Tron - System Monitor

As a kid, Tron was one of my favorite movies. And one of the first movies I got on DVD too. So, when Tron: Legacy came out, I had high hopes...which Legacy didn't quite live up to. (Although that movie has grown on me.)

Since Legacy kind of disappointed me, I wound up missing Tron: Uprising until recently, which is a shame because it's FANTASTIC! Really a bummer that it ended with only one season.

Although Tron is not the star of Uprising, it does a good job of showing just how awesome he is, and have Bruce Boxleitner return to voice him is very cool.

For Tron, I started with a Red Robin Heroclix and gave him a disk using green stuff. Turns out, making flat disks with green stuff is pretty hard, so his disk looks a big like a large doughnut.

Maybe that's what doughnuts look like on the grid...

I tried to approximate his circuitry pattern. Considering how small he is, I think I got the basic look across OK.

Other than the doughtnut...

-c

Beast Ninja Soldier - Arashikage Ninja

This is kind of a weird one. I have no idea what a Beast Ninja Soldier is. This figure comes from the 2013 G.I.Joe Micro Force line which featured many familiar faces and also some total mystery characters like this.

I'm not even sure he's Cobra. That's just a guess.

Regardless of the mysterious origin, I really like this figure. I liked the whole Micro Force line actually, and was said it stopped after the first series.

For Beast Ninja Soldier, I used a Heroclix Wolverine with green stuff for the mask. Unlike other miniatures I've done, I didn't repaint Wolverine's eyes. They looked pretty crazy as it was, which seems to fit the "beast" part of the name.

Actually, Beast Ninja Soldier is a pretty good description of Wolverine, isn't it?

-c

Serpentor - Cobra Emperor

Sure, I did Serpentor before, but that was just a guy who vaguely looked like him.

Now this...THIS...is Serpentor...

I wish I had found the Attuma Heroclix before...it's perfect for Serpentor. All I needed was some green stuff to add the little snake details, the leg guards, and the cape.

Too bad there's not an official G.I.Joe Heroclix line. That would be pretty awesome.

-c

Duke - First Sergeant

I said I wasn't going to do Duke. I swore up and down that I wouldn't do it.

But...

Two things I realized: 1) I'm a completist so of course I want even the lousy Joes in miniature form and 2) I could make him *better*.

Ah, that's better. No stupid grin. This is a Duke I would have gladly had as a kid. All it took was a Steve Rogers Heroclix and some green stuff for the bandoleer thing and collar.

I suppose I could have had a snake sticking out of his heart, but that might be going a little too far.

-c

Baxter Stockman - Scientist (of Doom)

Every cartoon needs a punching bag villain and Baxter Stockman fills that role nicely for TMNT. He's always coming up with new inventions (of doom) for the turtles to destroy and he's often his own worst enemy. Which is probably how he winds up getting abused by the Foot Clan and eventually mutated into a fly.

Pretty sad, really...

For Baxter, I went with his look when he's first introduced: homemade power armor over a purple sweater. I started with the Heroclix Psion figure and added his helmet and various armor parts with green stuff.

On his back, I added the battery pack on a board using green stuff and a small piece of a refrigerator magnet for the board.

I don't think I'll make a mini of the Buzz Kill version of Baxter because gross...

-c

The Shredder - Leader of the Foot Clan

When it comes to cartoon villains, it's hard to top The Shredder. As much as I like G.I.Joe, I have to admit, Shredder could probably beat all of Cobra by himself.

Not only is Shredder tough, but he's also a jerk. When you see how he treats his underlings, and especially his "daughter" Karai, it's hard to not dislike him.

For The Shredder, I based my miniature on the action figure. I started with a Heroclix Brother Blood Acolyte and used green stuff and staples to add his helmet, armor, blades, and cape.

I kept his arm blades simple, but tried to make the rest of his armor as imposing as bent staples can be.

I noticed when taking his photo that I didn't really paint his bad eye, and I neglected to give him the dark purple sash\belt.

Eh, I think it works as is...

-c

April O'Neil - Student

One thing I think the current TMNT series did especially well was re-inventing April O'Neil's character.

I was never a huge fan of the original comic or cartoon, but what little exposure I had made me feel like April was kind of...dull.

Building the arcing story of the current cartoon around April's mysterious back story sure went a long way toward making her more interesting.

I didn't pick the Heroclix Barbara Gordon because it had red hair. I picked it because it was one of the few that looked somewhat like a teenage girl. She's wearing a coat, which I decide was the coat April wore when pretending to be a pizza delivery person. I used green stuff to make it look like she has shorts.

