"Describing itself as a 'full service effects facility,' M5 Industries specializes in scale miniatures, overscale models, animatronics, puppets and practical effects of all sizes. In their shop jet planes hang from thel ceiling, a series of oversized Hershey Kisses swallow an almond and an old aqua blue Cadillac clings to a wall. Every spare space, where there aren't tools and supplies, holds a prop from some past project that this company built."

     "We are primarily a special props house for film and commercials, " says Jamie Hyneman, who with Jonathan Searles owns M5. "People come to us when they have a prop they need that is technically of unusual nature. We are still a significant contribution to the film world."

     "That contribution has been made in the form of a robot for a U.S. Postal Service commercial, fighting cock-roaches for Sega video games and an overscale brass watch for Coca-Cola. The staff at M5, culled from Skellington Production and Chris Walas Inc, made model jet planes for Top Gun, did replacement animation for The Nightmare before Christmas and built a remote controlled car with a video camera for Home Alone 3.

     M5 worked on a Nike spot, creating and operating the animatronically controlled Li'l Penny, basketball player Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway's alter ego. Nike sought a particular texture and movement with this puppet that they felt couldn't be achieved with CG. The puppet also gave Hardaway, who is not an actor, something to relate to for his performance. "People just naturally treat [the puppets] like real people," says Hyneman. "It's so much harder to relate to CG. The puppets bring the whole environment to life."