This is what I found in my bed when Dracula made me an offer I couldn't refuse

[MmM]

Mr. Hed

Ghastly decapitated horse heads that can be found in the first level of Konami's 1991 Super Castlevania IV [original Japanese title: Akumajo Dracula (Demon Castle Dracula)] Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) video game. From a distance, they appear to be grisly inanimate remains, but, should anyone be foolish enough to get too close, these equine creatures will suddenly return to life, floating up into the air and immediately giving chase to the would-be trespasser in a ghostly fashion. Should he catch up with his prey, which he invariably does, Mr. Hed will inflict painful bites with his teeth. Fortunately, these rotting horrors are structurally unsound and can be easily returned to lifelessness with a single strike from Simon Belmont's whip.

The monster's name is obviously a humorous take on the titular talking horse featured in the classic Mr. Ed television sitcom.


Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, human hair (mine), a wire twist tie, nail polish, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions:
4.0 cm/1.6 in. x 6.0 cm/2.4 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
The jaw opens and closes.

Time:
Roughly half a day on November 18, 2008.







More info:

http://kramwartap.fortunecity.com/mr_hed.html


So . . . it kind of ended up looking like the b*stard offspring of a donkey and a dog, instead of a horse, no?

[EarthQuake]

Ahaha, you used your own hair? :D

It looks pretty good. I think the reason has a donkey look to it is because of the way the hair stands up on the top of it's head.

[MmM]

Yup, that's my hair. I saved a ziplock bag full of it on one of the previous occasions I shaved my head (my hair is about a half-inch long, at best, right now).

Yeah, the hair is definitely donkey hair and not horse hair--I should have went with sculpted locks instead of rooted. Also, I just didn't capture the anatomy of a horse head quite right, despite using a unicorn figurine as a reference while I worked--it's the first time I've ever tried sculpting a horse, so, I'm going to use that as my official excuse. :P

[TomoAlien]

Again, awesome job! You implaled it on some pictures, and it reminded me of John Romero's head on a stick.

[Coopersville]

MmM said:

Yup, that's my hair.

Who do you think you are... CWC?

[myk]

One things that adds to the donkey-appearance is the nostrils, I think. The red insides came out very well.

[Inferno]

Let me first off say that using your own hair on one of your peices is down right awesome (and it looks very good too regardless of the donkey look).

Its an awesome peice. But you said it had a 'doggy' look to it. My only guess on this is that the face has some thin folds similar to some dogs. Other than that it looks like a very ghastly horse head.

[Creaphis]

D'oh, I made a Godfather reference and then saw your thread title. Everyone carry on.

[lupinx-Kassman]

Despite the donkey appearance, I really like that! Was a neat enemy in the game too. The thought of a floating decapitated horse head had always been a little creepy to me :P.

[MmM]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Coopersville: Who's CWC? The initials aren't ringing any bells.

TomoAlien: I did entertain some thoughts of sticking Mr. Hed on Romero's base, but they're not compatible--the pole on John's gibs is much thicker than the esophogus/airway holes I sculpted into the bottom of the horse's neck.

**********************************************

And here's another quick one I made last night, apparently, when Ticks and Trites die, they defect to Konami.

Skull Spider

Large skulls that have sprouted two pairs of segmented legs. They can be found at the Kaldius Channel and Tymoe Mountains in Konami's 2008 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Japanese title: Akumajo Dracula: Stolen Marking) Nintendo Dual Screen (DS) video game. Skull Spiders can effortlessly scale any surface, including walls and ceilings. The slightest physical contact with one of these ossified arachnids will result in a debilitating bout of poisoning, as they're extremely toxic. Skull Spiders have 32 hit points and are worth 20 experience points each, when slain. They are particularly vulnerable to "fire", "light", and "strike" based attacks. After destroying one of these skittering undead, you might obtain a vial of Anti-Venom or the Fidelis Aranea glyph as a reward (with the former being more likely than the latter).


Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, human hair (mine), wire twist ties, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The maximum height/width of this figure will vary depending on how the legs are positioned)
3.3 cm/1.3 in. x 5.5 cm/2.2 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Seventeen points total: The skull rotates and each of the legs has four joints.

Time:
Roughly 2-3 hours on November 20, 2008.

[Coopersville]

I am so glad you asked

[Jimmy]

Oh wow, heh. Until I saw the size comparison with your hand in it I was convinced those were almost life-size. :D

Great work!

[TomoAlien]

MmM said:
[A spider with heart instead of head.]

Hihihihi, Funny,

Again, it looks awesome.

[SYS]

Get a picture of the horse head and Romero head making out. :D

[MmM]

Coopersville: I can't view those, YouTube is permanently banned from the public computers I used at the local library to go online.

POTGIESSER: Nah, I know you're joking, but that'd be pretty disrespectful to Romero. I wouldn't want somebody to do something like that to me, so I'm not going to do it to him.

[Coopersville]

Eh, it isn't funny to explain, anyway.

