![[Fleet Admiral Castor Dane] Second figure today! Rather than go with the old pattern of "good guy/bad guy," I've decided to post the good guys first and leave the bad for later. I do this to shake things up a bit . . . it has NOTHING to do with the possibility that I haven't photographed the villains yet! I swear! Anyway, second figure for the day: Fleet Admiral Castor Dane!
Admiral Dane made his debut in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption as the commanding officer of the GFS Olympus. As the first major character with a speaking role EVER to appear in a Metroid game, he ultimately played a relatively minor role in the game. Still, he's a landmark, and an important person in the game universe, so he gets a figure.
I needed a figure with loose pants and military discipline. I chose the latest Marvel Legends Punisher figure from the Nemesis BAF wave because, let's face it, how many Punishers do we ML collectors have at this point? Did we really NEED another? Well . . . yes, the camo version is actually](userimages/customs/21500/21221-1.jpg) Fleet Admiral Castor Dane Metroidby Batman1016Second figure today! Rather than go with the old pattern of "good guy/bad guy," I've decided to post the good guys first and leave the bad ...0 comments | ![[Galactic Federation Marine] So, it's the moment none of you were waiting for (judging by the lack of comments on the last several figures, anyway), the beginning of my second wave of Metroid custom figures! The theme of this wave is "Military, Metroids, and Minor Characters." We'll start off with a fairly standard piece, a Galactic Federation Marine!
The Federation Marines made their first appearance as dead bodies, archive video footage, and possessed corpses in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. They later reappeared in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in upgraded PED armor. This figure is the version featured in the former game.
I'm not the first person to post a custom space marine on this site, but I am apparently the only one who was aiming for game accuracy. Contrary to some folks opinion, these marines DO have a set design. It took me some time to find a figure that would make a suitable Fed Marine. Conventional wisdom would suggest a Halo figure, but they don't make them in the proper scale. Iron Man](userimages/customs/21500/21220-1.jpg) Galactic Federation Marine Metroidby Batman1016So, it's the moment none of you were waiting for (judging by the lack of comments on the last several figures, anyway), the beginning of my second wav...2 comments |
![[Officer Samus Aran] Here we are, last of the stragglers! Let's just skip the pleasantries, shall we? Meet Federation Army Junior Officer Samus Aran!
So, Metroid: Other M is coming out June 27th, and it promises to deliver something fans have been begging for since Samus Aran first took off her helmet and revealed she wasn't just the most kick-butt bounty hunter since Boba Fett, she was actually a WOMAN! From that moment, Metroid fans have wanted to know everything about her, and Other M is geared to deliver some vital backstory to Samus' life.
While game footage and screenshots have been sparse, we've gotten a few good shots of the great CGI and character designs that will be appearing in the new game. I've already posted my custom Adam Malkovich, Samus' commanding officer during her tenure in the Federation Army, now I'm posting Samus herself, decked out in her military uniform.
I started with a Marvel Legends Movie Jean Grey figure. Let me just throw this out there: I frackin' HATE this gorram p](userimages/customs/21500/21173-1.jpg) Officer Samus Aran Metroidby Batman1016Here we are, last of the stragglers! Let's just skip the pleasantries, shall we? Meet Federation Army Junior Officer Samus Aran!
So, Metroid: Other...4 comments | ![[Metroid Critters] Well hi there, figure fans! I return with another set of Metroid custom figures for your approval. This is going to be the LAST set of "odds'n'ends" figures I post (for now, anyway). The next time I put up a figure, it's going to be from my second wave, Metroid Series 2! So, let's get these two out of the way, and we can move on to bigger and better, right? First on the block: Metroid Critters!
