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Post by Turkish Van Cat on Oct 9, 2007 0:01:48 GMT -5
Wow. I sadly don't check the customs threads very often, but whenever I do, I'm greatly impressed and pleased. Those look awesome! I especially like the Iceman, and I corroborate everything that YB said a couple weeks ago. Nice job!
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Whiz Kid
30 Point Captain
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Post by Whiz Kid on Nov 29, 2007 18:15:20 GMT -5
After a lengthy hiatus, I bring you one of the most nefarious Marvel villain groups... HYDRA! I felt that it was a crime that we have Captain America and S2 (if we ever see it) would deliver on Nick Fury and SHIELD, but we didn't have any of their major foes to run around causing trouble. And if anyone knows what crime is, it's Hydra! Baron Strucker is the leader and founder of Hydra. He is made from Daredevil. The cybernetic hand (the "Satan Claw") is from a GI Joe Extreme figure. The gun is from your average Star Wars figure (I think it's Han Solo's). The base is from SW3-32 Darth Vader. Baron Strucker's final stats: 12 speed, 30pts, Leader, Hydra faction. Special Power: Sacrifice (Trooper), 46%. Red Skull is... well, the Red Skull. If you've ever read anything Captain America, you probably know that this guy is his deadliest nemesis. He is a Death Star Gunner (SW3-08) from the shoulders down. I didn't even paint him. I swapped the missile out for Electro's yellow for some color contrast, although I'm thinking now that green would look cooler. The head has a face that was pulled off a figure I got at the dollar store, the rest is all putty. Red Skull's final stats: 6 speed, 30pts, Captain, Hydra faction. Special Power: Cosmic Cube: Remove one of your opponent's Leaders from play. If your opponent has no leaders, stand this figure up. 23% Hydra Lackeys are the cannon fodder of the organization. They are Punisher figures, Electro bases, and Endor Scout (SW4-2) guns. Hydra Lackey's final stats: 6 speed, 10pts, Trooper, Hydra faction. Special Power: Rally (Hydra), 23%. I plan to make a few more troopers. The idea is to make them self-perpetuating in groups. If you kill Strucker, he takes out a Lackey and keeps coming. If you take out Skull, he takes out your leader OR stands up. If you take out a Lackey, they can bring each other back, OR Strucker/Skull! This, I think, would really give the "unstoppable army" feel with only a handful of figures, but the percentages are so low that they won't stick around forever. And now for something completely different... Commando! This guy, as Crimson Commando, was a member of Freedom Force (Mystique's Brotherhood) back in the '80s. In the '90s, he was reformatted (literally!) into a cyborg, and dropped the "Crimson" off his name. He's done pretty much nothing ever since. He did, however, get a figure in a Hardee's kids meal. It was just about the right size for 'tix, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The only original parts are a blaster from IG-88 (SW4-15), Punisher's base, and a shoulder from Spider-Man (M-01), which was put on in an aborted attempt to add articulation. The end result has VERY poor defense, but I figure he's a nice 10-point bolster to the Brotherhood. I may see what I can do with that cannon arm at a later date... Commando's final stats: 6 speed, 10pts, Specialist, Brotherhood faction. Special Power: Recover (any), 38%
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Post by YodaBreaker on Nov 29, 2007 18:43:44 GMT -5
Man, are these ever nice. I particularly like your idea about the "revolving Hydra" special powers - it really gives it the multiheaded sense that the organization's name suggests. And that "Cosmic Cube" power - wowza. The 23% ratio prevents it from being insanely good, and the creative mechanism definitely bends my special power taxonomy something fierce. I really enjoy your dedication to making multiple custom Troopers, as I agree that they seem necessary for a good playing custom faction I think that Commando's SP ratio is a bit too high, even for a figure with crappy defense (see Origins Starter Spidey striker). At 20, he might play pretty well, but then there'd still be the question about his defense. What about an Attackback (Brotherhood) for 10 points at that SP probability? It's still a fabulous power for 10 points at that ratio, but it feels a little less broken to me.
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Post by superflytnt on Nov 29, 2007 19:53:13 GMT -5
Love the models dude. Super color choices!
