a Javascript gallery onClick event handler that I put together myself. The advantage that this has over the old viewer is that Javascript is more portable in various browsers and mobile devices than Flash which is what the old viewer was powered by. I also must confess I have no idea how to import / edit the old Flash Toy Viewer, whereas this version can be easily edited by Neil, MannyC or anyone else who knows a little HTML.

4) I may replace the text that says "SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT TOY VIEWER" with a Photoshop graphic that says the same thing, to add a little more weight and impact to the text (if Neil and/or MannyC would like).

5) I have absolutely slogged my guts out putting this template together tonight, so if you guys have any criticisms or suggestions for changes, please, please, please be gentle!! :D

Anyway, Neil and MannyC, if you guys could take a look and LMK your thoughts on this that would be awesome, and then Neil if you're happy with it, LMK and I'll do some further tweaking on the HTML side so that you can use it as an editable template, and then talk you through how that works! :)

Take care... :)

It looks great. The only thing I'd like to change is the name of each figure. I'd like to photograph the name stickers on my carded figures and then edit them in photoshop. Then place the name sticker on each page.

Alternatively, if a graphic to match the look of the name stickers can be created with the same font etc.. that would be cool too.

Aside from that, the page looks great! Will let you know when I can make chat (won't be wednesday or friday) so thursday might be the best bet?

Chris here...

"blackiecats, post: 30262" said:

It looks great. The only thing I'd like to change is the name of each figure. I'd like to photograph the name stickers on my carded figures and then edit them in photoshop. Then place the name sticker on each page.

Alternatively, if a graphic to match the look of the name stickers can be created with the same font etc.. that would be cool too.

Hey Neil, thanks for the feedback on this, really appreciate it! :)

By "name sticker", do you mean the ones that you see on the front of a lot of card bubbles, such as the one that says "LION-O and SNARF" on this image:



If so, I think that would be an excellent effect to add to the pages and really drive home the LJN connection - my question would be, where would you want to add them? If you LMK and send me over a graphic ready-sized and done how you'd like it, I can easily add it to the page! :)

Unfortunately I don't have access to the font LJN used for that or I could whip up a template and send you over the .psd file for you to edit. I will, however, do a Google search and just see if I can find the font they used in case I either have it or can find a free download for it... :)

"blackiecats, post: 30262" said:

Aside from that, the page looks great! Will let you know when I can make chat (won't be wednesday or friday) so thursday might be the best bet?

Thursday is a strong possibility - I'm out to a rehearsal in the evening but would expect to be home by about 9:30pm-ish! :)

Take care... :)
Merged Post:
Chris here...

Following on from this template I've created, here now is a Tutorial I've put together detailing how to use that template to create more pages for the LJN Toy Guide in the new WordPress site! :)

http://www.thundercatslair.org/toys-images/ljn-toy-guide/toyguide-tutorial/tutorial.html

Hopefully I've laid this out clear enough to follow - at first glance it all looks pretty complicated but once you get used to it, it's actually quite easy! :)

Neil: Take a look at this and let me know how you get on with it, any questions or comments, let me know and I'll talk you through it! :)

Take care... :)

"blackiecats, post: 30262" said:

It looks great. The only thing I'd like to change is the name of each figure. I'd like to photograph the name stickers on my carded figures and then edit them in photoshop. Then place the name sticker on each page.

Alternatively, if a graphic to match the look of the name stickers can be created with the same font etc.. that would be cool too.

Aside from that, the page looks great! Will let you know when I can make chat (won't be wednesday or friday) so thursday might be the best bet?

Cool idea about the name sticker, however i dont think photographing the name sticker and editing with photoshop would look good. IMO if a graphic to match the look is possible then I would prefer that instead.

If possible why not ask Kyle for his graphics expertise on it. He should be able to whip up something quick to duplicate a name sticker graphic.

Chris: Nice tutorial and i really like the layout...the only thing I would like to see is to duplicate the hanging tab (i think you call it that) that you can see on the original viewer. You know, make it look like a carded figure with punch hole and everything.

Overall though it looks great

Chris here...

"MannysCollectibles, post: 30363" said:

Cool idea about the name sticker, however i dont think photographing the name sticker and editing with photoshop would look good. IMO if a graphic to match the look is possible then I would prefer that instead.

If possible why not ask Kyle for his graphics expertise on it. He should be able to whip up something quick to duplicate a name sticker graphic.

Hey MannyC, Kyle's really pushed for time right at the moment or I'm sure he'd do it - I could probably replicate the shape, the problem I have is that I have no idea what font the card stickers used! :( If either of you guys think you can find a match for the font I can have a bash at whipping something up! :)

"MannysCollectibles, post: 30363" said:

Chris: Nice tutorial and i really like the layout...the only thing I would like to see is to duplicate the hanging tab (i think you call it that) that you can see on the original viewer. You know, make it look like a carded figure with punch hole and everything.

