Category Archives: Conversions

Forgotten Heroes: A Retrospective

As Forgotten Heroes draws to a close for 2026, I thought I might do a retrospective of my involvement with my favorite painting challenge. It’s the ten year anniversary of Forgotten Heroes, but I have only been a participant for nine of them, after Carrion Crow invited me to take part back in 2017. I remain very grateful that he did, because as I’ve just said, it’s my favorite painting challenge and I hope never to miss a year!

So, while you could go back through my site archives and just look at June every year since 2017, I’ll make it easier and show every miniature I’ve ever done for Forgotten Heroes in this post.

2017

The year that started it all for me! I decided to do the Liberty Legion, as I’m a sucker for WWII superhero comics. I repainted the official Heroclix versions of the Whizzer, Miss America, Thin Man and Union Jack, repainted an X-Men Angel miniature to make Red Raven, and actually tried my hand at converting Patriot, Jack Frost, Blue Diamond, and Spirit of ’76.

Blue Diamond was a DC Hawk clix with the cape removed and repainted, and Jack Frost was made from a Scorpion clis (minus the tail) with Quicksilver’s head.

Spirit of ’76 was made from a Doc Samson miniature along with Adam Warlock’s torso and cape. I did my best using green stuff to sculpt his tricornered hat. Patriot was a Wrecker miniature with a Kree soldier’s head, which is why he looks much beefier than Patriot should.

These look pretty rough, but that’s because back in 2017, I still thought I could see. Besides, we all start somewhere!

2018

I tried my hand at green stuff again in 2018, when I “sculpted” the costumes of Wun-darr the Aquarian and Plant Man. I also made Water Wizard (center), using a water jet from the Aquaman model I used for Aquarian’s head.

I did Vigilante, too.

2019

In 2019, Carrion Crow mixed it up a bit by suggesting we make heroes with a patriotic flair, i.e. representative of a nation.

I chose to make La Bandera, a pretty lame character who inspires revolution by channeling nationalistic fervor. She was in a Wolverine comic. More recognizable, perhaps, is The Red Cyclone himself, Zangief. I added some green stuff hair onto the chest, shins and head of a Blockbuster clix model, then repainted him.

2020

During Lockdown, I decided to start converting some First Comics characters. First was one of my favorite comics companies back in the 80’s and 90’s. Nexus (L) and Badger (R) were my first choices, and I’m very happy with both.

I also painted a Reaper “Goldar the Barbarian” as Kratos from God of War, using Forgotten Heroes as an excuse to do so, as like Zangief above, he’s hardly “forgotten.”

2021

Still under Lockdown a year later, I chose another First Comics character, Job Sable: Freelance (R). He was one of the easiest miniatures I ever converted, using another Quicksilver head on a Bullseye body. I also did Grips (L), a forgotten slasher vigilante from the 1980’s independent comics scene. Finally, I did The Crimson Hound, my friend Bruno’s character. Both Grips and the Crimson Hound used Reaper superheroes miniatures as their bases.

2022

2022 brought more than a lifting of Covid restrictions, it brought the Hypno-Hustler and Rainbow Boy! Four years later and I’m STILL not calling the Hustler done, as I haven’t painted a base I’m happy with yet. This one is just a placeholder so he can stand up for the picture.

As for Rainbow Boy, he was the first hero I made from The League of Regrettable Superheroes, a fantastic book that could be a manual for Forgotten Heroes submissions.

2023

I returned to First Comics in 2023 with Dreadstar, a character with a multi-company publication history, and Whisper, a character who, as far as I know, died along with First Comics. I’m pretty happy with both of these, especially Whisper, as I used a notoriously hideous Elektra figure as the base model and actually made it look good. THe green stuff work on Dreadstar is a little rough (as always), but his costume helps hide it. (He also marks the second Aquaman head I’ve used. That’s Aquaman and Quicksilver, 2-2.)

2024

Every once in a while you find the perfect base model to use for a conversion, and I couldn’t have had a better starting point for Judomaster (L) than Iron Fist. All he needed was a repaint. Another from the League of Regrettable Superheroes, Bee-Man was a hero I had never heard of (and it’s not surprising why). Finally, I tried my hand at Grendel, the Hunter Rose version. He’s probably the FH submission I’m most unhappy with. He’s too beefy to be Hunter Rose, and I’m pretty sour on my work here.