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Whiz Kid
30 Point Captain
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Post by Whiz Kid on Nov 29, 2007 22:02:11 GMT -5
Man, are these ever nice. I particularly like your idea about the "revolving Hydra" special powers - it really gives it the multiheaded sense that the organization's name suggests. And that "Cosmic Cube" power - wowza. The 23% ratio prevents it from being insanely good, and the creative mechanism definitely bends my special power taxonomy something fierce. I really enjoy your dedication to making multiple custom Troopers, as I agree that they seem necessary for a good playing custom faction Thanks. I was trying to go for a bit of comic accuracy with that one. Skull is notoriously difficult to keep dead, so I wanted him to stand up. On the other hand, he's the type to get that last shot off as he dies, trying to take his opponent with him. Cap just happens to be a Leader, you know? I figured that giving him both and calling it "Cosmic Cube" would make it a nice, tidy package. Again, this is mostly a concession to the gods of comic accuracy. Commando has been thought dead and come back at least three times. If he had some articulation, I'd probably bump him to 20 or put him on a different (lower percentage) base, but currently, that cannon arm is a huge (pun intended) liability. He has a bit of that Stormtrooper "Don't sneeze in the same room!" thing going for him. I definitely think I'll revisit him and see what I can do about that.
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Post by attacktixman on Nov 30, 2007 3:52:16 GMT -5
Fantastic, Whiz Kid!!! Paint jobs are so impressive!!!
Strucker, particuliarly like what you did with the hand!
Red Skull, wowza, the head sculpt is unreal! I think I'm gonna dig up one of those DSG w/missing blaster I have laying around and copy cat!
Hydra lackeys, what a cool use of Punisher! Love what you did with the heads! What material is the yellow over the shoulder straps if you don't mind my asking?
I think the Avengers also had their run ins with Hydra along with SHIELD as you mentioned. And I even think the FF had something to do with the Cosmic Cube saga, so this is all so perfect!
Commando, looks great! What an imaginative use of the IG88 blaster!
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Whiz Kid
30 Point Captain
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Post by Whiz Kid on Nov 30, 2007 12:16:54 GMT -5
I'm going to take this opportunity to throw out some design notes... 'cause I can. Strucker, particuliarly like what you did with the hand! It is actually stuck in the arm by a post, making a swivel joint in the mid-forearm. In some cases, this can "misfire" like Starter Wolverine, but the idea was to give more options to the attack, as rotating it might be of some use when attacking certain figures. If this doesn't pan out, I'll just figure out what's most effective and glue it. Please do! It's fun and incredibly easy! Poke around Big Lots and the dollar stores for skull-faced guys, I've seen the figure I used at both. The shoulder straps are craft lace, the thin plastic "string" that people like to make friendship bracelets and the like out of. It's my "secret ingredient", used in a TON of my customs to create cuffs, belts, and costume ribbing without sculpting. I'll try to start a thread of my Marvel Legends customs over break- you'll see it everywhere. I just apply a very light amount of superglue to one side, press it into place, then trim it down with the Xacto. The beauty part is that if you screw up, you can wait for it to dry, peel it off, and try again. You can get it at Wal-Mart in the craft aisle. It's something like $3 for a pack with 10 different colors- you can often end up not having to paint it! Everyone has fought Hydra. I think I can probably find Howard the Duck taking them on if I try hard enough. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to make them; much like Magneto, everyone seems to have combated Hydra. The other reason is simply that they are one of my favorite villain groups in Marvel. Characters with "gray morals" are everywhere (Magneto, Mystique, Venom, etc), but watching the heroes beat on them makes you kind of sympathetic to them. Not so with Hydra- when Nick Fury cracks Strucker in the jaw, you want to cheer. They are EVIL and make no bones about it. There's something primally fulfilling about that "Good Guy vs. Bad Guy" dynamic when the sides are so clear. The best part is that in games, no matter who wins, you get to play with the "We'll get them next time!" cliche as well.
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Post by greyelephant on Nov 30, 2007 20:42:04 GMT -5
Dude, those lackeys look great. I couldn't figure out who you made them out of until you said Punisher. They look like they are their own sculpt. That is fantastic.
I am not familiar with Hydra too much. But that Baron guy looks pretty wicked. Are you coming to Tix Con 08? If so, you MUST bring some of these guys so we can get a closer look.
I still like Havoc the best.
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Post by webhead817 on Nov 30, 2007 21:32:39 GMT -5
Dude...awesomeness and then some. I love the guards the best...very sweet.
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Gideon
30 Point Warrior
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Post by Gideon on Dec 2, 2007 16:00:01 GMT -5
Wow! That's some good figs! I like the Red Skull. +1 Karma for the great figs!
Gideon
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