Customs

Earlier this month forum member Obi Shinobi shared with us his Work In Progress photos of his custom Diorama based on the Miniature Fantasy Board Game called HeroQuest only with one catch.  He’s planning on making the game 1:18th Scale!  I wasn’t privy to HeroQuest or any Miniature Game for that matter however after reading through the responses on the forum and doing some research on my own this is turning into one impressive project.  We have some big plans in place for Obi Shinobi’s Diorama in the future however in the meantime you can view some of his WIP photos on page 2 and check out his WIP thread Here Obi Shinobi has sent out a Invitation to the Fighting118th to help create Fantasy Characters for his HeroQuest project.  The idea to to help populate the game board and potentially set up a live game ... Read More »

  “Born in the USA son of Israeli diplomats, Raz moved back to Israel while in High School and eventually served in Mosaad, Israels intellignece community. While in the IDF he was an elite urban sniper. There is a $1,000,000 bounty on his head. Since the Wars began Raz has returned to the US re-uniting with some of his childhood friends who were sons of Military brass assisting them with the CIA and SAD divisions in searching out Middle Eastern Operatives in the USA.” So ends the brief backstory of Raz, a custom figure created by forum member Rick. And, as usual, he does not disappoint. Paint work is flawless, giving a great example of how to apply a real world look to an action figure. It’s hard to tell that the dirt and dust is, yes, actually paint, and ... Read More »

  We’re all familiar with forum member MSWI’s work. He’s one of the few people I have seen that can create a true representation of some of our favorite characters, and put it into figure form using a multitude of mediums. The best part about him, though, is the fact that he’s absolutely modest about his skills, and is a very genuine person, and an all around great guy to talk to. I have, many times, expressed my jealousy at his skill, and he’s turned right around to tell me that he wasn’t good when he started, and all it takes is practice. Thanks, MSWI, for sharing the love of your craft with us at the Fighting 1:18th!   Some of these pictures date back into May, but I thought I’d round some of them all up and drop them ... Read More »

  BOOM! Headshot! Or in the case of the following images, chest shot. Either way, we get another Photoshop tutorial and a dead Viper, courtesy of forum Officer Fled74! I find this is a very useful tutorial, and something I know a lot of people struggle with. Fled74 makes it seem easy! And I think if you follow the carefully laid out steps, you’ll start finding it a lot easier, too! “First off, let me apologise for the long delay in creating this tutorial. I blame Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto 4 for being too damn addictive. Anyway, here goes. Blood has always been a distasteful subject, but during the course of diorama photography and the pursuit of greater realism, we may eventually encounter dio situations where bloodshed is necessary. Applying actual “blood” (Halloween blood or similar) to ... Read More »

  Say what? You want a 1:18th scaled Predator to stalk your Joes? To pose with your cancelled JP figure, Recondo, Duke, and Spirit?(We all know they were designed after the characters from the movie!) Well, forum member Obi-Shinobi has done the hard part of putting one together, and I must say that it is fan-freaking-tastic! The figure evokes that subtle terror that the Yautja bring about, and I personally can see many a scenario with this beast skulking in the shadows, watching its prey, calculating their every move, until at last, it strikes!   From the WIP thread for this piece, it seems that he’s using Microman parts for the armor, with MU arms modded onto a Frost Giant torso. The netting used is from a wedding veil, of all things! Superb modding, superb paintwork, and superb parts choices. ... Read More »

  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 »

Legion Fourteen Productions has announced the much anticipated release of their Weapons Series 1.  For those that aren’t familiar with Legion Fourteen Productions,  this company is run by forum member Falcone.   Series 1 features 10 weapons at the price of $1 each or lower.  I recently had the opportunity to review a advanced set of Series 1 that you can view Here Below is a quote from Falcone: I am announcing the official release of the Series 1 Weapon Set by Legion Fourteen Productions. The product can be found at the store linked in my signature. I will also be listing on eBay at a later time, stay tuned for that. All previous preorders will begin being filled tomorrow. You can visit Falcone’s store Here and you can discuss Series 1 with the forum Here 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 »