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Also overlooked in the My Custom Mods series was this one.

VENUS (Hammer of Thor #052)

Aside from the dots-for-eyes phenomenon that’s plaguing HeroClix paint jobs in recent sets, there doesn’t seem to be anything to mod here…

…or is there?

Right side…

…left side.

Hey! They painted over her sleavage!

She’s ALWAYS flashing the sleavage. (And it always brings the boys to the yard.)

This painting error is unfortunate. So I:

  • Painted the white on her left sideboob to match her right sideboob.

Now THAT’S character-accurate!

And that, at last, concludes My Custom Mods for the forseeable future — until, of course, something else gets screwed up or isn’t quite comic-accurate to my liking. Then…I just might do something about it. :)

Be here next week for a new feature: the thought process behind each of the DC cards with art.

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Rookie Aquaman (Icons #025)

This was a nice sculpt, but it’s specifically of the then-veteran Aquaman with the watery left hand, not the green-gloved classic rookie. I decided to fix that.

Somehow I missed talking about this one earlier in the series, even though it was done well before my ambitious Experienced Aquaman modification. Probably because it’s such a minimal repaint:

  • Used a Sharpie to color his briefs black.
  • Painted in green gloves with Testors enamel.


Completed 2007. Next week, I finally wrap up this feature with a sexier —  if even more minimal than this week’s — repaint.

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WONDER WOMAN (Brave & Bold #018)

 

Recently, I played a team I called “Diana’s Wardrobe,” in which I tried to fit on a variation of every costume Wonder Woman’s worn in HeroClix. The only clix’d costume not represented is her current one because no one actually owns that figure yet (it’s debuting at GenCon in early August).

However, there is one WW costume that’s never been done in ‘clix…and, probably, never will: the early-90s “club-girl” outfit she wore when Artemis briefly replaced her as Wonder Woman.

I’m sorry, but I LOVED this outfit, 1990s-era jacket and all. And since I’ve got two of the BB WWs, and they feel “low-powered” enough to represent this time of her career, I decided to do my own repaint/resculpt:

  • Used hobby knife and file to remove details like WW’s boots and lasso.
  • Added globs of E-6000 glue to her torso and upper arms to form the jacket.
  • Used more E-6000 glue, pulled out into strands, to form hair.
  • Repainted her skin in acrylic paint.
  • Painted on the jacket in acrylics.
  • Used Testors enamel for her hair and clothes.
  • Used a combination of black india ink and red acrylics for new facial details.

Not too bad. There are a few details I could stand to add, such as the yellow trim on the jacket, or more black strappy stuff ’round her waist, but I think I’m good with this.

Done late spring 2011. With this, I’ve not only got all of Diana’s wardrobe (save the yet-to-be-released convention exclusive Wonder Woman THAT I WANT SO BAD), but I’ve completed this series on My Custom Mods with a relative bang.

Next week, I’m starting a whole new feature…it’s along the same lines as this one, but different. Be here Monday to see what it is!

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Decades ago, as a wee boy, I watched “Battle of the Planets” every day at the Kinder-Care. To say they left an impression is a bit of an understatement. To this day, once every few years, I get Gatchaman fever.

Science Ninja Team GATCHAMAN: Ken the Eagle, Ryu the Owl, Jinpei the Swallow, Jun the Swan, and Joe the Condor. (Or, if you prefer: Mark, Tiny, Keyop, Princess and Jason: G-FORCE!)

Last year, after designing some dream dials for the characters, I decided to mod an actual Gatchaman HeroClix figure.

Required powers:

  • Stealth. Despite the bright colors, these Science Ninjas are masters of sneakin’ around.
  • Leap/Climb or something like it. They don’t get tied up easily.
  • High AV. Every one of them is an expert fighter who can take down a dozen Galactor agents with ease.
  • Range…but not too much of it.
  • Some sort of moving attack ability. They’re all great at fighting on the move.

I decided that OOTS Batman was the best choice.

