![[Zodac (MOTU Hybrid)] Man, fourth place again! Just can't seem to get that little nudge that puts me into the top three! Aw well, maybe next time . . . . Anyway, next entry in my MOTU Hybrid line is a look at what should have been. Well, technically these are ALL "what should have been," since these are the toys we all WISH Mattel had made. But I digress, this one is a particularly egregious example of executive meddling, and yet, due to the awesomeness of the fandom AND the Four Horsemen, he STILL managed to become part of the greater canon. Let's hear it for Zodac!
MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost. Of course, when your 2002 toy never gets released to the public, some improvisation will be required. Or a LOT of improvisation, as the case may be.
When he was originally developed for the 2](userimages/customs/45000/44854-1.jpg) Zodac (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[Link's Inventory] Hey! Listen!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Realmers of all ages, genders, and nations, welcome one an all to my very own contest, the "Link's Custom Inventory Guessing Game!"
You've probably seen my recent "Legend of Zelda" Link custom action figure. Well, pictured here are a whopping 35 accessories that I created for the toy. THIRTY-FIVE ITEMS!! Can you IMAGINE the time I put into building 35 weapons, tools, and other assorted trinkets and treasures for my little Hylian Hero? So much time and effort and love went into the project that I wanted to make a separate post exclusively for the inventory. And even better, I decided to make a little contest about it! Thus, Link's Inventory Guessing Game was born! This contest ran from October 25, 2012 to November 1, 2012.
The rules were pretty simple; pictured below are 35 items that appear in the Legend of Zelda series. With a single, VERY obscure exception, EVERY GAME is repre](userimages/customs/44000/43816-1.jpg) Link's Inventory Legend of Zeldaby Batman1016Hey! Listen!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Realmers of all ages, genders, and nations, welcome one an all to my ve...30 comments |
![[Link] Hi Figure Realm! Didn't get many comments on my last few figures (razzum-rack'em-frack'em, stupid contest no comment rules, mumble-grumble . . . ), so I thought I'd post something amazing here to really get your attention. Check it out!
So, over the summer, I made several customs, many of which you guys still haven't seen because I'm saving them for upcoming contests. The last two months? I've been working on ONE custom. Pretty much exclusively, nothing else. Why so much time put into one toy? Well, that will become clear with my next post. For now, let me must introduce my latest (and possibly greatest) work. Realm . . . meet Link, the Hero of Time.
Contrary to my usual excessive explanation, I'm going to let the pics speak for themselves this time around. Just a recipe and I'll be done.
Body: Hasbro Marvel Legends Fantastic Four wave Doctor Doom
Arms & thighs: Mattel DC Universe Classics Richard Grayson Robin
Hands: Hasbro Avengers Movie Nick Fury
Lower legs: ToyBiz](userimages/customs/44000/43815-1.jpg) Link Legend of Zeldaby Batman1016Hi Figure Realm! Didn't get many comments on my last few figures (razzum-rack'em-frack'em, stupid contest no comment rules, mumble-grumble . . . ), s...20 comments | ![[Shadow Weaver (MOTU Hybrid)] Like most of the characters from He-Man's (literal) sister series, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Shadow Weaver never got a 2002 update. That honor was reserved exclusively for the male villains (and TECHNICALLY She-Ra herself, although that toy was essentially just a minimal re-sculpt of the existing Teela figure, and an extremely rare con exclusive to boot). I felt it was high time some other PoP characters got some 2002 love, and Shadow Weaver was first on the list!
MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost. Of course, for a character that never HAD a 2002 toy, the middle part is entirely discretionary. Well, not entirely. If I'm going to make a Four Horsemen character, I want to make it using a Four Horsemen sculpt. So, DCUC Desaad was really the ONLY choice.
So many MOTU fans make 2002](userimages/customs/43500/43007-1.jpg) Shadow Weaver (MOTU Hybrid) |
![[Fisto (MOTU Hybrid)] Hey fans! Back again with another MOTU Hybrid custom. Today's figure is a minor-league character gone pro, a lame one-off villain turned hero in the original Filmation cartoon, the character was upgraded to major plot device in the more recent 2002 series and the modern MOTU Classics line. No longer just a random forest rogue, he became a former champion of the Eternian royal family, and was eventually revealed to be Man-at-Arms' brother and Teela's biological father! Submitted for your approval, the wandering warrior with the weird name . . . Fisto!
