Matt Trakker - M.A.S.K. Leader

Another one I've done before...

Matt Trakker, this time with Spectrum mask.

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Vanessa Warfield - Espionage and Intelligence Agent

Vanessa Warfield was kind of like the Baroness, Scarlett, and Lady Jaye all rolled into one. She filled a lot of the same rolls they did as the intelligence and infiltration expert for V.E.N.O.M. And she was rockin' some serious 80's hair.

Vanessa was a pretty cool character, and she was probably the only capable person on the V.E.N.O.M. team. Plus, she had what was in my opinion *the* best vehicle in the whole M.A.S.K. line: the Manta. A purple Nissan 300ZX that turns into a plane? So cool.

For Vanessa, I used the Heroclix Kryptonian Infiltrator (seems appropriate) and adjusted the hair a little with green stuff to look more like the figure. Then, I added her Whip mask with green stuff.

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Sly Rax - Weapons Expert

Sure, I already did Sly, but now he has his Stiletto mask.

Woohoo!

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Bruno Sheppard - Kidnapping and Extortion Expert

Looking through the back story on some of the V.E.N.O.M. agents reminded me how different they were from Cobra. Sure Cobra was a terrorist organization, but I don't think they had anyone whose specialty was kidnapping.

It was more of a hobby.

In the cartoon, Bruno Sheppard looked kind of cool, but his action figure was FUGLY. Good thing he had a mask to cover his horrible face.

So, for Bruno, anything was an improvement. I started with the Heroclix Ares and added his Magna-Beam mask with green stuff.

I originally had him all painted and finished before I decided to do a version with the mask, so I did my best to match the paint between the two. From now on, when I do M.A.S.K. minis, I'll do both masked and unmasked at the same time.

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Agent Jinx - Covert Infiltration Specialist

I'm a little on the fence about the name change from "Jinx" to "Agent Jinx". I like the simplicity of "Jinx" but that name is used a lot for different characters. If you search for "Agent Jinx" though, you pretty much only get the G.I. Joe character (and maybe Halle Berry).

Either way, I *do* like the redesign of her outfit.

For her Valor vs Venom outfit, I used the Heroclix Katana and added the crossed belts with green stuff.

I tried to paint her with the blindfold. Not sure how well that comes across.

I like this design enough that I'm tempted to track on of the figures down.

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Soft Master - Arashikage Ninja Master

There's probably three ways you could go with a mini for the Soft Master. One would be in his orange kimono from the comic flashbacks. Two would be the brown suit he wears when infiltrating Springfield.

Or, you could do him in his Cuban-Chinese Restaurant outfit as he was introduced in the comic:

Odd choice aside, the Soft Master another one of the comic only characters who brought a lot of depth to the stories. And as a non-action figure character, he didn't have the Plot Shield that other characters had, so he could sacrifice himself to save others. (Spoilers?)

I used a Reaper Miniatures Bones Innkeeper and used green stuff to make his pants look more like modern trousers.

Now, I just need to make a miniature Cuban-Chinese Restaurant (with ninja bolthole.)

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Snow Serpent - Cobra Polar Assault

Like the Cobra Eels, the Snow Serpent was a welcome addition to my Cobra army because it finally gave Snow Job a rival to spar against. Skies versus snow shoes might not seem fair, but the Snow Serpent also had a big missile which helped even the odds.

I usually try to avoid using the same miniature for my base, but in this case I think I made enough changes to make it OK. I started with the Heroclix Extremis Soldier and used green stuff to sculpt the head, fur trim, and backpack.

I wasn't about to try making show shoes though...

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Warpath - Autobot Warrior

A regular tank is kind of cool, but you know what's better? A RED tank.

Warpath is another Transformer that didn't get a lot of love in the cartoon or comics. Which is a shame because he was one of the first Autobot that transformed into something useful in wartime.

Unfortunately his original toy tank mode was about knee high to a G.I.Joe, so he wasn't that imposing.

Which means that my mini-Warpath is about the right scale to a G.I.Joe figure. Sweet!

For Warpath I used a Halo Heroclix (can't find the one I used now) and added the turret and arm things with green stuff. The vehicle mode is a military Micro Machines tank.

A note on the Autobot logo: it's really hard to paint it that small, so mine is more of a..suggestion...of the logo.

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Windblade - Cityspeaker

When the Transformers: Windblade comic came out, I had not bought or read a Transformers comic in probably 25 years. And I wasn't buying single issue comics at all. But when I read the premise, I was intrigued.

Obviously, I liked it enough to make a mini-Windblade.

What I immediately liked about Windblade is that she is an outsider who views the characters we all know and love through different eyes. She's trusting and compassionate, something that I don't think has been shown much in Transformers history. And she's a "she" and there still aren't enough female Transformers, so that's cool.

Plus, having women writers and artists on board is awesome. Mairghread Scott and Sarah Stone are doing an amazing job.

For Windblade's mini, I started with the Reaper Miniatures Marie, She-Bot and added details with green stuff. Her vehicle mode is a Micro Machines Harrier jet with new wings and additional details.