2025

Three repaints marked 2025: Chemistro, made from a repainted Thunderball, The Escapist, made from a repainted Animal Man, and the Phantom, a repainted Daredevil. I added the guns and the chains. No green stuff to speak of, which is why I think 2025 was a pretty strong year for me.

2026

And finally, this year I made Mr. Muscles and X. Mr. Muscles was an old Charlton character, another from the League of Regrettable Superheroes. I lucked out with this Johnny Quick miniature, as it only required a repaint. X was an old Dark Horse Comics character, an untra-violent vigilante no one should remember (even though I did).

All told, I’ve repainted and/or converted 33 miniatures for the Forgotten Heroes challenge, which is great, But what’s even better is seeing what everyone else does every year. After ten years of the challenge, there are just too many hobbyists and submissions to mention each and every one, but some deserve special shout-outs: Guys like Roger and Dave consistently blow me away with their sculpting talent. Who needs a base miniature when you can just make what you want from scratch? Remember Carrion Crow’s MODOK, made from a Hulk doll’s head? Michael Awdry made a brilliant Bouncing Boy out of a ping pong ball in Forgotten Heroes’ first year; this year he’s making Captain Caveman out of a peanut shell! And let’s not forget newcomer GroddsnSods, who blew us all away this year with TEN separate submissions, each one a work of art!

On a personal note (and one guaranteed to make the British uncomfortable), I’d like to thank Roger and Jeremy for creating this challenge and keeping it going every year, and thanks to Jeremy for hosting it, as always. I really do look forward to this painting challenge more than any other, and I’m honored you asked me to participate all those years ago. You’ve both been nothing but supportive, welcoming, and encouraging to me and everyone else in our hobby circle, a circle that, thanks to guys like you, is widening rather than shrinking. Although we’ve never met in person (hopefully someday), I count you both among my friends, and hope you feel the same way.

And if you don’t, you know what you can do? Go piss up a rope, ya damn dirty Brits!

Forgotten Heroes 2026: Mr. Muscles!

For my second (and likely final) submission for Forgotten Heroes, I offer you: Mr. Muscles!

Mr. Muscles was another Charlton Comics character (that company is fertile ground for Forgotten Heroes inspiration). I have it on good authority (Carrion Crow told me) that “Mr. Muscles” is also Roger’s nickname, on account of his rampant ‘roid use. I’ve never seen Roger myself, but the Crow assures me his physique is not natural. Kind of like the Liver King.

(Disclaimer: All the above regarding Roger and the Crow may be untrue, as in might not have actually happened.)

Anyway, Mr. Muscles’s story is as follows: his real name is Brett Carson, and he had polio. His doctors all told him he’d never walk again and he should just give up. But Brett didn’t do that, and miraculously not only reversed his polio with sheer willpower and what would later be known as “dynamic tension”, but he became Mr. Muscles, a physically-fit guy who ended up fighting criminals and murderers by using his physical fitness and muscles.

Mr. Muscles replaced the Blue Beetle comic and lasted two whole issues before vanishing into comic obscurity. I did not know who Mr. Muscles was before last month. I have the League of Regrettable Superheroes to thank for that.

This book is a great resource for Forgotten Heroes. It already gave me Rainbow Boy, shown here.

Anyway, to make Mr. Muscles, I used this Johnny Quick miniature.

I know, I know. It’s basically a repaint, with no real conversion work needed. But it’s what I can do at the moment.

And here’s Mr. Muscles! Astute folks may see that Mr. Muscles doesn’t wear gloves, but removing them was more trouble than it was worth, so my version has black gloves. The M on his chest was [particularly challenging with my old eyes, but I did what I could.

In just seven days, he can make you a man.

Check out those glutes!

Now, there IS another miniature I hope to do before the end of the month, but the odds are long because: a) I am extremely busy with other stuff, and b) I’m not 100% happy with the base miniature I have available. But I guarantee that he’s forgotten, and if I get around to doing him, I’d wager none of you have heard of him. Guess we’ll see.

