Bootleg's New Characters from Old Variants!!!

[Patreek]

She's stunning bootleg!

[Hordaks Henchman]

wow. great new charakter. i like her.

i finished my classic savage based on your drawing. i will pose him the next days.

i hope we will see terror claw, thunder punch and your charkter version of flying fists he-man soon. curiose to see them.

[JafariStew]

Love this new toy design Boot!!
Great colors, pretty face, & a killa figure!! All the things I like about Bootleg's women!! Nice take on the hex too, it's like ya said we think alike, but then again I'm always a fan of your work, & I feel you always bring a fesh face to any Masters creations!!

[bootleg]

super-munkyboy: thanks man!
Patreek: i appreciate it dude!
Hordaks Henchman: thank you! can't wait to see how your take on classic savage and how he differs from the standard savage he-man. thunder punch is coming up just below, and i've got terror claw and flying fist inked and scanned, just need to color them up.
JafariStew: thank you so much Jafari! i feel the same way about your work man, always eager to see what you cook up next!


Today I bring you Thunder Punch He-Man, now simply (you guessed it), Thunder Punch:



Thunder Punch is supposed to be an older, grizzled veteran of the battlefield, so hopefully that comes through in my drawing. There's a little bit of action in this one, a bit of a change from my usual static ways. The right leg and foot are awkward, but luckily I had to place some type in there anyways, so I covered that up a little. The colors aren't anything special, and in hindsight, I really meant to make the skin much more tan in contrast to the fair hair. The perspective on the shield is pretty wonky. Overall, this is a piece that I was excited about when it first started coming together, but I'm somewhat disappointed with it as I pick it apart. Oh well... I'm still pretty happy with it as far as the concept goes. Read on!

* * *

PROFILE: Cynical and world weary, THUNDER PUNCH nonetheless possesses a heart of gold, awakened by the moral purity of his new-found allies. His many years of experience have made him hard edged yet pragmatic. He is a natural leader, though a reluctant one--shortly after Flying Fist joined "Team Grayskull," Teela was forced to leave the group, and she named Thunder Punch the leader, much to his chagrin.

His battle harness enhances his strength, speed, and rudimentary psychic abilities. The enhancement allows him to perform maneuvers such as his trademark "Thunder Punch," a devastating attack, enhanced by a burst of chi. His shield further amplifies and refines his psychic power, and recently Thunder Punch has developed a new technique where by concentrating his battle aura upon his shield, he can manifest a psychic power sword.

It is clear that Thunder Punch knew the Sorceress at some point in the past, though the specifics of this have yet to come to light. It has also been hinted at that he was accquainted with Man-At-Arms and King Randor.

HISTORY: With a heavy heart, King Randor was forced to indefinitely suspend the kingdom's search for the missing He-Man. With the Horde threat becoming increasingly aggressive, Randor simply could not spare any resources towards what seemed to be a hopeless effort. Refusing to relent, Teela resigned her position as Captain of the Royal Guard and exiled herself from Eternos, vowing that she would not return unless she had He-Man with her. Cringer, Orko, and Battle-Scar accompanied her as well. With a heavy heart, Man-At-Arms told his daughter Teela that the kingdom would need him in the war against the Horde and he could not accompany her on her quest. However, he urged Teela seek refuge with the Sorceress, and complete her training in the magical arts. As Man-At-Arms watched his daughter and his closest friends ride away, he said to himself, "If anyone can find He-Man, they can."

Teela and her fellowship did take refuge with the Sorceress at Castle Grayskull, and investigated every possible lead over the following months. They found many clues and possibilities, but nothing concrete. In the meantime, the Sorceress continued to guide Teela's education in magic, and Teela's sensitivity to the supernatural developed quickly. A breakthrough came to Teela in the form of a dream-vision, telling her to seek out a warrior; a lost descendant of the legendary King Grayskull, who would aid her in her quest. Teela, Cringer, and Battle-Scar set out to find this lost scion of Greyskull.

