Thundercats Classics - Mumm-Ra The Everliving Custom

I am probably not alone in this, but it seems like a terrible crime that the Thundercats Classics range from Mattel was discontinued before we got a Tygra, Cheetara and empowered Mumm-Ra. Using a litteral translation of local expression that probably doesn't work in English, "I put on my bold shoes" and decided to attempt a custom model.

The resulting figure and its accessories:

Looking for options to complete the line-up, I came upon the Mumm-Ra figure from Bandai's 6 inch line. The figure was almost as big as a Classics figure, which was mainly due to having a bit of a pinhead. His head was smaller than his arms and it prevented him from really being compatible with the Classics Thundercats. The unpainted plastic look didn't help either. Then Funko released their neovintage style Thundercats range, made to be compatible with the vintage MOTU range. They were the toys I dreamed of having as a kid, but that were no use to me now. Or were they? From googling some size comparisons, I started thinking the heads seemed close in size to Classics figures so perhaps it would be possible, with some work, to combine the head from the Funko figure with the body of the Bandai figure. Already having bought the Bandai figure and the Funko figures being relatively inexpensive I ordered one and at first glance, the size checked out and some other bits of the Funko figure might also be used. Out came the blades and the Funko figure was stripped of it's head, cape, weapon and bandage wrappings around it's neck. The sculpted on neck needed to be removed from the Funko figure, but once that was trimmed, a quick dryfit seemed to confirm the bigger head would work so much better on the Bandai body and would lift him up to Classics size.

A quick mock-up as a proof of concept, with Skeletor for size.

Some sculpting was required to blend in all the different parts and to hide some of the more unseemly gaps on the figure that weren't really needed for the articulation and then a paintjob where I tried to match the Thundercats Classics Mumm-Ra in his shrivelled form as best as I could. Painting and shading it also helped to make it look less like a children's toy and more like an adult collector's action figure.

The fully assembled painted figure,  with the sword of Plun-Darr:

Both versions of Mumm-Ra, side by side:

Mumm-Ra fighting his nemesis: Liono. Mumm-Ra ended up being slightly taller than Liono, which is a good thing. The size difference isn't quite as high as the cartoon would dictate, but it is enough to work.

The original figures (left and right) and the end result in the middle:

All in all, the following modifications were done:
- the head from the Funko figure had it's head trimmed down and added some undercuts to detach the cheekguard from his cheeks;
- the flying ribbons and the nose guard/frontal ornament from the Bandai head were added to the Funko head for added detail. Nose guard was slightly widened with putty;
- wrinkly eyebrows were sculpted to increase the likeness to the cartoon version;
- the bandages around the Funko figure's neck were removed and added to the Bandai body, heat formed to lay flat and blended in with putty;
- the neck stump was built up to leave less of a glaring gap and a new socket was added in the Funko head to fit on the neck peg;
- the grip for the sword was extended with wire and putty, and made thinner, to fit into the Bandai hand;
- the Funko figure's cape was cut off and glued onto the Bandai body (after painting). I also included one set of the flying bandages from the Bandai figure as two would be too busy and not work with the cape;
- paint, paint, paint!

A work in progress before sculpting the new wrists and painting

EDIT: apparently this custom inspired the respected customiser He-Bro to do his own version based on the same recipe. You can check out his video's about it below. Some ideas he incorporated that I like as an alternative for a quick-win is to give a wash of the original Funko face to make it match the Bandai skintone instead of repainting the whole and the fact he managed to incorporate the second set of swirly bandages from the Bandai figure that I didn't find a good use for. The use of O-rings to tighten the neck joint is also a clever idea. You can also check out his YouTube channel for more videos on making your own customs.

Mega Construx - Robot He-Man Custom

Based on the Filmation episode where Man-At-Arms used a robot version of He-Man as a decoy when Prince Adam was captured, this is another minor Megaconstrux custom. It combines parts of an almost complete He-Man with the head of a Terminator and some custom sculpted eyes.

Will the real He-Man please stand up?

Robot He-Man with his brothers from another mother:

All the He-Man based customs so far:

Mega Construx - Wun-Dar Custom

Another easy custom consisting mainly in paint applications over an existing Megaconstrux figure. This Wun-Dar figure is essentially a repaint of the He-Man figure (just like the original vintage one). I did use Faker's dark grey belt and wristband as I figured if the black paint chipped, it would be less noticeable with that base. The weapons are repainted copies from a custom Lego weapon supplier (Brickwarriors I believe). I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Megaconstrux Battlebones though as it looks like he comes with the correct weapons for Wun-Dar.

After taking the pictures I noticed I hadn't actually put on his wristarmour. Here's a quick pic to show it's there though:

Mega Construx - Snakeman-At-Arms custom

With the slow speed Mega Construx is trickling out characters, I did another quick custom to turn a regular Man-At-Arms into the snakeman version. The face was resculpted, including a new nose and open mouth and a dab of paint to the armour to match the Classics design.

Mega Construx - Beastmen Armybuilding

The Beastman figure creates a great opportunity to armybuild into some cannon fodder for Skeletor. On these, I simply removed all or most of Beastman's armour bits and equipped them with suitable lego weapons. The lego weapon grips are a slightly larger diameter, so I shaved them down a bit with a hobby knife.

Mega Construx - Battledamaged Faker Customs

A rather easy set of customs, these battledamaged Fakers were made combining parts from a Faker and Terminator figure. It's mainly just swapping them around, although I did add some additional damage to the face and chest of the lightly damaged Faker.

The heavily damaged Faker got the unused Faker bits from the first custom, and the hairpiece from another Faker.

Three stages of Faker: regular Mega Construx Faker, lightly damaged Faker, heavily damaged faker:

Between this and the Keldor custom, I had some unused bits left that I combined into this Skelefaker for laughs. I added in some orange parts from He-Man (belt and wristband) as well:

Mega Construx - MOTU - Keldor Custom

The first of my Mega Construx customs was Keldor, aka King Randor's Gar halfbrother who would eventually become Skeletor.

The base for this custom was a combination of bodyparts from Skeletor and Faker, with Skeletor armour and 2 copies of Skeletor's sword. The head is based on a Mega Construx Spock head, with the hairline and hair resculpted and some facial hair added. Then painted to match the rest of the figure. I'm rather pleased with the way this one came out.

Days of future past, Keldor and Skeletor:

Mastering the Universes - Custom Action Figure Blog

First post on a blog traditionally needs a sort of introduction and mission statement, so that casual readers know what it's all about and can move on quickly if it's not there thing.

On here I will document my work on custom action figures in the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats and Blackstar universes. My main focus will be the Classics rangeof 7 inch action figures and the 2 inch Mega Construx line, but don't be surprised if the occasional vintage 5.5 inch figure makes it onto the blog.

I won't include here my efforts on those themes in 30mm, as those aren't technically action figures. So if you want to see MOTU, Blackstar, etc... in 30mm scale, I can direct you to my other blog: Wargaming Masters of the Universe. I'l lleave you with a few teaser pics of that one below.