Moving to Tumblr

(Technically, I already moved everything over a month ago, but...)

I'm officially moving this blog over to Tumblr, specifically: mini-ventures.tumblr.com.

I won't be updating this site anymore. All updates will be on the new Tumblr and on my DeviantArt page: herebewonder.deviantart.com.

Thanks and cheers!

-c

Link - Mechanic Program

Link is kind of the Neville Longbottom of Tron: Uprising. He's mostly there as a kind of bumbling, comic relief character. Unlike Neville though, Link never really got the chance to stand up and show what he's made of since the series only lasted one season.

The main thing I wanted for Link was a mini that showed his smaller, mild-mannered stance. So, I used the Project: Superman Heroclix and added his disk with green stuff.

Not much more to say about Link, sadly.

Paige - Tesler's Second-in-Command

I did Paige already, but after re-watching Tron: Uprising recently, I really liked her look when she was first introduced. The cloak and helmet just look cool and we don't really see them again much afterwards.

For this version of Paige, I used the same Heroclix Maria Hill that I used as the base before, but used green stuff to add her helmet and cloak. For her helmet antenna, I cut a couple of small strips from some plastic packaging.

She looks ready to kick some butt.

Tron - He Fights for the Users

I've done most of the Tron: Uprising characters, but from the original movie I've only done Flynn.

So, it's about time I do the guy the movie was named after.

What to say about Tron that I didn't already say when I did his Tron: Uprising version?

Tron is cool and Bruce Boxleitner is cool.

For Tron, I used the Northstar Heroclix and used green stuff to add his pads, helmet, and disk. I tried a few different ways of painting his circuitry, but in the end went with kind of suggesting it, rather than actually trying to follow the pattern.

The pose turned out pretty good. He looks like he's about to chuck that disk at someone. And over-sized Sark, perhaps?

Now, I need to find a good base for Sark. And Yori.

Madame Rouge - Brotherhood of Evil

In cartoons, female villains are often played as sympathetic (and possible love interests for heroes). Or, they may have some character weakness that makes them less effective. (Like the Baroness and her Jealousy.)

And then there's Madame Rouge, who seems to be 100% evil and loving it.

On my first viewing of Teen Titans Season Five, I wasn't that into the Brotherhood of Evil. They weren't as interesting as the H.I.V.E. Five in my book.

But watching again, I see they weren't meant to be sympathetic like other villains in the show. They're evil. (It's right there in the name.)

For Madame Rouge, who I keep wanting to call Madame Rogue, I used a Chameleon Girl Heroclix and tried to fashion Rouge's hairstyle with limited success.

I think the pose on this mini really sells it.

Raven - Teen Titan

Since I never read DC growing up, I never knew anything about Raven or her powers. I knew her name and that she was a blue cloak, but that's about it.

I thought she turned into a bird or something.

So, watching Teen Titans Go! gave me a good primer on the character before I really dug in with the original series. And  it turns out, Raven is pretty cool.

If Terra is my favorite Titan, Raven is a close second. And I did four miniatures for Terra, so you can expect at least a few more Raven minis too.

I found the Phantom Girl mini and noticed the pose lined up pretty well with Raven's teleporting from the Teen Titans intro, so I added her cloak with green stuff and then made the portal around her using paper cut from a playing card. And it matches pretty well!

Shipping Dept.
Since I already did a mini of Terra and Beast Boy, it's probably obvious I don't ship Raven and BB. Instead, I prefer a different pairing.

Aqualad - Titans East

As mentioned before, I came to the original Teen Titans cartoon by way of Teen Titans Go! so I knew Wil Wheaton voiced Aqualad in TTG, but didn't realize he did the voice in the original cartoon as well.

And I have to say, Wheaton's voice work for Aqualad may be some of my favorite stuff he's ever done. So, of course I needed an Aqualad miniature...

Sure, they make Aqualad Heroclix, but not this one. And the one that I thought was the best fit wasn't even a water-type figure, but instead was Lighting Lord. All I had to do was repaint him and boom: Aqualad.

Ghazan - Red Lotus Lavabender

Man, it's hard to say who is the coolest member of the Red Lotus group. Each one of them is a bad-ass in their own way.

However, only Ghazan has that sweet 'stache.

I like Ghazan because, compared to the rest of the Red Lotus, he's kind of upbeat. Sure, he's a crazy criminal guy, but he seems to be having fun. He even humored Bolin and let him ask questions when they had Bolin and Mako captive.