I love what I’m seeing everywhere else. Aside from the usual suspects who are here every year, Awdry’s Captain Caveman is spectacular and @groddsnsods has outdone us all with ten submissions, all fantastic and inspirational! And @spoontastic_minis on Instagram is working on a Golden Age Sandman miniature that shows some real promise. Head over to Carrion Crow’s Buffet for a full list of participants and show them some love!

Forgotten Heroes 2026: X

For my first submission for Forgotten Heroes this year, I present everyone’s favorite edgelord, ultra-violent, anonymous vigilante with a weird BDSM look to ever come out of the 90’s: X!

Wait, you don’t remember X? The guy with a padlock around his neck and only one eyehole in his mask? He was one of the “heroes” from Dark Horse Comics’ Comics Greatest World line. Well, I can’t really tell you his story, because although I have the first 15 or so issues of his comic, I tried reading them prior to making this miniature and I could barely get through 2 issues. It was written by Mike Baron, creator of Badger (which I like a lot). Needless to say, it’s not his best work.

But fret not. My description pretty much sums up all you need to know about him.

Anyway, to make X I used three Heroclix miniatures: Deathstroke and Selene pictured above…

And because I’m a dummy who forgets to take pictures of miniatures before he converts them, this Deadshot miniature, of which I only had one. I beheaded both Deadshot and Deathstroke, used Deathstroke’s head on Deadshot’s body, and cut Selene’s cape off and attached it. I added a little putty for his ripped cape around his neck and “sculpted” the ridiculous padlock. Then I painted him.

I think he came out ok.

Looks like I could have done a better job of removing that thing on Deadshot’s chest, but whatever.

I have at least one more to contribute to the challenge this year, so check back!

Forced March Update: Galacteers!

Forced March is drawing to a close, and I’ve finally finished a unit of miniatures! These are Galacteers, from Hydra Miniatures, and I’ve had them for about fifteen years. In fact, my first posts on this site were some War Rocket ships, Galacteers and Imperials, and I’ve previously painted some Galacteer characters (you can see them at the end). These guys are just the rank-and-file scrubs, complete with a heavy weapon.

Started out by priming them white, figuring I’d paint all the other colors around the white uniforms and just highlight up. Easy, right? Well, yeah. Maybe once upon a time. But these took much longer to paint because I kept fucking up and getting paint on the white parts, so, by the time I got to the white, I had a lot to fix. Damn these eyes!

Still, not too shabby when they’re all painted up, and completing them after all this time means I have no more Hydra miniatures outstanding in the pile of shame. This gives me a feeling of accomplishment I haven’t felt since finishing off my Pulp Figures years ago.

Here’s an image of the squad with all the Hydra characters in the front row. Done!

But of course, I am not the only one taking part in Forced March! Below find the other participants and their awesome submissions. As usual, if I forgot someone or something, let me know and I will certainly correct it. Like any “real life” forced march, I expect some stragglers over the next few days (I might even be one of them!). Be sure to drop by these blogs/accounts and lend your support!

  • Simon, from Fantorical, completed a unit of Uruk-Hai crossbowmen (crossboworcs?), some Alien Legionnaires and is working on some Beastmen, both of these from Crooked Dice (a company I wish I could patronize more)
  • Dave, from Wargames Terrain Workshop has been busy indeed, with a squad of Star Wars Imperial Scout Troopers, some old-school metal Space Marine Scouts, a squadron of Space Marine Speeders, and some Star Wars Imperial Stormtroopers! Add in some Wookies and a few more Space Marines and a unit of Raptors, and you’ve got a typical month of painting for Dave. The man is a machine!
  • Roger, from Rantings From Under the Wargames Table, painted a unit of Forge Fathers (Mantic Squats), and then did a unit of Plague Zombies! Awesome, Roger!
  • Azazel, from Azazel’s Bitz Box, paints so much stuff all the time that I’m not even sure he painted anything for Forced March! If so, I can’t find it, so LMK if I’m wrong, Azazel!
  • Tom, from Good Ground, painted a squad of Iron Warriors Space Marines!

