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TO ALL OUR FRIENDS , ASSOCIATES AND CONNECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD....

BEST WISHES FOR CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR.....

 RICHARD DIXON TPD STUDIOS UK .......

The Studio provides a creative photography and visual design service for magazine advertising and display . 

Our main Clients are from the Toy Industry and Children's Comics Publishing in the UK .

The business covers the last thirty years on large and small projects both in the studio and on location .

The Studio is also the home of Richard Dixon's Childrens Photo Story Adventures - SEASTAR 5 INVADERS FROM THE ABYSS and SINBAD GOLD RAIDER HEROES .

If you like what we do and have any questions about our work..... please email us at the studio with your details ......richarddixontoyp@btinternet.com  

We respond to emails within 24 hours .

We hope you enjoy your visit to our site.....and keep us on your radar to visit us again soon.....

SEASTAR 5 INVADERS FROM THE ABYSS......

A Children's Sci-Fi underwater adventure story saga , created by Richard Dixon in October 2012 .

The story came together following an earlier SEASTAR ONE idea that he conceived in 2010 .

In 2018 the story series has grown to nine episodes .

Made in a Digital Model Animation , fully illustrated Photo Story Format , all the episodes are available to view on this web site......see the top left menu on this home page.....

So far the SEASTAR 5 project has received over 70,000 viewers to look at this underwater adventure Sci-Fi photo story series created in the north of England at TPD STUDIOS Lancashire UK .

With increased public awareness of SEASTAR 5 INVADERS FROM THE ABYSS being shown in the production .

We have decided to reach out to the professional media world to see what they think of our little production and our currently looking for Publishers to take a look at the Saga .

More SEASTAR 5 IN 2019.....

SEASTAR 5 THE MAGAZINE....Production design started for a May / June 2019 release .

SEASTAR 5 ON YOU TUBE..... Production design started for an April / May 2019 release .

SEASTAR 5 EPISODE TEN...... Preparations for the next episode started .

MORE UPDATES COMING SOON....

Above.....SEASTAR 5 gains its first newspaper article ....dateline 3 APRIL 2018...in England.....Lancashire Blackpool Evening Gazette .

.....Preview of Images from Episode Ten of SEASTAR 5 ......

SINBAD THE SAILOR FROM THE ARABIAN KNIGHTS STORIES COMES TO TPD STUDIOS IN 2019.....A PHOTO STORY PRODUCTION TO BE CREATED USING MODEL ANIMATION PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES WILL BEGIN PRODUCTION AT OUR LANCASHIRE STUDIO....MORE UPDATES ON PRODUCTION WILL BE POSTED VERY SOON........

MY STORY.........

 HOW IT STARTED ,

WHERE ITS BEEN ,

AND WHERE WE ARE GOING ...........

Richard Dixon started photography for the Toy Industry and Children's Comics in 1989 following a College Photography Course in Blackpool and ten years photographing portraits , weddings and general product advertising photography in the North West of England .

The starting of photography with the Toy Industry followed a period of work practice in the Financial Services Sector with National Savings over a number of years . His skills in photography were soon realised by the Management of National Savings in their staff news magazine and photographing the Miss Premium Bond Contest for the Government Agency . This work quickly introduced him to Public Relations Managers for Companies in Lancashire who helped spread the quality of his work to a larger audience with articles in the regions newspapers and magazines  .

Advertising photography was his next target in the Entertainment and Leisure Industry in the North West who started to use Richard's photography in an increasing number of areas . Trust House Forte Leisure , Odeon Cinemas and First Leisure Corporation were the first to use his talents in promotions and photography of their Leisure Centres , Hotels and in their Theatre promotions .

His next move forward was unexpected , into the Toy Industry following a chance meeting with Animation Director Mark Hall from Cosgrove Hall Animation Studios in Manchester . With Mark's guidance and encouragement Richard began to learn the art of photographing miniatures at his Television Studio in Manchester .

Other professional meetings followed with Gerry Anderson and Ray Harryhausen the Monster Animation Film Modelmaker .

 Richard started to learn how to film models on miniature sets with Movie and TV style presentation techniques and then apply them to his own projects . He produced a set of demonstration toy photography images of his work which would form a presentation to take and show the Toy and Publishing Industries what he could achieve with his techniques.

With his presentation folio and an extensive mail shot publicity drive he began his journey forwards into the Toy Industry and Children's Comics.

Soon his miniature photography product work started to become noticed by Toy Company Marketing Directors and the first to give him a chance on a major product for Toy Advertising was Bluebird Toys in Swindon.

They allowed him to create his new realistic style with presentations for their new product line in 1990 - ZERO HOUR....with Catalogue photography ...posters...model display dioramas for the Toy Fair in London and Harrogate...Christmas Display in Hamleys London...and his first advertising pictures in childrens comics.

Richard also assisted the Bluebird Marketing Director and the TV Commercials Director in setting up the model production sets at the filming of the TV Commercials for the Zero Hour Brand / Manta Force and Polly Pocket at Jacob Street Studios in London during his time when he worked for the Company .