[MmM]

Werebat

Female bat/human hybrids. They can be found at the Misty Forest Road in Konami's 2008 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia [Japanese title: Akumajo Dracula: Ubawareta Kokuin (Demon Castle Dracula: The Stolen Seal)] Nintendo Dual Screen (DS) video game. In addition to flying, a Werebat can summon, and control, any normal bats that live within a one mile radius. She will also carry several favorites, concealed on her person, at all times, mostly out of affection, but also as insurance against the possibility of finding herself in a situation where native species are either non-existent or unable to answer her call for aid. Werebats employ these lesser creatures to perform any number of simple tasks, such as spying/scouting, transporting small items/messages, or even attacking foes. It is believed that they communicate with these minions via sonic waves that are outside the hearing range of humans. Werebats have 99 hit points and are worth 50 experience points, each, when slain. They are particularly vulnerable to "slash", "light", "curse", and "stone" based attacks. After destroying one of these flapping femme fatales, you might obtain the Arma Chiroptera glyph as a reward (which will allow Shanoa, the protagonist of the game, to temporarily assume the form of a Werebat herself).


Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot/super glue, dog hair (the animal was not harmed in acquiring it), a plastic shopping bag, wire twist ties, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The maximum height/width of this figure will vary depending on how the joints are positioned. For simplicity, the wings are excluded from the measurements given.)

7.0 cm/2.8 in. x 2.5 cm/1.0 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Thirty-two points total: Neck (2), wings (14), shoulders (2), elbows (4), wrists (2), hips (2), knees (4), and ankles (2).

Time:
Roughly four days; November 22-25, 2008.





**********************************************************


"Pink Panthress" I drew for a contest at DeviantArt:

[MmM]

Polkir

Floating, azure cephalopods. They can be found at the Underground Labyrinth in Konami's 2008 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia [Japanese title: Akumajo Dracula: Ubawareta Kokuin (Demon Castle Dracula: The Stolen Seal)] Nintendo Dual Screen (DS) video game. In addition to flying, a Polkir can "draw" a deadly swath of flames with the laser-like beam that emanates from its eye. This insidious creature feeds by attaching its two longest tentacles onto the cranium of an intelligent organism (usually humans) and then absorbs the most cherished memories from the brain. The subject will literally lose all recollection of the happiest moments of their life. Once devoured, there is no way to reclaim these digested memories--permanent partial amnesia is the result. Many drained victims experience severe depression/confusion afterwards and, in despair, may even commit suicide. Polkir have 155 hit points and are worth 124 experience points, each, when slain. They are particularly vulnerable to "slash" and "fire" based attacks. After destroying one of these single-eyed mass of tentacles, you might obtain the Fidelis Polkir glyph as a reward (which will allow Shanoa, the protagonist of the game, to summon friendly Polkir to aid her in battle).

The monsters Nominon and Polkir utilize the same game sprite, but differ in abilities/attributes and color (Nominon have reddish-orange flesh and a green eye).



Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, wire twist ties, nail polish, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The maximum height/width of this figure will vary depending on how the two, large, bending tentacles are positioned. For simplicity, said appendages were excluded from the measurements given below.)

3.3 cm/1.3 in. x 1.8 cm/0.7 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Both of the longer tentacles are bendable.

Time:
Roughly half a day on November 29, 2008.

[Creaphis]

Are the werebats naked in the game, or did you add some artistic embellishments?

[MmM]

They look nude to me, but, as always, with small, low-resolution, game sprites, it can be subject to interpretation. Female Castlevania enemies are often topless, but judge for yourself:

[Creaphis]

Cute.

Sprites seem to be a very convenient way to portray a naked mythological beast, as the censoring pixelation is built into the medium.

[Shapeless]

Wow MmM your on a role! love the blue squid like thing the best, and the spider skull creature is very creepy. and I usually don't get creeped out by skulls.

[MmM]

Creaphis: I agree, there are some sprite-based games that get away with a "T" rating, despite having some nudity, due to the indistinctness of the pixel art.


*************************************************


Watcher


Strange, anthropomorphic owls that can be randomly encountered in Squaresoft's 1993 Final Fantasy Legend III (Japanese name, "SaGa III: Jikku no Hasha") Gameboy video game. Sadistic by nature, a Watcher will stalk and harass its prey (without doing any actual physical harm) for seven days and nights before it finally moves in to make the kill and feed. During this time period, the victim will frequently see, or run into, the Watcher, who will do nothing but cast its lantern light upon them and silently glare (a particularly favored tactic is for the Watcher to repeatedly peck on the bedroom window at night with its beak, the sleeper then wakens to find the stoic Watcher peering in at them--if circumstances permit, the creature will repeat this performance several times in one night; aside from instilling fear, the sleep deprivation makes the person even more susceptible to further tricks). The crafty Watcher will go to great lengths to ensure that it is only encountered when the target is alone, never when he or she is in the company of others, leading the unfortunate person to doubt what they see and to even question their sanity--indeed, some individuals are driven mad after just a few days of this treatment (which, of course, delights the Watcher to no end). In battle, this family of avian beasts may exhibit the offensive capabilities: Beak, Mute, and Thunder (Watchers and Hermits know Beak and Thunder, Mages, Sorcerers, and Warlocks know Beak and Mute).

