Friday, July 07, 2006

Mad Mods!

I am thinking of having a new Heroclix custom made and, as I have before, I want to seek your input.

How this works is, the Mad Modder Dale can create any custom Heroclix figure I ask for (for a fee). But I need to figure out an appropriate dial from an existing Heroclix figure that can be "borrowed" to use as the custom's dial. By "appropriate" I mean "has powers" that approximate what the customized character is able and likely to do in the comic books.

Ideally, I can find a dial from a figure different from one of the ones we play with. Sinc
e we only play with the DC clix at my house (imagine that!), I'm usually scouring the dials of all the Marvel figures to find appropriate dials to use for customs of DC figures. In fact, a lot of what I know about more modern Marvel characters comes from the research I have to do to understand their Heroclix dials for this research! Thus, my love for DC forces me to learn about Marvel: oh, the Comic Book Irony.

Occasionally, I'll use a dial from a figure of a DC character that we seldom (or never) play because, well, we just don't like the character. For example, "Jinx" is a fairly meaningless character to me, being from the Titans lore that I find tedious; however, the dial of the Veteran Jinx is not a bad approxima
tion of the mystic abilities of the Ocean Master, and so my custom Ocean Master sits on the dial of a Veteran Jinx.

So, in contemplating a custom order, I have to decide:

(A) What character would be cool to have a figure of, but isn't likely to
get made by Wizkids (the company that makes Heroclix). For example: yes, it would be cool to have some more Doom Patrol figures, but you know darned well there will be more coming from Wizkids. I prefer only to order customs that I don't expect to see as "real figures" (like, say, my Ace the Bathound custom clix).

(B) What character would fit in well with the kinds of figures we usually play. For example: I'm not the world's biggest fan of Green Arrow, so I'm not highly motivated to ask for a Xeen Arrow custom and the Fourth World characters don't see lots of play at my house, so Kanto's not high on the list for possible customizing. Conversely, I already have TWO Vibe customs and a host of Aquaman characters. You know; the real Aquaman.

(C) Whether there's an appropriate dial to put the custom on. Does no good to have a neat-looking Phantom Stranger custom if there's no dial that would let him do the Phantomically Strange things he usually does. In fact, it's just frustrating.


I have a draft list of ideas but I want at least four more. Please express your opinions (minus any threats of violence) of my list and suggest additions. If you do suggest an additional character to be customized, please, if possible, take (A), (B), and (C) into consideration.

My current favorite candidates are:



Angle Man

A long-time Wonder Woman foe, the Angle Man is the suave ladies' man with the mysterious warping device known as the Angler, who is currently seeing so much play in the pages of Catwoman.

Why?: We like to play "the So and So Family versus their Rogues Gallery" games, and Angle Man would help round out Wonder Woman's foes.

The Dial: Veteran Shaman (Armor Wars #051; 74 points). The point range is right: he's less powerful than WW but still hard for her to beat. The rainbow dial lets him do the full range of Angler tricks: disappearing at will (Phasing), confusing people (Perplex), undercutting others' powers (Outwit), hobbling opponents (Incapacitate), attacking people's brains (Psychic Blast), avoiding getting hit (Deflection).


Dr. Polaris

Currently dead Green Lantern villain and famous loon, the original Master of Magnetism, and a fine blogger to boot.

Why?: There are four different GL Heroclix (Hal, Kyle, John, Kilowog), but their Rogues Gallery is represented only by Sinestro and Fatality (oh, and the Manhunter robots, but they're easier to blow up than Red Tornado). And watching Polaris bounce dumpsters off Hal Jordan's head would be about the finest evening one could have without employing marital aids.

The Dial: Unique Xorn (Ulitmates #085, 94 points). Heh; you were expecting Magneto or the X-Man Polaris, weren't you? I don't want to use Magneto because he always has the power "Leadership", and that just ain't Dr. Polaris. Polaris would work for Dr. Polaris (go figure!) but I want to use Xorn. Xorn's got three things that make him perfect: Telekinesis down the dial (that's the power used to represe
nt magnetically throwing crap around; like dumpsters; at Hal's head); Deflection (magnofolk are always deflecting whatever object or force you aim at them); and HEALING (because Dr. Polaris is a REAL PHYSICIAN; that's too cool to ignore).