Metroid is not a game series particularly known for its diverse characters. In fact, until Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, nary a secondary character was ever seen in the games, save for the occasional scientist in the intro cutscenes. For the most part, only Samus, Ridley, Kraid, Mother Brain, and the Metroids themselves made repeat appearances or demonstrated any character development. According to the game designers, this was an artistic choice, made because they wanted to drive home the point that the player was really, totally alone, with no one to rely on or call a friend. It](userimages/customs/21500/21172-1.jpg) Metroid Critters Metroidby Batman1016Well hi there, figure fans! I return with another set of Metroid custom figures for your approval. This is going to be the LAST set of "odds'n'...0 comments |
![[Warrior Ing] Hello hello! On to round two! Last custom was an enemy from the first Metroid Prime game, next custom comes from the second! Presenting the amorphous alien antagonists from the alternate Aether (someone SHOOT ME, really!), it's the deadly Warrior Ing!
When a Phazon Seed crashed into the planet Aether, the impact opened a doorway to an alternate dimension, Dark Aether. The Ing were the native species of this nightmare world, and the Warrior Ing were their first line of attack. In the normal world, they possessed the bodies of animals and people, even the dead, and used them to attack Samus. In the dark world, however, they revealed their true forms . . . five-legged, shape-shifting, tentacled beasts!
No, it's not that kind of game. Get your sick mind out of the gutter, perv!
Back on topic! The Warrior Ing was made using a Marvel Legends X-23 figure. She's short and thin, and the long claws on her hands made them ideal for the Ing's third pointed leg segment. However, as the](userimages/customs/21500/21103-1.jpg) Warrior Ing Metroidby Batman1016Hello hello! On to round two! Last custom was an enemy from the first Metroid Prime game, next custom comes from the second! Presenting the amorpho...2 comments | ![[Space Pirate Soldier] Morning, Metroid Maniacs! I'm back with another pair of cool customs! As I've mentioned, this week (month, general time span, whatever) I'm posting loose ends before moving on to my official (in the loosest possible terms) second series of figures. First on the block: a Space Pirate Soldier from Metroid Prime!
Metroid is one of the few game series in existence that one can honestly say has never released a bad game. How many series can boast that? Mario? Sure, the main series is consistently awesome, but he's released one or two dogs in his sports sub-series. Zelda? They're all great . . . unless you count those evil CDi games (I don't, but still). Halo gets great reviews, but it's a much younger franchise. Same with God of War. To find a game series that dates all the way back to the 80s, yet has maintained its greatness through every iteration is truly a rarity.
But even among the Metroid games, there are some that stand out above the others, and some that don't quite st](userimages/customs/21500/21102-1.jpg) Space Pirate Soldier Metroidby Batman1016Morning, Metroid Maniacs! I'm back with another pair of cool customs! As I've mentioned, this week (month, general time span, whatever) I'm posting ...0 comments |
![[Samus Aran's Gunship] Greetings, fellow figure fans! I have yet another marvelous Metroid model for you to enjoy! Last time, I posted just one custom, the first playset of my series, Mother Brain. Today, I again display a single custom, this one the first vehicle of the set. May I humbly present . . . Samus Aran's Hunter-Class Gunship!
First introduced in the second game of the series, Samus' gunship has become almost as much of an icon as the huntress herself. Although this particular model isn't the only ship at her disposal, it is easily the most recognized, appearing in at least five games before meeting its tragic end during the prologue of Metroid Fusion.
One of the major disappointments of the Marvel Legends and DC Universe Classics lines is the distinct lack of vehicles and accessories. Sure, you get the occasional motorcycle or glider packed with a figure, and Spider-Man still gets any number of gimmicky Spider-Cars and Spider-Copters for the kids to play with, but most are simply repaints](userimages/customs/21500/21061-1.jpg) Samus Aran's Gunship Metroidby Batman1016Greetings, fellow figure fans! I have yet another marvelous Metroid model for you to enjoy! Last time, I posted just one custom, the first playset o...10 comments | ![[Mother Brain] Only one custom today, but it's a cool one! As I explained when I posted my custom Ridley, the next few submissions are going to be "off series" stragglers and special pieces. And today, I'm posting my first Metroid playset . . . the nefarious, neurological nightmare, Mother Brain!
