Zapp Brannigan - 25-Star General

If Kif is Smithers, then I guess that makes Zapp Mr. Burns, which sort of makes sense. Mr. Burns is obviously evil, where Zapp is obviously stupid.

And yet, they both always seem to come out ahead (or at least better than average).

Zapp is one of those characters that is like a walking quote machine. Almost every line he says is funny and  every time he shows up in an episode, it's worth it.

It's hard not to wonder how Zapp would have turned out if Phil Hartman had gotten the chance to play him as planned...

Anyway, for Zapp, I use the Earth Man Heroclix and added the skirt and shoulder pads with green stuff.

I don't know anything about Earth Man. I just picked him because his mini looked like a pompous jerk, so it worked great for Zapp.

As a side note: Earth Man is a really bad superhero name.

-c

Kif Kroker - First Officer

With Futurama, there is a tendency to try to map characters to similar characters on The Simpsons. Thinking along those lines, Kif would probably be the Smithers of Futurama. Which would make Zapp the Montgomery Burns.

Hmm.

It's nice when I find a miniature that not only has a similar look, but a similar mood. For Kif, I used the Star Wars Miniature Duros Scout and added some green stuff to make his uniform. I'm not sure why, but the Duros Scout mini looks kind of depressed, which seems just right for Kif.

-c

Amy Wong - Ph.D.

The problem with trying to make miniatures based on Matt Groening characters is the hair. His hair designs in 2D are hard to adjust to 3D, but I tried.

What to say about Amy? I feel like she was more of a background character than some of the others in Futurama. She had a few episodes centered around her, but she seemed like she got less development than others, which is a little sad.

I will say though that her relationship with Kif was something I liked. It helped flesh out both their characters and gave Kif the chance to be something other than a punching bag for Zapp.

I used the Jenny Quantum Heroclix for Amy and added green stuff to make her hair.

-c

Zaheer - Leader of the Red Lotus

I don't normally look ahead to see who is starring in a show, so when Season Three of Korra started, I had no idea who the voice of Zaheer was. All I knew was that they were intimidating as heck.

I don't remember exactly what it was, but at one point towards the end of the season, Zaheer said something that triggered a Henry Rollins flash in my head, and then I realized who it was. And he did a great job with Zaheer.

It's pretty easy to put Zaheer and the rest of the Red Lotus as the top villains of Korra. I don't think anyone would really argue with that.

For Zaheer, I used a Dungeons & Dragons miniature Githzerai Monk. As with the mini I used for Unalaq, this one didn't have a nose and had pointy ears, so I had to make some adjustments with green stuff.

For some reason, this mini came out looking a bit like Pete Postlethwaite, for what that's worth.

-c

Unalaq - Chief of the Water Tribes

Season Two of Korra gets kind of a bad rap and a lot of the blame usually falls on Unalaq. Compared to some of the other villains, Unalaq isn't as flashy and even the show creators themselves poke fun at him in the season four episode "Remembrances". But I think he fits the tone of the season.

And to me, he's not the least of the villains, but I'll save that complaint for another time.

What makes Unalaq stand out to me, besides the whole "Dark Avatar" thing, is that his plan, more than the other bad guys, is partially correct. He wanted the spirit portals opened, and that led to the integration of people and spirits and the rebirth of the Air Nation.

Not bad for the "worst" villain.

The mini I picked to create Unalaq was the Heroclix Ebony Maw and, I didn't realize it when I ordered it online, but Ebony Maw doesn't have a nose.

So, not only did I have to use green stuff to fashion his hair and cloak, but I had to make a nose.

Also, Ebony Maw is holding a skull for some reason. I thought about converting it to water or something, but decided that of all the Korra villains, Unalaq *is* the most likely to have skulls sitting around. After all, he did have an I'm-obviously-evil throne to chill out in.

-c

Amon - Equalist Leader

In The Last Airbender, Fire Lord Ozai kind of suffered from the classic "villain that doesn't do anything" trope. We were told how bad he was, but don't see him do much of anything until the end of the series.

Not so with Amon. From the beginning, he's there stirring up trouble.

Not that he's a perfect villain either. He makes some...questionable choices, like not taking Korra's bending the first time he had a chance, but he at least does stuff.

For Amon, I started with a Heroclix Kryptonian Scientist and added his hood and other details with green stuff. I tried to add more shading to his mask, but it just didn't look right. Simpler was better.

Now I'm wondering if I should make an unmasked version...

-c

Blitz - Decker

While Glory and Eiger were along for almost every run, Blitz was kind of my spare. Normally I took Dietrich (who's mini is still in progress), but when I needed some cyber-backup, I took Blitz.

