Schrage - Oktober Guard Infantryman

Where Daina is the hot-headed member of the Oktober Guard, Schrage is the laconic, cool-headed one. He seems almost lazy, but he still does his part.

Maybe it's fitting that I don't have to much to say about Schrage since he is a man of few words himself.

I used a Sith Trooper Commander and file the sides of this hat down to match Schrage's hat. I based my coloring off the Oktober Guard pinup of the back of a yearbook, rather than the figure they issued in 2012.

-c

Daina - Oktober Guard Sniper

There are a lot of similarities between Daina and Scarlett: they're both smart, deadly, and often serve as second-in-command. However, where Scarlett is normally cool and calculating, Daina is bad tempered and prone to biting.

For Daina, I first considered the Reaper Miniatures Russian Sniper, but it just didn't feel right. Daina needed to be a bit...rougher. So, instead I went with Reaper's Evie, Post-Apocalyptic Heroine. I cut the brim of her cap off and used green stuff to make her trademark hat. I also filled in the missing midriff part of her shirt. I left the ponytail which, now that I look at it, does look a little weird.

Might have to rethink that choice...

-c

Colonel Brekhov - Oktober Guard Officer

I've mentioned the Oktober Guard before and how much I would have liked having them as a kid. Having a Russian equivalent to the Joe team, who they could work with or against depending on the mission, would have been a blast. It worked well in the comics, after all.

Every team needs a leader and Brekhov was the perfect Russian stereo-type. He could have been in any James Bond movie as the person leading Russia's troops against some threat that winds up reluctantly teaming up with Bond. Now that I think about it, that sure happened a lot in those movies.


Anyway, didn't need any modifications for Brekhov. Just a Reaper Miniatures General Drake with the right paint job.


I guess it is a little sad that the miniature got demoted from General to Colonel.

-c

Michelangelo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Michelangelo, he's one of a kind,
And you know just where to find him when it's party time...

Michelangelo was the hardest of the turtles to convert, mostly because of his nunchucks. I tried modding the Zerboz Power Ranger's sword to nunchucks with moderate success. I also tried to give him a bit of a smile...I'm not sure that was good idea either.

Not sure what else to say about Michelangelo. Every one likes Mikey.

BOOYAHKASHA!

-c

Raphael - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Raphael has the most attitude on the team...

Raphael was never my favorite turtle. I think they sometimes tried a little too much to make him a Batman or Wolverine type. The 2009 TMNT movie was especially bad about that.

So, I was happy to see that the 2012 Nick version seems to have toned that down a little, while still keeping his attitude.

Again, another green stuff covered Zerboz Power Ranger. I tried to trim down the White Ranger Samurai's sword to resemble a sai, but I'm not sure how well it works. I also tried to give him a slight scowl, but his mouth looks a little like a moustache.

Maybe he's been watching Magnum P.I. reruns.

-c

Donatello - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines...

Why is it always when I'm cropping the photos that I see my sloppy paint job?

*sigh*

Anyways, Donatello is the only turtle whose figure I actually had as a kid. I never got into the other toys that much but Donatello was instantly my favorite. In the old cartoon and comics, I felt like he never really got as much character development as the other turtles.

Obviously, the writers at Nickelodeon must have thought so too...

Another Zerboz Power Ranger conversion. His staff is a piece of a paperclip. I probably could have made his staff holster thing a little better looking...

But I didn't.

-c

Leonardo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Leonardo's the leader in blue,
Does anything it takes to get his ninjas through...

After over 80 G.I.Joe conversions, it's time for a little change of pace.

TMNT was always hit or miss with me. I never watched the original cartoon, I had only one of the toys (Donatello), but I did have a few issues of the comic.

When Nick started up the new series, I was curious..and after seeing a couple of episodes, I was hooked. But, there were no minis available other than the ones from the 80's which are...pricey.

So, a little green stuff on a Zerboz Power Ranger and you have a ninja turtle.

-c