Ridley is, without question, Samus' most recurring opponent, but Mother Brain is arguably her most famous. The final boss in the very first game, as well as the legendary Super Metroid, Mother Brain has only appeared in four and a half games (Metroid, Super Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid: Other M, and the Aurora Units in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption bear many striking similarities to the sinister cerebellum . . . God, I gotta stop with the alliteration!), but due to her major role in the popular Captain N cartoon series, she made a lasting impression with fans, and became a series icon.
I imagine many of our younger readers don't remember Construx, and that's a real shame. They were a](userimages/customs/21000/20998-1.jpg) Mother Brain Metroidby Batman1016Only one custom today, but it's a cool one! As I explained when I posted my custom Ridley, the next few submissions are going to be "off series&...9 comments |
![[Ridley] Here we are at last: the end of Metroid Series 1. And who better to send off the first wave than the baddest pirate in the galaxy, the terror of the stars, Samus Aran's arch-nemesis, Ridley!
Let me clarify one point about these figures. I always envisioned my Metroid figures as an entire line, like Marvel Legends or DC Universe Classics (an idea that Nintendo should totally implement, but likely won't). As such, I specifically planned them out in sets, as complete toys, with action features and multiple accessories (most of which I haven't posted, due to restrictions in pic size and quantity) and variants and vehicles and the works. And one thing everyone loves about Marvel Legends is the Build-A-Figures, the large characters that would be impractical or overly expensive to produce and release solo. So, I created waves, each with a theme, and each with a part of a Build-A-Boss toy! Metroid, as with many Nintendo games, is known for its epically huge stage bosses. And though he'](userimages/customs/21000/20957-1.jpg) Ridley Metroidby Batman1016Here we are at last: the end of Metroid Series 1. And who better to send off the first wave than the baddest pirate in the galaxy, the terror of the ...5 comments | ![[Old Bird] Hi-ho, fellow Metroid fans! Time for my latest two customs! First up, our good guy of the day is none other than Samus Aran's adoptive father, leader of the Chozo race, the wizened Old Bird!
As with Cmdr. Malkovich, Old Bird doesn't really make any appearances in the games that have yet been released. At best, he's been introduced in passing (vaguely, through story boards, not by name) in Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission. He does, hover, play a major role in the Metroid Manga, and has been an established, cannon character since Super Metroid. He's vital to the story, and so he got made as well.
Old Bird is short and somewhat tubby, so I needed a figure to match his physique. Spider-Man Classics Doctor Octopus was the perfect choice (NOTE: the original, 2002 version, NOT the Ultimate Marvel Ock, not Movie Ock, and not Ock from Marvel Legends, this Ock is small, stumpy, and has limited poseabliity). I cut the robes from a pair of basic class Dark Knight Scarecrow figures](userimages/customs/21000/20956-1.jpg) Old Bird Metroidby Batman1016Hi-ho, fellow Metroid fans! Time for my latest two customs! First up, our good guy of the day is none other than Samus Aran's adoptive father, leade...2 comments |
![[Dark Samus] So now I bring you my daily villain. And what a villain it is! As they say in comics, the most dangerous enemy is the one who is the equal and opposite of the hero. Well, they don't get much more equal and opposite than this! Well, maybe Venom and Spider-Man . . . I'm diverging. Anyway, here's Dark Samus, from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes!
I had a lot of fun with every aspect of this figure, from the very beginning. Though DS is technically a semi-clone/hybrid of Samus, I chose a larger, bulkier figure than Psylocke because, let's face it, Dark Samus is RIPPED. I did have to cut Green Lantern down to size a bit, those DCUC figures are pretty big, but the end result was exactly what I wanted.
I built the shoulder orbs out of Loctite Epoxy Putty and glass home decor craft beads, the kind people put in vases and candle bowls, to give them that transparent crystalline appearance Dark Samus has. The head, likewise, is a single glass bead completely surrounded by putty. The great part](userimages/customs/21000/20890-1.jpg) Dark Samus Metroidby Batman1016So now I bring you my daily villain. And what a villain it is! As they say in comics, the most dangerous enemy is the one who is the equal and oppos...9 comments | ![[Commander Adam Malkovich] Greetings fellow lifeforms! I'm back with another custom Metroid figure! Today's hero: Commander Adam Malkovich!