Overall though it looks great

I would have loved to replicate the punch hole and did ponder how this could be done on the new version but unfortunately I'm limited because I'm having to work purely in tables - if I had access to the .css file for the new site and/or the header of the pages I'm working on that would give me a lot more scope as what I could do is create an actual <div> </div> area with a graphic like that set as a background image - not quite sure how to recreate it in old-fashioned tables without making a massive headache for myself and everyone else who tries to work with it as a template... :(

If Neil agrees about the punch hole I'll put my thinking cap on and see if I can come up with something - your thoughts, Neil? :)

Glad you guys are liking the look overall - I'm having to be quite inventive making these pages display correctly whilst still using standards-compliant coding, so it's quite challenging! :)

Take care... :)
Merged Post:
EDIT: Never being one to take no for an answer I've managed to sort-of recreate the punch hole effect that's on our toy viewer currently! :)

However, I must admit I think it looks better without it, purely because the limitations of working with tables mean that it doesn't sit flush with the top of the toy viewer display area - to me it looks like someone's superimposed a letter "J" across the top! :(

http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/toys/ljn/ljn-toy-guide/lion-o-orange-hair-variant

However, if you guys prefer it with the punch effect then no question it can definitely stay! :)

Take care... :)

It would have been cool to keep the J hook, but I agree with you Chris, it kinda looks out of place. Probably best it's left off for now.

As for the name sticker, I'd be happy with a graphic close to those on the cards! It doesn't have to have the exact same text style. I'd be happy with something similiar ;)

Chris here...

"blackiecats, post: 30375" said:

It would have been cool to keep the J hook, but I agree with you Chris, it kinda looks out of place. Probably best it's left off for now.

Cool - if it's OK with MannyC then I'll take it back off, I agree with you Neil that it looks a bit naff. It's a real shame as I also was a big fan of the J-hook, but I don't think it works with this design and I don't think I can come up with anything better... :(

blackiecats;30375; said:

As for the name sticker, I'd be happy with a graphic close to those on the cards! It doesn't have to have the exact same text style. I'd be happy with something similiar ;)

Again, that's cool - Neil, if you could photograph just one of those stickers so I have something high-resolution to try and copy and then e-mail it to me, I'll see what I can come up with, and see if I have any fonts installed that are reminiscent of the one LJN used! :)

Have you had a go at the tutorial I sent over yet? LMK how you get on with it and I can work on transferring over the rest of the LJN toy images to the new folder for you to link to! :)

Take care... :)

Im cool with removing the J-hook, hopefully though there will be a better graphic for the Sight Beyond Sight Viewer...sort of like the one we currently have with the Eye of Thundera as opposed to plain text but i think you already mentioned about replacing it with a graphic

Overall...nice job.

I must say though that i will miss the older site...the blue and red mixed well together and the site will be all red now which im not too keen of. I wish we couldve kept the whole blue and red theme

"MannysCollectibles, post: 30421" said:

I must say though that i will miss the older site...the blue and red mixed well together and the site will be all red now which im not too keen of. I wish we couldve kept the whole blue and red theme

I feel the same :( To me, some of it feels very clinical (if that's the right word to use?)

I just hope this is the last redesign/relaunch for a good while. It's cool and all, but instead of worrying about converting over old work, I'd sooner be working on and put up brand new content. This whole relaunch has been a pain in the ass and I still worry about the toy section...... I will say now that Neil will be a very unhappy chappy if the new site goes up without the toy section....

Chris here...

"MannysCollectibles, post: 30421" said:

Im cool with removing the J-hook, hopefully though there will be a better graphic for the Sight Beyond Sight Viewer...sort of like the one we currently have with the Eye of Thundera as opposed to plain text but i think you already mentioned about replacing it with a graphic

Yeah, I think the header looks a bit plain as well, just not quite sure what to replace it with - I'll have a play around and see if I can come up with something! :)

"MannysCollectibles, post: 30421" said:

I must say though that i will miss the older site...the blue and red mixed well together and the site will be all red now which im not too keen of. I wish we couldve kept the whole blue and red theme

I actually prefer the all-red design that MannyF came up with, I actually find it more striking and I also think it "future proofs" us a bit more with the potential look and feel of the new ThunderCats series - but yes, I will also miss the blue element and the old look of the site, although (bizarrely) my favourite remains not this version but the version we started with back in 2005! :)

"blackiecats, post: 30422" said:

I feel the same :( To me, some of it feels very clinical (if that's the right word to use?)

Unfortunately WordPress sites do tend to have a feeling of sterility around them, a really skilled designer (far and away above my skill level) can break them away from that but I can normally spot a website that's been put together using WordPress as opposed to one that's been built in plain HTML / CSS. I think some of it comes from the fact that whenever you build a WordPress site you're working from a pre-existing template and customising it (for example, the new version of ThunderCats Lair is just a customised version of a StudioPress WordPress site/blog), whereas when working purely with HTML / CSS you're starting from a blank canvas and therefore be a lot more inventive and creative. :)

With no attacks meant to anybody else (and all meant in good spirits), I would also say that I find it ironic that the whole object of transferring the site over to WordPress was to create a site that any of the team could update themselves whether or not they had any HTML knowledge, and it's looking like the only member of the team that this is going to be of direct benefit to is Mark, given that all of the remaining team members know enough HTML to modify templates, etc. :)

