It’s time to wrap-up this year of updates in the usual way: content based on toys from the eighties and some unfinished business!

Custom Sprites:
G.I.JOE: Wild Bill, B.A.T.s
Thundercats: Mumm-Ra
Toys and Cartoons:B.P. Vess (C.O.P.S., all-new sprites), Miles Mayhem (M.A.S.K.)
Double Dragon: the alley cat from arcade version of Mission 1, NES design Billy and Jimmy Lee
DC Comics: Stargirl (yes, I’m going to miss that show)

Mini-Logos: Venom (from Kenner’s M.A.S.K.) added to Toys and Stargirl added to DC Comics

All new custom sprites and mini-logos have been added to the image generators. The main “Fighter-size” generator now an 80s action figure toy aisle in the Group, Vs. and MvC ending screenstyles. It’s still a work in progress, because I spent more time searching for image and scale reference than I did working on it so far. This version’s toys are mainly centered around 1985, the last year the first wave of Transformers were still being made. I’ll continue to update this in the future, and possibly add more versions and years (like a late-eighties version with a big TMNT section) if enough people want to see that. BTW: some of the most helpful reference pics were from this post on 20th Century Toy Collector, because I was able to see how some boxes from different lines of the era scaled next to each other.

ToyBoss: My custom New X-Men/classic Cyclops Marvel Legends figure is done enough to show, so I finally… FINALLY… have a full Konami X-Men playable character roster in 1:12 scale. I’d have had this roster (and others) finished earlier if I didn’t have to practically restart my Marvel Legends collection in 2020. I also added an updated shot of the Red Skull’s crew in Data East’s Captain America and the Avengers to show I’ve got the Controller in there.

Speaking of toys, a lot of my 2023 figure hype is aimed at Jada Toys’ Street Fighter and Mega Man action figure lines. Three figure in each wave and all at a price point that won’t K.O. your wallet, and they’ll fit in with 6-inch/1:12 scale figures, so they’ll be part of my Marvel vs. Capcom set-ups. All the little details, like the Hadoken having hands molded in like the old sprites and one of the two optional heads being based on the Super Street Fighter II Vs. portraits (still some of the best art of those characters), I’m definitely hype for these. Check out this Fwooshcast episode that drops info on these and the other figure lines Jada is working on right now:

Storm Collectables is still putting out Street Fighters, though their figures seem to be in a slightly larger scale than Marvel Legends and closer to Mattel’s Masterverse and McFarlane Toys. It’s great to have options with these and I hope both companies get into more classic video game lines.


It’s time for me to thank everyone who has visited the site this year, and I’m giving a really big thank you to those who commented here, by e-mail (yes, some people do!), and on social media. There are times when my day job has worn me out and I don’t have a lot of energy to do anything when I get home, but things like your feedback, seeing pics you made in the image generators, being surprised when the pixel minilogos pop up in fan projects, and things like that refill my energy again. Take care and see you in 2023!

Shake a hand, shake a hand, because it’s that time of year again! I can’t afford to give out toys to all of my friends, so I make an update based on my favorite toys (mostly from the 80s), including toys based on preexisting licenses. This year, G.I.JOE and Masters of the Universe made some strong comebacks, even if some were ridiculously hard to find on store shelves. That’s enough from me, go open your presents!

G.I.JOE: Clutch (v.1 toy, v.1 comic, v.2 tan recolor)
Street Fighter: Chun-Li, Ken and M.Bison (all G.I.JOE figure v.1, made from parts of preexisting Joe and Cobra bodies with new heads)
Masters of the Universe: Zodac (last figure needed for original line-up of figures), Hordak (highly-requested)
Thundercats: Tygra (finishing the original crew of adult Thundercats who weren’t ghosts, sorry Jaga)

All new sprites added to the main image generator!


Whatever it is that you’re celebrating this time of year, I hope it’s a great time for you!

BTW: this WON’T be the last site update for the year… stay tuned…

18 years ago, I started this site with at the public library with Tripod’s free site builder, screenshots from the PC version of Sega’s Smash Pack (made on a friend’s computer, didn’t even have my own PC yet), and a bunch of tips and tricks I’d scrawled in a notebook. Seemed like it’d be a fun thing to do on the internet. Multiple hosting moves and weird ideas later.

The theme of today’s update is… every theme, including the lack of a theme. Characters from games, a few from comics, some 1989 icons (to rep the Revenge of 1989), an obvious crossover face-off (outside of Crossup Beatdown), a horror villain (before October’s DangerTerrorHorrorThon), an eighties cartoon character (before the usual Toy and Cartoon update near Christmas), a new original character for the site and the return of a character born in the long defunct Minus World section. It’s like a Whitman’s chocolate assortment of this site’s usual habits, so here’s the map that lets you avoid that one weird cream candy that makes you scrunch up in the face.

