Of course, I mean Thundercats, Silverhawks, and TMNT. Mainly because I collect those, and if GI Joe were to get one, I'd try to make a Solid Snake ersatz. (Popping the head on the Snake Eyes Figure and repainting the Bandana and hair would make a MGS2-ish Snake.)
But I'm not talking GI Joe here. I am going for Thundercats, Silverhawks, and TMNT. The idea is try to create 4 characters for each line: 2 heroes and 2 villains. I will not draw any designs, mostly because I'm lazy and I don't know if I would be fully interested in following through with these designs. I am saving some that I won't mention here in case a real contest comes along.
Silverhawks:
Colibri:
The first Latino Silverhawk. His coloring would be iridescent green and black mimicking the Puerto Rican Emerald hummingbird. His skin would be between olive and tanned due to his BiPOC nature, and the only distinguishing feature is a Taino Sun tattooed on his flesh wrist.
Like his namesake, his wings would not be the traditional "wingsuit styled" wings like most Silverhawks, but the wings would sprout out of his nanobackpack and flutter super fast like a hummingbird. His mask would mimic a Hummingbird's beak, being slightly elongated and could be used as an offensive weapon. His flight partner would be a 100% Metallic Hummingbird who can scout in places where not even Tallyhawk could get into. When off-duty, he enjoys the company of Seymour and Zeek.
He's a fast talker, who sometimes switches to Spanish when anxious and can be a bit of a hothead. Despite his fiery temper at times, he can be a mellow guy most of the time.
Karasu:
A Jet Black Silverhawk from Japan. He is a practicioner of the ancient art of Ninjitsu with a modern Spin using Silverhawk Technology... like some sort of "Science Ninja". His wings should look like a Spiky version of the normal Silverhawks wings. (As a nod to Japan's flying bird hero team) he can cover his "real arm" in a metallic shell that allows him to become fully invisible in the darkness of Space. (He can do it in other places as well, but the more lit up the area, the more energy he requires to bend and refract light to become invisible. In darkness, he can perfectly blend into the shadows due to the nature of his Cybernetic body.)With his flying companion, Yata, a 3 legged cybercrow, Karasu can create hardlight illusions to distract and trick enemies. A man of few words, Karasu prefers to use subterfuge and ambushes to deal with The Mob than direct combat. His "supernatural abilities" come with a cost, which force him to be "out of comission" for long periods of time, as he recovers.
The reason for the "down time regeneration" is because Karasu is OP without it. That is part of the reason he'd rather avoid direct confrontation, since he can't fully control when his body goes into hibernation mode. Also, the shadow cloaking and holocloning abilities from Yata are a way for S7 to release a translucent black "shadow cloak mode" variant.
For the Mob, it's slightly a bit harder to design characters. Each Mobster needs an obvious gimmick that may not necessarily be toyetic. For example, Melodia: Her name ties her to a music gimmick, but it's hard to sell a toy of her, due to her gimmick not being toyetic.
Sticky Fingers:
A Frog-like creature that Kinda looks a bit like the Rankin Bass Gollum but with long tentacle-like prehensile fingers that are unnaturally sticky, hence his name. An annoying pickpocket given his small stature (Copper Kidd sized) who can scurry off nearly everywhere. His small stature and light weight makes him nearly imperceptible in most cargo ships on Limbo. His skin secretes a poisonous substance that can temporarily reduce stun organic beings, but cannot penetrate metal. His skin tones should be based on one of the many variations the Poison Dart Frogs that looks the most toyetic. His outfit should be something between a wrestling singlet and Borat's swimsuit.
Sleepfisher:
Obviously, her name is based on the phrase "sleeping with the fishes". It also explains her gimmick.
A small fishwoman inside a large anglerfish themed armor with the ability of draining both life force from organic beings and power from machinery once they're within range. The "lure" can hum at a frequency that seems like a distress beacon. It can also cause hallucinations on organic beings. Sleepfisher's main weakness is her inability to stay out of water for over 60 minutes, hence her need for the armor. The other is being in a toddler sized puny body. Picture Angel from Tigersharks crossed with a fetus, but in a sickly milky white color. Honestly, I'm not sure if we should be able to take out Sleepfisher from her armor or not.
Think something like TMNT's Mutagen Man torso, but with an Anglerfish theme, but with Mon*Star's arms and legs in neon blues and Purples. The reason for the colors is for a Super7 GITD variant. The blues from the armor should glow in the dark as well as the milky white fishwoman AND the "lure".
Thundercats:
It's easy to make new Thunderians who may or may not ascend to the rank of Thundercats, because you pick a cat and roll with it, but allies can be tougher. Non-Mutant villains are harder, because for Mutants, you pick an animal, make a puny name, or add -Man or -O as a suffix.