His SP in particular very much approximates Gatchaman’s ability to come and go and attack with ease. Outwit isn’t a stretch, either; they’re Science Ninjas well-equipped with high technology.

For the sculpt, I chose another member of the Bat-fam: Robin (Arkham Asylum).

Here’s what I did to make the mod:

  • Cut deeper points on his cape.
  • Filed down costume details.
  • Repainted entire fig in white, red blue and yellow (’cause naturally, Ken the Eagle is the first one to make).
  • Encased head in a globe of E-6000 glue to make helmet.
  • Cut fig off roof detail.
  • Tried cutting blue translucent plastic to create glass “bill” visor. Didn’t work.
  • Tried this several times over a period of months. STILL didn’t work.
  • Added and sculpted some more E-6000 glue to make visor. Took a few tries.
  • Painted visor in translucent blue.
  • Painted helmet details.
  • Removed OOTS Batman from his dial; glued on newly-made Gatchaman.

Completed, finally, in late-spring 2011…just in time for that Batman figure to be retired. :)

For a while, this was expected to be the last of my custom mods. But just as I completed it, I also did another repaint of a costume I’ve long wanted in clix. Be here next time to see how wonderful (?) it is.

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V Nova (Supernova)

This dial best represents Richard Rider just prior to the events of Annihilation…right down to the mid-dial Hypersonic Speed. But it’s woefully underpowered for Nova Prime.

Outfit's wrong, too.

Fortunately, there’s a solution. Similar to my earlier Black Widow custom, where I took a Gambit dial to better represent her powers, I used Hammer of Thor’s Air-Walker to sub as Nova powered by the full Nova Force:

  • He’s got Power Cosmic to signify his elevated power levels;
  • He’s Hypersonic from the get-go and further down the dial, yet his opening Super Senses well-represents his less-than-full command of his new abilities. Indeed, ALL his powers fit his profile. And, most of all;
  • …he still has the Nova Corps keyword!

Not a bad stand-in! And, unlike the earlier Black Widow mod, having the right keyword ensures that I’ll actually use him.

Now I just needed to make the look fit the dial. Here’s what I did:

  • I already took Air-Walker off the dial and added a flight stand to the dial.
  • Painted entire figure in blue modelers’ paint.
  • Used E-6000 hobby glue to add on armor plating details.
  • Painted on gold enamel for said elements.
  • Painted in some final details (chiefly the white glowing chest emblems).

Completed mid- 2010.

Next: two Bat-allies become a completely urelated and un-clixed character.

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Whoa, it’s been WAY too long since I did one of these. Part of the reason is that I’m running out of mods to write about. But enough with the procrastination. Time to wrap up this, my first regular feature, by early June.

AIR-WALKER (Hammer of Thor)

There’s nothing that needed fixing on this sculpt. But this dial, though? I had another use for it. However, I didn’t want to waste this piece needlessly, so I came up with a plan to have my cake and eat it too:

  • Cut the entire sculpt free from the dial.
  • Glued an old-style flight stand to the dial in the sculpt’s place.
  • Cut and filed the clear “flight trail” base of the sculpt into a rudimentary flight peg.

Now I had a dial I could swap sculpts with: this original and another character’s who just so happens to thoroughly fit the dial as well. We’ll see him next week.

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MARVEL BOY (Hammer of Thor)

The dial and sculpt only sort of matches the character’s Rookie state.

But…WAIT.

This is supposed to be the VETERAN?

And he doesn’t even CALL himself Marvel Boy anymore! Ugh!

And where are the short pants?

I can’t do anything about the horrible, horrible dial. But I could at least fix his outfit.

Here’s what I did:

  • Tried encapsulating head in clear, thick glue.
  • Looked horrible.
  • Removed head of Mysterio (Ultimates).
  • Removed Marvel Boy head and replaced with that of Mysterio (Ultimates).
  • Repainted with acrylic paints.

Completed mid-2010.

