Most of what is "known" of the enigmatic race of hunters known only to a select few as the Yutja is little more than legend and rumor. It is believed that they are extragalactic in origin, having travelled across the starless void of interstellar space looking for new hunting grounds. There are tales that they are revered as gods on backwater worlds that they have taken pity apon and helped to develop into some form of civilization (some legends tell of a small, primitive blue world in a galaxy far, far away called "Urth"). Artifacts and sculptures depicting the form of the masked hunters can be found on countless primitive worlds scattered across the outer and mid rims. Legend tells us that they are drawn by heat and conflict. Other legends claim they have the power of invisibility (although educated people believe it to be a form of micronized, wearable cloaking technology, not any form of mystic power) and can track their prey unerringly even in the pitch black dark.
What little that can be confirmed about their existance is that by the time you actually "see" one, you're already dead. The name Yutja is almost unknown in the civilized galaxy, but across the outer and mid rims, in hushed tones, the one word they are referred to causes even the toughest mercenaries and thugs to lock their doors on hot, humid nights and make sure their blasters are fully charged- "Predators".
All parts are from the McFarlane Toys "Aliens Vs. Predator" 1/18 scale mini-diorama sets.
Clan Elder:
Parts:
Entire figure- "Birth Of The Hybrid" boxset Elder Predator.
Lightsaber trophy- random Saga lightsaber
The metal pins (that attatched the figure to the diorama base) were removed and the legs reworked to allow the figure to stand on it's own. The only painting involved was cleaning up the sloppy paint masks from the factory.
Leader Of The Hunt:
Parts:
Head/upper torso/arms/lower legs/belly and back armor- Predator from "Alien Attacks Predator)
Lower torso/waist/upper legs- "dead" Predator from "Birth Of The Hybrid)
Trophies- skulls from "Predator" backdrop
This was the most challenging figure of the bunch to make. Lots of cutting, sanding, and painting, but it still retains it's full range of articulation!
Seasoned Hunter:
Parts-
Body- "Birth Of The Hybrid" Elder Predator
Head- "Birth Of The Hybrid" "dead" Predator
Trophy- skull from "Predator" backdrop
Knife in sheath- "Birth Of The Hybrid" "dead" Predator
A not-so-simple headswap (very difficult to remove the hard plastic neckposts buried DEEP inside the chests
) with the same cleaning up the paint masks paint job as the first figure. Besides removing the metal posts from the feet, I also removed a small cross section of each leg to shorten him a fraction of an inch to further differentiate him from the Clan Elder.
Novice Hunter I:
Parts-
Entire figure- Predator
Trophy- skull from "Predator" backdrop
Very little modifications aside from removing the metal posts from the feet and repositioning the legs to stand on it's own. Did the usual clean-up job on the paint apps.
Novice Hunter II:
Parts-
Entire figure- "Birth Of The Hybrid" "dead" Predator
Left arm blade- blade taken from under right arm of Predator from "Alien Attacks Predator"
Belly/back armor- skirt from "Alien Attacks Predator" Predator
There was actually alot of modifications on this figure even though it does not appear to be any different than the production "dead" Predator at first glance. I removed the Hybrid Chestburster, sanded down all of the abdominal damage (front and back) and made replacement belly/back armor out of the armored skirt from the "Alien Attacks Predator" Predator (the entire middle portion of this figure had to be trashed as it was stuck in an "impalement" pose with an Alien tail running through it
). I also had to completely rework the feet to allow the figure to stand (they were molded splayed out to the sides as he was lying in state). Lots of repainting to make everything match up.
Novice Hunter III:
Parts:
Entire figure (except right hand)- Celtic Predator from "Celtic Predator Throws Alien"
Right hand- "Birth Of The Hybrid" "dead" Predator
The main modification here was that I boiled and popped the Alien being thrown. I had to replace the entire right hand as it was molded in a very fat, blocky manner to allow an anchor for the Alien's weight. I also removed the metal pegs from the feet, reworked the legs to allow it to stand on it's own, and constructed a custom spear to replace the Alien in it's hands (there was little else the pose would actually be good for
. There was quite a bit of painting involved as I had to paintthe majority of the inner arms (the factory left them unpainted as they were mostly covered by the Alien
) as well as the spear (matched the factory look for the armor exactly so it matches the established look of Predator technology and gear!).
The Hunt Begins...
An additional paint app on each masked figure was the addition of glossy black lenses on their masks.
The Factory paintjobs were sloppy all around on all of these figures so mst of tha actual customization time went into cleaning everything up so they looked presentable
