Yep, I've run out of immortal characters to present. Oh sure, there are a few more I could do, like the Immortal Man, or Morgaine Le Fay, but those will have to wait for another time. Another time when I'm once again contemplating my own mortality and turn to the pages of a comic book to find the answers.

But in the meantime, here's the last immortal character I have ready to go - longtime Batman foe Ra's Al Ghul. I've also done a second Ra's al Ghul - Desert Duel Ra's al Ghul - to commemorate the classic duel he had with Batman. And what good is Ra's al Ghul without his loyal bodyguard Ubu? Go check them all out.

What's next? I have no idea. Come back later and be just as surprised as I am.

Hey, remember those robot customs I made for Charitymates this year? Well, the auctions have started and the first of my three customs (Fe@ther - the bird-bot on the right) is up for grabs. You can check out the auctions here, but hurry - this round of auctions is over on Friday.

He's an immortal from the fall of Camelot, created by Jack Kirby and black magic! He's a southern lawyer who's constantly getting killed but lives again! Together, they're cops! And tonight, they'll bring Mendoza to justice - once and for all.

Well, not really.

But this week we're looking at two different immortals from the DC Universe. The first is Jason Blood, the human host for the Demon. Whenever they appear, the Demon usually gets top billing, which isn't really fair because Jason can be a fascinating character as well. So today, he gets his due as a Minimate.

The second custom is the Resurrection Man, an average man turned reluctant super hero because of the microscopic machines injected into his body. These tiny little bots rebuild him every time he dies - each time with a different super-power. The Resurrection Man starred in his own offbeat comic in that 1990's, and didn't last long in that turbulent market. But today, he also gets his due as a custom Minimate.

Check them out, and come back next week to see who else gets their Minimate glory.

It's not just bad guys who live forever in the DC Universe - there are a few immortal good guys as well. Like our custom choice for this week - the Phantom Stranger. He is a true mystery - his origin, age, even his real name are all unknown. What is known is that in times of trouble the Stranger will fight for good while rocking a fedora and medallion fashion combo. Go check him out, and come back next week to see what immortals I dig up to present.

Usually when I have a custom theme month, I give it a catchy title so I don't have to keep explaining what I'm doing. I have totally failed to do that this time, so you're stuck with me explaining that I'm still making customs of the immortal characters from the DC Universe. If you've got any suggestions on how to make "Immortal Characters of the DC Universe" a catchy title, feel free to send them to me. I'll give you credit if I use them.

This week our featured long-lived character is a scoundrel called General Immortus, long-time foe of the Doom Patrol. He's really, really old, wants to conquer the world with his private army and dresses kinda like Cap'n Crunch. Go check him out, and be sure to check back next week for another immortal from the DC Universe.

There's a lot of things you can do in comics that you can't do in real life - let bullets bounce off your chest, pick a minivan up over your head, or live forever. Many immortal characters have appeared in comics, so for the next month or so, let's see how some of those immortals from DC Comics look in Minimate form.

Why DC Comics? Because if I threw the immortal Marvel characters in with this, I'd be doing this all summer. Also DC Comics has quite a few big-name immortal characters, as well as some smaller ones. And Reason #83 of my list of "Why I'm Still Angry They Stopped Making DC Minimates" is they stopped before they got to any immortal characters.

Let's start our look at the long-lived with the classic villain Vandal Savage. He's a caveman who became immortal thanks to a meteorite and wants to conquer the world. Vandal is proof of the little-known fact that cavemen were very industrious people with big goals. Go check him out, and come back next week for another immortal from the DC Universe.

Painting has started on the latest batch of customs. This group is wearing a lot of black.

I spent the last week or so trying to figure out what to do now that my Charitymates robots are done. Thankfully I have these four sitting in "The In-Progress Box", waiting to be primered and painted.

It's late, but I want to get this posted while I'm thinking about it. I'm happy to present the third and final robot custom for Charitymates this year, my humanoid bird robot that I call Fe@ther. He's all robot-y and bird-like and I think he turned out really well. But you should go judge for yourself because I'm pretty biased.

And now to get all the robot customs in the mail for the auction, followed by a break from making robot customs. For a while.

Painting on the humanoid bird robot has begun. I have no idea how this one is going to turn out.

