As mentioned in previous posts, all of the Creations for Charity figures have been designed around a specific BrickArms prototype (for their regular weapons visit BrickArms website) - in this case rust swirl Sten prototype with U-clip ammo attachment. I was going to replicate my Wierd War Paratrooper - Black Legion Falcon:
The issues with replicating this figure were a few (okay, more excuses, but still) - 1) The torso choice was much more expensive to use (Cad Bane Torso), and this figure uses a LARGE amount of BrickArms protos (some of which were permanently modded for this figure - i.e. the re-breather, the panzerfaust, and to an extent the viewfinder). Regardless, I decided to make a new figure for the other rust swirl Sten that I received, and following in line with the Steampunk Clone Trooper, I thought a more traditional steampunk figure might be enjoyed.
So, what to do with a steampunk trooper - well, my typical thought is to give them lots of dials and pressure gauges - which this figure has plenty of -3 pressure gauges, and 1 modded Arealight jetpack warhead (available at Arealight Customs) which functions as a dial. More noticeable in this picture:
My largest goal with this figure however, was that I wanted to add as many playability features as possible. Where should I start with playability? Well, the weapon of course! However, I come to a brick wall at this point - how do I take a BrickArms prototype and mod it in a way that allows for the steampunk theme, playability, and at the same time not permanently altering the weapon (many BrickArms fans do not approve of their BAPs being permanently modded)? Well, the answer was to create a mod that was removable. In this case I used a piece of Lego tubing/hosing that had a fairly decent amount of surface tension that allowed the tube to remain on the tip of the Sten while at the same time allowing me to use some trans-neon pieces for the scope and rifle barrel. This mod is completely removable and actually usable on other BrickArms that have the thin tip rifle barrel. I also included a bayonette from my collection to create a walking stick that allows the bayonette to be removed and used as a weapon should this steampunk scientist find the need. The final piece of built-in playability with this figure is found in the lever on his back - I was playing around and thought it would be neat to have a "working" power switch on the armor - the lever actually moves up and down and can be played with to "power" the armor or turn it off (although, it doesn't do him much good in the back where he can't reach it...).
In finalizing the figure - put on some coats of varying shades of bronze, add a little blue for the oxidation spots, and seal the figure. Overall, I'm happy with how the figure came out, although I don't think he'll make my top list of favorite minifigures.
