Member Customs

  We have a multitude of tutorials on the front page and the forums themselves, ranging from painting camo to wiring LEDs, but I think what we have here is quite possibly the most comprehensive and wide ranging painting tutorial to date, and it comes from forum member MIKED. I’m not going to say this is the end all, be all of painting tutorials, but in my opinion you certainly can’t go wrong following the techniques he uses, and explains in great detail so that even the most amateur of us should be able to follow his example.   “Hey All! Welcome to my custom figure painting tutorial. Thank you for your interest. The subject of this tutorial is my new Marvel Universe Hercules custom. I decided to do the Lion of Olympus in his garb from his mid to ... Read More »

  Now, I know there’s a few customizers out there who have tackled larger scale projects. I’m pretty sure there’s a transforming Optimus Rolling Thunder in joe scale. But what forum member Keenan has built is a 1:18th(perhaps 1:16th) masterpiece. It’s unfortunate that this beast does not transform, but that in no way takes away from the magnificence that has been created. It’s creations like this with something so large that you really get a true idea of the scale we enjoy. And hey, let’s be honest… who doesn’t want some Transformers scaled with our 1:18 figures and vehicles? I know I’d be happy as a clam to own something like this!   This beast is completely scratch built(minus some joints and the hands that came from donor fodder), and Keenan has put in many hours of work into what ... Read More »

  When McFarlane toys gave us a Warthog, we were pleased that we had something that worked with our Halo figures, but the scale variance between our 1:18th figures and the Halo toys was off-putting. Many of us yearned for Halo toys that would fit in more with our 3-3/4 figures and vehicles. Sure, we could drop our Joes into the McFarlane Warthog, but it looked terrible, like you put your kids behind the wheel of your Humvee and told them to “look natural”. Natural, it was not.   Jada toys decides to throw us collectors a bone with a new Warthog(which they are releasing in a “pre-dirtied” version as well.) Forum staffer pcsguy88 took this offering and made his own weathered version, and as you’ll see from the images he took, much more suitable for your 1:18th scaled figures. ... Read More »

  Today, for your viewing pleasure, is forum member Dark Horse‘s vast imagination at work once more. Ever since they hit retailers and etailers alike, many of us have taken a deeper look at the Zombie Viper, trying to visualize it better within our respective worlds. And there have been some that have gone the extra leap, applying it to Shock Trooper, Viper, and regular Trooper bases. But, what about those poor green suited lads who’ve undergone the process? What might they look like? Dark Horse brought us that answer! The figure utilizes the Zombie Viper base, Cobra Trooper head and helmet, and 25th Comic Pack Duke’s arms and legs, which have a green hue that resembles the base body almost perfectly. Adding a pair of elastic straps to replace the broken ones on the harness, a dab of paint ... Read More »

They say you can’t polish a turd, and yet, it has been proven factually incorrect at least twice, now(But quite likely, more often than that.) The Mythbusters proved it by literally polishing a turd, and now forum Officer Fled74, with his polished and pristine custom of the PTE Blackhawk, has done the same! Honestly, it’s hard to see any redeeming qualities in some of PTE’s offerings. While a good many are close to scale, others are so glaringly underscaled that it almost hurts to look at them. While Fled74‘s version is still underscaled, through a long and dedicated process he turned it from a hunk of cheap plastic into a fantastic piece that many of us would be proud to display in our collections, especially for those of us who don’t have the room or cash for one of the ... Read More »

Here at the fighting 118th we appreciate all the great pictures and customs that everyone shares with the site. To say thank you we do a member highlight on occasion to showcase a member’s work. Footloose is the most recent member that has been chosen. You have probably seen his Z-wars action figure comic and also the thread that he shares his pictures with (along with the “one shot” thread). So from the 118th staff, we’d like to thank him for bringing his work over and taking the time to share some info with us. Following are a few questions that I had sent for a little insight on what got him into dioramas and photography.   Name:  John Patterson Location:  Sarasota, Fl Q: What got you into photography? A: Honestly I just picked up my camera one day and ... Read More »

Forum member Marine Deadpool delivers another knockout punch courtesy of his latest custom, MGS3 Snake! Now, I am mostly unfamiliar with the MGS series of games, but don’t tar and feather me just yet! After some research to find some in game images to make comparisons, it looks to me like Marine Deadpool has created a fairly accurate representation of the game character, and we’re glad that he’s decided to share this with us here at the Fighting 1:18th! “Here is my take on MGS3 Snake. I used a mix of Tamiya and Testors Model Masters Acrylics. The Tamiya was used for camo, Testors for flesh color.” The parts breakdown are as follows: – SDS Snake head with sculpted bandanna – 25th Viper/Mutt Torso – 25th Viper Upper arms – Resolute SE Lower arms and hands, sculpted modified gloves – ... Read More »

A lot of time and creativity goes into forum member Wry1’s customs and artwork, and Tripwire is no exception. What Wry1 has created and shared with us at the Fighting 118th, is a very realistic, modern military themed EOD expert that meshes perfectly with the more up-to-date collections and offerings out there at retail. The parts chosen are the perfect building blocks for the sculpting over top, turning this figure from what seems a complete mish-mash, into what I consider an artful masterpiece. The colors work well and seem to be spot on with what you’d expect out of a real-world EOD, successfully giving Tripwire a modern day representation, rather than the sorry 25th anniversary homage we got. Here is the before-sculpt recipe as stated by Wry1 himself: Helmet – Ace helmet turned backwards, Pit Commando face shield, various fodder, ... Read More »

Red does it again! Read More »

Forum member Obi-Shinobi has done it again!  He recently shared his Delta Recon Operatives with the forum. This 4 man squad sports a very realistic vibe that resonates well with the Fighting118th.  The team was completed by using a wide variety of parts including the fan favorite Pursuit of Cobra Shock Trooper.  Obi-Shinobi has always been willing to share his fantastic customs and we can’t wait to see what he has planned next. Here is the Recipes: Heads – random masked styles Torsos – shock trooper Arms – ST and desert Duke/Ripcord Hands – ST and Ret SE Legs – ST and Dusty Weapons – modified Bravo, BBI, and Hasbro Helmets – Bravo Gear – ST vests with added various pouches, and Ret SE vest Packs – Bravo, BBI   You can enjoy individual photos of the team and the full gallery on Page ... Read More »