It's not perfect: her ponytail is too high and there's no tessen, but it works!

-c

Chuckles - Undercover

Chuckles was a new Joe introduced in G.I.Joe the Movie and boy did he get screwed!

In the comic, Chuckles was a crafty, intelligent undercover agent who was involved in several important operations. In the movie, he couldn't speak (apparently) and was just kind of a muscular goon.

Poor Chuckles.

For Chuckles, I knew the main thing I wanted in a mini was a shoulder holster. I could have just made one with green stuff, but I decide to use the Heroclix Gotham Undercover. The Heroclix mini has a tie so I figured, if Chuckles was going to wear a tie with a loud Hawaiian shirt, it would need to be very 80's looking.

So...white tie.Maybe I should have added piano keys to it to make it *really* 80's.

-c

Sgt. Slaughter - Drill Instructor

Sgt. Slaughter wasn't a new character in G.I.Joe the Movie, but he did play a major role in it. And in the regular cartoon. And in the comics. And in the commercials.

Yeah...he might have been a little overused.

Sgt. Slaughter was character I was never 100% OK with as a kid. His inclusion felt a little forced to me. So, you probably won't see every version of his figures here.

For his mini, I went with a look that is based off his second figure and his look from the movie. I started with a Heroclix Wonder Man and added his hat with green stuff. I think the pose works pretty well because the Sarge spends most of his time punching people anyway.

You know, now that I think of it. I'm not sure I remember him actually doing any drill instructing other than maybe a little in the movie.

-c

Golobulus - Cobra-La Leader

If there's anything that divided G.I. Joe fans, it was Cobra-La's inclusion in the G.I.Joe cartoon movie and what it did to Cobra Commander's back story.

I was kind of on the fence about the movie at the time. I didn't like the retcon, but thought the Cobra-La toys were kind of cool. Besides, what could be more Cobra than a snake-dude.

Now, I consider the movie to be like an Elseworlds or What If story. There's some good ideas in there...along with some lousy ones too.

For Golobulus, I used a Heroclix Lava Man and replaced his legs with green stuff. I made a half-hearted attempt to pattern the snake body like the figure but decided it was too much work. I also added his armor and eye patch thingy with green stuff.

COBRA-LALALALALALALA!

(Had to do it.)

-c

Cadet Deming - Crimson Guard Cadet

If there's any episode of the G.I.Joe cartoon that sticks in people's mind, it's the two part "There's No Place Like Springfield." You know, the one with melting Roadblock.

There are several one-off characters in that episode (along with the return of Mara) but the one I picked for today is Cadet Deming.

Cadet Deming was kind of a nice addition to the Cobra ranks. She was a new female face, training to be an interrogator, and was even more hysterical than the Baroness.

Sadly, she was only featured in this storyline and never shown again. Maybe she too was a synthoid.

For Cadet Deming, I used the Heroclix Oracle figure. I guess she got a haircut...

-c

Bree Van Mark - Lifeline's Girlfriend

"The Million Dollar Medic" introduced us to Brittany "Bree" Van Mark who, like Amber, winds up dating a Joe (Lifeline) but unlike Amber, also causes millions of dollars of damage to the Joe HQ.

Oh, and she also steals a helicopter.

Bree plays the usual clueless rich girl who gives outlandish and unnecessary gifts (a gold plated helicopter?) to Lifeline and needs to be rescued constantly. Which is a problem since the object of her affections is a pacifist. Thankfully, there's a whole team of other Joes ready to help. That does lead to some weirdness though, like at the end of the episode when Lifeline delays Cobra long enough for Iceberg to save Bree and Lifeline. And then as they kiss, Iceberg awkwardly trudges back down the mountain.

They didn't even say "thanks".

For Bree I used a Heroclix Triplicate Girl. The end result is a mini that looks way more capable that she is shown to be in the show.

-c

Amber - Quick Kick's Girlfriend

There's probably other ways I could label Amber: College Student, Wanna-be Joe, Suspected Spy, but most people would probably remember her just as Quick Kick's girlfriend from the episode "Lasers in the Night".

When I saw that episode as a kid I was like, "What?", but now I kind of like it. It shows a more personal side of the Joes and also has one of the most ridiculous schemes in all the cartoon episodes. Even sillier than rocket-armed hamburger joints.

For Amber, all I really needed was someone in a skintight costume with long hair, but I also wanted one that was posed in a way that showed her attitude. I picked the Heroclix Diamondback miniature because of the confident pose.

I suppose I could have removed the weird bicep pouch\thing but...eh...

-c