Plus, he single-handedly did something the Fire Nation wasn't able to do: take down the walls of Ba Sing Se.

The mini I picked for Ghazan was the Ares Heroclix and I didn't realize it when I ordered it, but the mini had a sword in place of a left hand, so I had to fashion a new left hand for Ghazan from green stuff.

I also added some details to his robes. Looking at it now, I think I should have continued the yellow stripes down past his belt, but at the time it looked right.

I don't think I did his mustache justice though...

Suyin Beifong - Leader of Zaofu

One might expect my first Beifong to be Toph or Lin, but I still haven't found minis that I like for them. Suyin on the other hand I knew immediately which one I was going to use.

Since Toph was my favorite character from the original series, and Lin was my favorite from Season 1, it's probably no surprise that I like Lin as well. The contrast between her and Lin is a good story point. Even in the middle of the Season 3's high stakes plot, I'm glad they took the time to give us their back story and let them fight out their differences.

For Su, I used a Dungeons and Dragons Combat Medic mini and removed the weapon and arm shield, which is why her left hand looks a little weird. I left some of the metal parts with the original paint because I liked the effect. Due to her longer sleeves, I skipped the arm braces since it would be hard to do them justice.

Iknik Blackstone Varrick - Eccentric Businessman

The introduction of Varrick is one of the reasons I liked Season 2 more than Season 1 of Legend of Korra the first time I watched it.

Varrick is a character that Korra needed, and not just for his humor. In a world like the Avatar series takes place in, it's easy to paint everyone as either black or white,  good or bad, on the heroes side or against them.

Varrick is grey for most of the series. His interests are his own and he'll gladly help if it furthers his plans and refuse if it hinders them. Have a morally grey character who can become entangled with the other characters plans is always fun.

Plus, he's hilarious.

I used the White King Heroclix for Varrick and used green stuff to adjust his hair. The coat isn't quite an exact match...the cut is different and the collar isn't fur.

But I bet Varrick has a dozen variations on that coat anyway.

Terra? - Schoolgirl

"Things change, Beast Boy. The girl you want me to be is just a memory."


When I watched Teen Titans the first time through, I finished episode 64, "Titans Together", and was like, "OK, that's the end of the series." But then I saw there was one more episode.

What was left to do, I wondered.

Other than sink some ships.

At first, I didn't like "Things Change." For one thing, it sank my favorite ship. But more than that, it ended the series on a weird note and in a way that made me wonder if Terra was even happy. All we see is her being uneasy around Beast Boy (and him nervous around her) but we don't really know if this is what she wants.

Thankfully, they addressed this somewhat in issue #51 of the Teen Titans Go! comic. In that issue, Geo-Force shows up and gives us Terra's back story and, more importantly than that, we get to see her with her school friends and she's...happy. Geo-Force even comments on it:

All that being said, I can't help but wonder if she still has her powers or not, which kind of led into using the mini I did.

I bought the Golden Glider Heroclix to use for a different character, but as I started working on it, I started to see it as Terra. So, I decided to make it Terra as a student...but maybe sometimes she can't help but use her power. Or maybe it was gone and now it's returned.

Just like Terra.

Terra - Slade's Apprentice

"My name is Terra and I have done horrible things."

It's tempting to ponder 'what if'...what if Terra had trusted the Titans more? What if Beast Boy had not turned away, telling her she had no friends?

But as much as I wish I could have avoided Terra's turn to the "dark side", what happened is what happened.

And while I don't agree with what she did, I can understand why she did it. As pointed out here, she was repeatedly sent the message that she didn't belong. She couldn't control her power and felt she had no one to turn to.

Except Slade.

We all make mistakes...

For Terra's apprentice outfit, I used a Black Widow Heroclix and added the details with green stuff. I also added some hair to cover her eye.

It's a bit hard to see, but the Slade logo is there as well.

Terra & Beast Boy

You can't talk about Terra without talking about Beast Boy.

Terra and Beast Boy are just adorable and, unfortunately, also tragic. Ashley Johnson and Greg Cipes did such great work bringing the emotions, good and bad, of those characters. It's just an amazing job.

From watching the Teen Titans Go! cartoon, I can see why people ship Raven with Beast Boy, and I like Raven a lot, but I gotta go with Terra x Beast Boy for this show.