However, I do believe that the many benefits that come with using WordPress will be good for this site - for example, if we ever want to hold the #1 ranking on Google for the word "thundercats", WP will help us do it as they are set up right out of the box with some of the best Search Engine Optimization you're ever likely to find. It will also make the site more cross-browser compatible, and more accessible via mobile devices. :)

As much as we all love the current version of the site (myself included), it is absolutely FULL of depreciated coding that won't display properly as future browsers are rolled out (some pages already fail to display properly for me in Safari for Windows) and so some sort of redesign was, IMO, necessary. I was massively against the idea of relaunching the site again, but with the website knowledge I now have, I think MannyF was right and I was wrong. :)

"blackiecats, post: 30422" said:

I just hope this is the last redesign/relaunch for a good while. It's cool and all, but instead of worrying about converting over old work, I'd sooner be working on and put up brand new content.

Believe me, I'm 100% with you there - if there's another site relaunch, it will need to be done without me. I've put in Christ knows how many hours on this already and I'm barely halfway just with my own sections. I can find the motivation because I believe it's worth it, but I wouldn't feel the same if it was done yet again! :)

"blackiecats, post: 30422" said:

This whole relaunch has been a pain in the ass and I still worry about the toy section...... I will say now that Neil will be a very unhappy chappy if the new site goes up without the toy section....

Well, again with no offence or attack meant to anyone, Neil, you'll need to talk to MannyF about that one. Although I don't mind helping out, I've got enough on my plate moving over the Cartoon and Comic Sections. MannyF is supposed to be in charge of the Toy Section - in fact MannyF was supposed to be in charge of transferring the whole site content but I offered to help, as it is I'm doing 90% of the entire work, missing two hours' sleep a night to try and get it done, I don't think MannyF has built a page for the new site for months. Fair enough he's had a lot of unexpected stuff on his plate and I'm not entirely unsympathetic, but nevertheless it's fair to say that if I'm not transferring it (with Mark transferring the statue-related content so far), it's not happening. :(

The launch date for the new site has been set for early December, which a long time ago was the date MannyF wanted to launch, this site's 5th anniversary - why I put this template together is because I don't want to see the new site go live with nothing at all in the Toy Section, which is what is in danger of happening... :(

Anyway, rant over, LOL! ;) Apologies for the long post. I would stress that none of the above is meant as an attack on anyone, just stating the facts as they are - Neil, MannyC, if I can do anything to help get the Toy Guide pages set up so that you guys are able to work on transferring material from the old site to the new then I'm definitely happy and eager to help in any way I can, so please LMK if I can help in any way! :)

Take care... :)
Merged Post:
EDIT: Had a play around with the LJN Toy Guide template - unfortunately using the Eye of Thundera graphic doesn't work very well because it's a red image against a red background so it gets kind-of lost. :(

What about this as an alternative? I used the header I'm using for all the pages and inverted the colours:

Here it is in context on the page: http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/toys/ljn/ljn-toy-guide/lion-o-orange-hair-variant :)

I think this looks good, as it adds visual interest to the header of the Toy Viewer (which I agree looked boring before), and also connects the header of same to the look of the rest of the page. Unfortunately with the time I have I think this is going to be the best I can come up with so I hope you guys think it looks OK - needless to say if you guys are able to whip up something in Photoshop that you think works better, I'd be happy to add it to the template instead! :)

Take care... :)
Merged Post:
Chris here...

Seems that MannyF has been doing some work on the LJN Toy Guide - he's obviously decided to completely ignore the template I came up with, which is disappointing after the work I put into trying to make it as close to the old design as possible whilst factoring in the new site design, and then the work I put in creating the tutorial - but, I'm nevertheless very glad to see this section moving forward into the new site. :)

Here's an example page of what I'm talking about, I won't link to them all but there's about 10 of them: http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/toys/ljn/ljn-toy-guide/s-s-slithe :)

Take care... :)

Sorry for the late reply to this (I meant to reply a lot earlier!) Chris, you have been doing a brilliant job with work on this site and I never expected you to help move over the toy section. Infact it's very kind that you are helping us with your knowledge, considering your already burdening work load :eek:

I'll be honest and say I haven't had a go yet, but I promise I will eventually. I just want to state that I am grateful and your time hasn't been wasted.

Chris here...

"blackiecats, post: 30457" said:

Sorry for the late reply to this (I meant to reply a lot earlier!) Chris, you have been doing a brilliant job with work on this site and I never expected you to help move over the toy section. Infact it's very kind that you are helping us with your knowledge, considering your already burdening work load :eek:

I'll be honest and say I haven't had a go yet, but I promise I will eventually. I just want to state that I am grateful and your time hasn't been wasted.

Hey Neil, just to say thanks for these kind words, they mean a lot - I know I've been perhaps a bit over-enthusiastic to do with the site and transferring over to WordPress, etc., but as I say I do believe that it is the right thing for this site's future and I'm really anxious that all the content that the team have worked so hard to create should be present for fans to enjoy on the new version of the site! :)

Take care... :)