And the Instagram crowd:

  • James, @spoontasticminis has been painting Emperor’s Children Space Marines all month, which more than qualify for Forced March.
  • Sabrina, @Uthwulfsminis is working on a squad of Space Marine Beakies that she has dubbed the “Pumpkin Spice” marines. Whether that’s an official chapter name or blasphemous heresy is for the Emperor to decide.
  • A newcomer this year, @horridperson, is a hobbyist close to my heart, as they have been working on tons of Star Trek miniatures lately! And even though they said they forgot about Forced March, they painted enough miniatures to make a unit: the Commune, a TOS-era reimagining of the Borg. Very cool! (I need to play some Star Trek miniatures games again).
  • @groddsnods did what he does best, converted and painted some Heroclix into a unit of Steve Ditko’s Madmen! This could have easily been an entry for Forgotten Heroes, too…but I’m sure we’ll see more awesome stuff in June!

And that’s another challenge sorted. I was hoping to get at least one more unit done, but that doesn’t seem likely. They might show up a few days into April, though, so check back soon! Monster May(hem) will be here before you know it!

Forced March: First Update

Nothing from me yet, although work continues apace on that long-delayed project from December. I have primed, based and readied two small units for eventual painting this month. Meanwhile, have a look at some of the other participants, because stuff is already rolling in! Drop by their sites and lend some support and encouragement!

These are all the participants thus far, along with any Forced March submissions I am aware of. If I missed anything (or anyone), let me know!

Meanwhile, over on Instagram:

  • James, @spoontasticminis
  • possibly Sabrina, @Uthwulfsminis
  • A newcomer this year, whose name I do not know, but who has thus far not lived up to their namesake, @horridperson
  • And a latecomer to the challenge (it’s never too late), @groddsnods, who I just bet will be joining us for Forgotten Heroes in June, too!

Whatever these folks do, whether for Forced March or not, is worth a look. You won’t find a more supportive and inspiring group of hobbyists out there. Check them out.

Forgotten Heroes 2025: The Escapist

For my last submission to Forgotten Heroes this year, I present: The Escapist!

The Escapist first appeared in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, Michael Chabon’s fantastic novel published in 2000. He’s the fictional character created by a couple of Jewish cousins working in the comics industry back in the 1930’s, the Golden Age of Comics. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Kavalier and Klay are an homage to the creators of Superman, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, only Siegel and Shuster weren’t cousins and Siegel (to my knowledge) wasn’t gay.

If you haven’t read this book, I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a novel about persecution, fear, Jewish identity, family, love, perseverance and heroes, both real and created. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Chabon won a Pulitzer Prize for it in 2001. Three years later, Dark Horse Comics published a series of comics, Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist, which featured stories about the character written and drawn by different comic creators. I don’t have any, but I wish I did.

But what about The Escapist himself? Because it’s early and I have to go to work, I’ll cut and paste Wikipedia for the benefit of all.

The character’s modus operandi is part of a recurring theme of escapism in the novel, representing the imaginative and positive effects of escapism in superhero comics as well as Kavalier and Clay’s attempts to escape from the troubles of their past. Joe Kavalier has fled to America from Nazi-occupied Prague in Europe, leaving the rest of his family behind. Unable to help them, he starts fleeing from himself and everyone trying to get close to him. Sam Clay also wants to escape from himself – both his polio-stricken body and repressed homosexuality.

The Escapist’s true identity is Tom Mayflower. He is the crippled nephew of escape artist Max Mayflower (who performs under the stage name of Misterioso). When Max is fatally shot while performing onstage, he reveals that he isn’t his real uncle, having rescued him from a cruel orphanage as a baby. He gives Tom a golden key and a costume, explaining that he was recruited long ago by a mysterious organization called the League of the Golden Key to fight tyranny and free the oppressed. With his dying breath, Max commissions Tom to carry on his work. As long as Tom is wearing the costume and the key, he finds that he is no longer lame of leg and can perform amazing feats of escapology. Tom uses his powers to fight crime under the guise of the Escapist, especially against the evil forces of the mysterious criminal network, the Iron Chain.