With this mini, I'm almost moving into diorama territory. The Stargirl Heroclix that I used for the base has Stargirl and...some guy? Don't know, but she's floating on a staff-thingy, which I converted into some flying rock.

I was thinking of the scene in "Betrayal" when Terra comes to Beast Boy's window. Surprisingly, it's not easy to find pictures of the two of them on a rock together. Well, not official artwork at least.

Oh, in addition to making the rock, I gave the other guy ears to make him more Beast Boy like.

Terra - Teen Titan

I was not a DC fan growing up. For whatever reason, I just never got into DC, so my knowledge of DC stuff was pretty much just the Super Friends for a long time.

Up until recently, I probably couldn't have named any of the Teen Titans beyond Robin and Cyborg. I never watched the show when it was on the air, and my introduction to the Teen Titans actually came from the current Teen Titans Go! cartoon, which is...probably not the optimal way to learn about them.

But I went back to the old show and it's great. And my favorite character, and now favorite superhero all around, is Terra.

While I admit my DC knowledge is sparse, thanks to the Major Spoilers Podcast (episode #17), I am familiar with Terra's betrayal storyline in the comics. So, when she showed up in the show, I knew basically what was coming...and I almost stopped watching. Not because I didn't like it. But because I thought...maybe if I stop watching...I can keep Terra from making a HUGE mistake.

But, I had to let the storyline play out. i had to see how it ended and, for the most part, I'm satisfied with her story arc. (I'm definitely glad the Teen Titans Go! comic provided a little bit more closure.)

I like Terra enough, that I have already done some more minis of her...coming later this week.

For this version, showing her outfit when she first meets the rest of the Titans, I used a Spider-Girl Heroclix and used green stuff to make her hair and goggles and other details.

Arcee - Autobot Warrior

Arcee wasn't the first female Transformer, but she's probably the most well known. It is kind of a shame they made her so pink though. Nothing wrong with pink, but making the first major female Autobot pink is a little on the nose.

I feel bad for G1 Arcee because she's had some pretty bad characterization over the years. In the original movie and cartoon, she was just kind of the team mom. I didn't see much of the Headmasters, but that looks like it was pretty weird. Then flash forward to the recent IDW comics where she's kind of a maniac-assassin and, well, it's pretty rough.

It seems like recent issues are tempering that though. She's a bit less ax-crazy and showing some real depth.

For Arcee, I used the Moondragon Heroclix and added her helmet and back-thingies with green stuff.

No vehicle mode because I didn't have a Micro Machine that matched her awesome space car.

Chromia - Autobot Bodyguard

I'm not sure if that's technically Chromia's function, but she serves as Windblade's bodyguard in the IDW Windblade series by Mairghread Scott (which is where I know her from) so it makes sense to me.

Converting Heroclix to Transformers is a little difficult since I'm trying to change humans to robot shapes. So, I tend to try to pick robotic type Heroclix to work with. So, for Chromia, I used the Heroclix Rescue miniature and added details with green stuff. Her face gave me a lot of trouble and I'm not totally happy with it still, but it works.

For her vehicle mode, I used a Micro Machines Spider-Man Cycle. I don't know why Spider-Man had such a futuristic cycle, but whatever. I used green stuff to adjust the look and make it more Chromia looking.

As a side note, this may be one of the last Transformers conversions I do with a vehicle version. Micro Machines are pretty expensive, more so than most of the miniatures I use, so it's just not worth it. Going forward, most Transformer conversion will probably be just the robot mode.

Firewall - G.I. Joe Hacker

I know virtually nothing about Firewall beyond what I learned playing the now-defunct G.I. Joe Battleground mobile game: she's a hacker, a pistol expert, and trained under Mainframe.

I never read the Devil's Due G.I. Joe comics, but it seems like that version has pigtails and gets tied up or something? And she has a role in one of the G.I. Joe \ Transformers crossover?

Who knows?

Anyways, while I don't know much about her, I liked her card art in the game, so I made a mini for her.

I used the Heroclix Sasha Bordeaux, even though the pants weren't quite right. Also, I seem to have forgotten to give her gloves.

Maybe this is her casual uniform?

Frostbite - Snow Cat Driver

Hey, another winter themed Joe!

I always like the winter themed Joes and Cobras. And there were plenty of them...more than any other theme, I think.

