Ha! But these guys are so much more fun in hand, and I have you to thank for that, sir. And now for my penultimate combiner team: the Predacons! Razorclaw Rampage Tresob converted his existing custom head (one solid piece) into a helmet at my request for Rampage. He actually did this for a lot of characters, and this mostly worked well. With Rampage, I thought the proportions looked especially unwieldy, and it largely hinders the shoulder articulation. He has since redesigned this helmet, but I haven't gotten it yet. I figured I should include what I have now so I can show all the team members together. Divebomb Tantrum This helmet also limited shoulder articulation, but the proportions work a lot better for me, so I just took a dremmel and beveled off the corners, allowing him to move his arms freely. Headstrong
I took a bit of a break, but I have some more of these mighty mites painted up. Next up: Cliff Jumper Megatron Octane Runamuck My favorite kind of custom: no paint required! Ratbat More crazy toothpick work!
Thanks! And, as always, continued thanks to Tresob, who modeled the majority of the custom accessories in this thread! And now for some '86 movie love: Galvatron I modified Tresob's design by shaving down the cheek guards a bit. Scourge Cyclonus I'm not sure I'm happy with the color match on this one. Since so much of Cyclonus's body is lavender, the difference in shade sticks out more. I may try to revisit this in the future. Wheelie
I just keep scrolling up and down this page as giddy as can be. Well done, sir! Have you tried working the Divebomb/Tantrum/Headstrong helmets onto your Predaking in combined mode yet?
Ooo, a request! Here you go -- the indomitable beast that is: Predaking Since I wanted him to look massive compared to the other combiners, I gave him 3 minifig torsos for his combined torso. Helmet and hands by WuLongTi. Sword and animal heads by Tresob.
And now for some Decepticon bad-asses! Bludgeon Helmet by Tresob. Scorponok Helmet by Tresob. Spinister Helmet by Tresob. Maybe not classically considered a bad-ass. And maybe the stupidest 'bot in the entire universe. But he's got two guns. And the world is a collection of vaguely hostile shapes to him. So he'll probably try to shoot you!
Those of us who fondly remember the Mayhem Attack Squad will always hold him in the bad-ass ranks and when his helmet's as well done as this, who would argue! Great painting x01618 and great shapeways-ing Mr Tresob!
It's amazing what a difference a couple of fixes can do to those two preview wave figures. (And did I really render that Skorponok helmet? I have no recollection of working on that...)
Given the breadth of your work, I'm sure they start to run together at some point. However, if you do enjoy the design, might I suggest a place where you can print your own copy: https://www.shapeways.com/model/2376345/robohelmet-pinchy-principal.html
TF Animated has been my favorite series of the modern era. I think it introduced some really great characters. Some of them have seen the Kreon treatment but I thought they'd benefit from some more awesome custom-modeled parts. To wit: Bulkhead Helmet and vest by Tresob. Modifications: the nose-guard was obscuring the eyes, so I trimmed it. Slipstream Helmet, torso, and wings by Tresob. Modifications: the eye holes were slightly too narrow, so I opened them up a bit.
Really inspiring stuff and thanks for all the tips on paint etc. Can I ask how you mount the helmets when you are in the process of painting and drying them? WIP shots would be great!
I just use alligator clips to hold them. Here's a pic of what I currently have drying. Here are a couple more figures I have ready: Trailbreaker Helmet by Tresob. He is supposed to have a force-field generator that mounts behind his head, but Shapeways lost the piece, and I'm still waiting for the replacement in the mail. Brawn Helmet and vest by Tresob. I modified the helmet by removing the "chinstrap". Brawl (revisit) Helmet and vest by Tresob. It's funny what really matters to us about certain characters. It varies for everyone. Sometimes you're really close to a character and certain details are important to you. Sometimes you're married to a toy's design, sometimes it's the cartoon design. I grew up in a military family, so the Combaticons appealed to me in association with that. My dad was in the Army, and for some reason, Brawl as a tank was the most "Army" one, so I liked him best. He never really had much of a character, but I have a strong affection for him nonetheless. For me, the toy is what I key on most strongly for Brawl. That's why I painted mine with an all-gray helmet and why I decided I needed to add a prominent tank-boob chest. Looking back on the cartoon model it wasn't as substantial, but on the toy, it really juts out there. I modified the vest to give him more of a tank top (see what I did there?!) to accentuate the jutting chest.