*cough*
Yeah, apparently Mattel didn't have a firm grasp of "unfortunate innuendo" back in the '80s.
MOVING ON! So, MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost. Fisto here represents a shift back to my traditional process from my r](userimages/customs/42500/42405-1.jpg) Fisto (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[King Randor (MOTU Hybrid)] Hey, figure freaks! So, fun story, I was working on a custom project in early July, slipped with my knife, and nearly cut off my left middle finger. Know what stopped the blade? BONE. Yeah, I cut ALL THE WAY TO THE BONE. Seriously. So, anyone wondering why I've not been posting figures for two months . . . that's HALF the reason. The other half? Well, I've been working on more figures! What, you thought a near-disfiguring injury was going to stop me? Pfft! Anyway, I know I've been somewhat absent from the front page of the custom showcase for a while, but that under NO circumstances mean's I've been idle! In fact, as a few of you know, I've been plugging away at some really great pieces for your enjoyment, and now I'm going to let you have a peek at the fruits of my toils over the last two months. Who's today's star? The champion of The Great Unrest, leader of the Masters of the Universe, and King of all Eternia, Randor!
MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all](userimages/customs/42500/42323-1.jpg) King Randor (MOTU Hybrid) |
![[Ram Man (MOTU Hybrid)] And last in my Power of Grayskull Contest entries, the ridiculous Ram-Man!
Seriously, he's a man, and he rams stuff. With his head. And in the old cartoon, his LEGS were SPRINGS. No really, ridiculous is the right word.
As a child, my best friend Alex owned EVERY MOTU figure. Literally. EVERY LAST ONE. He still has them, as far as I know, and he's likely sitting on a fortune. Me? I owned exactly two MOTU figures. Battle-Armor Skeletor with the rotating "battle damage" chest, and Ram-Man. For that reason alone, I have a certain fondness for the character. Not to mention a certain level of childhood trauma and emotional scarring . . . see, I left Ram-Man at my uncle's house one day, and when I came back a few days later, I discovered, much to my horror, that his stoner roommate had cut a large gouge in his head and epoxied his axe into the helmet, then painted the word "Red-Cabbaage" on his back (the nickname of their other roommate) as a joke. I was FIV](userimages/customs/42500/42322-1.jpg) Ram Man (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[Webstor (MOTU Hybrid)] The biggest problem with having multiple entries in a contest (or several contests) is, although you've been working hard for weeks or even months on multiple customs, no one gets to see your work until the contests are over! Between June and September, I completed no less than 10 custom figures, and I've only been able to display two of them publicly! The others are all awaiting the close of their respective voting! Well, now my three entries in the Power of Grayskull Contest (big congrats to darththomas81 on his win of not just the contest but of suprasizeme's awesome Snake Armor He-Man) are finally revealed, and I can talk at length (MUCH length) about my work! So, first up, first entry, Eternia's very own Spider-Man, Webstor!
Say it with me: MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost.](userimages/customs/42500/42320-1.jpg) Webstor (MOTU Hybrid) |
![[The Spectral Soul Reaver] It was over a decade ago that I wandered into my local Ames after work, expecting to find nothing of interest, and discovered, much to my surprise and delight, a pair of action figures based off of one of my favorite games of all time. The figures were Kain and Raziel, from the Legacy of Kain series, and the toys were the Soul Reaver collectible figures from Blue Box Toys.
They cost me less than ten bucks a piece.
How times change, eh?
To this day, I consider this pair among the crown jewels of my collection. Even after NECA released their own versions of the characters, I still prefer the originals. For the superior paint jobs, for the massive scale, for the flawless likenesses, for the seemingly limited articulation that is actually quite versatile and more than adequate for all posing needs, without hindering the outstanding sculpts, these figures are some of my favorite toys ever made.
The ONLY drawback, in my eyes, is one glaring omission . . . Raziel lacks his signature we](userimages/customs/41000/40691-1.jpg) The Spectral Soul Reaver Soul Reaverby Batman1016It was over a decade ago that I wandered into my local Ames after work, expecting to find nothing of interest, and discovered, much to my surprise and...18 comments | ![[Animals Additions and Alterations (MOTU Hybrid)] The first "update" to my MOTU Hybrid line, today I'm posting some old familiar faces . . . and some new familiars! And by that, I mean pets. Animal sidekicks. Aren't they just adorable?