The green paint is dry, the sealant has been applied, and there's nothing left to do but the introduction. And so, I present my second robot Minimate custom for Charitymates - Art.U.238. He's got a big cannon sticking out of his chest. You should go check him out.

Two down, and one to go. Check back to see how my final robot - the bird robot - turns out.

Barrel-chested robot update - still being painted in nifty shades of green. With any luck, he should be finished this weekend.

Painting on my barrel-chested robot has begun. I need to hurry up and get him finished if I'm going to get my bird robot done in time for the auctions (starting June 1st! Mark your calendars!).

After several weeks of work and a trip to the store to by gloss sealant, I'm proud to announce that my first robot Minimate custom for this year's Charitymates auction is done. His name is Otto Tobor, and he was a star of black & white movie serials like "Robot on the Range", "Robot From Planet X" and "Jungle Robot!". So go check him out.

And coming soon - my second robot for Charitymates (the one with the big cannon in his chest).

Painting on the 1930's movie robot proceeds quickly. At this rate, he should be finished and ready for final pictures this weekend assuming I can find some gloss sealant. And a name for him, too.

Quick shot from this weekend when the robots all went for a gentle shower of primer, to be followed with the gentle caress of brushes applying new paint.

The robots are just hanging out on the workbench, trying to be all cool and impress the guy in the cape...

Remember the sketch of the bird-robot that I posted earlier this week? Well, I didn't forget about it.

Same barrel-chested robot that you saw yesterday - but now with a hat!

I'm not sure where this work-in-progress came from. Too much time thinking about what's in my Parts Box, I guess.

Yeah, it's been a while since I posted something new to the site. But I was on vacation last week, and before that I was trying to arrange things so I could go on that vacation. But now I'm back, tan and rested, and ready to give you the update that you should have seen on April 9th:

This is another rough design I made one day. Even though I'm close to having my Charitymates robot done, I've still got robots on the brain. They're fun to make with extra parts, and since I've got some time before customs are due for the auction, I find myself still making robots. So check back a lot this week as I provide a bunch of updates as I go robot-crazy.

Here he is in all his 2-inch glory - my custom Minimate robot. Now complete with rivets, face details and "duck" feet to give him extra height. Now I just need to attach his hands and he's ready for primer and painting.

Remember the "robot test" Minimate from the photo on Tuesday? Here he is again with a coat of primer and sliver paint. My Elmer glue dots are now looking a lot more like rivets in the metal skin of a robot. Next up - adding rivets to the real robot Minimate.

Sometimes customizing is just a matter of having parts and not knowing what to do with them. I've had Playboy Tony Stark sitting in my Parts Box for a while, just mocking me with his sculpted open shirt and jacket combo. What was I supposed to do with such a unique piece - make Playboy Bruce Wayne? John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever?

The answer came to me when I was reading an "Avengers: Initiative" trade paperback - Trauma, the emo teen with mystic shapeshifting powers! Sure he's obscure, but I like him well enough to justify making a custom of him. And most importantly, he uses my spare Playboy Tony Stark parts. So go check out Trauma as I try to figure out what to do with the 30 or so Wolverine hair pieces in my Parts Box.

Shot of the unfortunate Minimate torso being used as my "robot test" Minimate. If you look close, you can see rows of dots made with Elmer's glue on his transparent plastic surface. It looks goofy now, but with a coat of paint, it should produce what I hope will be a cool detail for my robot.

An actual Minimate custom will be posted tomorrow night.

I don't work on Minimate robots all the time. This is a quick shot of my workbench, current home to a couple new customs getting painted. Don't worry - I'm sure I'll have more robot updates soon.

Started construction on my robot for the Charitymates auction this weekend. I decided to go with the 1930's movie robot design, so here's a shot of my work on creating a round tube body for a Minimate. I'm using the plastic cover from Minimate 2-packs as my construction material, cutting pieces to size and gluing it together in the back. With a few more attempts, I think I'll have something that I'm happy with.

Yet another page of designs for my Charitymates robot Minimate. The name "DeathBot" popped into my head, so I began thinking about what a robotic version of Death would look like. Judging from my sketches, it would look like a cross between the Grim Reaper and Skeletor. Going to have to start actually building something soon.