What they found however, was a grizzled and bitter man living in isolation in the wilderness, a once idealistic knight errant, turned hardened soldier of fortune, who had ultimately decided to reject the world and its corruption in favor of life as a hermit. He knew he was a descendent of Grayskull--he simply did not care. Unable to break through his jaded shell, Teela's group left the hermit in the wilderness. At the edge of the wilderness, they were ambushed by Force Commander Scorpia, Modulok, and a contingent of Modulok's test-tube engineered warriors and monstrosities. Incapacitated by Scorpia's poisonous stinger, Teela was unconscious and capture was imminent. The hermit, who had shadowed Teela's group to ensure that they left his sanctuary, had a split second to make a decision. Before he realized what he was doing, his legs were carrying him into the fray, and with nothing more than a wooden cudgel, he was able to beat back Modulok's creations long enough for Cringer to carry Teela to safety, and for Battle-Scar to regroup with the hermit. The ensuing battle was brutal, but the hermit and Battle-Scar were able to fight off the Horde attackers. Scorpia's poison, however, was spreading fast through Teela's blood. The hermit squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating upon the astral plane, searching for a response... with a flash of light, Battle-Scar, Teela, Cringer, and their new accquaintance found themselves on the Jaw Bridge of Castle Grayskull--Orko flew to them with haste, and treated Teela with a magical antidote. Standing at the gates was the Sorceress herself, holding a red and silver battle harness, and a matching shield.

The hermit's expression was impassive, though his eyes betrayed mixed emotions, "It's good to see you, Sorceress."

The sorceress smiled in her usual mysterious manner, holding up the rough implements of war in her elegant hands. "I kept these for you."

* * *

For my other "new characters from old variants" posts:

• Starburst
• Savage
• Armorax
• Battle-Scar
• Dragon Blaster and Paralyzor

[2-bad]

Awesome! Another great addition to an already cool line-up, Jason. Love it.

[Galvatron]

Again a great piece to the allready great line. Bootleg u never stop to amazing me with your great art

[bootleg]

thank you very much guys, you made my day!

[j-bird]

Hey man - nice work. I was looking at this thread today, then found some links to some of your previous?/other stuff, and you do some cool work. Your whole idea behind the Stridor project is something I've not seen before.

The whole trend of this thread reminds me very much of when I was a kid playing He-Man with my brother, and we'd get one of those variants, and to make it work we kind of did the same thing. "Oh, here's Dragon-Blaster Skeletor ... no, wait, he's so-and-so, and blah blah blah" so you could still use your old Skeletor and play with the new guy at the same time.

Nice work as a whole - it seems like you're less happy with the actual artwork for Thunder Punch, but as a character he might be one of my favorites.

[Hordaks Henchman]

cool. your design of thunder punch will be my next custom.

[bootleg]

j-bird: thanks man, i really appreciate it! the thing about stridor gaining sentience is pretty much lifted right from the episode that he was in, but the specifics/humanoid form/multiple stridors was my own doing. A couple of other folks have mentioned that they did the same thing as kids--re-assigning variants as all new characters. i didn't own the variants as a kid, so i wouldn't know. but i'm glad i stumbled upon a shared way of thinking--it seems to make this thread appealing, or at least acceptable to a lot of people. i'm glad you like thunder punch as a character; i'm finding with a lot of these that i like them a whole lot more after i'm done writing the profile.

Hordaks Henchman: thanks man, i'm flattered! btw, did you ever finish that savage custom?


and for today...

Did you ever look at Terror Claws Skeletor and wonder, "Skeletor, why the hell are you wearing a metallic purple sports bra?" I don't have a good answer for that question myself, but here's a new character named Terror Claws, for whom a metallic purple sports bra seems more appropriate:



The rough sketch for this one has been sitting around here foreverrr, so I'm glad I was able to finally use my holiday time off from ye olde day job to finish this (as well Flying Fists, to be presented later). Her face paint is definitely influenced by the Superman villainess Silver Banshee, but I think the face underneath as well her body type, both take after Trish Stratus (this was not intentional, just an observation I made after the fact). As usual, I tweaked with the colors of the original toy, adding some and switching some, hopefully creating a vibrant and visually pleasing recipe in the process. Oh, and as a bonus, I even drew her with the original toy's alternate weapon:



And the final touch--a painstakingly written bio, nerdily composed by yours truly:

* * *

PROFILE: Named after the sacred Infinitan artifact weapons which she wields in combat, TERROR CLAWS is the fearsome leader of Skeletor's Elite--a group of powerful warrior-mages handpicked and trained by the Lord of Destruction himself. In hand-to-hand combat, her namesake claws can effortlessly rend through the toughest armored units of the Eternian military, and enhance her strength to a level possibly rivalling He-Man's. In ranged combat, she wields a dragon-skull arm cannon, created by Dragon Blaster. Terror Claws is a seasoned magic-user as well, specializing in scrying, enchantments, and counterspells.

Terror Claws' true power, however, is her ability to lead. Cool, collected, and meticulous, in Skeletor's absence, she has been able to wrangle and lead Skeletor's Elite, as well as his other forces. Even the mutinous Evil-Lyn cannot deny Terror Claws' efficiency as a leader.

Unlike her fellow Elite, Terror Claws possesses a sense of honor that extends beyond her fealty to Skeletor. This "defect" did not escape Skeletor's attention--on the contrary, he felt it would be a weakness that he could exploit to insure her continuing loyalty. Terror Claws has no obvious weaknesses, but it seems inevitable that she will be drawn into a confrontation with Evil-Lyn.

HISTORY: An orphaned Infinitan girl with no memory of her past, was brought to Skeletor's attention because of her unusually advanced magic capabilities. Inexplicably drawn to her, Skeletor inducted the orphan girl into the Elite training program. In spite of being one of the later recruits, and one of the youngest, she rapidly rose through the ranks. Is her loyalty to Skeletor a true testament to the power of the Elite re-education system... or does Terror Claws have an as yet unrevealed motive?"

* * *

[DestrongerLupus]

WOW, was NOT expecting a gender-swap on my favorite variant, but your logic works

And I actually really enjoy gender-swaps generally, so I'm onboard for this one! Great work! I bet Lynn is not loving having another copentent gal around

D/L

[Beeto Bot]

Wow. I've been gone for so long I just noticed these. I love the classic feel. Now that the new toon is done I find myself liking the old classic designs more and more. Nice work! Savage and Battle Scar are my faves.

[DestrongerLupus]

Wow. I've been gone for so long I just noticed these. I love the classic feel. Now that the new toon is done I find myself liking the old classic designs more and more. Nice work! Savage and Battle Scar are my faves.

I keep saying that Bootleg's style (Well THIS style, I know he can work in other visions as well) should be THE definitive style for a new MOTU toyline, good and sturdy and FANTASTIC(as in fantasy) like the classic stuff, but gorgeous and detailed, per modern standards.

In fact, the 4HM's little He-Man prototype from the summer actually came close to Bootleg's aesthetic, great minds and all that...

D/L

[BlueLobster1979]

Man, Jason, these latest two are awesome!!! Terror Claws rocks, and the skull-head / biting-claw accessory is great.

[Mike Bock]

Wow man, I love these two new ones. Great work.

[JafariStew]

"Terror Claws" is FANTASTIC Bootleg!! One of the "hands down BEST characters" I have seen on these boards, & a personal fave of mine amongst your artworks & various creations!
I'm telling you guys, "refreshing" is an understatement when it comes to the personal art-style used in Boot's works!
J. Ho is simply one of the best artist's this board has!!

[skeletoncrew]

i just wanted to see these guys all in one place...how about a group shot without so much watermarking covering up the art???

[skeletoncrew]

[/QUOTE]


ditto for these guys how about a nice group shot...nice use of the genderswap for terror claws, did her the mostest...

[Baena]

Nice swap on ol' Terror Claws!
Now I'm hoping for a similar change on Flying fists!

[barnabas13]

i digs'em all and cant wait to see more,cool stuff battle armor heman and skelly are my faves.