First on the list, Screeech the falcon. A pack-in with the NECA Evil-Lyn mini-statue, Screeech was originally permanently attached to his perch. When I removed him, he couldn't free-stand on his own. I had to hollow him out and weight with lead fishing sinkers so that he could sit on his own feet. It was a real pain finding the perfect balance point, and I was ultimately forced to sacrifice my plan to make his weapon harness removeable, but at least he's now perfectly balanced. So long as he's got a level surface, he'll stand at attention all day long.
The baby Cringer was a stroke of good fortune. I found a tiny tiger figurine at the local Goodwill and grabbed him right up. All it took was some paint and patience, and Prince Adam had a cute Cringer kitten companion to cuddle.
In](userimages/customs/41000/40690-1.jpg) Animals Additions and Alterations (MOTU Hybrid) |
![[Clawful (MOTU Hybrid)] Oh. Dear. GOD. I have been waiting SO LONG to post this figure! A year. AN ENTIRE YEAR, I've been working on this guy on and off. A whole year drilling and digging and cutting and sculpting and finding JUST the right joints, or actually making new joints BY HAND. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days, AT MINIMUM. He's been scattered in pieces, taking up so much space on my worktable for so long, I'D FORGOTTEN I HAD THAT MUCH SPACE ON MY WORKTABLE!!
Well, here he is, finally, after all this time, I present Skeletor's huge, hunched henchman, the looming, lethal lobster, Eternia's deadliest catch . . . Clawful!
MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost. Please note that "in a reasonable time frame" isn't even MENTIONED in that criteria (though from now on, it just may be!). What ca](userimages/customs/40500/40330-1.jpg) Clawful (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[Front Mission 3 Wanzer Kyojun Rearmed] Big thanks again to sephiroth for providing me with these awesome ArtFX mech figures: you da' man! Here's the second rearmed mighty mech, from Front Mission 3, the wanzer Kyojun!
Like the previous wanzer, the base figure was completely intact, it was merely missing hardpoints. It still had its shield, gun, backpack, and the large missile pod, but it still needed a hand melee weapon, a second shoulder gun, and an arm-mounted weapon. Fortunately, these parts didn't need to look "integrated" due to the modular nature of the series' mech designs.
The shoulder machine gun was a SIMPLE creation. Originally from a Batman animated Joker, all I needed to do was shorten the back and cut off the trigger, the handle served as the peg to plug into the shoulder, didn't even need to paint. The club was an interesting case. Originally a firing missile from some random figure weapon, I sculpted it to look just like the in-game model, and painted it black with a metallic wash to give i](userimages/customs/40500/40171-1.jpg) Front Mission 3 Wanzer Kyojun Rearmed Mechaby Batman1016Big thanks again to sephiroth for providing me with these awesome ArtFX mech figures: you da' man! Here's the second rearmed mighty mech, from Front ...8 comments |
![[Front Mission 3 Wanzer Dolague Rearmed] Howdy Realm! While I do have many more figures from my usual series (TMNT, MOTU, Marvel) to post here on the site, I thought I'd strike off on a bit of a tangent today to show you all a new project I've been working on. Thanks to a great trade with sephiroth, I got my hands on several excellent ArtFX mecha figures from Front Mission and Armored Core! Only problem? They came with almost NO weapons at all. Not to worry! Thanks to my massive collection of fodder accessories, I was able to completely rearm these mighty mechs, and I present the results to you now. From Front Mission 3, the first of my "wanderpanzers," Dolague!
The base mech is largely unchanged from the original packaged figure. The major additions here are the weapons. Only the cannon and the small shoulder rocket launcher are factory parts, and not necessarily from this figure. The rest are leftovers and mods of gear from other toys, adapted to work with the FM3 peg system.
Due to the "modular w](userimages/customs/40500/40169-1.jpg) Front Mission 3 Wanzer Dolague Rearmed Mechaby Batman1016Howdy Realm! While I do have many more figures from my usual series (TMNT, MOTU, Marvel) to post here on the site, I thought I'd strike off on a bit ...4 comments | ![[Dragon Man] Man, reptiles are a popular subject with the sculpting crowd here on the Realm! I enter two of my nicest pieces into the contest, and end up competing with the likes of Parraw, NeCrollector, and fastfreddie. Seriously, LOOK at that Leonardo by Customfig, or that Leatherhead by Jarred706 . . . how was I ever gonna beat that? :D In any case, congrats to the winners, totally deserved it! Meanwhile, Dragon Man here will just languish down in ninth place.