No, we're not talking about the prolific and talented actor. That's JOHN Malkovich. This is Adam. Yeah, I know what you're saying, "Who the @#$% is that?" Well, for your information, Adam Malkovich was Samus Aran's commander when she was enlisted in the Galactic Federation Space Army, before she became a freelance bounty hunter. Though he's been mentioned in games (specifically Metroid Fusion), and appeared in the mangas, he has yet to make his official in-game appearance . . . at least, until June, when Metroid: Other M releases! This figure is based on his appearance in that game.
Yeah, you read that right: I built a figure of a character no one has ever seen, from a game that hasn't released yet. How? Well, fortunately, Cmdr. Malkovich makes several VERY brief appearances in the three pre-release trailers Nintendo has unveiled at various trade shows](userimages/customs/21000/20889-1.jpg) Commander Adam Malkovich Metroidby Batman1016Greetings fellow lifeforms! I'm back with another custom Metroid figure! Today's hero: Commander Adam Malkovich!
No, we're not talking about the pr...0 comments |
![[Ki-Hunter] So here's my second figure of the day, the flying enemy known as the Ki-Hunter! A Ki-Hunter is a minor enemy that appears in Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, and (speculated) the forthcoming Metroid: Other M. They are common companions of the Zebesians, and are often referred to as flying pirates.
I cut up three figures for this piece. First, I used two upper torsos from a pair of Marvel Legends X-23 figures. This figure is great for insectoid characters because she's got spindly limbs and long claws on her hands. I glued the two torsos together, bottom to bottom, and sculpted over the joint. Then I took a took a large, rubber, scale model of a bumblebee (the kind you buy at novelty toy stores, educational toys, that kind of thing), cut him up, and glued his head to the neck at one end, his abdomen to the neck at the other, and his wings to his back. A little trimming, a little sculpting, a paint job (including some gloss dry-brushing to give his shell a gradated, insect-like app](userimages/customs/21000/20808-1.jpg) Ki-Hunter Metroidby Batman1016So here's my second figure of the day, the flying enemy known as the Ki-Hunter! A Ki-Hunter is a minor enemy that appears in Super Metroid, Metroid F...2 comments | ![[Torizo Chozo Statue] Hi all! Next Metroid custom for your viewing pleasure! Here we have a ally/enemy combo in the form of a Torizo Chozo Statue!
For those not intimately familiar with the backstory of the Metroid series, Samus was a human raised by a bird-like race called the Chozo. They lived on planets throughout the galaxy, and left statues of themselves on every world they colonized. Some of these statues were capable of moving and even fighting, infused with limited life force through . . . technology? Magic? Some combination of the two? No one really knows, but these statues were called "Torizo." Typically in the game, these statues provide Samus with power-ups. Sometimes they activate doors or paths. And sometimes, they get up and kick her butt!
As the one screen capture from Super Metroid shows, these Torizo were rather large, twice as tall as Samus herself. I didn't want to go quite that big, but I wanted to maintain scale to some degree, so I used an exceptionally tall (bu](userimages/customs/21000/20807-1.jpg) Torizo Chozo Statue Metroidby Batman1016Hi all! Next Metroid custom for your viewing pleasure! Here we have a ally/enemy combo in the form of a Torizo Chozo Statue!
For those not intimate...3 comments |
![[Zebesian Space Pirate] And now today's villain! They made their first appearance in Super Metroid, and have been a staple in every 2-D Metroid game since, the evil Space Pirates!
Funny story: I'm trying to figure out a way to build this guy. I've already chosen Web Splasher Spider-Man because he's lanky, but doesn't have his costume webbing cut into his body, meaning he's smooth and blank, exactly what I need. However, I don't have any claws, and don't know where to find any. I look high and low, I experiment with little girls' barrettes and electrical alligator clips and all manner of things, but no luck.