As the late addition to the team, Blitz was a bit more of an unknown variable, but he was fun to have around. Besides, there's something kind of amusing about the way you meet him...basically rescuing him from what he got himself into.

For Blitz, I started with the Star Wars Antarian Ranger and trimmed his hat off and used green stuff to make his hair and cyber deck.

I see now that I should have made his hair a little redder. Oh well...

-c

Eiger - Weapons Specialist

I didn't like Eiger when I first started playing Shadowrun Dragonfall. And I think that was the idea. She's not supposed to be friendly and likable. She's a troll, a soldier, and someone who has seen first hand what can go wrong when you place your trust in someone that can't be trusted.

I normally don't re-play part of an RPG is things don't go my way. I choose what feels right for my character and take the consequences. Dealing with Eiger is one place where I did go back though. My initial conversations with her didn't go well because I didn't stand my ground. I replayed them, being a bit more assertive, and got better results.

She never really becomes your friend (and that would probably be out of character if she did) but she becomes a trusted ally and she learns to trust you, and that's enough.

I know Eiger is a troll and should therefore be much larger than the miniature I picked, but I just really liked this look (and the giant rifle). I started with a Reaper Miniatures Sarah Blitzer and used green stuff to add her horns and a little extra armor around her neck. I tried to add her tusks, but it never looked right so I skipped it.

Next to Glory, this version of Eiger is a little smaller than she should be, so maybe this is young Eiger?

-c

Glory - Street Samurai

I've always loved the Shadowrun setting, that mix of fantasy and post-apocalyptic Sci-fi, and the "Secrets of Power" novels by Robert N. Charrette are an old favorite. So, when I found out about the PC Games Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun: Dragonfall, I had to get them.

Shadowrun Returns is good, but Dragonfall is great and has some wonderful characters to team up with, like Glory.

Glory is the Street Samurai and Combat Medic for your team in Dragonfall and she's a bad-ass. She wades through bad guys like Wolverine, but unlike him, she can heal *other* people. She has a pretty tragic back story that leads to one of the most messed up missions in the game, but once you finish, it's actually kind of cathartic.

For Glory, I started with a Lady Deathstrike Heroclix and used green stuff to build up her cybernetic arms and touch up her hair and clothes.

-c

Candy Appel - Rip Cord's Girlfriend

I really hate defining a character, especially a female character, by who they were in a relationship with, but in Candy's case, it's hard to know how else to describe her. Sure, she was "Bongo the Balloon Bear", but that's not the miniature I made. She was also daughter of a Crimson Guardsman, but that's still defining her by someone else's role.

"Civilian" is too vague. "Innocent Victim" might be appropriate, but still demeaning.

Candy is probably best remembered as Rip Cord's girlfriend, being kidnapped by Buzzer, and dying in a the same car wreck that crippled Cobra Commander's son Billy and was then blown up by Scrap Iron (after he had just blown up Storm Shadow's uncle, Soft Master.

So, she's kind of a tragic character.

I never got the joke of Candy's name when I was a kid. I don't think they ever said her full name, and when I read her father's name, Professor Appel, I didn't read it as "apple", so I never put two and two together. Larry Hama loved those kinds of names.

For Candy, I started with the Heroclix Con Artist and used green stuff to add her hair, headband, and turn the jacket into a blouse.

Speaking of which, Candy might have the most hideous blouse I've ever seen and\or painted.

-c

Rip Cord - HALO Jumper

Back when I first started doing these G.I.Joe miniatures, there were a few that I said I wouldn't do. Duke was one (and I've done a few versions of him already). Rip Cord was another.

Rip Cord is one G.I.Joe character I've always had problems with. I didn't like the figure much. Something about it was just...off. He looks too old and has little tiny legs.

But it was his portrayal in the Marvel Comics that really soured me on him. He dates a girl who happens to be the daughter of a Cobra agent, and after she dumps him, he whines and moans about her on missions.  That's when he's not whining about the missions themselves.

After that, he winds up getting captured by Cobra and impersonates Zartan and all that *should* have been cool, but wasn't for some reason.

When they cast Marlon Wayans as Ripcord in the awful Rise of Cobra movie, that was the one time Ripcord was likeable.

That's saying something.

I had planned to use this Heroclix Shield Commander miniature for something else, but it didn't work out, so I decide to use it for Rip Cord instead. For some reason, he has kind of a chubby face so he looks a little weird.

Oh well, the important thing is I've almost done all the 1984 Joes and Cobras.

Yay, me!

-c