Anyone familiar with this character? In the Marvel Universe, Professor Gilbert of New York State University wanted to build a robot to beat the Fantastic Four . . . only as a research tool, of course (uh . . . wut? This was apparently a purely hypothetical beating). He eventually developed an incredibly powerful android . . . and made it look like an anthropomorphic dragon. Why? Because he's a mad scientist, so @#$% YOU, that's why!! No, he was really a good guy (with an extremely fantastical imagination, I guess) who never inte](userimages/customs/40000/39555-1.jpg) Dragon Man Fantastic Fourby Batman1016Man, reptiles are a popular subject with the sculpting crowd here on the Realm! I enter two of my nicest pieces into the contest, and end up competin...4 comments |
![[Kobra Khan (MOTU Hybrid)] Huh . . . I expected this figure to place higher than my Dragon Man. Guess the Eternian snake henchman doesn't have the same following as an alchemically-modified super-robot made to look like a purple dragon and built to (only theoretically) fight the Fantastic Four to a standstill . . . .
Anyway, what can be said about this latest MOTU Hybrid? No really, say something, 'cuz I'm not terribly familiar with the guy. I mean, I've read up on him, in both his original incarnation and the 2002 revision, but I have no personal investment. He was one of the later characters of the old line I grew up with, and got little screen time or characterization, as with the rest of his fellow Snake-Men. Sure, he got a LOT more development with the later series, but it was kinda too little, too late. Hmm . . . that might explain the lukewarm reaction here on the Realm as well. Ah well, here'sss Ssskeletor'sss sssinissster, ssscaly, sssnake asssasssin, Kobra Khan.
As I've said many times before,](userimages/customs/40000/39552-1.jpg) Kobra Khan (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[Venom (Mac Gargan)] My entry into the Shapeshifter's contest is an older custom of mine, but one I'm really happy with. Usually, when I post older work, I repaint and make minor modifications before taking pictures. This figure needed no changes. As far as I'm concerned, he was done as well as he needed to be the moment I finished him three years ago. Now I share him with the Realm. Say hi to the third (major) host of the Venom symbiote, Mac Gargan, the Scorpio-Venom!
Simple custom, really, but a necessary one in my opinion. Never cared for the design of the scorpion tail on Hasbro's Venom figures (too bulky, and insectoid), or the spider logo they used (wrong logo on the first release, too spindly and stylized on the second). I based this off Scorpio-Venom's first appearance. I started with a basic Eddie Venom, carved out the eyes, repainted the spider, and gave him a slimmer, faster-looking tail from an old pre-legends ToyBiz Scorpion figure. It's more flexible because it's thinner and wired r](userimages/customs/38500/38280-1.jpg) Venom (Mac Gargan) Marvel Legendsby Batman1016My entry into the Shapeshifter's contest is an older custom of mine, but one I'm really happy with. Usually, when I post older work, I repaint and ma...9 comments |
![[Captain Mackenzie Calhoun] Hiya folks! Thought I'd pop in to post another old custom. This time around, it's the first and only Star Trek figure I've ever produced. Introducing the legendary Warlord of Xenex, bane of the Danteri, and maverick captain of the Starship Excalibur, M'k'n'zy of Calhoun!
Peter David is one of my favorite writers. He's extremely prolific, with his hands in film, television, comics, and novels. Most people on this site will likely know him for his comic book work, having helmed some of the most famous story arcs in modern comics (Aquaman, Supergirl, Hulk, Spider-Man, Young Justice), and even having created his share of iconic characters (most notably, Spider-Man 2099). However, it is his work writing Star Trek novels that first drew my attention. Yeah, I used to be something of a crazy Trekkie (no, I never went to a convention or dressed as a Klingon), and while my fanaticism has waned in the past decade (why? Because Voyager and Enterprise, that's why. Thanks, Brannon Braga),](userimages/customs/38500/38278-1.jpg) Captain Mackenzie Calhoun Star Trekby Batman1016Hiya folks! Thought I'd pop in to post another old custom. This time around, it's the first and only Star Trek figure I've ever produced. Introduci...4 comments | ![[Attack of the Spider-Men] Hello there Realm! Fun little entry for today, and with it, a bit of history. I've only been posting my work here on Figure Realm for about two years, but I've been customizing figures since I was in my mid teens (about a decade and a half now . . . yes, I'm an OLD MAN). As a result, I have a LOT of old customs lying around, many SORELY in need of repair/updating. Eventually, I intend to post them all, but there's so many, it would take AGES to do them one at a time, and many of them are just minor mods. So it occurred to me, why not post in groups? So, here's my first custom figure theme team, the spectacular Spider-Men!