To make The Escapist, I used this Animal Man Heroclix as a base miniature. He’s pretty much perfect.

From there, it was an easy paint job, as The Escapist’s costume is a black/grey skintight leotard and a TMNT-style bandanna domino. Not hard.

Although I was happy with the result, he looked somewhat blah, so I added the chains. It’s an actual necklace (worthless, of course) that I clipped and superglued into a pile at his feet. One quick metallic drybrush later, and voila! The Escapist has escaped!

That’s it for Forgotten Heroes 2025. Thanks as always to Jeremy for hosting it. I’ll be making the rounds to everyone’s blog to see their contributions and heap well-deserved praise upon them!

Forgotten Heroes 2025: Chemistro

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Heroes for Hire (especially Power Man), so I have a near-complete run of Luke Cage, Power Man and Power Man and Iron Fist. Power Man and Iron Fist have (or at least had) very few recurring villains, but Chemistro was an exception. No less than three guys have called themselves Chemistro. Luke Cage fought the first two on his own before partnering up with Iron Fist for the third.

The first Chemistro, Curtis Carr, was a chemist who invented an “alchemy gun”, with which he could turn stuff into other stuff. His bosses claimed it as company property, so he stole it back and used it to get revenge. He blew his own foot off with it in the process, and Power Man sent him to the slammer.

While in there, he was cellmates with a guy named Archibald Morton, who forced Carr to reveal the secret of the alchemy gun. Morton tried to build one himself, but since he’s a dummy and not a scientist, it exploded in his hand. This gave him the powers of the alchemy gun without the gun. He also ran afoul of Luke Cage and lost.

The third Chemistro is Curtis’s younger brother Calvin, who stole a new gun and tried his hand at being a criminal until Power Man and Iron Fist shut him down with the help of Curtis, who didn’t want his younger brother doing crimes. As far as Chemistro’s history goes, that’s as much as I know, but he’s apparently still around. Check Wikipedia for updates if so inclined.

To make Chemistro, I used this Thunderball Heroclix as a base model. I mean, you can’t do better than this. He’s not even carrying his wrecking ball, so I don’t have to remove it.

I slapped on a retro raygun bit I had in the bitz box, and voila! One repaint and rebase later, and here’s Chemistro!

I’m hoping to get my last one done over the weekend for posting on the 30th. There’s a little more work involved with that one, but the costume is easy to paint. Fingers crossed!

Forgotten Heroes 2025: The Ghost Who Walks

For my first submission to Forgotten Heroes 2025, I present The Man Who Cannot Die, The Phantom!

One of the first costumed superheroes, the Phantom debuted in 1936 and is still in syndication in newspaper strips today. He was the first hero to wear a skintight suit, and the first to have eyes with no visible pupils. There was a movie that came out in 1996 starring Billy Zane that I know I’ve seen but can’t remember anything about, and a Scifi channel miniseries that I know I haven’t seen.

The Phantom is actually a title, not a name: twenty-one generations of the Walker family have worn the suit. Since it’s passed down from generation to generation, the myth developed that the Phantom is immortal. From Wikipedia:

The Phantom was 21st in a line of crime-fighters which began in 1536, when the father of British sailor Christopher Walker was killed during a pirate attack. Swearing an oath on the skull of his father’s murderer to fight evil, Christopher began a legacy of the Phantom which would pass from father to son. Nicknames for the Phantom include “The Ghost Who Walks”, “Guardian of the Eastern Dark” and “The Man Who Cannot Die”.[6]

Unlike many other superheroes, the Phantom has no superpowers; he relies on his strength, intelligence, skill at arms (he carries two holstered handguns, a revolver and a 1911 .45 autopistol, one on each hip, and is an expert marksman with both), and the myth of his immortality to take action against the forces of evil. The 21st Phantom is married to Diana Palmer; they met while he studied in the United States and they have two children, Kit and Heloise. He has a trained wolf named Devil and a horse named Hero, and like the 20 previous Phantoms he lives in the ancient Skull Cave.

To make the Phantom, I used this Daredevil Heroclix. I cut off the billy clubs and up-gunned him by giving him twin machine pistols. The bottom parts of the clubs now look like ammo clips.