Black Hand


Cliche-spouting energy vampire villain recently revamped in the pages of Green Lantern.

Why?: See above on GL villains. Besides, he's really creepy and the only similar villain is Parasite, but he sucks. Literally.

The Dial: Veteran Rogue (Infinity Challenge #123, 85 points). Rogue has "Steal Energy"; Black Hand is an energy vampire. Nuff said.


Jimmy Olsen


Congenital idiot and avatar of all Superman fanboys.

Why?: Jeepers, Mr. Kent! It's your basic constructive dilemma. If Jimmy Olsen survives a game long enough to be helpful, that'll be pretty funny; if he doesn't, that'll be even funnier. Jimmy in game = funny.
The Dial: Rookie Gotham Undercover Cop (Unleashed #007, 14 points). Tough one. Without having one of his freak accidents, Jimmy has no powers (although a strong argument could be made for Perplex, since there has never been a character more perplexing the Jimmy Olsen). But Jimmy does run around alot avoiding getting attacked and hugging his disguise kit so I picked a low point dial with Stealth and Shape Change. Not only will that increase Jimmy's survival chances, it will also give him a function: he'll actually be able to help protect Superman by standing in front of him and hiding him from opponents!


Max Mercury

The Zen master of speed, mentor of Bart Allen, and Really Cool Character Shafted Into Limbo. I never would have learned to love Bart Allen, without Max to complete the comedy duo.

Why?: There's no use making any of Flash's Rogues as customs; all the cool ones will get made as real clicks. But a medium-point-speedster would be a fun addition to the "Flash Family".

The Dial: Rookie Quicksilver (Armor Wars #052, 52 points). He's go the basic "speedster powers" (Hypersonic Speed, Charge, Flurry, and Supersenses), but runs through them more quickly then the Flash does. A figure with this dial serves as a good "mentor" for the Rookie Impulse but has trouble keeping up with the Veteran Kid Flash.


Prof. Radium


One of our recent faves here at the Absorbascon, who's currently skulking about the pages of Battle for Bludhaven getting cursed at by a robot dog. He needs some love.

Why?: The Batfamily is a great source for teams at my house and they always need lots of enemies. Besides.... He's a Golden Age Batman villain. He's a bald scientist with a Van Dyke. He's green. He can bring dogs back from the dead. He's Prof. Radium, for pity's s
ake!

The Dial: Veteran Asp (Fantastic Forces #027, 39 points). This dial has the necessary Poison, a ranged attack of Blast for his "radium blasts", and the all-imporant first click of Stealth that keeps him from getting klonked by a batarange before he can get his licks in.


Hugo Strange

Creepy mad doctor who is one of Batman's oldest foes, starring recently in Matt Wagner's Batman and the Monster Men.

Why?: Pretty much for the same reasons as Prof. Radium, except the part about being green.

The Dial: Rookie Psylocke (Armor Wars #055, 45 points). Like a lot of Batman villains, Hugo's abilities are more mental than physical, which calls for a very special dial. This dial has boatloads of Perplex, which allows Strange to influence the battle from a safe distance, protected by Deflection. Plus with the "SHIELD" ability to represent his tactical genius, Hugo can improve the attack of any teammate standing beside him -- or standing in front to protect him!

42 comments:

  1. Bear in mind that I don't know anything about Heroclix.

    But how about the Zoo Crew? Captain Carrot and Pig-Iron are both really tough in a fight. Alley-Kat-Abra's got magic *and* martial arts. Fastback's a speedster. Rubberduck and Yankee Poodle are useful at a distance. Even Little Cheese... he's supposed to be just a shrinking guy, but it's implied in his first appearance that he's got some kind of teleportation thing going on. But none of their powers were so exotic that they won't exist somewhere else.

    And the Zoo Crew had good villains, too... Cold Turkey, Frogzilla, Solar Bear, the Salamandroid, the Wuz-Wolf...

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  2. Have you tried dial makers like this ?

