WK's Masters of the Universe in 30mm scale (1 Viewer)

[White Knight]

Aroo - The guardian of the City of the Ancients

Only appearing in the episode "Masks of Power", Aroo is a giant demonic blue gorilla-like beast, who was in charge of guarding the said masks in the lost City of the Ancients. He-Man and Man-At-Arms barely escaped with their lives when they encountered him and while the masks were taken, Aroo was just too strong to defeat, even for He-Man.

The giant, apelike Aroo

My version of Aroo is not full size, he'd need to be about 2,5 times the size, which would just make him look out of place on the table and impossible to work into a scenario where you could fight him and win. So, I settled for a more practical size, which still puts hem at around 115mm tall, on an 80mm base. As he's based on an Eaglemoss figure of Grudd, skillfully converted by the talented John Pickford, he's also made of lead, so weighs a heavy 700g. Painting him was not so easy due to the added weight.

Aroo in the original episode

For size with Skeletor, who's hoping to control him, but may have bitten off more than those weathered teeth can chew

A comparison with the original figure. The Grudd figure is actually pretty close already if you don't care for an exact match. The only really required changes would be replacing the hair with a skullcap with horns and pointy ears poking out, adding a devilish tail and filling in the G to be a circle. As I wanted to get as close as possible, John also changed the mouth, necklace, armbands and wrist guards, belt, loincloth, and added claws to the fingers and feet, as well as turning the oversized skull into a rock.

 

[villagehorse]

This is a substantial piece WK. His stance looks impressive, I like what you have done with him. Certainly a one of a kind, definitely think you were right to choose this size, anything larger, even though it might have been correct, would look way out of scale to your figures. It still does the job as a tough imposing figure. A great addition to your cast of characters.:salute::, Robin.

 

[White Knight]

Eternia Scenery - Evil Spirits Well

Today's update adds another piece of Scenery to the Eternian landscape in the form of a magical Well of Evil Spirits. It is said he who harnesses the power of the evil spirits within the well can conquer Eternia itself... if he's willing to pay the price. For you see, many of the souls trapped within once belonged to those who thought they could master its powers and failed...

At last, my imbecile lackey, with the power that lies within this Well, Greyskull will fall into my hands.

There is no Well of Evil Spirits in MOTU lore, at leas tnot that I know of, but I think the model fits right in. It is a single part of a plastic Games Workshop terrain kit that I picked up from a bits seller on ebay a few years ago, thinking it would work great as a standalone piece. When I started this MOTU project, I figured it would look great for Eternia. I tried to paint it in a way that would be reminiscent of the colours you would encounter in Eternian rocks and ruins in the Filmation cartoon. I think it works rather well.

A bird's eye view of the well and the spirits trapped within.

An action scene, with evil overlords battling for controle of the Well:

You are too late, Hordak, the power of the Well is mine!

 

[villagehorse]

Excellent WK, fits nicely and of course your paint work is terrific. Like the idea of some accessories to add to your figures, helps create a dynamic scene. You are tempting me to get into the fantasy area also. Robin.

 

[White Knight]

I hadn't painted any 30mm figure since some time last year, so with some more MotU figures on the way, it was time to get back in the saddle. While I wait for my Faker mini to arrive, I thought I'd get a headstart on his mount.


Evil Warriors - Copycat


He-Man has Battlecat and Skeletor has Panthor. It stands to reason that Faker, with his whole He-Man impersonation obsession would get his own mount. Copycat, sometimes referred to as Bogus Cat, is another fanmade creation, subject of a lot of custom action figures. A robotic duplicate of Battlecat, it sports Faker's colour scheme, so that no confusion is possible.

The fearless robot called Copycat...


The model is another of the old Grenadier Battlecat models, with a blank resin base from Fenris Games and texture added with putty.

I assume Copycat was created by Skeletor or Triclops, but as I haven't painted my Triclops yet...

Come forward, my glorious creation! Nyaaaah!

By the Sorceress' beak! What is this freakshow?


And a quick side by side of my three interpretations of Battlecat: regular, copy and anti-Eternia:

 

[marco55]

Your painting style is unique and beautiful.
Mark

 

[Louis Badolato]

Very impressive conversions!

 

[villagehorse]

Love what you have been doing with the He-Man series WK. Robin.

