Whilst I know it’s not strictly September yet, as it’s Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK and the weather, as usual, is pretty miserable plus I’m currently in my wife’s good books, I thought I’d take the opportunity to produce my monthly statement of intent a day early.
As previously mentioned, I’ve managed to tempt Roger Webb into another round of Masters of the Universe conversions, so future posts for this month will feature my efforts, whilst Roger’s far superior versions can be viewed on his blog – Rantings from Under the Wargames Table.
However, as the conversions I will be attempting this month are not quite as straightforward as last time, I am only going to pledge three completed figures from the Masters of the Universe franchise this time around.
So, who’s on the cards? Well, when the Masters of the Universe toy range came out, they only released four action figures in the initial wave, namely He-Man, Skeletor, Man-at-Arms and Beast Man. As I was (and probably still am) a proud owner of the last character and have already produced versions of the other three, it seemed a relatively easy decision to try to have a go at Beast Man.
However, not having a suitable figure for conversion, it was time to scour the internet to try to find a relatively inexpensive proxy. It took me a while, but I eventually found this little beauty, the Bugbear Beserker from the Dungeon Command and D&D Miniatures range:
Pretty much already there – just needs the axe replaced with a whip, a suitable paint job and we will have my version of Beast Man.
Number Two will be Fisto, another heroic warrior, whose right hand has been replaced with a giant mechanical fist, hence the name. I’d already found a suitable proxy for this, namely the Mammoth character from the DC Heroclix line;
The advantages of this figure were that; 1) He’s got a beard and, 2) his outfit resembles that of Fisto. Obviously, we need to replace his normal hand with a big mechanical hand and he needs a belt and some hairy pants (or shorts, if you’re Stateside), but other than that, I think he’ll be relatively straightforward.
However, Number 3 is the one that’s going to be a poser, as I am attempting to recreate Orko from a “dolly” I’ve cobbled together from a GW plastic skeleton, which I’m intending to sculpt the requisite detail onto. This is how far I’ve got so far:
“But Jez”, I hear you cry, “Other than the straps you added to your He-Man proxy, we have no evidence that you can sculpt…” Exactly, which is why I’ve given my self a bit of extra time this month. However, this won’t be my first attempt at creating a figure from scratch – way back in 2006 I wanted a particular miniature, which no-one made, so had a go at making my own. Here he is:
Yes, it’s the crytozoological critter known as Mothman. Here’s another shot of his rear:
More recently, I had a go at sculpting a ‘classic’ ghost, as the one’s that were commercially available weren’t quite “Scooby-Doo”-ish for me;
Based on the above, I have a feeling that the major figure manufacturers won’t be hammering on my door, offering me commissions…
Anyway, that’s the plan for September, so feel free to visit both here and Roger’s site to see how we’re progressing. It should be entertaining and may inspire you, certainly in my case, to do better!
Comments and feedback appreciated, as always.
Carrion Crow's Buffet 
You shouldn’t put yourself down Jez, I actually really like both of your figures, and wings (of any type) are a real pain in the bum to do! So kudos to you sir.
Interestingly I did consider having a go at Beast-man myself but have decided against him at present, and have too gone for three characters this month with a bonus extra figure if time allows, my three Frostgrave figures are near completion now so I might/might not have time for this.
Fisto shouldn’t take you long as he’s a good way there already, that’s a good choice of base figure there.
If I get time I’ll try and write up quick post tonight or tomorrow updating what I’m hoping to get done this month and where I am with the Frostgrave warband.
Best of luck, Cheers Roger.
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Thanks Roger. As these were first attempts, I was quite pleased how they came out as they not only look like how I envisaged them, I managed to keep them “in scale” which I’ve been told can be a problem when sculpting.
My choice of characters was dictated by what proxies I could find, other than Orko of course. I have found a perfect Merman proxy too, but couldn’t justify to the wife a further purchase. The figure is called “schwarzer risso” and can be found on the Ral Partha Europe site, under The Dark Eye range. Worth a look if you were considering this character.
Fisto would have been quite straightforward, but it appears that the plastic space marine power fist I had earmarked for this conversion I don’t actually have, so I’m going to have to come up with an alternative.
The madness has begun and the challenges associated with it.
Eternia beckons once more…let the games begin!
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September sounds like fun and I’m always impressed by anyone who even attempts sculpting let alone actually created two bona fide miniatures. Best of luck Jez.
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Thanks Michael. Our first round in July was so much fun I (easily) persuaded Roger to have another go. The problem with a project like this is once you’ve started, it’s quite difficult to stop. For example, do you think your Penguin crew is finished? Or should another figure come along that fit the theme of the gang, would they gain a new member?
As for the sculpting side, thank you very much. Both figures were made with paperclips and Milliput, sculpted with fingers and cocktail sticks. No point buying expensive tools and equipment, only to find out that you’re crap, right? 😉
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