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  3. I vote Jimmy Olsen!

    Preferably made to look as much like Sam Huntington as possible. Swooooonnnnn....

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  4. I don't play Heroclix, so I can only guess about "which dials." That being said:

    Red Tornado, Ma Hunkel version.
    Why: Because she rules. Simple as that.
    Dial: Wildcat?

    Nemesis
    Why: Suicide Squad connections, basic coolness. Disguisey.
    Dial: Um, a low-level shapeshifter?

    The Atomic Knights, old school version
    Why: "Men in armor with ray guns, riding giant mutant Dalmatians in the post-apocalyptic world of 1992" is all the "why" you need.
    Dial: Can't help you there.

    Rex the Wonder Dog
    Why: A dog who can ride a horse, fight giant squids, and do your taxes is a dog I want on my team.
    Dial: Rookie Batman. Because Rex can do anything and he will mess you up.

    Just a few thoughts.

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  5. Well, since they've already got a Manhunter/Kate Spencer out, why not work up her support crew. You can have Tech-Guy Dylan, Cameron Chase (with Perplex or similar to simulate her vaguely-defined power-distorting metability), maybe even a Mark Shaw with shape-change. I'm sure you can come up with better dials for them, I don't know much about clix so I'm just taking ideas from your post.

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  6. I vote for four Jimmy Olsens:

    Rookie: low points, has the power of meat shield and exposition

    Experienced: the disguise kit hugger you describe

    Veteran: every hit turns him into a completely different powered persona: starts as Jimmy, next hit Turtle Boy, next hit Elastic Lad, next Olsen the Red, ... so on and so forth

    Unique: The Jimmy Olsen from All Star Superman #4. Who has all of the abilities described above, but is some how actually kind of cool

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  7. The Zoo Crew would be fun, but they really wouldn't fit it nicely with our games.

    Yes, Brandon, VERY familiar with that and others. However, those dialmakers aren't accurate; the Heroclix point formula is secret and has never been decoded. We prefer to "keep it legal" by using only "real" dials.

    Ma Hunkel. There actually IS a Ma Hunkel in the game; she's one of only two pogs that have Toughness!

    Nemesis. I'm guessing he'll be in the next set.

    The Atomic Knights. Ha! We need an entire "Battle for Bludhaven" set!

    Rex. Good call. I have Ace the Bathound and Krypto; why not Rex? The only problem with use a Batman dial is that Batman has a range of 6 squares. Not even Rex can throw a batarang 6 squares.

    Cameron Chase, you'll be happy to know, already HAS a Heroclix figure, and she has one mean little dial!

    Jimmy Olsen, he really deserves the Special Collector Set treatment with the usual seven figures (Giant Turtle Man, Porcupine Man, Wolf Man, Elastic Lad, Giant Brain Jimmy, Cub Reporter Jimmy Olsen, and "Mr. Action").

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  8. Bear in mind that I've never played a role playing game in my life (unless you count my life itself); but wouldn't a rookie Radioactive Man from Sinister be a better choice for Professor Radium? He practically is the Silver-Age Professor Radium; he's a scientist who experimented on himself and gave himself radioactive powers and green skin!

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  9. Well, Max Mercury is the coolest guy you have up there. And he deserves some fresh air after all the time he's spent in the Speed Force. I was a huge fan of the Impulse run, and it super pissed me off when they started a story with Max disappearing and never finished it. Then they whip him out for a panel in IC, then tell me the speed force is gone... when will the guy catch a break?

    If not, you can never go wrong with getting that Batman with that cool racer hat on a post down.

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  10. 1. Liberty Belle - on a Captain America dial.

    2. Weaponeer of Qward - on an Electro dial.

    3. Matter Master - on a Molecule Man dial.

    4. General Zod - on a Superman dial.

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  11. "wouldn't a rookie Radioactive Man from Sinister be a better choice for Professor Radium? "

    You would think so, but no.

    Radioactive Man has damage-reducing powers (Imperviousness, Invulnerability, or Toughness)meaning a cop can shoot him with a gun and he'll probably shrug it off.