Othellote:
His name is a portmanteau of Othello and Ocelote, which is Spanish for Ocelot. Think of a long haired Sam Elliot with pointy ears and the face markings of an Ocelot. His outfit would be in faded reds and blues. Red leggins with a blue unitard over it. Think Panthro with pants. With wrappings on his lower legs like Lynx-O, but barefoot... like Tygra. His arms should be like Bengali's but with Ocelot markings. He should have a removable belt with Bandoliers that can be worn with or without his cloth Poncho. His torso should look reminiscent of 2011 Tygra, but in 80s tights and the red and blue scheme I mentioned. His weapons are a pair of Revolver-like Blasters, because Sam Elliot. One tiny detail I forgot: he should have 2 Right arms. One organic and one Cyber arm. The latter is built by Tygra, Panthro, and Bengali after Othellote lost his arm to the Berzerkers. The arm is made of a strange metal that they obtained from some ancient gears. (One should be included as an accessory)
Another accessory should be special hands that can twirl the blasters like a cowboy can twirl his revolvers. The last accessory is a gaucho knife, the facón.
Yes, he's a cowboy and gaucho hybrid with a nod to another Cowboy Ocelot, but with a Thundercats twist. The idea is that he was captured and used as a tracker before the destruction of Thundera. After years of traveling various worlds as a bounty hunter, he heard about the Thundercats being alive. This would lead to the encounter with the Berzerkers where he loses his arm.
Karakarla:
Female Thunderian based on the Caracal Cat.
She should have some traits reminiscent of people from northwestern India in her face and hairstyle. Her outfit should take SOME inspiration from traditional India clothing, but still stick to Thundercats aesthetics. For her weapon, a pair of Katar blades would suit her and a Chakram. She would also have a Bi-Board, a device similar to Lynx-O's Braille board that allows her to interact with computers as long as she is within range. She's somewhat of a computer hacker herself. (This is a reference to Hecker from Beluga.)
Now for the villains, like I said, Non-Mutant characters are harder.
Hate Lord:
The undead body of an Evil Overlord from First Earth... (Third Earth is Our Earth after recovering from 2 nuclear holocausts.) Revived by the ancient Spirits of Evil, as a competitor to Mumm-Ra. He'd look undead, kinda like Mumm-Ra, but with shoulder long black hair parted to the left. As an undead being, he'd have no nose and a small strip of bluish black ichor sporadically dripping from the nostrils. Emblazoned on his bare chest a blueish black Iron cross made of the same ichor. On his right bicep a faded armband with a hole where a patch used to be.
Torn WWII era-esque pants and bare undead feet complete the Hate Lord (that you probably guessed it's the undead ghost of the failed Austrian Art Student) his accessories would be a Mauser pistol (that fires lazer beams because 80s cartoon) he would have an Ancient Spear capable of piercing spirits. A chalice (yes, it's the Grail) a second head without the ichor strip. The other accessory is a broken skull that the spear can be stabbed in. (Lion-O would be forced to use the Spear of Destiny against Hate Lord to sever his link to the Ancient Spirits of Evil, since Mumm-Ra's reflective weakness doesn't work against him.)
I made him as a one-off villain because Zombie Hitler... again, this is an Adult Collectible line.
Dingolian:
A Mutant Dingo in a blue Speedo. A harness similar to 90s Cyclops but styled like Jackalman's (dark leather with a round gem...) at the back of his harness he should be able to sheath his Knoife (a sword-sized bowie knife.) He could reuse the limbs from Jackalman, repainted to look different, of course. Maybe giving him a few Boomerangs as additional weapons. He speaks in American making bad Australian impression.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
This one is the easiest of all since making mutants is taking a Profession and an animal and combining them like Dalmatian Fireman, Cat Burglar, Giraffe Basketball player, etc. Non-Mutants are harder.
Jibber Jabber:
A Mixed Martial Arts fighting Boston Terrier (with Bahstahn accent) and googly eyes. He talks almost as fast as he punches Foot Soldiers. He wears bright pink and yellow shorts with neon green footwear and gloves. For weapons he gets brass knuckles, because he's a brawler. Dumbbells, a jukebox and a sleeveless coat with hood, a chewed up bone (that can be put in his atlernate head's mouth), a water bottle.
He's a dog turned into a humanoid mutant. He was the pet of a clandestine Dog Fighting Circuit. He mutated after licking some Ooze from a gym mat that his owner used.
Thomas Franco Fledermann:
A TV soap opera actor whose life was shining bright on him: A loving fiancee, just signed a deal to star in a movie reboot, had a deal with a major perfumer... all lost when he was shaken up by some Mobsters working for Shredder who dumped Ooze on him. Now turned into a monstrous Mutant Bat, TFF seeks vengeance on the Shredder for ruining his life. The movie and perfume deals were gone after he became a freak. His fiancee left him due to his appearance. He has nothing to lose and won't rest until the Foot Falls.
His appearance is vampire bat based, but with wavy Shoulder length black hair. He wears a blue shirt with a black sports coat with a hole on the back for his tiny bat wings and grey pants. No shoes due to his bat feet. His accessories include: extra scary screaming head, multiple hands, a football, a water bottle, a shovel sized Spoon, a little buddy called Benny the Cheep Cheep Chicken who wears a dark blue shirt with yellow horizontal stripes, and a hand holding a crumpled up red dress.
