Arashikage Clan ninja brothers

Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow
15mm

The stars are burning bright 
like some mystery uncovered
I'll keep moving through the dark
with you in my heart
My blood brother

Working on the somewhat lacklustre ninjas featured in my last post gave me a few pretty decent ideas for follow-up projects. This is definitely the best of the lot.

Like a lot of people my age, I had a substantial collection of GI Joe toys as the child in the 80s. And these were by far the coolest. These two mysterious characters, one Joe and one Cobra, were created to tie in with the contemporary ninja craze. I was never familiar with a lot of the extensive background presented in the comic books, but the Coles' Notes version is that Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were both adopted and trained by a clan of ninjas called the Arashikage. Storm Shadow was implicated in their master's murder and fled, joining Cobra, while Snake Eyes was recruited by GI Joe.

Storm Shadow's archery skill is a big part of his character so I was lucky the Rebel minis bow ninja is one of the best sculpts; I just added an arrow.  Snake Eyes is a conversion of a figure that I've painted before, I just gave him a sword and his signature mask and Uzi SMG.

And thanks to Doctor Merkury for always providing so, so much fantastic 80's toy theme inspiration :)

"I must complete Cobra's mission,
Snake Eyes.  Don't make me do this..."

Barbarian Guardian of Eternia

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
28 mm

I'm the master of the world I have no fear of man or beast
Born inside the soul of the world
Riding hard breaking bone with steel and stone
Eternal might I was born to wield.

He-Man! Eternia's greatest hero! Is he a wandering tribesman who was imbued with the power of Castle Greyskull, or is he a noble prince who assumes a secret identity to defend his kingdom?  Only his most trusted companions know for sure...

"Go Herc! Go Herc!"
"Wrong cartoon, buddy, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!"

He-Man is a Quest Miniatures figure.  His base is a custom addition I made, inspired by collectible statuettes like this. I felt that, like Skeletor, his hunched pose needed a height boost so he wasn't crouching below the other characters. I think the result is suitably heroic!

I think this is easily the most ambitious 28mm painting project I've ever undertaken: a group of figures all painted to the highest standard I could manage.  It's been a real challenge, and a satisfying one to finally complete. And definitely a nostalgia trip...

A Touch of Evil

Evil-Lyn
28 mm

Without warning you're here
Like magic you appear
I taste the fear

If Skeletor is the magical brawn among Eternia's villains, Evil-Lyn is the brains.  Though a lesser sorcerer in terms of raw power, she's nevertheless much more intelligent than Skeletor, and is more than willing to work on her own or even secretly against him to further her own self-interest.  Her staff allows her to channel her dark magic into powerful energy blasts.

Evil-Lyn is a Quest Miniatures figure.

"You know, hero, if we set aside our differences, we could get something we both want..."
"Uh... Pockets?"
"Pockets!"

Spectral Sidekick

Orko
28 mm scale

While his magical abilities are notoriously inept, the Trollan creature known as Orko does often aid Eternia's defenders with his bravery, and by producing a shocking array of useful items from beneath his mysterious hat.

Orko was a surprise bonus figure included in my order from Quest Miniatures.  I gave him a bit of a mysterious "Jawa" look here :)

Ossuary Overlord

Skeletor
28 mm

Dust rise, right on over my time
Empty fossil of the new scene
I feel so alone
Gonna end up a big ole pile of them bones

Skeletor... The most villainous, if not the most competent, villain in all of Eternia!  Is he a lich?  A necromancer?  A demon?  A guy wearing a mask?  Nobody knows for sure... But he will not stop his evil plotting until the most potent magic of all - the power of Castle Greyskull - is his to command!

Skeletor is a Quest Miniatures MOTU figure. I modified his booted feet to bare ones, and gave him bracers to reinforce a somewhat sketchy pinning job on his left wrist.

"Uh... I guess you've been going to the gym."

There's so much I could say about this guy... but really, he speaks for himself...

Glamorous Guardian

Teela
28 mm

Warrior girl only goes to where she wants to
Warrior girl maybe has a heavy sword
Warrior girl has no idea where she jumps to
But she jumps to where she wants to
And she's never, ever bored

The brave and loyal but sometimes headstrong Teela is the Captain of the Eternian Royal Guard.  The adopted daughter of Duncan, the Man-At-Arms, she is in fact the secret child of Teela-Na, the Sorceress of Castle Greyskull.

This Quest Miniatures figure really captures the cheesy 1980's-ness of the character, charging into battle in her up-do, white swimsuit and high heels.  As one does.  The shield that came with her was quite large, which I remedied by making a copy using Instant Mold and replicating only the central boss with greenstuff, to give her a buckler more suitable for a lightly-armored warrior.

"Bring Your Daughter to Work Day"

"Uh... I'm sure that cat wasn't anybody's pet."

The Number of the Beast

Beastman
28 mm

Call me the Manimal
That's what I am
Call me the Manimal,
Half beast half man

Beastman is one of Skeletor's closest and most loyal henchmen, able to command wild creatures of Eternia to aid Skeletor's schemes. But sometimes he chafes under his lord's harsh command and covets power of his own...  A Quest Miniatures MOTU figure.

"Ragggh! You think big club make warrior?" "Guess we'll find out!"

Stalwart soldier

Man-at-Arms
28 mm

Wife and kids, household pet
Army green was no safe bet

Duncan, the Man-At-Arms, advises the crown of Eternia on matters of war and security, but he's also ready to wade into battle swinging his huge mace.  He's the adopted father of the female warrior Teela.

This is another "Masters of the Universe" character from Quest Miniatures.  It was an interesting chance to work with a colour scheme I probably wouldn't have chosen myself.  Looking at this figure now makes me realize how much those colours make him resemble "Strontium Dog" character Johnny Alpha...

Ethereal Eternian

The Sorceress of Castle Greyskull
28 mm

Eternia... a strange land of mighty heroes, where mystical forces and arcane technology coexist.  A land in peril from the perpetual plans of the forces of evil...  One of its most powerful protectors is a mysterious Sorceress, who resides in the ancient Castle Greyskull.

The sorceress is, obviously, a character from "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe", a toy line and cartoon that I, like many North American kids, enjoyed in the 1980's.  I was thrilled to find that Quest Miniatures produces a number of excellent MOTU figures.

The "light " photo might be better... I always struggle with this stuff.

I didn't follow the "canon" look for her exactly, but I think the result was a bit more dramatic in contrast between the front and back of the figure.

Readers may remember I posted a while back about some amazing 80's nostalgia figures I found... including these ones.  In a moment of weakness, I bought the entire set of MOTU core heroes and villains from Quest.  "Man-At-Arms" is next on the painting queue:

Children of the 80's

As a kid in the 80s, I played with the classic 80's toys - especially GI Joe and Transformers - almost every day.  In the last while I've run into the blogs of a few hobbyists who are tabletop-gaming 28mm GI Joe...  It's a pretty cool idea, and presents the chance for lots of fun hobby projects.  From Katsuhiko Jinnai's "The Realm of Jinnai":

Wow... stunning work, and nostalgia overload :O  I am unsure where he gets all these amazing figures; some are clearly conversions but many seem to be custom sculpts?!

Now I've found a very cool new thing.:

For Cobraaaaa!

For Eterniaaaaa!

Like Jinnai, Doctor Merkury does a lot of converting to produce his Joes... and He-Man characters!  And my personal fave: he 3-D prints Transformers!  What?!

As a bonus, both these bloggers are fantastic photographers who use backdrops and terrain pieces to maximum effect showing off their work... which I can really appreciate :D