More presentations of his work followed to 3D Licensing / Kenner Toys / Griffin Bacal Advertising Agency London and Universal Pictures with Saachi and Saachi in London for the movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves Licensed Toy Range for Europe as his work style gained interest from the top Companies dealing with the Toy Industry .

Richard's new style of presentation with Zero Hour quickly came to the attention of Hasbro's Marketing Department in London and he was asked to start producing work for their Action Force Range and continued with Hasbro's GI JOE Range.

Additional work assignments followed from Bluebird Toys to promote their MIGHTY MAX range.....

Then Hasbro's ACTION MAN was re-launched in the UK after many years. It was the end of 1996 .

Richard produced three concept presentations of images for the Action Man Product to show how his new realistic work style could be used to benefit the advertising of the product .The images were shown to Hasbro's Creative Director Edward Catchpole who immediately gave Richard the go ahead to take the work to their Licensing Associates to be used in the promotions for the product range.

Some of the first Licensing work was completed with Richard's TPD STUDIOS for GEMMA CARDS who released an Action Man Greeting Card Range which featured this new realistic style of photography presentation . Pedigree Books took further images for their Action Man Annual Cover and inside pages .

Marvel Comics in the UK under Panini Publishing had also just launched ACTION MAN COMIC . It was early 1997 and now required some additional photography for the new Comic.

With Hasbro's help Richard produced two sample covers , Action Man Raid Cover MAY 1997 and Action Man Sniper Cover JUNE 1997  for the Comic using his realistic photomation work style . Both covers were accepted for publication . The journey forward with Action Man had started for Richard Dixon and his model animation style of work which would take him on to a whole new level of professional work .

Richard was asked to come on board and join the Marvel Comics UK team working on the Action Man Comic and he started to produce a series of realistic images for the comic......and to continue with them over the  next eight years with the creation of over 60 fantastic realistic cover pictures and posters....lots of competition pages photography and Action Man support material ....his style of realistic photography images were now getting national recognition across the industry .

With the success of the ACTION MAN COMIC pictures , Marvel Comics UK owners PANINI UK gave Richard's Studio the opportunity to create a series of realistic Photo Story Special Editions of the Comic .

Using Model Animation on model sets and movie style photography techniques with real backgrounds ...fifteen photo story concepts were written and produced by him before handing over to his Editors to prepare the dialogue sections and finishing for publication , sets were designed and photographed at the Toy Photo Design Studio in Lancashire by Richard over a number of years......the ACTION MAN COMIC SUMMER and WINTER Specials selling over half a million copies in sales.....a superb window for the Action Man Product and proved a very successful Comic in the UK .

While at Marvel Comics Richard also created a number of posters and related image material for the TRANSFORMERS Comic together with some Lara Croft TOMB RAIDER Comic images which were done for Playmate Toys promotional purposes to promote sales of product on-line .

Following eight years with MARVEL COMICS / PANINI COMICS the next step forward came with the re - launch of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE from Mattel Toys . Richard Dixon helped Mattel launch the toys through ToonTastic Comics based in Oldham England , when an action Comic was created to tell the continuing stories of He-Man . A number of display sets were created with the full assistance of Mattel UK and a series of images of the toys were created in a SuperPhotomation technique . This blends Photography , Artwork and Model animation together to give a realistic appearance to the presentation of the toys in magazines .

The next publishing project after Masters of the Universe came along very quickly...MGA Toys from the USA launched " The Bratz " .

Titan Magazines in London published the Girl's Magazine and Richard joined the team over a six month period to create a series of images for the toys in the magazine as it was released .

A number of unique posters were created to show the figures in realistic sets , again SuperPhotomation techniques were used to blend real life settings with the figures to create a standard of realism that matched the best of CGI images at the time without a monster budget being used.....a successful magazine which helped promote Richard Dixon's TPD STUDIO's to a wide audience across the UK and Europe .

Over recent years along side his Toy Industry Advertising work , Richard Dixon has started to write his own adventure stories and illustrate them in photo story concept presentations .

Using his successful model animation photography experience for Action Man Comic he has created a new underwater Science Fiction adventure photo story series saga for Children....SEASTAR 5 INVADERS FROM THE ABYSS  .

The series of nine completed Sci-Fi story episodes currently have been seen by over 70,000 people who have visited this web site .

The production is now picking up over 2500 new visitors a month to the web site to view this new children's adventure series .

In 2019 Richard Dixon will soon begin work on another ambitious photo story concept production based on the Arabian Knights Stories of SINBAD THE SAILOR with a different approach from what has been done with the character in adaptations done over the years .

This new production entitled....SINBAD GOLD RAIDER HEROES will again use a style of Model Animation to tell the story in a Photo Story Concept Format Presentation .

More details on this new production will be released in the new year .

If you like what we do and would like to talk with us about our work ....just email us and we can have a chat....richarddixontoyp@btinternet.com .

WORKING WITH HASBRO TOYS IN 1990 FOR THE FIRST TIME.....

We worked on ACTION FORCE and later GI JOE when it arrived in the UK.....the toys - ROLLING THUNDER AND X19 STEALTH images for the Comics were created in our north of England Studio......we followed on with Hasbro's GI JOE SKY PATROL and some development work on

GI JOE STAR BRIGADE....