    If you shoot Prof. Radium, he just bleeds. Glowing green poisonous plasma perhaps, he won't shrug off bullets, or even a punch in the face.

    Also the dial I've chosen has a better range than Radioactive Man, which is more consistent with Prof. Radium's demonstrated abilities.

    And he needs that first click of Stealth the Asp dial has. Without it, he's a sitting duck for the Batfamily. Besides; he IS wearing a black coat.

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  12. "1. Liberty Belle - on a Captain America dial.
    2. Weaponeer of Qward - on an Electro dial.
    3. Matter Master - on a Molecule Man dial.
    4. General Zod - on a Superman dial."

    VERY interesting ideas. Zod, however, already has a real Heroclix figure.

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  13. Egg Fu.
    Why: The look on other players' faces when you whip out a giant egg with a killer moustache on it.
    Dial: Since the Fu will be huge, you'd need a huge dial. Galactus? The Spectre? Something like that. Fu is mighty!

    The Justice Experience
    Why: A major change-of-pace team.
    Dials: With the exception of the Bronze Wraith (a disguised J'onn J'onzz), they weren't powerful, so a smattering of acrobat-tough guy rookies.

    G'nort
    Why: The most entertaining GL of all time deserves a click, dammit.
    Dial: The lamest GL dial you can find.

    Terry Long
    Why: Sending him into battle promises hilarity.
    Dial: A "bystander" pog would do nicely. Is there a "creepy" power?

    Mervyn Pumpkinhead
    Why: Deep down, in the parts of us we pretend don't exist, what we fear most is a pumpkin with a gun. Merv would give you a huge edge in any game.
    Dial: Two-Face.

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  14. There was a Jimmy Olsen pog in Legacy, but he was just plain Jimmy Olsen, not power-of-the-week Jimmy from all the classic comics.

    As for figs that could be customs, I always like Crazy Jane on the V Legacy Joker dial--totally different stuff on every click.

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  15. Max Mercury, especially considering the cold shoulder all things Impulse have gotten since Young Justice ended.

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  16. Zod already has a heroclix? Hm.

    Psimon on a Professor X dial? Or another X-Men telepath? There should be a fit somewhere.

    Wait, - Prez. On a Captain America dial.

    And Boss Smiley on either a Red Skull or Baron Zemo or Hatemonger dial.

    Or maybe you should just go for the Brotherhood of Dada. Put the Love Glove on a Wolverine dial. That'd be great!

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  17. "1. Liberty Belle - on a Captain America dial.

    Are you thinking of the actual Golden-Age, non-superpowered Liberty Belle? Another customer ordered a Liberty Belle from me, after she had been Thomasized with "sonic pulse" powers; he requested an Experienced Shocker dial.

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  18. Sigh; I actually have lain awake, pondering an Egg Fu custom.

    So small is my life, so grandiose my dreams.

    Maybe I'll buy a Spectre or Phoenix, snap off the sculpt and toss in in the trashbin, to be replace by a giant Communist egg with a moustache.

    Heeee-ho!

    Only ONE problem: Egg Fu's speed value would have to be zero.

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  19. If you are going to do Jimmy Olsen, you HAVE to do him as "Turlte Boy". That's just too classic. :)

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  20. Xeen Arrow is a must. James Meeley beat me to it! Make it Giant Turtle Boy Jimmy. Xeen and GTBJ would tower over all, shining in a rampant display of glorious Silver Ageosity.

    On Fourth World characters, do you have an Infinity-Man?

    All those you list are plenty good crooks, but Hugo Strange is different. Hugo Strange is terrifying simply because of what he knows. That is sublime supervillain excellence right there. I think he'd need two figures: his normal one, and one with his ugly mug atop a Batman costume.

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  21. You do me a great honor, Scipio. I of course vote for myself. And I *demand* that all others vote for me as well.

    If you fools do not then I will rain shrapnel on your families and destroy your pets from the inside out.

    So says Doctor Polaris!

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  22. Did they ever make a Heroclix figure for me? I bet they didn't...

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  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  24. Though the Doc will kill me, I have to vote for Hugo Strange.

    Everything is made better by the liberal application of Hugo Strange.

