I was saving these until after the Canadian Joe Meet, because I wanted to show them up there first...

This first one was a total brainstorm that hit me one day walking around in Michaels... I saw these tiny little Teddy Bears for like $1.70 and BOOM! I had an idea... Wasn't sure if it would work, even until I had it actually finished, but I am pretty happy with how it came out:

Bongo The Balloon Bear





I also found in my huge ass box of vehicle fodder an extremely battered on Warthog that was worth nothing to anybody. I started thinking about what I could turn it into, because I love the Warthhog so much... You know what else I love? Dr Mindbender. And I have quyite a few of em. And sometimes, they need to get several of them to a place pretty quick-like, so they could certainly use an APC...

The iBender



Made out of a Warthog, a Rattler turret, two broken old ice scrapers, some old packaging twist tie backings (I save EVERYTHING!), a few screws, lots of hot glue, some purple Fusion paint, a spare sticker sheet from the Rage and the music box from the 25A Cobra Legions pack and POOF! The iBender was born. Because I had no place else to put those stickers that came with my iPod.









???

Yea, well, the name isn't just due to the use of the iPod stickers... it plays music too:



So what do you think?

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That is some cool funny stuff!

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Well, I already expressed how much I loved these things in person, but I will publicly announce my fondness for them here in this forum

Bongo is great - the costume is just plain perfect and the fake balloons really top everything off.

The I-Bender is much cooler than I expected when I first saw it. It's what made me buy that Night Rhino from your table at the Canadian Meet - I'd never had a Warthog or Rhino, so seeing the I-Bender introduced me to how cool of a vehicle it was. Imagine my dismay when I found out my Night Rhino didn't have a sound chip......

It's just too cool how the radar dish & 'plow' form the monocle & bushy mustache for the I-Bender. Truly inspired work, and one of those things that are so incredibly gay that it swings right back around to become incredibly awesome. I dig the "probe mounts" too - you didn't have them mounted when I was at your place - I was wondering what the holes were for. Really great stuff!

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Dude its a rare thing for me to say this and I mean it in the most nonhostile best of intentions ways....but you are weird.

Good customs though.

That i-bender fully manned is a sight to behold.

The Warthog/Night Rhino is one of my favorite vehicles. It's a very under valued piece.

That Bongo is inspired and when I first saw it I was blown away. Then I saw your name on it and immediately had to find you and praise you.

Kudos.

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Heh... yea, I like how that came together. It didn't travel too well, and the plow part is sort of coming apart, unfortunately. I'll have to figure out a better way to do that.

Thanks for the comments! These were both pretty fun to do, and are sort of fun things to have around. I agree that the Warthog is grossly underappreciated.

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Bongo is a great eye for parts...excellent use of a random stuffed bear...I can't fault any craftsmanship problems with Bongo...but she does fall into that area of 1:18 scale figures in full 'real Clothe" outfits that I'm just not super wild about.


I love the I-bender, very creative, I love that you incorporated the sound box gimick...I've always been a fan of adding those special features to custom vehicles.

It's a fit issue, but I liked an idea I had to use the Armadillo turret where you've got a rattler turret...it'd take a significant ammount of modding but I think it'd look pretty sweet.

I love the idea of the probe racks...I just can't help but see those twist tie holders as anything but trash...it'd be really cool if you could use somthings like little lego clips to hold them in similar positions....OR...using the fuel reel thing that is in the Mechanic Bay of the MCC...make a big...multi-person Mind probe....sorta like a fire hose where it takes 2-3 benders to bend it.

As always...very cool stuff...maybe with the warmer weather, I'll get a couple of the Vehicle Customs I've had thought out finished up

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Bongo is nicely done. Good use of some little kids toy.

I-Bender is very creative. Love the color and the probe holsters. You need to make the rear entrance/exit bigger.

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I must have walked by those bears a gazillion times over the eyars wondering what I could ever do with them and couldn't come up with a single thing. Yet you not only used it for a Joe custom, but you did a key missing character form the comics, and did a fantastic custom to boot. Really I'm floored by it. Expect it to get copied.

The iBender is good. I love all the weird touches you've given like others have mentioned.
I didn't realize this until Chief pointed it out. Then I went back and figured out why. The dish is so far off on the the side it really doesn't convey that image enough. I'd move the dish over the headlight in the front to really sell it. You could probably dremel out the headlight and insert the dish right into the warthog.

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I love the Bongo. I like the Bendermobile, but the Apples?? Ick.

Is it me, or does bongo look like she's sportin a great big "unit"

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