*** Head on over to my Ebay Auctions to see what’s available this week, or commission me if you’d like your very own custom action figure like this one. ***
Continuing from where I left off with my updated Kenner Sgt. Apone custom, I wanted to tackle the Colonial Marine Drake next. I still have a soft spot for the old Kenner Aliens toy line, which is why I’m having such a blast updating the designs. Drake was made with a NECA Predator Dutch for the body, the head and hands from a Diamond Select Expendables 2 Gunnar Jensen, and lots of fodder. I gave the head a headband and sculpted some hair falling over it, and used some McFarlane Techno Spawn parts for the headset. The bullet straps come from a McFarlane Al Simmons with some pieces of fodder attached. The real star of this custom though, is the Smart Gun. I wanted it to be inspired by the Kenner Smart Gun accessory, but also put in some personal touches to make it look even more intimidating. This thing is made from so many different pieces, I can’t even remember them all. I just dug through my fodder bins and got pieces that I thought would fit to make a giant gun. It also has an articulated stabilizing arm (just like in the movie) that attaches to his bandolier strap. One Kenner accurate paint job later, and now Drake is ready to join Sgt. Apone to stomp some bugs!
*** Head on over to my Ebay Auctions to see what’s available this week, or commission me if you’d like your very own custom action figure like this one. ***
I’ve delved into remaking some of the old 90’s Kenner designs already, but now I wanted to try my hand at some of the old video game designs as well. The Bat Alien Xenomorph is inspired by the design of the same character from the early 90’s Alien Vs. Predator SNES game. The main body is a NECA Xenomorph Warrior, the wings come from a Marvel Legends BAF Annihilus, and the feet come from a Kenner Flying Queen Xenomorph. Props to Jin Saotome for this recipe. I wanted to use the same recipe, but give the Bat Alien a more traditional xenomorph-like paint job. I spliced the Annihilus wings onto the Xenomorph’s arms, and hollowed out the Flying Queen feet so the NECA ball joints could fit in them. I sculpted over the dome as well, smoothing it out with divots lining each side to match the SNES game design. One paint job later using black, various shades of gray and green, and a glossy overcoat to give him a slimy appearance, and the Bat Alien is complete and ready to give the Colonial Marines and Predators a run for their money!
Aliens fans have been waiting a long time for this, but it’s finally here. A slew of official images and information has been released regarding the highly anticipated NECA Aliens Queen Xenomorph Ultra Deluxe Figure. This figure is definitely worth the wait. It looks incredible, and will no doubt look amazing next to the upcoming Power Loader and Ripley figures NECA is making.
Continue after the jump for the full info and image gallery for the NECA Aliens Queen Ultra Deluxe figure!! Continue reading →
Yesterday NECA tweeted a photo showing off new images of their upcoming Bioshock Infinite Booker Dewitt action figure. NECA first revealed the figure at the 2014 New York Toy Fair back in February, but now they’ve started officially soliciting the figure to retailers. The NECA Booker DeWitt figure will come with his shotgun and Sky-Hook, and is set to be released this August. You can pre-order the figure right now on BigBadToyStore.
I know it had mixed reactions, but I love the 2010 Aliens Vs. Predator video game. One of my favorite characters in the game was Corporal Teresa “Tequila” Aquila. She was smart, strong, and wasn’t afraid to tackle with some xenos. I love the character, and I love the idea of expanding the ranks, so I just had to customize her. I pored over several screenshots of the Tequila character from the Aliens Vs. Predator video game to make sure I got this custom down as accurately as possible. Be sure to check out the official page for Tequila to see the full photo set as well as a detailed description of how it was made. Also, this custom is currently for auction on eBay. Feel free to bid if you’re interested in filling out your NECA Colonial Marines. If you know someone who might be, then please pass the link along. Thanks for looking!