Frostbite was the Snow Cat driver, but to me he was the guy who came with the coolest gun. I'm pretty sure his gun got shared by all the Joes and Cobras at one point or another. Much like the Snow Serpent's AK-47.

For Frostbite, I used the Heroclix Red Ghost and removed the long hair and replaced it with Frostbite's winter hat and goggles. I add his shoulder holster too, although I made the strap look like it goes under the hood of his parka. The parka isn't an exact match for Frostbite's coat, but close enough for me.

I didn't base him on a snowy base so he'd match the other Joes. Besides, they had so many winter guys, they had to send them out on non-winter missions now and then.

Zarana - Zartan's Sister (do-over)

I've done Zarana before, but it was more like me trying to force a mini to look like her. It wasn't one I handpicked with Zarana in mind.

*This* Zarana on the other hand, I knew would work.

I tried to match her a little more to the cartoon version this time, which is pretty much the same except for the hair.

I used the Misty Knight Heroclix and replaced the hair with green stuff. And then added her shirt and knee pads with green stuff.

Still not fond of the toy line just identifying her as "Zartan's Sister" but it is what it is.

Equalist - Anti-bending Revolutionary

In the original Avatar series, one of the most effective fighters was a non-bender: Ty Lee. With her chi blocking technique, she was able to easily take down benders. And she was pretty much the only one we saw chi blocking.

So, a whole army of terrorists trained in chi blocking? Yeah, The Legend of Korra really cranked up the difficulty.

The great thing about the Equalists is it gave Korra an enemy similar to the Stormtroopers from Star Wars: a mass of faceless minions to fight.

Unlike Stormtroopers though, the Equalists are actually very skilled opponents. (Well, for everyone but Asami who went through them like a Future Industries manufactured knife through butter.)

For the Equalist, I used a Star Wars Miniature Elite Sith Assassin and used green stuff to modify him.

The one unfortunate thing about this mini is that his pose kind of looks like he's ringing a doorbell. Not very action-oriented.

Korra - Fire Ferret Pro-bender

When I started watching Korra, I thought the Pro-bending subplot was a bit like the Quidditch matches in Harry Potter. While it adds color to the story, it kind of drags out too long.

On re-watching though, I started to like the Pro-bending a bit more. In fact, I kind of wish we had gotten some more Pro-bending in the latter seasons after the Harmonic Convergence led to more airbenders in the world.

Surely there had to be at least one Pro-bending fan who suddenly got airbending and wanted to join a team, leading to some crazy new situations where they didn't have rules for airbenders. Sounds like something Bumi would have enjoyed.

To make Korra's Pro-bending outfit, I started with the Skrull Rebel Heroclix and trimmed the shoulder pads. Then I used green stuff to add the tunic, belt, and other details. I tried to approximate the Future Industries gear logo as best I could. And I forgot to add the parts of the blue sash where it's tied. Maybe she tucked that in?

I probably won't do the who teams uniforms. I just saw that miniature and it looked like a Pro-bender to me...

Scruffy - Janitor

When I'm painting miniatures, I don't always do it in the best lighting. So, sometimes I don't notice things looking off until after I've photographed them.

In this case, it's Scruffy's hat. It looked fine when I was painting, but in the photo it's just kind of a lump.

Scruffy is one of those great Futurama characters that shows up just to react to whatever is happening and then you don't see him again for a while. It would be hard to pick a best Scruffy moment. Every Scruffy moment is a best moment.

For Scruffy, I used the Heroclix Hired Henchman and attempted to make his hat and mustache with green stuff. Maybe I should have given him a broom...

Professor Farnsworth - Scientist

It's hard to write about Professor Farnsworth without opening by saying, "Good news, everyone!"

So instead of doing so, I just did it indirectly.

I'll admit that this mini is kind of a cop-out. I used the Dr. Sivana Heroclix and pretty much just painted his pants, shoes, and glasses. Everything else is the same.

I did consider making the walking stick into Professor Farnsworth's Fing-longer, but that would be a really thick finger.

Bender - Bending Unit

Hey, remember that episode of "Futurama" where Bender traded his hands for the blades from the robot in "The Black Hole"?

OK, that didn't actually happen but my Bender miniature kind of looks like it.

Instead of using a figure as the base and building on top of it, for Bender I used the robotic arms from a Doctor Octopus Heroclix and built the body and head from green stuff. I think his antenna might be a piece of wire.

