[Mordiganne]

The Universe is expanding.... (pics to follow in next post)

This batch went in a different direction than what I had previously planned which was more lesser known/obscure characters. Those have been shifted to the next batch and this one went beyond my normal '8-per batch' because of the group(s) that I decided to make. I did pick up a new 2-pack - I originally bought the Hyperion set only for custom purposes, but I ended up liking the black and gold Hyperion (forget which universe he's supposed to be from) so much that I bought a second pack to have that figure who'll go on display replacing the red Hyperion. I'm going to take the head from the second Hyperion for a custom, just not sure who yet, so he's in the pic intact for now. In comic news I worked my way thru the "New Avengers" series up to the Siege which is where I stopped since I want to read Siege from start to finish. Anyway, New Avengers was/is surprisingly entertaining. I'll go back thru my "Mighty Avengers" scans another time. I also dipped into some Daredevil after stopping with the Avengers series, but I'm reading those out of order so I have to go back to the first issue I have in continuity for it to all flow and make more sense. I'm around the preludes to Shadowland right now. No custom reworks or minor customs, so this batch is all SHIELD and Hydra - still plenty to go for each, but this group at least puts my SHIELD team on a good footing now. So, anyway, onto the rest...


SHIELD: I really wanted to expand my SHIELD roster since Hasbro barely made any and aren't likely to make any going forward. These customs were so simple to make that I'm just putting them all in one go. I already had a grey that was a near perfect match for the Fury exclusive's grey and found a blue that's just about perfect for SHIELD's traditional color so it was just a matter of which characters to make. Here's the list, from Left to Right:

G.W. Bridge - I actually forgot he was a SHIELD guy since I attribute the character to the Six Pack team from the 90's, but once I saw him on the list of agents I added him to the group.

Clay Quartermain - Other than a better Fury figure Quartermain was the agent I wanted to make the most. Mainly because of how often he showed up on EMH.

Jimmy Woo - I just took the old exclusive Fury body and stuck a new head on it. I sculpted the glasses because I found an art panel where he was wearing some 360 degree panoramic glasses which I thought was kind of neat and especially fitting as a SHIELD gadget. And given that the character is of Chinese descent he makes more sense to be on the shorter early series buck than a taller character like Nick Fury does.

Victoria Hand - I wanted a Victoria Hand as a member of SHIELD prior to everything that happened with Hammer and all that triple agent stuff. So I made her in a standard SHIELD uniform to start. I might make a different outfit for her later (hammer battle outfit or Osborne subordinate office attire), we'll see. She just needed sculpted glasses.

Nick Fury - I've always hated the exclusive Fury figure, mainly because it cost me a really cool statue that I really, really wanted (long story) but on top of that the figure is just horrible, so I made a new Fury just keeping the head and jet pack. His cigar is removable and he can hold it in either hand. I did repaint the head slightly since the Hasbro paint job was pathetic.

Slingshot - I've really enjoyed the few Secret Warriors issues that I have so I wanted to make the Caterpillars. I started with Slingshot because she was the easiest. I opted to go with her cybernetic arm look.

Quake - Quake was a natural for my SHIELD roster expansion both because of her prominence on the show (even though Chloe Bennet is annoying and they put her way too much in the spotlight) and because of her role as team leader for the Caterpillars and her brief stint as SHIELD director in the comics. I went with a longer haired look since her short crop looks too much like Maria Hill and because I didn't feel like sculpting short hair at the moment. I'll make an alternate head for her later that doesn't look like Aurora. I did have to sculpt the bulk of her gauntlets. That was easy and didn't take long, and they came out great.

Stonewall - Stonewall I decided to make as my last Caterpillar - for now - since I found a good way to make him using the new Hyperion with the better legs. I never liked the cuffed boots on the first set of legs. A little sculpt on the belt and some cut up bits for the rest and he was an easy make. Have to make the last 2/3 and I'll be all set for that subteam. Not sure if I want to make a Phobos or not. I wasn't too fond of him in the issues I have with him. Maybe his characterization improved in later issues, but I haven't read them yet.



Hydra: Since I was making SHIELD agents I decided to throw in a couple more Hydra members as well. I really wanted to go off the beaten path for Hydra so I went searching for characters that were involved in the organization and who I could make a good case for still being Hydra operatives. These are the first of them:

Hardball - I actually really liked that Hardball was a Hydra spy within the Initiative and was disappointed to find out that Marvel took back that characterization and removed him from Hydra with the lame "I had no choice" routine. So in my view of the Marvel world Hardball is still Hydra and after having his cover blown in the Initiative went back to Hydra proper and worked his way up in the organization becoming a top lieutenant under Kraken's group. Custom wise he was a simple repaint with a little sculpt work for the shoulder pauldrons. Painting on yellow is still a ridiculous chore, but I loved the color scheme. It's a nice break from the typical greens and yellow of Hydra. Until I looked recently I never realized just how many characters have weaved in and out of Hydra over the years. A lot of customizing potential there.

Ms. Fischer - I only have one issue that features this character but I thought having a Hydra styled secretary was just very intriguing. Sort of a "Jarvis" for the bad guys. So when I saw this character I knew I wanted to make her. I opted to go with a hair down version since I really didn't feel like sculpting a bun in addition to the other sculpt work her design needs. I went with a modified Dr. Strange waist piece for her skirt and she's on one of the under articulated Marvel bodies since she's not a fighter and wouldn't need action posing. She came out well and I'm glad to add her to the Hydra section.

Man-Killer - I like Man-Killer's background as is as a former member of Hydra and with her leaving the Thunderbolts on less than stellar terms it gave leeway for me to justifiably return the character to Hydra. As a bonus, her outfit's color scheme goes perfectly with Hardball's so in my world she's his partner and co-lead (also under Kraken) where the two work as a team on missions. Given her stature I used a Valk buck and just sculpted her short haired look along with the shoulder and forearm straps. Added some belts and she's ready to join the rest of Hydra on the shelf. Just need to get around to making my Kraken figure and the other Hydra heads that I want to make.