The idea for what would become ‘Forgotten Heroes’ came from two unrelated sources – the semi-regular “He-Months” that Roger and I indulge in, where we recreate characters from the Masters of the Universe franchise in 28mm and my own off-the-wall side project during one of these months, where I decided to convert a cheap plastic dinosaur into the version of Marvels’s Devil Dinosaur that appeared in NextWave #12.
Roger had suggested another ‘He-Month’, but I was fast running out of characters that I wanted to do and that I felt I could actually do. Taking inspiration from the conversions I had previously done for each ‘He-Month’, when I had the pleasure of meeting Roger in the flesh at Salute back in April, I suggested that instead of ‘He-Month’ why not change the subject matter to superheroes, but those that had yet to have a figure made of them? I felt this would offer a fresh challenge to the pair of us, but given the subject matter, would also tempt others to join us in our madness.
After a bit of thought, Roger agreed this was a good idea and came up with the name ‘Forgotten Heroes’, as my initial title was a bit rubbish. I then announced this via my blog at the beginning of March, to give everybody who wanted to take part a chance to plan, and posted the official ‘rules’, which can be found as the very first post on this site.
Talking of this site, that was all Roger’s idea, as there were people who were interested in taking part but did not have their own blogs – so they could send the details of their efforts to Roger, who would then post these on the site.
So, during the month of June, everyone who had agreed to take part began work on the selected ‘Forgotten Heroes’. For some, the idea of converting an existing miniature into an obscure superhero or villain took them outside their comfort zone, as it was either part of the hobby they didn’t usually
partake in or a genre that was beyond their usual gaming focus. However, all who took part ably rose to the challenge – with low-tech solutions, such as the use of a ping-pong ball, to high-tech with the use of 3D printing. And by the end of June, all participants (bar one, and he knows who he is), had completed their ‘pledged’ miniatures.
So, in alphabetical order by surname, here is a list of those who took part and their creations:
Michael Awdry – Bouncing Boy
Mike Boynton – Stinkor
John Brattan – Golden Age Sandman
Simon Moore – Manphibian, Mr Freeze’s goons, Vampire by Night & Warwolf
Alan Saunders – Captain UK & Jenny Everywhere
Bryan Scott – Purgatori and Vampirella (Chibi and ‘normal’ versions)
Roger Webb – Aftershock, Black Scorpion & Gangster Prankster
Jeremy Winstanley – Bananaman, Stegron & Super-Soldier
Eight participants over three continents, producing 22separate figures (as there were four of Mr Freeze’s goons and two different versions of Purgatori and Vampirella), inspired by comics, movies and a toyline.
The quality of each creation was exceptionally high, probably because those taking part had invested the time and effort to make a figure that they actually wanted. And from the feedback and comments that we have received, it seems that everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are quite keen to participate in the next one…
Yes, your read that correctly – ‘Forgotten Heroes’ will return! Currently the plan is to make it an annual event, that will take place each June. As there were a number of people who expressed interest, but were not able to join in last time, not only can you next time, we’ve also given you plenty of warning!
Anyone who wants to take part in ‘Forgotten Heroes 2017′ just needs to register their intention to take part prior to the start of June next year. This gives you plenty of time to not only state you wish to take part, but also to plan whatever figure (or figures) you wish to create. Believe me, once the bug has bitten you, the problem won’t be actually creating your figure, but choosing which character(s) you want to create…”
So to end I just want to thank all the entrants in this years challenge, thank you for making this such a roaring success and enthralling us all with your wonderful entries, skill and ingenuity. I’m looking forward to 2017’s challenge already!
Regards Jez.