ACTION MAN MILLENNIUM SPECIAL - PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1999 - ACTION MAN IN SPACE EDITION / PHOTOGRAPHY AND MODEL ANIMATION CREATED BY RICHARD DIXON - ACTION MAN COMIC - MARVEL COMICS UK - PANINI COMICS UK - PRODUCT SUPPORT 3D LICENSING AND HASBRO TOYS UK - IMAGE IS COPYWRITE PANINI UK AND HASBRO TOYS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED .

ACTION MAN - WORLD CUP COMIC EDITION - PHOTOGRAPHY - MODEL SET WITH LIVE ACTION STADIUM BACKGROUND LOCATION - CREATED BY RICHARD DIXON . IMAGE COPYWRITE PANINI UK - ACTION MAN FIGURE COPYWRITE HASBRO TOYS UK .

Over the last thirty-five years Richard Dixon has been able to work with a very large number of Toy Products and use his photography and display techniques for most of the leading Companies in the Toy and Leisure Industries and beyond .

Here is a selection of the Companies we have worked with over these exciting years from our beginings to the present........

 BLUEBIRD TOYS.....HASBRO TOYS.....MATTEL TOYS.....

 MGA TOYS USA..... 3D LICENSING.....MARVEL COMICS

 PANINI COMICS PUBLISHING UK.....TITAN COMICS UK

 TOONTASTIC COMICS.....CARTOON NETWORK.....

 GEMMA CARDS.....PEDIGREE BOOKS....

ODEON CINEMAS

 FIRST LEISURE CORPORATION LONDON

 JUNIPER JUNGLE TV PRODUCTIONS....

EMI ENTERTAINMENT

TRUST HOUSE FORTE HOTELS.....

 NATIONAL SAVINGS AND INVESTMENTS

 the list goes on.........

 Some of the Toy Products we have illustrated.........

 ZERO HOUR.....MANTA FORCE.....MEGA FORCE.....

 THE WOODSEYS.....ACTION FORCE.....GI JOE.....

 ACTION MAN.....TRANSFORMERS..... MASK.....

 LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER.....LOONEY TOONS TOYS.....

 POWER RANGERS.....DIGIMON.....DRAGON BALL Z.....

 BATTLE OF THE PLANETS..... THE POWER PUFF GIRLS.....

 BETTY SPAGHETTI.....BUTT UGLY MARTIANS.....

THE BRATZ.....MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.....

ROBIN HOOD.....MIGHTY MAX.....

PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN.....GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.....

DANGER GIRLS.....MARS ATTACKS .....PLANET OF THE APES.....

SUCKER PUNCH - THE MOVIE .....GREEN HORNET MOVIE - DIECAST TOYS .

.....and many , many more....

Over the years we have visited the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius and carried out location model animation photography for many of the products we have worked with over the years . The products which have used locations on the island for advertising pictures designed by Richard Dixon have included ACTION MAN , LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER , DANGER GIRLS , SEASTAR 5 , MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE , THE BRATZ  and many more .

THE BRATZ IN MAURITIUS....THIS IMAGE FORMED OUR FIRST WORK WITH THE BRATZ FOR TITAN MAGAZINE PUBLISHING IN THE UK AND WITH FULL PRODUCT SUPPORT FROM MGA TOYS USA MARKETING DEPARTMENT WHEN THE TOYS WERE FIRST LAUNCHED IN THE UK .

A series of images for promotional presentation were created first on location in Mauritius .

We then carried out six months work with the Toy Range in the Studio and location in the North West of England . These photographic photo shoots formed the main work we carried our for the product as it was launched in the UK and the Bratz Magazine for Titan Publishing .

ACTION MAN SPACE EXPLORER......an image from the Action Man Greetings Card range created by Gemma Cards International . The photography and model set design was produced by Richard Dixon TPD STUDIOS and full product support from HASBRO  TOYS UK and its Licensing Division at 3D Licensing London . Image copywrite Gemma Cards / Action Man - Copywrite HASBRO TOYS UK . All rights to this image reserved to the copywrite holders and should not be used without permission .

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THE BRATZ.......from MGA TOYS USA......Richard Dixon was asked to provide a realistic style of photography for the launch of the BRATZ MAGAZINE by Titan Publishing in the UK . With full product support from the American Company that created the Brand Richard Dixon designed and produced a series of images over a six month period to bring the product line to children's comics .

BLUEBIRD TOYS - SWINDON - 1993 - 1994 - RICHARD DIXON PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHIC DESIGN

Blubird Toys arranged for me to design some realistic pictures of their new range of toys in 1993 and 1994....I photographed the entire range for Mighty Max........

The images were used in the Argos Catalogue and numerous other Mail Order Catalogues and included promotional photography for the range . A selection of images are shown here from 1994 .

During our work period with TOONTASTIC Comics we were able to work with a wide range of leading products and Companies . Our work covered Masters of the Universe / Mattel....Power Rangers / Bandai...Butt Ugly Martians and Digimon Toy Ranges with a series of Pack Shots .