Oh, and her wings? Made from those thin refrigerator magnet ads you get in the mail. I think this one was for a home realtor.

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Powerglide - Autobot Warrior

This *might* be a miniature Powerglide. Or it might be Iron Man cosplaying as Powerglide.

Let's talk about scale for a moment. One of nice side effects of making miniatures in one scale is that toys like G.I.Joe and M.A.S.K., that were much different as action figures, can be at the same scale.

When I thought about doing Transformers, I had to make a choice: either make them "realistic" scale to the human sized miniatures (which would mean they would be a few inches tall and probably the size of the regular Transformers toys) or, make the robot mode the same scale as other miniature (which makes their vehicle mode more like amusement park rides.)

I went with the second option for two reasons: smaller is more fun and it's cheaper.

Although, Powerglide in robot mode was about G.I.Joe sized so, maybe it's not that weird.

Powerglide didn't get a lot of time in the cartoon or comics (other than getting one of the weird Autobot \ Human romances stories...) but he was a favorite of mine. I think that's all due to the iconic look of the A-10 Thunderbolt he changes into. That plane is so cool...

For his robot mode, I used an Iron Man Mk 7 Heroclix and for his vehicle mode, an A-10 Thunderbolt Micro Machines.

He almost looks like he could transform.

But he can't.

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Deep Six - S.H.A.R.C. Diver

That's not a typo. "S.H.A.R.C. Diver" is how he's listed on his file card. It just sounds weird though.

I always kind of liked Deep Six. He was never a major character, but he got some good moments, especially in the comic. His solitary personality winds up rubbing some Joes the wrong way, which made for some interesting scenes.

For Deep Six, I used the Heroclix Lex Corp Battlesuit and added some detail with green stuff. I decided not to try to make a bubble helmet for him. Maybe his helmet retracts like Buzz Lightyear's? I also tried to add a nose because the original figure didn't really have one. The nose didn't work to well...

The original miniature's pose is about to fire some hand lasers I think. As Deep Six though, it just looks like he's showing off the only parts of the original figure that were movable.

Or maybe he's pushing someone away so he can play Solitaire.

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Shipwreck - Sailor

I'm not sure I would trust a sailor named Shipwreck. Sure, it's kind of a cool name, but when you really think about it, it doesn't inspire confidence. Thankfully, Shipwreck is more often shown flying a plane or driving some land vehicle, so I guess it's okay after all.

As a kid, I didn't care for Shipwreck much. His role on the cartoon as comedy relief and Jack Nicholson impersonator didn't do much for me.

Recently though, when re-watching the cartoons, I found myself liking him more. Of course, his major role in the two part "There's No Place Like Springfield" story helped there.

For Shipwreck, I used the Heroclix Peter Parker and used green stuff to add his hat. If you look closely, you can see my attempt to make his tattoo. It's vaguely anchor-shaped.

I didn't make Polly though. No one needs that...

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Thunder - Artilleryman

Technically, Thunder's MOS is "Self-Propelled Gun Artilleryman" but that's kind of a mouthful and also kind of silly.

I'm sure there are people who count Thunder as one of their favorite Joes growing up, but unfortunately he's one of the forgotten vehicle drivers. He was barely in the cartoon, and his contribution to the Marvel comic was to be gunned down along with other (less popular) characters by a S.A.W.-Viper.

That being said, he has a really nice costume design and I always appreciated his unique headset and visor.

For Thunder, I used the Heroclix Soldier from the Man of Steel set and added his headset with green stuff and pieces of paperclips.

He traded in his monocular for an assault rifle. Good choice!

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Renegade - The Next Tron

One of the things I like about Tron:Uprising is the idea of Beck having a secret identity as the Renegade. He's basically a superhero in the Grid, and he faces many of the same issues superheroes face. Putting these tropes into the computer generated world of the Grid is pretty fun.

Since the Renegade is basically a superhero, it makes sense to use Heroclix for him. In this case, I used a Daredevil clix I happened to have. Looks like the Renegade is about to spring into action.

I used a thin layer of green stuff on his face to make the mask and also gave him a disk. Getting the colors right for something as stylized as Tron:Uprising is a challenge. Since I don't have glow in the dark blue, I used regular blue.

I suppose I could have made it a little lighter blue...

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Beck - Vehicle Maintenance

The problem with making miniatures of the Tron: Uprising cast is that they all pretty much dress the same: black or white skin-tight outfit with circuitry lines. The other problem is that glowing LED-like paint is hard to find.

There's a lot of things to like about Beck's character, but the thing that really drew me to him is that he tries not to derez Tesler's army needlessly. He's not non-violent, but he respects life and tries to do the right thing.

It's an interesting contrast with Tron, who is not as restrained. The differences are clear: Tron is a warrior, Beck is not. But he is willing to fight for his, and everyone's, freedom

For Beck, I used the Heroclix Osiris and added a disk to his back with green stuff. I tried to trace out the circuity as best as I could. The blue circuitry color is a little off though...

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