Pretty much all that was left to do was repaint him, although I removed a good part of his billy holster and filed down his horns first. (I didn’t care enough to give him a second holster, though). Looks like I missed a spot on his left toe. I’ll fix it, but I’m not taking the pictures again.

There’s quite a bit of variation in his costume colors. A quick Google search shows his signature purple suit varies between royal purple to pastel lavender, and the stripes on his briefs have been blue, red or yellow. I stuck with the blue.

The Phantom was created by Lee Falk, who died in 1999. Fun story: In 1993, I was 21 years old and working in a comic shop. I had occasion to spend a fair bit of time with a woman 17 years my senior who worked for a major advertising firm in New York. Once, while we were not doing what we usually did when we saw each other, she mentioned that I should meet her friend Lee sometime, since I was into comics. She described him as a lovely old guy. She met him while doing marketing work for King Features Syndicate, who owned, among other things, The Phantom. Yes, she meant that Lee, and no, I never met him.

Anyway, imagine my surprise when, researching this hero, I discovered that there has been a recent video game released featuring the character that looks awesome but has been described as an “experience in frustration” and a “barely functional mess”. Yikes.

One down, one more to go (possibly two)!

Monster May(hem) 2025 Begins!

Short and sweet, folks (more time to paint your monsters!) Monster May(hem) starts TODAY!

Here is the blogroll of participants thus far, meaning those who have let me know they want to take part. From the blogosphere:

No big surprises there. These are my peeps, after all, although I’m thrilled that Monster May(hem) has lured Matt out of the wilds of Vermont to join us again after a year’s absence!

From Instagram:

Returning champions and friends, all!

Anyone else who wants to take part need only let me know in the comments below, or drop me an an email at angrypiper@angrypiper.com, or PM me on Instagram @angrypiper. I will add your name and website/IG account (if applicable) to the blogroll forthwith! If you don’t have either of those and still want to take part, no problem! I’ll host your images here on this very site.

Like last year I plan on making every effort to be in The Paint Pit channel of my Discord server this month while I work on my monsters. That’s usually between the hours of 5:30-7:30 PM (EST) on weekdays here in the States, and anytime I can get to myself on the weekends. Can’t promise I’ll be there every day, but if I’m not, feel free to hang out and meet some of the other participants, if so inclined. Don’t have an invitation to my Discord server and want one? Read this first, and then contact me.

Without further ado, Gentlemen (and Lady), PAINT YOUR MONSTERS!!!!

Forgotten Heroes 2024: Bee-Man!!!!

This book is a boon for Forgotten Heroes enthusiasts. The heroes contained herein are indeed forgotten, and usually for good reason. This book gave me the impetus to construct Rainbow Boy a couple of years ago, and it delivered again this year.

May I present: Bee-Man! Never heard of Bee-Man? Me neither! That’s because he lasted a total of 2 issues, printed before my time, in 1966. That’s it. He’s probably in the public domain, because I can’t imagine anyone giving a shit about Bee-Man.

Barry E. Eames (clever, right?) sabotages a rocket ship that is landing after being out in space, collecting cosmic samples, Eames hopes to make a quick buck by selling whatever’s inside. What’s inside turns out to be angry space bees, who drag him back into space after stinging him a lot.

Bee- Man returns to Earth, intent on resuming his criminal ways, now armed with the advanced technology of the space bees. He has a huge, beehive-shaped “secret lair”, from which he hatches his criminal plans to steal gold, radium and honey. Really. But in the second issue, Bee-Man allies himself with the FBI, to fight against the space bees’ plans to enslave humanity.

There was no third issue.

To make Bee-Man, I used these two Heroclix miniatures, a Para-Demon and the Wasp. I removed the Para-Demon’s jetpack and axe, and replaced the jetpack with the Wasp’s wings. I sculpted his bee-helmet, but there was no way I was gonna do his antennae. Too small, and beyond my skill.

Then, it was just a matter of repainting him to look like Bee-Man. And that’s what I did.

Looks not bad, right?

I managed to get this one in in the late hours of Forgotten Heroes this year. Looking forward to the Season of Scenery!