[Patreek]

Terror Claw is awesome! There are all so cool.

[bootleg]

DestrongerLupus: wow D/L, i'm overwhelmed--thanks! now if only i could get you a job as a recruiter or executive at mattel, then i'd be set! as for evil-lyn and terror claws--if skeletor doesn't come back and get his house in order, the evil warriors are headed for some serious internal strife...

granbeetle: i'm really glad you dropped in on this thread, and i hope you keep checking back! the 200x stuff is great, but the classic mattel/filmation style is still the look i personally associate with the franchise. i'm happy that it appeals to others as well!

JafariStew: O_O wow, thank you so much, i'm really speechless man! at least, as speechless as i ever get

skeletoncrew: thanks man--that's a great idea! i will get to work on a wallpaper for the he-man variants. the skeletor variants however... i think i need to complete one more classic skeletor variant before i do a wallpaper for them... (hint: it's not laser light skeletor!)

Baena: thank you sir--as for flying fist, you read my mind!

barnabas13: thank you! the battle armor variants both surprised me because i half expected them to be "duds," but they turned out better than i could have hoped, and people seem to like 'em.

Glass Shrimp, Mike Bock, Patreek: thank you so much guys--your comments mean a lot to me!

once again, thank you so much for the positive response and generous comments, everyone! i'm glad the gender-swap worked for folks--i was a bit worried it wouldn't fly.

With this post, I'm wrapping up my first batch of Masters of the Universe variants re-cast as new characters. There are still a lot of variants to tackle (and I will!), but for now I've covered the main classic variants. Allow me to present a lady codenamed Flying Fist, with accesories and armor courtesy of Flying Fists He-Man.



The original Flying Fists He-Man figure was not particularly feminine, but once I re-cast Terror Claws as a female, it made sense to give Team Grayskull another woman warrior as well. As far as the costume itself, I combined the redundant double-belt of the action figure into an armored girdle. The perspective on the shield is messed up, but I can live with it. Color-wise, I initially had some difficulty making things mesh, but once I decided to make her furry barbarian short-pants black (instead of brown), the rest of the colors really clicked into place. The end result is pretty faithful to the original color scheme (with the exception of the aforementioned furry barbarian short pants). Now how about a bio for this little lady?

* * *

PROFILE: Peace-loving and kind, ADELINE, known on the battlefield as FLYING FIST is essentially a gentle but fair soul who has taken on the role of protector. She is strongwilled, but when faced with failure she has a tendency to blame herself.

Adeline's mechanized triple flail can pulverize granite and break solid plate armor, while her rotating shield is capable of generating a defensive barrier of wind, or firing an offensive whirlwind blast. When held aloft, she can utilize it as a limited one-person helicopter, and in the past she has also used the shield as an improvised boat propeller. The flail and shield are both semi-magical items, requiring the input of the user's chi for proper use.

Adeline wears an armored girdle that grants her the strength of a storm giant, and an enchanted breastplate that conforms to the shape of its wearer, allows for a full range of movement, and provides magically enhanced stamina. However, even without her girdle, she has an abnormal level of strength. The cause of this is unknown.

HISTORY: Adeline hails from a serene and remote village in the foothills. Her mother Adele was famed amongst the locals for using her tremendous strength as the village's protector, earning her the nickname "Flying Fist." For the most part, the village was peaceful, and Adele used her strength for mundane tasks such as helping with construction and demolitions and clearing fallen trees. Occasionally some small-time bandits would show up, or a bear would wander too close to town, but all in all it was a peaceful existence. Adeline knew that her mother's strength came from the magic girdle, though her mother never explained where the girdle came from. And when Adele passed away, some five years ago, Adeline inherited the girdle and the role of village protector. It wasn't long before Adeline inherited the nickname "Flying Fist" as well.