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  25. Azrael: Think they did. Could have sworn I've seen one, but I could just be nuts.

    And all those choices are too good. With the Superman collections coming out, I think it's only a matter of time before someone makes a few official Olsen clix, so I'd go with Max Mercury or Professor Radium. Or Hugo Strange. Or Black Hand. Yeah.

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  26. There IS an Azrael clix figure; but none for Dr. Polaris.

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  27. My vote goes out to Prof. Radium. Any villain who puts dogs (and dog owners) first is okay in my book. Maybe you could have a Rusty the Radium Hound figure to help him out.

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  28. I would love if HeroClix made Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Cat Grant, Ron Troupe, and Steve Lombard figures with some sort of Daily Planet team ability.

    I'm not exactly sure what that would be, thought. Would it be useful to spy on your opponent, or some other information based advantage?

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  29. I would love if HeroClix made Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Cat Grant, Ron Troupe, and Steve Lombard figures with some sort of Daily Planet team ability.

    If you want customs of these (with a little Daily Planet TA symbol on the dial), let's talk!

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  30. I must admit I know nothing about HeroClix, but I figured I could try to swing it anyway.

    Bat-Mite
    Why: He's totally awesome and he's in contunuity.
    Oh yeah.
    Dial: Loki (I figure their powers are approximate)

    Titano
    Why: He's a gorilla. With Kryptonite vision.
    Dial: Xplosion Rookie Abomination, maybe?

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  31. Wait, they have a Kilowog heroclix but no Guy Gardner? That just isn't right. :(

    (I second the votes for G'nort and Terry Long)

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  32. Nevermind, Loki and Bat-Mite's powers aren't approximate. They're exactly the same.

    I would suggest Sgt. Rock and the Question, but I can't think of any good dials.

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  33. NOBODY's powers are like Bat-Mite's.

    Except Mx, of course.

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  34. Sgt. Rock already has a REV trio of clix.

    The Question is expected in the next DC set.

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  35. Not knowing enough about HeroClix to suggest any new figures, I would have to go with Max Mercury. An Impulse / Max Mercury team would be tough to beat, in terms of nostalgia at least. (If you can be nostalgic for things less than 20 years old. Which I, apparently, can.)

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  36. Are there Watchmen clix?

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  37. There are no Watchmen clix. Probably a licensing issue.

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  38. Really?

    Here are Loki's Heroclix abilities:
    Phasing
    Incapacitate
    Pyschic Blast
    Invunerability
    Toughness
    Barrier
    Energy Shield/Deflection
    Perplex (Boy, That one sounds like Bat-Mite, don't it?)
    Outwit
    Probability Control

    They sure sound similar to me!

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  39. I mean in the sense that Bat-Mite can do, well, ANYTHING. And can't be harmed in any way. No Heroclix dial could represent that.

    And, yes, I have a custom clix of Ace the Bat-Hound.

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  40. I suppose that you can count each bit of damage as another step to to getting Bat-Mite to return to his accursed dimension and stop meddling in Batman stuff.

    (Or that is really stretching the possibilities! Whatever.)

    P.S. You do know that Big Monkey Comics Custom Heroclix Ebay Store (Oh my!) is selling a Mr. Mxyzptlk click?

    P.P.S. Titano is a Big Monkey! Hmm.

    P.P.P.S. Failing these I second Egg Fu (You could make the 1st appearance small Egg Fu to avoid cannibalizing a rare Galactus or Spectre) and Jimmy Olsen. Or Willi Von Dort.

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  41. >>if HeroClix made Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Cat Grant, Ron Troupe, and Steve Lombard figures with some sort of Daily Planet team ability.<<

    Like what? You'd need clix w/ negative point values, like "impede" or "complicate," wouldn't you? Something that makes it more difficult for surrounding near-standing allies to function, in any case, however you approximate that in Heroclix-ese.
    Same deal w/ g'nort, who would need a self-inflicted "perplex" thing to be continuously happening to him.
    gah!
    Why am I commenting on a game that I've never even seen be played? I ... I'm strangely compelled to reveal my ignorance. Curse you, Scipio!

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