What the Horta!?!

[warmaxwell]

Okay, technically this is not a customized figure, but please hear me out. While Mego has provided original series Star Trek fans with a wide range of aliens from the show, one creature has been conspicuously absent: the Horta from the episode "Devil in the Dark." And while I cannot sew (which limits my ability to make customs), I do know how to sculpt, mold, cast, and paint latex masks. When I thought about making a Horta companion for my Mego Star Trek figures, that approach seemed to make the most sense.

I'll post a thread in Custom Works in Progress with more details on the process of making the Horta here, but here's the finished product. I'm calling it Horta 1.0, because since I made the mold, I can cast additional Hortas and play around with their paint jobs - this is the prototype.

[PNGwynne]

This is great! Devil in the Dark is probably my favorite Trek episode.

I saw a Mego-scale Horta years ago that had a recess underneath to insert a little friction-powered toy car to allow "scuttling."

[warmaxwell]

This is great! Devil in the Dark is probably my favorite Trek episode.

I saw a Mego-scale Horta years ago that had a recess underneath to insert a little friction-powered toy car to allow "scuttling."

Thanks! It's one of my favorite episodes, too.

The Horta is basically hollow inside, so yeah, I can put a radio-controlled car or something similar underneath it to make it move around. Good idea.

[PNGwynne]

I did not realize it was hollow--the other I saw was resin. In the show, I think performer Janos Prohaska (sp?) was huddled on top of an auto creeper under the costume (which he made).

The trim you used is great.

[warmaxwell]

Yep PNGwynne, you're spot on about the episode lore. The other cool thing about the Horta is that the costume came first, the actual script second. Janos Prohaska walked into Gene Roddenberry's office and showed Gene the costume he made. Roddenberry supposedly said "That's great!" and Gene Coon, who was also in the office at the time, said "I have an idea. I'll write the script." And history was made.

I might have gone a little overboard with the trim, but I was trying to make my Horta look less like a mobile meatloaf.

[sprytel]

The Horta is such an iconic creature, and I love your version of it!

[apes3978]

Very cool.

[Confessional]

Superfun; the bulging eye Redshirt too!

[TrekStar]

Fantastic custom Horta, this is also a favorite episode of mine and I’ve just completed a custom character from this episode that I’ll post soon.

You really did an excellent job putting this together, very nice.

[warmaxwell]

Thanks everyone - I appreciate the encouragement.

Superfun; the bulging eye Redshirt too!

I bought a Bif Bank Pow! Master figure from their Doctor Who line so I could turn him into a Star Trek red shirt.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/sxwAA...Ws6/s-l640.jpg

As a side benefit, I dressed my Keeper figure in the Master's black robe so he would look more like Balok and not like a walking creamsicle. And then I used the Master's pants, gold sash, and rod to create a custom Sarek figure in ceremonial robes (and a Vulcan of his importance rates a ceremonial guard, too).

[TrekStar]

I really like the outfits you used, Sarek looks good in that ceremonial robe and it looks like his son Spock under that custom grey Romulan helmet. The master’s black robe on the Keeper makes his body color stand out nicely, looks more sinister and alien than what mego came up with, I’ll have to look for a cheap nude Keeper and make one of these for myself.

[LonnieFisher]

The Horta is totally awesome! Great job!!

[battmasterson]

I love your work. You have some great ideas. The Horta is awesome! I really like how you made Sarek. On a side note I see that you have a Space:1999 Eagle transport. I also have one and I am starting to rebuild it and locate parts and figures. If you have any wisdom along those lines I would greatly appreciate it. Once again "Great Job!"

[warmaxwell]

I love your work. You have some great ideas. The Horta is awesome! I really like how you made Sarek. On a side note I see that you have a Space:1999 Eagle transport. I also have one and I am starting to rebuild it and locate parts and figures. If you have any wisdom along those lines I would greatly appreciate it. Once again "Great Job!"

Thank you! Much appreciated.

As far as the Space: 1999 Eagle goes, I'm not sure I can be much help. I bought the Eagle back in June, replacing one my mother sold at a yard sale decades ago (the old sad story). I still had my original crew figures, though. The Eagle came unboxed but pretty much complete, just missing one small landing foot. The side thrusters all had one or more broken nozzles, the side door hinge pins were also broken, some of the stickers were coming loose and the figures were a mixed bag of two standing Russels, one standing Bergman and one sitting Bergman. I gave those figures to a friend who also bought an Eagle recently that was missing a whole lot more than me.

I went on eBay to find replacement/reproduction parts. I was fine with 3D printed repros for the thrusters and quickly determined that I was going to have to go the same route for the doors. I bought several items from a seller called panoramaproducts. His repro thrusters are great, his scaled-down pilot figures are very good, his sticker decals are just okay (the black can rub off if you're not careful and they're not die-cut, requiring you to cut them out with scissors or an Xacto knife), and his repro side doors...meh. The doors are not a great fit and the pins/nubs that the doors pivot on are the same size or smaller than the originals, meaning the doors usually pop off when you drop them down.

That's where I stand at the moment. If I find another source for replacement parts, I'll let you know. Good luck and enjoy your Eagle. While the Mego Star Trek Enterprise bridge is my favorite playset (and I still have and treasure my original), the Eagle comes in a close second.

[battmasterson]

Thank you! Much appreciated.

As far as the Space: 1999 Eagle goes, I'm not sure I can be much help. I bought the Eagle back in June, replacing one my mother sold at a yard sale decades ago (the old sad story). I still had my original crew figures, though. The Eagle came unboxed but pretty much complete, just missing one small landing foot. The side thrusters all had one or more broken nozzles, the side door hinge pins were also broken, some of the stickers were coming loose and the figures were a mixed bag of two standing Russels, one standing Bergman and one sitting Bergman. I gave those figures to a friend who also bought an Eagle recently that was missing a whole lot more than me.

I went on eBay to find replacement/reproduction parts. I was fine with 3D printed repros for the thrusters and quickly determined that I was going to have to go the same route for the doors. I bought several items from a seller called panoramaproducts. His repro thrusters are great, his scaled-down pilot figures are very good, his sticker decals are just okay (the black can rub off if you're not careful and they're not die-cut, requiring you to cut them out with scissors or an Xacto knife), and his repro side doors...meh. The doors are not a great fit and the pins/nubs that the doors pivot on are the same size or smaller than the originals, meaning the doors usually pop off when you drop them down.

That's where I stand at the moment. If I find another source for replacement parts, I'll let you know. Good luck and enjoy your Eagle. While the Mego Star Trek Enterprise bridge is my favorite playset (and I still have and treasure my original), the Eagle comes in a close second.

Thanks for your help. You gave me more information than I had. Good luck with all your future projects.