Custom Sprite additions
Bomberman: all-new Bomberman action pose
Final Fight: Cody (Street Fighter V stance)
Megaman: Bombman
Shinobi series: Joe Musashi (Revenge of Shinobi title screen)
Sonic the Hedgehog: Knuckles the Echidna (classic)
Konami: Cyber Ninja (Metal Gear Solid)
Toaplan: the Snow Bros. Nick & Tom
DC Comics: Harley Quinn
Marvel Comics: Beast and Hawkeye
Toys and ‘Toons: Cheetara of the Thundercats (1980s)
Horror: Pamela Voorhees new (and better) sprite
Illmosis/ScrollBoss: Endless Duck and Maddie Tenay (ScrollBoss mascot from the upcoming movie section)

All new sprites have been added to the main GFX Generator where you can make your own pics and fake screenshots! Other things added to the generators today:
– characters added: KoF Sports team added, Mojo (Marvel)
– characters updated: Mai Shiranui

While I’m at it, all prints on the site are on sale until the end of the month!


all 8 x 10/ 8.5 x 11 on the site are now $4!


11×17 inch prints are $8!

That’s the main part of the update. Some small preview additions to the Vs. Horror pt. 2 pixel print, an unfinished promo video and a thank you message are behind the cut. So, if you don’t read that, I’ll put an extra “Thank you” here to let you know that you’re appreciated!
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You know, I think you’ve been a really good group of girls and boys this year, so I think I’ll let you open your gifts early this time. No corduroy pants and hats this year, it’s all toys!

Toys and Cartoons: Teela, Beast Man, Panthro, Rom: Spaceknight, Megatron, Kimber Benton
G.I. JOE: Snake-Eyes (figure 1), Cobra Commander, Destro, Cobra Trooper
DC Comics: Supergirl, Martian Manhunter (the sprite seen in the JLA pixel art poster)
Marvel Comics: Doctor Doom (Secret Wars ’84 outfit)

All those sprites are also in the new, main GFX Generator, along with two new toy card tributes and a new MotU font:

As always, many of the sprites, especially the Cobra Trooper, have extra palettes in the GFX Generator that aren’t seen in the main custom sprite galleires. After all, there’s no such thing as having too many Cobra Troopers!


(edit)
Elsewhere…

Arcade Quartermaster is getting 2017 started early with a group of new shrines: Star Wars arcade (hey, Star Wars toys are also a favorite), Outfoxies, Narc and Outrun!


Thanks for the stopping by and I hope you have a good time, no matter which holidays you celebrate!

Seeing as how it’s Christmas Eve, I thought it’d be a great time for an update with toy sprites!


New sprites of Evil-Lyn, Scarlett, He-Man, Jem, Lion-O, Grunt, and Faker have been added to the Toys and Cartoon and G.I.JOE galleries, along with the GFX Generators (where you’ll see even more palettes for Scarlett and Grunt). I also fixed the sprite of G.I.JOE’s “Flash” Gambello, because he was far too short.

BTW: Steelheart and Cyborg were going to be part of this, repping SilverHawks and Super Powers respectively, but I used them in the Cyber Week updates so the site wouldn’t be going so long without updates. Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait until next Christmas to get more toy-related sprites here…



the Night City Assault beat ’em up Kickstarter only has a few days and is halfway to its goal, so check out the campaign, try out the playable demo and help it out if you can!


Merry Christmas!

Surprise, ninjas! I’m playing Santa Claus by leaving a little toy-related update:

Yo Joe!Yo Joe!

It’s Christmas time so I’ve added a Toy and Cartoon character section to the Graphic Generators. It starts off with He-Man from Masters of the Universe, Lion-O from the Thundercats and various G.I.JOEs and Cobras. The Cobras and Joes have been collected into team-based character choices except for Snake-Eyes and Scarlett who get solo slots since they already had minilogos. I disliked the old Storm Shadow sprite so much that I threw a new one together and it appears in the Generators. Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow have optional palettes. There will be an update next week and you’ll see the new things from the generator added to the galleries. There is also a theme based on the early G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero figure card in the Group Maker. I know how crazy it is to have single character themes in the Group Maker but they’re just hanging out there until I have enough themes and fix a few things to create the Avatar maker.

Also: There’s a new sprite pack from the Sailor Moon game by Banpresto. These were ripped by Makron (thank you for giving me permission to host them) and it includes some recognizable characters that didn’t make it into the game. It’s not easy to compile things like that so please give Makron credit if you use them in a fan game.

Also, check out Illmosis to see a quick full-color Christmas pic I drew. It’s not game-related this year but you may like it. I’ll be back next week with another small update to wrap up the 10th Anniversary year.