 

[White Knight]

Thanks gentlemen. One thing for sure, this project lets me try out colour combinations I would never use otherwise.

 

[White Knight]

Evil Warriors - Dragon Blaster Dragon

Dragon Blaster Skeletor was one of those figures that didn't appeal much to me as a kid, since it wasn't the original Skeletor figure, but later in life I came to appreciate it a lot more as a pretty cool toy. So I figured that if I didn't have a Dragon Blaster Skeletor in 30mm, I might be able to have the dragon itself with a little conversion work. The conversion work was mostly done more than a year ago, but somehow I never got around to ordering the chain I needed to finish it until about a week ago.

The Dragon Blaster Dragon, temporarily released from it's place on Skeletor's back

The base model is a neat little fantasy lizard figure made by the excellent Forge of Ice. Their lost worlds kind of range is very reminiscent of MotU in a lot of ways. I added the spikes on the top of its head, the collar with the keypad lock and the chain with a shackle on the other end for when Skeletor reclaims his pet. The base is a 20mm blank lipped base from Fenris Games, with added flagstone texture.

A better look at the added details, like the lock and chain.

I've released you from your bonds. Now, my pet, destroy the gate of Castle Grayskull with your hot flames!

You're too late to stop me He-Man! Your powers won't protect you from the searing hot flames of the Dragon Blaster!

For those not familiar with it, here's some awesome art by Axel Gimenez depicting the dragon!

 

[villagehorse]

This is a new one to me WK. Would not have known this dragon existed, but I do now. Brilliant conversion by the way. Robin.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Another excellent conversion!:salute:: I am not that familiar with the Masters of the Universe, but I remember seeing TV commercials for the toys when I was in high school, and your figures really capture the feeling of the commercials I remember.

 

[White Knight]

You had to be just the right age when they were on their peak, I guess. There was a lot I had forgotten and a lot more I found out through researching online and that has now entered my mind's vision of the setting. I have a lot more of these to come, as long as I can keep finding the time.

 

[White Knight]

Evil Warriors - Faker with Powersword


While he has had different backgrounds in different media, the main consensus is that Faker is an evil robot built to impersonate He-Man and serve the forces of evil. Being blue skinned, depending on the medium this scheme either only works in the dark or Faker can temporarily assume He-Man's colours. Either way, he is an iconic character. As the majority of my collection is Filmation inspired, I chose to paint him here in the alternate "pink" colour scheme featured on his cardback art, which is also the version that was used in the Filmation style fanmade hommage "The Return of Faker" (sadly unreleased for viewing due to IP issues). I think this version adds more interest to the model and a welcome bit of contrast with Copy-Cat.

Faker, with his imitation Powersword

The model is another private commission done by a fan, that was available in limited quantities for a short while. The base is the usual blank lipped base with texture sculpted on and painted to match the rest of the Evil Warriors.


Some more "action" shots:

Rise, my puppet. I have created you in He-Man's image, therefore I shall name you "Faker", nyaaah!

I have created this pet for you, to aid you in your battle against that goody-two-shoes, He-Man.

"At last, now we shall learn who is the stronger!" - "By the Goddess! What's this madness?"

Battlecat: "I hate to say this, He-Man, but we may be in some real trouble here..."


He-Man and Faker, side by side:

And a shot of Faker and Copy-Cat for the family photo album:

For those not familiar with it, a look at the inspiring original cardback illustration and "The return of Faker. I did initially consider giving him blank white eyes, like the second image, but I wanted him to look more alive.

 

[White Knight]

Finished another figure for my 30mm expanded MotU collection, Blackstar's nemesis, the purpleskinned sorcerer and tyrant, Overlord:


https://motu-wargames.blogspot.com/2020/06/overlord-forces-overlord.html


De facto ruler of the planet Sagar, descended of a long line of despots, Overlord is the main nemesis for our hero Blackstar. More akin to Hordak than Skeletor, he is fairly successful in his endeavours and more competent in keeping his underlings in check, resulting in his uncontested dominion of the planet. Uncontested, until John Blackstar entered the scene at least. Wielder of the Powersword, his goal is to take it's second half, the Starsword, from Blackstar to assemble it into the Powerstar and cement his position. While he came very close to achieving that goal, the final victory keeps eluding his grasp and Blackstar and his allies have started whittling away at his forces.