*** Head on over to my Ebay Auctions to see what’s available this week, or commission me if you’d like your very own custom action figure like this one. ***
I know it had mixed reactions, but I love the 2010 Aliens Vs. Predator video game. One of my favorite characters in the game was Corporal Teresa “Tequila” Aquila. She was smart, strong, and wasn’t afraid to tackle with some xenos. I love the character, and I love the idea of expanding the ranks, so I just had to customize her. Tequila is made using the upper body (and upper legs) from a NECA Portal 2 Chell figure, with the lower legs, armor, and pulse rifle from a NECA Aliens Corporal Hicks. I pored over several screenshots of the Tequila character from the Aliens Vs. Predator video game to make sure I got this custom down as accurately as possible. She had several personal details on her armor in the game that I replicated here, including the name “Louis” on her chest, and a decal that says “I ‘heart’ guns”. Tequila also has a U.S.M.C. tattoo, and a series of star tattoos. I weathered the armor and decals to look realistic, and painted her pants to look like what a Colonial Marine would wear. I had to so some tailoring on the armor to get it to fit right, and then I added some straps, gave her a shoulder lamp and pulse rifle, and now Corporal Tequila is ready to go bug stomping!
Tohokingdom the exclusive to break the news of what the upcoming NECA Godzilla 2014 action figures will look like. They will be releasing two versions, a 6″ tall version which will be 12″ from head-to-tail, and a 12″ tall version which will be 24″ from head-to-tail. I don’t believe there’s any official word on pricing, but NECA has said before that the 12″ figure would be around $50 and the 6″ figure should be around $20. I assume official pricing details will be forthcoming. There’s also no official release date yet for the NECA Godzilla 2014 figures, but since the movie comes out May 16th, I imagine these will be hitting shelves around that time as well, if not a bit sooner to ramp up promotion.
Continue after the jump to check out the full hi-res images! Continue reading →
Something that some people may have forgotten about is that NECA has an upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins 1/4 scale action figure! It was on display at the 2014 New York Toy Fair. Now, NECA has taken some really great photos of the Batman: Arkham Origins figure to give everyone a much better look at what they’re getting. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but this figure does have upper torso articulation, like a floating ab joint. The NECA Batman: Arkham Origins 1/4 scale figure is due out in May of 2014.
Last Week I was talking with Randy Falk from NECA about their process for fabricating weapons and accessories for their action figures. As a customizer, I’m always curious about learning new techniques and improving my craft. He told me that he’d see about doing a step-by-step behind the scenes of what it takes for them to make a weapon accessory, and sure enough that has happened. In what will be the first of many, this is the beginning of NECA Toys making a weapon accessory.
Continue after the jump for the behind-the-scenes look! Continue reading →
That’s right, Mint Condition Customs is having its first giveaway! In order to honor the memory of the real life Craig Windrix, I’m giving away one NECA Aliens Sgt. Craig Windrix action figure. Craig Windrix was the brother of lead sculptor at NECA Toys Kyle Windrix and recently passed after battling cancer. To enter the giveaway, scroll down and fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Enter your name and email, or sign in through Facebook and fill out each part of the form to give yourself more entries. More entries means more chances to win! The giveaway will stay open until March 1st, at which point an entry will be selected at random and the winner will be contacted after that. Watch the video below for any more information regarding the giveaway. Good luck to everybody!
Aliens fans have been waiting a long time for this, but it’s finally here. A slew of official images and information has been released regarding the highly anticipated NECA Aliens Queen Xenomorph Ultra Deluxe Figure. This figure is definitely worth the wait. It looks incredible, and will no doubt look amazing next to the upcoming Power Loader and Ripley figures NECA is making.
Yesterday 
Something that some people may have forgotten about is that NECA has an upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins 1/4 scale action figure! It was on display at the 2014 New York Toy Fair. Now, NECA has taken some really great photos of the Batman: Arkham Origins figure to give everyone a much better look at what they’re getting. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but this figure does have upper torso articulation, like a floating ab joint. The NECA Batman: Arkham Origins 1/4 scale figure is due out in May of 2014. 
Last Week I was talking with Randy Falk from NECA about their process for fabricating weapons and accessories for their action figures. As a customizer, I’m always curious about learning new techniques and improving my craft. He told me that he’d see about doing a step-by-step behind the scenes of what it takes for them to make a weapon accessory, and sure enough that has happened. In what will be the first of many, this is the beginning of NECA Toys making a weapon accessory.