The character is a nod/reference to Tommy Wiseau's The Room. With the character's name referencing both actors who have played the role of Johnny, main character of The Room. The movie reboot he was going to star is, you guessed it, The Room. This actually stemmed from making a joke "The Room wave" for TMNT with Wingnut being Johnny, Mona lisa being, Lisa, Raphael being Chris R (C. Raph), Michelangelo being Mark, Donatello Being Peter, Donatello being Peter, Leonardo being Steven, Casey as Mike, April as Michelle, Splinter as Claudette... I was drunk, alright.
Now let's do some villains:
Ad-Lib:
A former member of The Purple Dragons who became a Stand-up comedian after a terrifying encounter with Wingnut and Screwloose. He jumped into a vat of Ooze whole being chased by the Mutant Vigilantes. When he came out, his life became more hilarious as he became a mutant Hyenaman. He calls himself Ad-Lib as he improvises most of his jokes on the spot. He's not Shredder's favorite mutant, but his Punchlines always have the same result: Pain.
Picture a Hyena version of Andrew Dice Clay with only one broken shoe because Playmates style. The reason for using ADC as a visual inspiration is because his Diceman attire looks punkish and gang-like, which would suit a former gangbanger turned stand-up comedian. Also, I want to distance myself a bit from The Joker, since his backstory is a parody of Joker's origin.
His accessories would be prop comedy items like Banana Peels, Explosive Meringue Pies, Jack in the Box Surprise and any other "Joker-like" paraphernalia. While there are some Joker inspired elements for the accessories, the character IS NOT a Joker clone. He really wants to do stand-up comedy/prop comedy, but his acts can be a bit disastrous in the collateral damage department and the only person who consistently pays for his acts is the Shredder.
Donna Fatale:
The overused Secret agent/Femme fatale character trope. A female EPF Agentwho after being exposed to a little Ooze, gained the ability to change her appearance. As a shapeshifter, Agent Bishop saw Donna's Potential and uses her to clear any governmental red tape when needed, not to mention using the Turtles to do some of Bishop's dirty jobs.
From the waist down, she'd share parts with April. A new piece simulating the top of her jumpsuit tied around her waist, which would reveal an EPF sleeveless field uniform. Her face should look Similar to April, but with Blonde hair. The hairstyle should be similar to toy Mitsu (looks short from the fromt, but is actually longer on the back, due to the ponytail.) Her hair should be painted with thermochromic paint, so it can change from yellow to reddish-brown. (If she was a late 80s-early 90s figure) She should get extra heads based on human female TMNT characters. (April, Irma, Karai, Angel, etc.) Her weapons should be spy styled weapons disguised as other things.
And there you have it, 4 Characters for each line: 2 heroes and two villains. Yes, some of the choices are obvious pastiches, nods to other characters visually speaking. Some fun facts: Karasu was an Idea from my childhood but he was called Nightshade back then and he wasn't a ninja. His design was a hybrid between Flashback's helmet and Quicksilver. The Japanese folklore elements came in as an adult.
Other ideas that didn't make the cut:
Flamingo themed Silverhawk:
This Silverhawk was meant to be a tribute to a friend of mine, but a pink Silverhawk dude would sadly be used as a gay joke...
I had a minor vandal character who would do vandalism. He was meant to be a frienemy of Timestopper, who was jealous of the latter's
mild connection to the Mob.
For Thundercats, I had a Barbarian character, who wasn't a Conan or He-Man nod. He simply was a Barbarian who wandered the land testing his strength against others. Think a cross between Heracles and Thor, without divinity. Problem was that Barbarians are too Generic. The reason for his journey to become stronger was that Mumm-Ra vanished his village and left him as the sole survivor. He wants to vanquish the undead demon priest to recover his village and be able to finally die in peace. (He pleaded to the Ancient Spirits of Good to not let him rest until his people receive the Justice they deserve.) I was thinking that he also has a code of honor, where he doesn't kill unless it's necessary. (ie: kill a rabbit to eat, but not for sport).
I also had a creature inspired by the First version of the Chupacabra, (not the coyote version, but the aliens from Species meet Sonic the Hedgehog design) my issue was finding a possible place in the story... (had no trouble with zombie Hitler, but the Chupacabra was too hard for me...)
For TMNT it was a lot easier to create stuff, but ot was a lot harder to choose.
I had a Cat burglar concept that I chose to skip, since it was close to a "catgirl" Catwoman knock-off. Think Felicia from Darkstalkers.
Gimmick was light piping to simulate the cat's eyes glow.
I had an idea for Pirate Sentient Toilet that had a psychotic "little buddy" that was a sentient amber colored poop that wants to destroy the toilet. The accessories were extra hands, a dog with a swollen paw (because it stepped on a bee) No need to explain that Deep John being a pirate is a weird nod to The Trial of the decade.
I had a Chihuahua "Coffee smuggler" that had an accident with some Ooze he was smuggling for Krang. I chose a Chihuahua instead of a Coyote, since Chihuahuas already look like they're using Caffeine Pills. But the UFC Boston Terrier has some more potential...
But alas, this will not happen, because Super7 being a smaller company than Mattel and the larger logistical hurdles related to the licenses.
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