What we have here are four full customs, three minor mods, two straight-up factory figures, and a partridge in a . . . I mean, and a playset for display purposes. Only classic ToyBiz Spider-Man and Marvel Select Black Spider-Man are original, unchanged. The other seven figures have been altered to varying degrees, from the addition of a single accessory, to s](userimages/customs/38500/38074-1.jpg) Attack of the Spider-Men Spider-Manby Batman1016Hello there Realm! Fun little entry for today, and with it, a bit of history. I've only been posting my work here on Figure Realm for about two year...22 comments |
![[Jitsu (MOTU Hybrid)] Been a few weeks since I posted my last MOTU Hybrid custom figure (Trap-Jaw . . . if you haven't seen it, please take a look), so I thought it was about time to get the next one up. Today's piece is something new for the line in two regards. One, he's not made using a MOTU figure or statue as a base. This isn't a first for the line in and of itself (Princess Adora was built from a Supergirl), but it's the first time when a figure of the character was available on the market, and I instead chose to build my own rather than use the official toy. Two, it's the first time I've made a character that didn't feature prominently in the original Filmation series. When I first set out on this project, I insisted I was only going to make major, recurring characters. However, this particular character is just so visually interesting and complex that I HAD to make him (not to mention I just coincidentally had all the important parts just lying around, so I figured, why not?). So here he is,](userimages/customs/38000/37924-1.jpg) Jitsu (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[Black Widow II: Yelena Belova] Time to update my second entry in the Articulation Junkies contest. Once again, thanks to everyone who voted for my custom Marvel Select Black Widow II.
I felt the basic rules of this contest were a tad too broad (who DOESN'T make super-poseable figures these days?), so I thought I'd narrow the rules for myself, by submitting only figures that started life with extremely limited articulation before I altered them.
Diamond Select has produced some BEAUTIFUL figures with its Marvel Select line, but some, particularly the early releases, are substantially limited in the joint department. Of note is their Black Widow II figure. Clearly meant solely for display, this toy had no joints below the waist. I sought to remedy this situation. Using the lower half of a LCBH Judge Death (chosen for the slender limbs and leathery, wrinkled texture of his costume), I replaced Ms. Belova's immobile legs.
Black Widow now has double her POA, from a mere 13, to now possessing 25 joints:
Shoulder](userimages/customs/38000/37904-1.jpg) Black Widow II: Yelena Belova Marvel Selectby Batman1016Time to update my second entry in the Articulation Junkies contest. Once again, thanks to everyone who voted for my custom Marvel Select Black Widow ...10 comments |
![[Hordak (MOTU Hybrid)] GAH! Fourth place!! Literally .2 away from placing! *bangs head on wall*
Seriously though, it was a great contest, and the winners totally deserved it! And I'm thrilled I came so close, so thanks to everyone who put me there!
So anyway, here's the next in my MOTU Hybrid line! I already posted She-ra, so I naturally had to post her arch-enemy. Presenting the despot of Despondos, the emperor of Etheria, second in command of the Evil Horde, the appropriately named . . . Hordak!
MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost. However, sometimes practicality and common sense beats out aesthetics. What do I mean? Quite simply, Filmation's color scheme for Hordak was black, red . . . and blue. Yes, Hordak had blue skin. Now, I'm not some kind of jerk who's racist against Smurfs or something (a](userimages/customs/38000/37903-1.jpg) Hordak (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[Trap-Jaw (MOTU Hybrid)] I've been posting good guy after good guy (or girl, as the case may be) in my MOTU Hybrid line, I guess it's time for another villain. And what a villain I have for you today! The sinister, psychotic, cybernetic space pirate, Trap-Jaw!
MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a far more reasonable cost. And this time around, all three goals came together beautifully to make a SPECTACULAR toy, if I do say so myself!
I got Trap-Jaw for almost no cost, due to the fact that his mechanical arm was broken off his body. Easily fixed by replacing the damaged shoulder disk with a new one from a fodder figure. The rest was the usual joint swapping, with a slight twist: unlike my other figures, where I simply have a rotation cut right through the thigh, Trap-Jaw's sculpt allowed me to do something a little different. By ca](userimages/customs/37500/37407-1.jpg) Trap-Jaw (MOTU Hybrid) |
![[Red Skull (Operation: Rebirth)] Wow. That'll teach me to enter an obscure version of a run-of-the-mill villain in a contest that EVERYONE was going to enter. I know he looks unremarkable, but really, 3rd from last? You're gonna hurt Red Skull's feelings! Seriously though, many props to the winners, they TOTALLY deserved it . . . heck, I gave that Joker five stars myself! Anyway, here's my Operation: Rebirth Red Skull.
Always liked the costume design for Red Skull in the "Captain America - Operation: Rebirth" story arc. Simple, utilitarian, effective. Made this figure YEARS ago, due to a desperate need for a proper ML Red Skull. No, sorry, the original ML Skull figure $UCKED, and the Face-Off 2-pk version was . . . odd. I wanted a skull that had an athletic physique comparable to my Captain America figure.
Used ML Nick Fury, added hand-made shoulder pads, and a head from a Skeleton Warrior. Base is from ML Ultimate Captain America, with obvious modifications. I think the whole combination works](userimages/customs/37500/37265-1.jpg) Red Skull (Operation: Rebirth) Marvel Legendsby Batman1016Wow. That'll teach me to enter an obscure version of a run-of-the-mill villain in a contest that EVERYONE was going to enter. I know he looks unrema...4 comments | ![[Leatherhead] So another day, another TMNT custom. Second of the villains here, in the form of the killer Cajun croc, ole' Leatherhead!
Apparently, everyone and his cousin's pet dog decided to enter the Vile Volitions Custom Contest, so this entry was understandably overshadowed by some truly AMAZING work. Nevertheless, facing the judgment of your peers is the best way to drive improvement, so it was worthwhile, regardless (although I think poor Red Skull kinda got shafted). Ah well, learning experiences.
For some reason, this one version of Killer Croc was mistakenly given a tail, making it a perfect base for Leatherhead. Replaced the head with head from the original '80s figure, complete with opening mouth. Sculpted neck to make it seamless with the heavily scaled back. Added elbows with bicep rotation, and shin rotation, didn't add knees for fear of ruining sculpt. Multi-layered paint job, with two shades of green, gradated tan underbelly, leather hat, and blue pants with dry-brush white](userimages/customs/37500/37252-1.jpg) Leatherhead |
![[Shredder] Well, it's been a long time in coming (about two years, four turtles, one collector's figure, and one vehicle), but I'm finally bringing on the bad guys in my TMNT line! I was originally planning to wait on this guy and enter him in the Vile Volitions Custom Contest, but I've got other plans there, so he goes up early. Here he is, the yin to the TMNT's yang, the karate king of crime, Master Shredder!
NOTE: For the sticklers in the audience, yes, I know yin and yang are NOT representative of evil and good, and I likewise know that the TMNT and their enemies do not, strictly speaking, use karate.