I thought about trying to make his hands look more like normal, but after a while I just kind of got used to it. I bet Bender could make his hands look like that if he wanted to.

If I ever decide to make a human Bender version, there are plenty of Blob Heroclix.

Zuko - Team Avatar Firebender

I'm a sucker for a redemption storyline. And boy does Zuko get a good one. Zuko's redemption is good because he screws it up so many times, makes so many bad choices, and yet you can always see that he's trying to make sense of the world.

If anything, the problem with The Last Airbender is that Zuko's story is *too* good. He kind of over-shadows Aang's plot. It's easy to see why he would get shipped with Katara.

But enough about that, for the reformed Zuko I used the Heroclix Seven Deadly Brothers miniature. The robes aren't quite right, but close enough.

I see I should have angled the picture a bit more to show off his scar better though...

Prince Zuko - Firebender

The problem with doing a miniature of Zuko is deciding which outfit to pick. The guy changes his look several times in the series. He's got his Fire Nation armor, his Team Avatar clothes, his Earth Nation tea shop uniform...

And then there's his Agni Kai look.

I was considering several different minis for Zuko, but using the Heroclix Arashi for his Agni Kai look was a no-brainer.

All I really had to do was remove the sword and paint him.

Well, and give him his scar, which I think came out pretty good.

Katara - Waterbender

Up to now, all my Avatar-related minis have been from The Legend of Korra, but I haven't forgotten the original series.

I've had a harder time finding miniatures that I like for the original series characters due to their ages. In Korra, most of the characters are adults or almost adults, with the exception of the Airbabies.

In the original series, the gang was mostly kids and early teens, so finding minis that aren't too big or too small is surprisingly hard.

For Katara, I found the Dungeons and Dragons Earth Shugenja, which has a good pose for a waterbender. It doesn't quite have the hair loopies, but I doubt any miniature does. I tried to make some but they looked pretty bad, so I decided to skip it.

As a side note, this mini makes the 3rd miniature I've done for a character voiced by Mae Whitman.

Meelo - Airbender

I'll be honest: I didn't like Meelo at first. I didn't need fart jokes in my story.

But I'll admit, he does have some good moments.

I'm getting a lot of use out of these Powerpack Heroclix. I've used almost the whole team to make the Airbabies. This one is Mass Master. I removed most of his cloud stuff, but kept the ones in his hands.

Maybe Meelo is a cloudbender.

Ikki - Airbender

They must not have the word "icky" in the Avatarverse, because no one should name their child something like that.

Poor Ikki. As the middle child, she didn't really get as much character development as the other two airbabies. Her role was mostly to be annoying and say inappropriate things. At least in season 4 she got some spotlight time in the episode when she was captured by those two Earth Kingdom guys.

For Ikki, I used the Energizer Heroclix which kind of works and kind of doesn't. It had pigtails which I could easily mod to her hair..ball..things, and I used green stuff to make her robes. But the pose is kind of weird. Not sure what she's doing.

Singing?

Jinora - Airbender

Airbabies!

When I started watching The Legend of Korra, I wasn't totally on board with Tenzin's kids, but they started to grow on me over the seasons.

Jinora got the most character development of the three and was integral to the plot of Season 2, so  of course I had to make a mini of her.

Speaking of season 2, at the end when Jinora appears before Unavaatu to show where Raava is hidden, I was about 100% sure that Jinora was sacrificing herself to do so. I thought she died.

Spoiler Alert: she didn't. Which is good, because the she wouldn't have got her tattoos.

I used the Heroclix Lightspeed mini and used green stuff for her hair and clothes.

-c

Hi-Tech - Sigma 6 Telecommunications

The real problem with the Sigma 6 cartoon (which also applies to the first live action movie) is that the team is mostly just guys in black jumpsuits.

At least in Sigma 6 though, the Sigma suits have some color to differentiate between members.

Hi-Tech was the Telecommunications specialist for the Sigma 6 team, but in true G.I.Joe fashion, he did double duty as the team scientist and created the Sigma suits. So, I guess you can blame him for their fashion sense.

I used the Tyroc Heroclix for Hi-Tech, mainly because it had something that looked like goggles.

Even if they do nothing...

-c

Lady Jaye - Covert Operations

I've done Lady Jaye before but something was never quite right about that one. The missing hat, maybe?

So, this is attempt #2.

This time, I used the Sharon Carter Heroclix. I trimmed her hair down a bit and used green stuff to make the hat.

