While working
on my customs for Toy Otter's Super
Powers Find article, I frequently met with my buddy Gene for advice.
He's an expert on the DC Universe, and happens to run the DC
Action Figures Group over on Yahoo! If you have a chance, you might
want to check it out.
Anyway, during
the course of our discussions, Gene showed me a batch of his own Super
Powers customs, made some 15 years earlier. One figure I liked in particular
was Gene's custom of the Atom. Just as with the Captain Atom custom, I
asked Gene if I could borrow his recipe and make my own.
Mine actually
differs somewhat, though. While Gene used a Super Powers Flash as a base
figure, I opted for a Green Lantern instead. Though the Flash head is
perfect for the Atom, I felt the body was a bit too specific to Flash
and would make the figure seem too much like a repaint. Luckily I has
a spare Green Lantern lying around, so it was easy to give him a headswap.
Thanks again
to The
Gene Lantern for his recipe and inspiration!
Captain
Atom
The Captain
Atom custom uses a Green Lantern figure as a base, though the head has
been replaced with one from a Super Powers Aquaman. I used Magic Sculpt
to create the chest emblem and smooth some of the surface details. The
chrome spray is what really brings the figure to life. His mirrored finish
really makes him stand out amongst the other figures.
Thanks again
to The
Gene Lantern for his recipe and inspiration!
Changeling
The Changeling
custom uses a similar recipe to my Kid Flash figure. They both use a Toy
Biz DC Super Heroes Robin as a base. The surface details were sanded smooth
and reworked using Magic Sculpt. The difference for my Changeling custom
is that he uses legs from a Super Powers Doctor Fate. The gloves and head
come from an Aquaman, completing the figure.
All in all,
I am really pleased with how Changeling turned out. Of course, now I am
tempted to make the rest of the Titans. It never ends, does it?
The Executioner
Even though
the Executioner was created solely for the Super Powers line, I really
really like his design. My friend and fellow customizer Pierre (aka Airmax)
never ceases to amaze me with his ability to Frankenstein a figure to
the point of being able to no longer recognize the source materials. In
a way, he was the guy who inspired me to tackle this particular project.
I wanted to push the boundaries and see if I could produce a truly unique
figure.
To start
off, I sliced apart a Toy Biz Hulk figure and added its torso to a Super
Powers Darkseid figure. The boots were sanded and reshaped and then I
began using Magic Sculpt to create the surface detailed. Plastic styrene
is used to create the belt and as a crowning touch the face from the original
Darkseid figure is added as...um, a belt buckle? I'm honestly not sure
why he has Darkseid's on his belt.
Perhaps the
best benefit of using the Toy Biz Hulk is that it allows the Executioner
to perform his action features! Depending on how you pull the lever on
his back, Executioner can crush his opponent or throw his barbell at his
foes.
John Stewart
Green Lantern
Keeping in
mind that Kenner was likely to essentially issue a repaint of a Hal Jordon,
I decided to keep my John Stewart Green Lantern custom pretty simple.
The body is that of a Hal Jordon Green Lantern with the head replaced
with one from a Congo Kahega figure. The head was reworked a little with
Magic Sculpt, but for the most part this project is nothing more than
a simple headswap. And yet, it's actually accurate to what Kenner was
likely to produce.