Following another dream-vision, Teela visited Adeline's village with Team Grayskull in tow. Adeline had long been in possession of a magically locked chest belonging to her mother, and with the help of Teela's magical powers, she was finally able to open it. The chest contained a breastplate marked with an ancient heraldic symbol of Grayskull's line. After this, it quickly came to light that Thunder Punch was in fact Adeline's father, and like Thunder Punch, Adeline's mother Adele had once been a champion of Castle Grayskull. Initially, Thunder Punch was vehemently opposed to involving his daughter in the struggle between the protectors of Castle Grayskull and its would-be conquerors. However the Sorceress convinced him that while it was not Adeline's inevitable destiny, it was the legacy of both her parents, and she had a right to choose for herself.

Adeline had planned to reject the invitation to join Teela's group, but after witnessing a battle between Team Grayskull and some Horde Troopers, she understood the bigger picture--in order to protect her village, there was a bigger world outside of it that needed protecting as well. With a tearful goodbye, Adeline bid farewell to her village.

Shortly after arriving at Castle Grayskull, Adeline came across a room with two broken and discarded mechanical devices. In her village, Adeline's strength made her ideal for carrying out repairs on large structures like windmills and water wheels, so she had developed something of a sense for mechanics--she tinkered with the devices a little, and was able to restore them to perfect working order, and even improved them with some minor modifications. Thus, the mechanized triple-flail and rotating shield became Adeline's primary tools in combat. When Team Grayskull isn't searching for He-Man or battling the forces of evil, Adeline often spends her hours trying to repair the ancient technologies contained in Castle Grayskull, with the "assistance" of Orko..

All things considered, Adeline has adapted to life with Team Grayskull rather smoothly. At times, her relationship with her father is strained, but overall, Adeline and Thunder Punch are both doing well in mending their estranged relationship. Teela has become a surrogate big sister to her, and Orko and Cringer are both very fond of her. There's something of a brewing romance between Adeline and Battle-Scar, at least when Battle-Scar isn't attempting to rile her up by calling her "She-Man." Such behavior generally earns Battle-Scar a punch in the nose.

* * *

I didn't like Flying Fist much as a name, but at the same time I didn't want to drop it completely. I finally decided on giving the character a 'real' name (Adeline) and using Flying Fist as a nickname, kind of like Duncan/Man-At-Arms. Adeline and Adele are both variations of a German name, meaning "noble," and chosen to be evockative of the ad sound in Adam and Adora. The relationship between Adeline and Battle-Scar is somewhat meant to mimic that of Akane and Ranma from Ranma 1/2.

Man, these character bios keep getting longer and longer. :P

[j-bird]

Hey man - nice work. Love her eyes and the shield (despite any possible perspective issues there might or might not be). Like the gender-swap with her better than with Terror-Claws, but that's solely personal preference.

Sad to see this set end, but hoping that means something else is waiting in the wings. Keep posting stuff like this, it's totally motivational for some of us just starting in on the forums.

[bootleg]

Hey man - nice work. Love her eyes and the shield (despite any possible perspective issues there might or might not be). Like the gender-swap with her better than with Terror-Claws, but that's solely personal preference.

thanks j-bird! i'm glad you enjoy the shield despite its wonkiness. as for her eyes, they're a call back to her dad, thunder punch.

Sad to see this set end, but hoping that means something else is waiting in the wings. Keep posting stuff like this, it's totally motivational for some of us just starting in on the forums.

thank you once more! BUT IT ISN'T OVER YET:

With this post, I'm wrapping up my first batch of Masters of the Universe variants re-cast as new characters. There are still a lot of variants to tackle (and I will!), but for now I've covered the main classic variants.

sorry if there was any confusion here--i just meant that the most well-known variants were covered. i'm definitely going to keep going--i still have to cover 3 more classic he-man/skeletor variants, 2 hordak variants, 4 she-ra/catra variants, all the she-ra fashions, all the new adventures variants, and all of the 200x variants! plus there's kamo khan, and a couple characters whose toy incarnations are significantly different from their animation models (for example: castaspell >> sorciela), and a few other surprises i'd like to get around to. so i've got my work cut out for me.

[Patreek]

LOVE IT! She's great. Are you taking varient requests? I'd love to see a catra done ;-)