Overlord, the master of his domain.
The miniature is another privately commissioned limited release, with a custom base to match my other bases. I chose dark blue to be the colour for this faction, mainly as I was running out of good options.

Battling his bane, the former Earth astronaut John Blackstar:

Finding likeminded new allies:

Maybe we can help eachother, nyaaah!


Fun fact, both Skeletor and Overlord were voiced by Alan Oppenheimer in their respective Filmation cartoons.

You shouldn't have ventured here alone, He-Man. Meet my new ally.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Another really well done conversion!:salute:: I wish I knew what it is all about, but the world looks kind of like something out of Conan the Barbarian, so I'm enjoying it!^&cool

 

[White Knight]

Thank you, though that last one was not converted, just painted. The next one is a little bit converted though:

Evil Warriors - Faker on Copy-Cat


Now that I've done Faker and Copy-Cat, I naturally had to do a Faker on Copy-Cat, to match my He-Man on Battlecat conversion. To convert Faker into a riding position, I only cut off the left leg at the parting line with his loincloth, pinned it back in place in a more fitting position and filled the gap with putty. The Grenadier Battlecats are good for that sort of thing, due to the way the saddle is done. Another Fenris Games blank base, with added texture finishes the look.

Now I have a matching Faker mounted and on foot.

And with the matching He-Man:

A badly lighted final shot just to prove I did indeed paint a second Copy-Cat and it's not just the one from before.

 

[White Knight]

Evil Warriors - Faker with Battle Axe and Shield (last Faker for now)


As I have done several variants of He-Man with different equipment and plan to do a few more, I could not let Faker get behind, especially as there are so many juicy variants of him in MotU lore. This also gave me the chance to do Faker's alternate toy inspired colour scheme, with the darker hair and orange chest harness and weapons.

The evil android, Faker, with his new toys


I decided to convert one using a spare axe, shield and sword sheath from a Quest Miniatures He-Man, to match the similar conversion I did earlier for He-Man. The Quest sword sheath was completed with a sword grip and hilt from a plastic Fireforge miniatures kit. Base is my usual sculpted texture over blank lipped bases. I'm struggling a lot with faces lately and this one was no different. In the end I had to settle for, that'll be good enough.

A side by side look here of my two versions of Faker. Note the difference in hair tone, as per the respective references. I still prefer the "pink" version, so will continue with that colour scheme going forward.

And another side by side with the matching He-Man figure. I consider this version of He-Man to be the earlier, mini-comic He-Man, which was later retconned to be Oo-Lar, an earlier incarnation of the strongest man of the universe, and my He-Man with powersword is the Prince Adam version.

I have crafted this new armour and weapons for you. Now go defeat He-Man already!

It's still me, kitty. I just got some new toys and armour from the boss.

You will not win this time, He-Man!


And a somewhat dark family shot with all the Faker and Copy-Cat variants so far:

 

[White Knight]

Heroic Warriors - Eternos Palace Guards with Tridents


The capital of Eternia, the city of Eternos, is also the location of the Royal Palace, seat of the planetary government led by King Randor. The city has its own standing army in the form of the Eternos Guards. Sporting green skinsuits and orange armour, they are hardly inconspicuous, but then neither are the villains. Perhaps somewhat unusual, their formal weapon when performing their guard duties is the trident.

Eternos Guards

They may be no match for Skeletor's Evil Warriors, but they can certainly hold their own against his minions.

The Eternos Guard is lead by Teela, who holds the rank of Captain...

... though her father Man-At-Arms also seems to hold some formal position within the guard, as his outfit can testify.

 

[White Knight]

Snake Men - Snake Man-At-Arms


Another one based on the 200x storyline and MotU Classics canon where Man-At-Arms got turned into a Snake Man. The model is converted from a Quest Miniatures Man-At-Arms and the face was resculpted to be more snakelike. I was none too happy with the conversion and it sat part finished on my desk for months before I forced myself to finish it alongside the similarly coloured Eternos guards. It's far from my best paint job, but it'll do as I needed to be done with it.

Snake Man-At-Arms

Snake Man-At-Arms and Snake Teela turn on the Eternos Guards:

The Snake Men faction so far. I need to get them some reinforcements: