Comments on Microbikes:
Thank you, Hasbro, for deciding to
re-release the G2 Laser Cycles for the Robots In Disguise line.
And thank you very much for including the LED systems --
something Takara didn't opt to do for the Microman LEDpowers versions
of these toys. And thank you a whole heck of a lot for keeping
the newer, Microman-friendly handlebars on the RID cycles. I bought
four pairs of bikes! One for my TF collection, one to serve as
new Microbikes for the 'Force, and the other two sets I cannibalized
-- it's not very hard to transplant the electronic components
into the actual Microman bikes. So far I've only done this for
the Speeder-type 'bikes, but I'll
do the same for the Bisons as soon as I get me some smaller drill
bits. Look here and here
to see some "behind the scenes" shots of what I've done.
It worked great!!!
Random Commentary:
Several toy lines are terrific for
scrounging Microman customization parts. Here are my favorites:
Transformers (Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Robots In Disguise),
Beyblade, Astro-Midgets, SD Gundam BB Senshi "Musha Gundam"
kits, G.I. Joe, StarCom, Xyber 9, and of course the original Microman
and Micronauts toys.
Comments on Arden Dark's Eclipse Mode:
The legs, upper arms, and blasters for this figure come from Arden
Dark. The head is from an Arden Flame figure, with the clear parts
painted black. The body and backpack are from Laser Acroyear figures
(L-05 and L-06) with some black paint added. The lower arms are
from Scavenger, one of three Autobots (repainted Vehicons) released
as a 3-pack for Transformers: Robots In Disguise.
How happy was I to see those gold claws?
Comments on Dragon Acroyear
Mortis:
Mortis was inspired by a Japanese custom called "Acrowoman
Bastet". It used a smoke Demon Acroyear as the base figure,
while I used an Arden Dark, but the concept is the same. It was
too cool for me to resist reproducing. Another of my Acroyears,
Jeduthun, is also loosely based on this design.
Comments on Microman Blue Moon:
This figure' uses a Laser Odin body whose orange trim has been
painted over with a metallic blue Gundam Marker. The head and
weapon (and the hand that wields it) are from a gashapon figure
of Loki (or Rouki, if you prefer) from Gaoranger. If you've watched
much Power Rangers Wild Force, you'll recognize the character
immediately.
Comments on Ardens Heat and Cold:
My Arden Heat is an exact copy of a custom
I saw on a Japanese website. Its easy to do -- I just slathered
all the peach-colored parts of an Arden Flame figure with Tamiya
clear red paint (great stuff), and presto! Arden Cold, on the
other hand, is not a custom -- its a very rare recolor (only 200
were made) sold exclusively through the Japanese store Sendai.
The toy's actual name is Arden Cool, but that sounds kinda goofy
to me.
Comments on Acroyear Drachse:
Drachse was made from an Arden Dark figure, a TomaHawk figure,
and a Zinrai transforming Beyblade dragon. Arden Dark provided
the head, torso, and pelvis; the upper arms are from TomaHawk;
Zinrai was used the forearms, the legs, and of course the big
muckin' dragon appendage. Beyblade toys are made by Takara just
like Micromen are, so their parts are fairly compatible. I'd seen
similar customs done on Japanese fans sites and wanted to try
my own hand at a Beyblade-Microman hybrid. It took me a long time
to find that Zinrai -- Beyblade is the hottest toy in Japan! Here
in America, the fighting tops have only recently been released.
Once the anime hits our airwaves, and the cooler toys (like the
transforming dragons) are on sale, I'm sure they'll be popular
here too. Anyway, I have a few other transforming Beyblade dragons
(in different colors) and I have plans for a few more hybrids
along a similar vein. Should be fun...
Comments on the Triple Panzer:
Although it's fabulously compatible with Micromen, this toy is
actually from the Bomberman (B-DaMan in Japan) line. In
fact, this is a cheap knockoff of the Japanese toy. The plastic
is a little cheap, but it hasn't broken on me yet... The midget-like
stature of this mecha initially turned me off, but its ability
to split into three vehicles makes up for it. Besides, it cost
me less than ten bucks!
Comments on the Microknight Mark-II:
I made this figure from a beat up, old, original-release Microknight
and a Super Microman figure. I'm sure a lot of collectors would
recoil in horror that I'd mutilate two such rare, sought-after
figures, but I felt it was the best use for them. In my opinion
the LEDpowers Micromen are superior to the Super Micromen figures,
which would up having no place in my line-up. The Microknight,
on the other hand, has always been among my favorite original
Microman toys -- but its out of scale with the newer 8-centimeter
figures AND it lacks the "swivel-action grip" which
allows the forearms to rotate right and left. I consider this
vital to cool posability. This project is my effort to effectively
integrate the Microknights into the 1999/2000 Microman line, and
to that end I have bought a complete set of the reissued 'knights.
And yes, I do plan to give them the same treatment. To complete
the work, I'm going to send all their parts off to a company which
does custom-chroming. The end result should be my coolest custom
work ever. Hopefully.
Comments on Microcorps Units
One & Two:
The LEDpowers line initially offered the five heroes of the MagnePowers
line in new Laser versions. What frustrated me was that Walt and
Odin were faithful to their anime incarnations while Arthur, Isamu,
and Edison were not. Thus I set out to create a team of LEDpowers
Micromen who were all accurate to the anime. The end result was
Microcorps Unit One. This left several of the original LEDpowers
iterations in limbo, and I decided to make use of them in various
other Units. The LEDpowers versions of the characters' heads became
the starting point for Unit Two, while the LEDpowers versions
of their bodies were scattered into other Units as I saw fit.
LEDpowers Arthur's body became Shining Arthur, Laser Edison became
Super Edison, and Isamu's body became L-64 Derringer (with the
integration of a Shining Isamu head). Those of you who play video
games (I actually don't) will surely recognize that the names
of Unit Two's members are a reference to Metal Gear Solid's characters
(Solid Snake, Vulcan Raven, Sniper Wolf, Revolver Ocelot, Psycho
Mantis).
Comments on ChangeTroopers:
Micro-fans will notice that the Microman ChangeTroopers are absent
from my line-up. It's not that I don't have them -- quite the
opposite! I have several each. It's just that I hate the ChangeTrooper
figures! Many of their parts, however, have found their way into
my customs. I've used the heads of TomaHawk and DrillJoe to create
new Microman characters (L-43 Hawk and L-44 Joe); various ChangeTrooper
limbs and HoverJack's head have become parts of my custom Acroyears;
and all of the ChangeTroopers' weapons have been reconceived as
heavy Microman weapons. A few examples include Kieth's
DrillGun, Joe's Piston Stinger, and Hawk's Barrage Launcher.