I think this one is a little closer to the original figure than my first attempt, and that's all I was going for.

-c

Baroness - Intelligence (Original Uniform)

When you think of Baroness, the first image that comes to mind is probably the black leather outfit. But before that, she had a uniform that was more in line with the rest of Cobra.

In the original Sunbow G.I.Joe mini-series, and in the early issues of the Marvel comic, Baroness wore a blue and yellow uniform similar to other Cobra soldiers. Strangely though, her uniform was devoid of any Cobra logos, unlike most of the other soldiers of the time.

For this version of Baroness, I used the Heroclix Viper and added her glasses with green stuff. This is the second time I've done a version of Baroness using Viper as the base, which kind of makes sense since Cobra was based off Hydra and Baroness was probably influenced by Viper.


-c

Rosetta - Garden Fairy

When I first started watching the Tinker Bell movies, Rosetta was the one fairy that started with a few disadvantages (at least, for me): she speaks with a Southern drawl, doesn't like to get dirty, and is overly concerned with her appearance.

She seemed less like a fairy and more like a character from Designing Women.

(Is that too old a reference?)

But, thanks to some character development and good writing, she turned out to be a better character than I expected.

I happened to have an Atom Eve Heroclix so I used it to make Rosetta. The hair doesn't really match Rosetta's hair, but I wasn't about to try to figure *that* hairstyle out. She was actually the first fairy mini that I started working on so her wings were made a little differently than Tinker Bell's.

I used green stuff for her dress and tried to make it look rose petal-y. Like Silvermist, I tried to add the gradient effect to her dress, but it's subtle.

-c

Silvermist - Water Fairy

If you had asked me a few months ago who my favorite Disney Fairy was, I would have said, "There's more than one?"

After watching the movies though, I'd have to say Silvermist is my favorite. Although she hasn't had as big a role to play as some of the others, she's always there to support the group and she has some of the best lines. Besides, how cool is the water-talent?

I used the Heroclix Dawnstar as the base for making Silvermist. Since Dawnstar already had wings, I trimmed them down to be more fairy-like and then used green stuff to make Silvermist's longer hair and dress.

I tried to make the green-to-blue gradient effect on her dress but it doesn't show up much, especially in the photo. Also, in the back shot you can see some of the yellow from the original paint through the clear plastic. Couldn't be helped.

For some reason, I neglected to give her shoes...

-c

Tinker Bell - Tinker Fairy

Did you know that Tinker Bell has her own spin-off series of movies?

I didn't. Not until recently, that is. To me, Tinker Bell, was always just a minor Peter Pan character who somehow became a Disney mascot. I never really paid much attention beyond that.

Recently though, I saw part of "The Pirate Fairy" movie, specifically the part where the fairies get their talents switched, and was intrigued, so I watched the movie. And it was pretty good.

Since then I've gone back and watched the others and, for the most part, I think they are pretty good. Better in some ways than some of the more high profile Disney movies like Brave or Frozen.

So, since I'm always looking for another theme to paint minis for...

To make a miniature Tink, I started with the Heroclix Arisia and added wings made from thin plastic sheet. I used green stuff to make her hair and her leaf dress. Oh, and the pom poms on her shoes.

I tried a few different ideas for her wings, but they all kind of looked muddled, so I went with a light gold color.

Making fairy wings is surprisingly hard.

-c

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

Hermes Conrad - Bureaucrat

When I first started watching Futurama, I felt like it was sometimes too easy to see some of the characters as filling the same niches as Simpsons' characters. (Bender is Homer, Leela is Marge...sort of...etc.)

Hermes was the character that stood out to me as not having an easy Simpsons' equivalent, which I like.

Plus, he's basically a walking quote-generator.

"Sweet something of... of someplace."

For Hermes, I wanted someone bureaucrat-looking, so the Lucius Fox Heroclix (with paperwork) was just right. I used green stuff to *attempt* to make his hair. Not sure about how that turned out. And I guess he lost some weight?

Favorite Episode

"How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back" because what else would it be. It's just a great episode all around, and a good spotlight on Hermes.

Favorite Quote

I thought about going with, "My Manwich!" because it's iconic, but my favorite quote is a line from his bureaucrat song:

"When push comes to shove, you gotta do what you love, even if it's not a good idea!"

That's kind of inspirational...if you don't think about it too much.

-c