If a character devours the meat of one of these cloaked creatures, he or she may transform into something else--what you turn into is dependent on (1) what class the character currently belongs to, (2) the character's elemental affinity, and (3) the experience level of the character. Regarding class, a monster that eats Watcher/Hermit/Mage/Sorcerer/Warlock meat will turn into a beast, a beast into a different beast, a human/mutant into a beast, a cyborg into a human/mutant, and a robot into a cyborg. All of the variations in this owl family are naturally aligned with the element of fire, and thus, so is their flesh--a "fire" character that devours said meat will remain "fire", an "air" will become "earth, "earth" will become "water", and a "water" will turn into "air". Your experience level also affects the transformation in that the higher the character's level, the more powerful the resulting thing you turn into will be (i.e., a human "water" character, at level 22, would change into an "air" Siren beast after consuming the meat, however, the same human "water" character, at level 19, would instead transform into a weaker "air" Soarx beast). The beast class, to which Watchers, Hermits, Mages, Sorcerers, and Warlocks all belong, are particularly proficient in martial arts (i.e., they get the best benefits from using items like Judo, Karate, X-Kick, etc.).

The enemies Watcher (450 HP), Hermit (540 HP), Mage (653 HP), Sorcerer (750 HP), and Warlock (852 HP) all share the same game sprite. As the original Gameboy lacks the colors to provide adequate contrast between monsters that use identical artwork (as is commonly the practice in video games), these lantern-bearing owls are indistinguishable in appearance.


Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, plastic wrap, a wire twist tie, nail polish, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions:
5.2 cm/2.0 in. x 3.0 cm/1.2 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
The neck rotates.

Time:
Roughly one day on December 7, 2008.

[Coopersville]

That tiny sculpture is particularly amazing, namely the painting of the cloak. I also like the creepy backstory.

[Creaphis]

Sadistic little bugger.

[MmM]

The painting on the cloak is actually kind of messed up--I applied two washes, but one was added when the figure was upside down, and the other right side up, so the diluted paint pooled in opposite directions--it contradicts itself in terms of gravity/physics (the dark green patch underneath the collar, on the right, shouldn't even be there, for example).

The back story just kind of came to me. I got to pondering what exactly a Watcher would be watching, and the motivation behind it, and that's what I came up with.

[Creaphis]

Ah, so you come up with these backstories yourself. Good work. I thought you might be pulling these details from some game manual (which would be a fantastically thorough manual for a Gameboy game).

[MmM]

Creaphis: I do get background information from official sources, if it's available. Some vintage game manuals have surprisingly detailed bestiaries (something I miss from the old days of gaming). The manual for Final Fantasy Legend III is indeed quite thick (80 some pages I believe), but, alas, no detailed critter descriptions are contained within that miniature tome.

All of the stuff about the effects of the Watcher's meat, it's battle abilities, HP count, etc. is official stuff. I just made up the things fleshing the background out to make the beast more interesting.


****************************************************************


Mad Snatcher


The corpse of an insane, chainsaw-wielding killer, reanimated by a loathsome parasite. They can be found at the Arms Depot section of Dracula's Castle in Konami's 2008 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia [Japanese title, Akumajo Dracula: Ubawareta Kokuin (Demon Castle Dracula: The Stolen Seal)] Nintendo Dual Screen (DS) video game. In life, the vessel was obsessed with slaying and dismembering his fellow humans, but the semi-intelligent arthropod that now pulls the body's puppet strings has much simpler desires: it just wants to feed. Any living thing that gets within reach of its six legs will be clasped in an almost unbreakable embrace and then slowly drained of all its vital fluids. The chainsaw is still useful for softening up particularly uncooperative, or heavily armored, prey, but inflicting injury is always secondary to acquiring sustenance. Mad Snatchers have 444 hit points and are worth 200 experience points, each, when slain. They are particularly vulnerable to "slash", "fire", "light", "curse", and "stone" based attacks. Mad Snatchers do not possess any special items or glyphs.

The Mad Snatcher game sprite is a variation of the Mad Butcher's (indeed, it is likely the corpses of Mad Butchers that the parasites preferentially reanimate). The addition of the six extra appendages is the biggest visual difference between the two, but there are other cosmetic changes as well, such as the exposed-skull visage (apparently somebody, or something, likes to chew off faces in Castlevania).



Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, wire twist ties, string, nail polish, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The maximum height/width of this figure will vary depending on how the joints are positioned. For simplicity, the parasite appendages are excluded from the measurements given below.)

7.0 cm/2.8 in. x 2.5 cm/1.0 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Fifty points: Neck (2), parasite appendages (24), shoulders (2), biceps (2), elbows (4), wrists (2), apron, waist, hips (4), knees (4), and ankles (4).

Time:
Four days; December 9-12, 2008.

[Da Spadger]

HOLY HELL IT'S RONALD MCDONALD D:

[MmM]

Yeah, I kinda got that impression as well--you can see a bit of the Heath Ledger Joker in there too, in my opinion.