As with my other Turtles figures, as well as my MOTU Hybrid series, I'm trying to combine what I feel is best about all generations of the characters. For this piece, I was going for the general color scheme of the '80s cartoon, the scale and poseability of the '07 toys, and the "cool factor" of both the '07 and '03 designs. Seeing as the '07 Shredder (no, he didn't really appear](userimages/customs/37500/37186-1.jpg) Shredder | ![[Princess Adora (MOTU Hybrid)] So, here we come at last to my very first wholly original MOTU Hybrid creation. Oh sure, Battle Cat's armor was largely my own design, but it was heavily based on the original '80s toy, and I used the 2002 figure as a base, so there wasn't THAT much speculation. However, this figure marks the first (but certainly not the last) time I've been forced to create a 2002 redesign of a character from the '80s that never got a proper update in the latter series, and thus never had a figure made, requiring that I build the toy using a non-MOTU base. And I could think of nowhere better to get that base than from another toyline sculpted by the enormously talented Four Horsemen, namely the incredibly successful DC Universe Classics. The MOTUC She-Ra I purchased to make my Hybrid She-Ra came packaged with a DCUC Supergirl, and I thought she'd be a great foundation for her diminutive alter-ego, Prince Adam's twin sister, long ago captured by the evil Hordak and spirited away to the realm of Eth](userimages/customs/37500/37101-1.jpg) Princess Adora (MOTU Hybrid) |
![[She-Ra (MOTU Hybrid)] So . . . She-Ra: Princess of Power. I'ma be honest, not my thing as a kid. And it's not because it was a "girl's line," because as any MOTU fanboy knows, the sister series was superior to the original by far (I particularly liked the more imaginative villain designs . . . Hordak, Modulok, Mantenna, even Grizzlor). Rather, when the show aired in its first run, I simply didn't have TV, so I never had the opportunity to watch, and by the time I did have access to Princess Adora and company during their syndicated run, I had already moved on to bigger things . . . namely the TMNT, which would prove to be the largest influence on my childhood.
I didn't originally plan to branch off into He-Man's spinoff series when I began my MOTU Hybrid series. Then again, I wasn't planning on making a SERIES, period. It was supposed to be just He-Man and Skeletor. Everything else just sorta . . . happened. However, these little brainworms often take on a life of their own (yeah, that sou](userimages/customs/37000/36951-1.jpg) She-Ra (MOTU Hybrid) | ![[Raphael] Two figures today! Way I see it, why wait to post the last turtle? I've already waited a year and a half, I think it's long overdue. Here he is, my favorite member of the fearsome foursome, the best turtle of all, Raphael!
The TMNT were a MAJOR influence on my life, and in many ways, my own personality is very much reflective of - and likely developed as a result of - the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You could say, psychologically, I am the four heroes combined into a single whole. Anyone who knows me can tell you, I have a strong sense of justice, fairness, and a dedication to doing what's right, and a desire to lead, strongly reminiscent of Leonardo. I'm very smart, and a TREMENDOUS geek, and as you all know full well, I'm exceedingly verbose and articulate . . . Donatello much? I'm also generally laid-back and easy going, and so long as there's nothing important to worry about, I just don't care, I want to kick back and have a good time, behavior that fits Michelangelo to a](userimages/customs/37000/36849-1.jpg) Raphael |
![[Donatello] So hey, it's only been 20 FREAKIN' MONTHS since I posted the first two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles custom figures, I figured it was about time to get around to the rest of the main team. We got Leonardo and Michelangelo, now on to Donatello.
For those who don't remember (or can't be bothered to check the previous posts), the process for creating these figures is fairly simple:
Phase 1: Cut up TMNT figures.
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
No, seriously, it's just a bit of part swapping and a little joint splicing. Each turtle uses a '03 cartoon turtle and a '07 CGI movie turtle. '03 provides the hands, feet, front shell, and one of the swappable heads, '07 provides the body, limbs, back shell, weapons, belts, and the secondary head. Joints are added so the figure has rotate points in the neck, biceps, wrists, and thighs; hinges in the elbows, knees, and ankles; and ball joints in the shoulders and hips. LocTite epoxy putty to build up the muscles, and a full paint job, and this t](userimages/customs/37000/36848-1.jpg) Donatello | ![[Stratos (MOTU Hybrid)] Whew! Has it really been a MONTH since I posted one of these? Bet my fans thought I abandoned them! Not to worry, I've still been customizing, and I want to thank everyone who voted for my entries in the Vehicular Toyslaughter Custom Contest. If you didn't see them, check out the Turtle Van, Redbird, and Professor Xavier's Hoverchair. I'll be entering two currently running contests as well, so keep an eye out! Meanwhile, I'm back with another in my (semi) popular line of MOTU Hybrids. Today's piece is apparently a fan favorite (shout out to kngfu! Good guy), and while I've always seen him as a third-stringer, after working on him, I can say I appreciate the character and design a lot more than I once did. The king of the skies, the lord of Avion, say hello to Stratos!
MOTU Hybrid is my attempt to unify the best of all three MOTU eras. The ideas (i.e. color schemes and concepts) of the original cartoon, the sculpts of the 2002 toys, and the articulation of modern figures, at a](userimages/customs/37000/36773-1.jpg) Stratos (MOTU Hybrid) |
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