NEXT TIME: Cannibalizing one fig to make another.

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Veteran ATOM (Origin)

Nice to finally get an Atom figure, as opposed to the “puck” version from Cosmic Justice. But it’s of the wrong guy!

This is Ryan Choi, the All-New Atom, represented by the Rookie version.

Ryan was a graduate student under Professor Ray Palmer, the REAL Atom:

Note the simpler uniform and belt.

I wanted a classic Atom. So here’s what I did:

  • Filed down details, especially on his back.
  • Repainted with acrylics.

Completed mid-2010.

NEXT WEEK: The worst figure in Hammer of Thor gets a comic-accurate makeover.

 

 

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Sorry for getting this up so late. Technical and scheduling difficulties.

Vet MOCKINGBIRD

She was never a great favorite of mine, even though I’m a big fan of married characters in comics. (Hmmm. Maybe there’s a subject for another blog.) Her HeroClix version seemed overpowered and she was dead, anyway.

But then she came back in the wake of Secret Invasion, and I happened upon the miniseries “New Avengers: The Reunion” in which Hawkeye and Mockingbird come to terms with the state of their relationship. Wonderful series, and one that shows that the Veteran Mockingbird absolutely could deserve her HeroClix dial, especially in this scene:


She’s also wearing a sweet new outfit that matches her trademark billowy sleeves with a long coat.

I wanted to update my Mockingbird to match. Here’s how I did it:

  • Cut away LexCorp Security’s overcoat.
  • Tried to glue it to V Mockingbird.
  • Simply didn’t work.
  • Fortunately, I had a GAMBIT figure left over from an earlier Black Widow project.
  • Dismantled GAMBIT, removing his head, arms and legs, leaving only his coat.
  • Cut away excess coat to fit Mockingbird’s back.
  • Filed down Mockingbird’s mask and boot tops.
  • Glued coat to back.
  • Repainted entire figure in blue and white and yellow acrylic paint.
  • Used thick glue to build knee pads.
  • Painted knees and forearms in silver enamel.
I never uploaded a finished photo of this mod until now. Yay for improved digital camera phone technology!

I never uploaded a finished photo of this mod until now. Yay for improved digital camera phone technology!

Completed early 2011.

NEXT WEEK: A small hero’s biggest version gets into big-boy clothes.

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CAPTAIN AMERICA (Avengers)

There was once an excellent painter at WizKids who decided to cross over into sculpting. He was less than entirely successful.

Attempting to recreate this beefy, heroic he-man:

…he produced this elephantiasis-headed 101-pound weakling:

Oh. This was the "before" Super Soldier Serum shot, right?

Anyway, just as I wrote some weeks ago that a pair of characters made it onto my favorites of 2010 simply because their sculpts were fantastically fun, so this one proves the inverse. It’s so BAD that despite having a decent dial, it never hits my table.

I decided to replace him with another World War II-era ‘Clix with better proportions: SGT. ROCK from Cosmic Justice.

Here’s how I tackled this months-long project:

  • Removed CAPTAIN AMERICA (Avengers) sculpt from base (and rock).
  • Used hobby knife to remove shield from Cap’s arm.
  • Removed SGT. ROCK sculpt from its base.
  • Used hobby knife to remove rifle from SGT. ROCK’s left hand.
  • Glued shield to SGT. ROCK’s left arm.
  • Filed down grenade in SGT ROCK’s right hand.
  • Filed down sergeant insignia on SGT. ROCK’s helmet.
  • Filed down shirt lapels and dogtags.
  • Glued rifle to SGT. ROCK’s right hand and arm.
  • Repainted SGT. ROCK with acrylic paints.
  • Glued modded SGT. ROCK sculpt to CAPTAIN AMERICA (Avengers) base.

Completed mid-2010. Though I still haven’t run the piece in an actual game…

IN TWO WEEKS: Another ambitious mod of a returned character. Next Monday, though, will be a new Top 10 series (something I plan to make a monthly event). Be there!