Any of you familiar with David Willis, the writer of the webcomic "Shortpacked?" Does jokes about toys and collecting, Batman and Transformers and whatnot, and he also does toy reviews on his site. One day, he makes a comic about the absurdity of a figure called "Negative Threat Batman." What a stupid name, right? Well, I'm so amused, I look him up online, and lo and behold: t](userimages/customs/21000/20776-1.jpg) Zebesian Space Pirate Metroidby Batman1016And now today's villain! They made their first appearance in Super Metroid, and have been a staple in every 2-D Metroid game since, the evil Space Pi...1 comments | ![[Zero Suit Samus] Hi again! I'm back with another daily dose of Metroid custom figure fun! First item on the block . . . Samus Aran! Yes, I know, I did a Samus yesterday, but I'm trying to do one good guy and one bad guy per day here, and there are actually way fewer heroes in the game than major enemies, so you'll have some repeats. Probably frequently.
Of course, this is Samus without her armor. However, to maintain some consistency, I made Zero Suit Samus here using the same figure I used to make my standard armored Samus Aran. The two figures are identical. If one were to peel the armor sculpt off of my first Samus, glue it to this one, and repaint her, she'd be exactly the same.
The only thing that's different is the hair. My original Samus had a swappable head with long hair. For this figure, I removed Psylocke's standard 'do and used Loctite Epoxy Putty (I recently switched brands) to sculpt a modern hairstyle in keeping with Samus' more recent appearances. I even considered making th](userimages/customs/21000/20775-1.jpg) Zero Suit Samus Metroidby Batman1016Hi again! I'm back with another daily dose of Metroid custom figure fun! First item on the block . . . Samus Aran! Yes, I know, I did a Samus yeste...1 comments |
![[Metroid] Hello again! As promised, I'm back with a second Metroid custom, this time of the titular character him . . . er, ITself!
This little floating blob of life-sucking evil was made from one of those water-filled rubber glitter balls that you can find sitting a a lot of cash registers nowadays. Funny story, I'm walking through Michael's Arts & Crafts, trying to figure out what to make a Metroid out of. I've finally determined that transparent cast resin is my only option. I've spent 45 minutes picking out the materials I need to make a mold and get a good, clear resin with a smooth surface. I make my way up to the register with some $50 worth of merchandise, and what do I find? A $2 ball that will work PERFECTLY. I turn to the cashier and say, "Uhm . . . you mind if we just cancel this order and put all this stuff back?"
Anyway, the base is made from the smoke from a Spider-Man Hobgoblin glider, and the rest of the piece is sculpted from Permatex Epoxy Putty. The li](userimages/customs/21000/20763-1.jpg) Metroid Metroidby Batman1016Hello again! As promised, I'm back with a second Metroid custom, this time of the titular character him . . . er, ITself!
This little floating blob ...5 comments | ![[Samus Aran] Hello all, and thanks for taking a moment to look at my custom Metroid action figures! I'm doing a whole series of these, so check back often to see each new submission! Also, pardon my photos. I've got many talents, photography isn't one of them, so for the most part, these pics will be fairly basic and just a tad grainy.
Anywho, the first item on the agenda is, of course, Samus Aran herself! I used a ML Psylocke figure as the base, two ML Ant-Man helmets to make her domed shoulder pads, and a Sharpie green marker cap for the arm cannon. As you can see, I based her appearance off of her Metroid Prime design, complete with high-gloss metallic paint. All the armor was sculpted using Permatex Epoxy Putty.
Though the pictures don't do it justice, when I first showed the figure to my friend Rama, he thought I'd bought it from an indie company through mail order and wanted to know where to get one himself. I guess that's as good a review as I'm ever gonna get, huh? :D](userimages/customs/21000/20762-1.jpg) Samus Aran Metroidby Batman1016Hello all, and thanks for taking a moment to look at my custom Metroid action figures! I'm doing a whole series of these, so check back often to see ...10 comments |
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