Some of the earliest Minimate customs I made were AIM soldiers because I love the concept - wacky scientists trying to conquer the world in yellow beekeeper outfits. So I was really happy when Diamond released official AIM solider Minimates, and bought a bunch of them. They're great - except for their accessories. To me, AIM soldiers are the guys who would rather use freeze guns instead of machine guns, and would give up freeze guns to get a lightsaber. So what did the AIM soldier come with? A hand gun and a small gatling gun. How boring.

So with a little bit of customizing, I've put together the AIM Heavy Assault soldier, with the kind of weapons that I think an AIM soldier should have. Go check him out before he blows up your house with a heat ray.

Another page of designs for my Charitymates robot Minimate. This time I was thinking about old-school robots like in wind-up toys and 1930's movies, where the robots all looked like water heaters and moved painfully slow like there was a man inside them trying to keep their balance.

The Charitymates event will be held again this year, taking Minimate customs and putting them on eBay to raise money for charity. This year the theme for the customs is robots.

Above is a page of designs for a robot idea I had - a Japanese-style robot like Mazinger Z or Jet Jaguar. He'd be a humanoid robot with aquatic characteristics named something like "Atomic Mariner G" or "HydroRobo". Like the sketches - not sure it's what I want to make, though.

Want to know more about Charitymates and where this year's donations are going? Then check out the all-new Charitymates web site.

Quick shot of my workbench, now covered with assorted parts and bodies with a fresh coat of primer.

Somebody got a new cape to go with their hat and suit this weekend. Which makes me wonder - when were capes in fashion for men to wear?

Let's wrap up our celebration of Flash villains with another villain custom. This week we look at one of the newer Flash foes - he's not classic, but he's just as goofy as the Rainbow Raider or the Golden Glider.

This week I present Tar Pit, the villain who's made of burning asphalt. He's useful for bank robberies, slowing down the Flash, and making street repairs. Go check him out, and thanks for visiting during the Fiendish Foes of the Flash Month (Which Was Really Five Weeks).

While he can move near the speed of light, the Flash is powerless against a few things - like death and taxes. And while the IRS hasn't unleashed their jet-propelled auditors yet, the Flash does have death as a villain.

This week's custom is the Black Flash, a mysterious being that acts as the Grim Reaper for super-speedsters. Able to move as fast as the Flash, the Black Flash is known by many names - the slow lightning, the last dash, the blur of death, the Racing Black Shadow, the Running Reaper, the Dashing Deceased, the Jogging Jaws of Death, the Galloping Gravedigger, the Mortal Marathoner, Oblivion's Sprinter, the Final Finish Line, Death's Delivery Service, the Haunted Half-Miler, Runny McDeathPants, and the High Price of Fitness.

Yet another Flash villain next week, time and paint willing.

The thing you have to remember about Flash villains is that they don't tend to be mad killers like the Joker or power-mad megalomaniacs like Lex Luthor. The traditional Flash foe is a simple criminal - out for enough cash to live comfortably for the short term. They're just like any other bank robber or jewel thief, except they use fantastic weapons instead of a gun. Robbers who love the idea of getting dressed up and breaking into a bank wielding a flame thrower. Maybe the term "flashy gimmick robber" fits best.

A great example of "flashy gimmick robber" - emphasis on flashy - is the Rainbow Raider, a color-blind painter turned art thief with his color-blasting goggles. He could shoot any color of the rainbow, and each color could create a different effect, and he rode a giant rainbow to escape and man, is there any wonder why he was killed off?

A better villain (but still flashy and gimmick-based) is the Mirror Master, a simple crook using mirrors to bend and break light in ways that defy physics. He's a much more competent villain than someone armed with a rainbow.

More villains next week.

Quick shot of one of my recent sculpting projects getting its first coat of primer. I love it when the original and new parts become the same color and start looking like they belong together.

With the amount of sculpting that this guy has received, he's a long ways away from the simple blocky Minimate form. Can he really be considered a true Minimate any more? Sure, he's got a base of Minimate parts, but does he uphold the Minimate spirit? Something to consider as I'm painting...

It's hard to come up with a good super-villain for the Flash - just having super-strength isn't useful when you're fighting someone you can't touch. A good villain for the Flash would have to be someone who had the same power of super-speed, but was evil instead of good - kind of like a reverse-Flash. It's an idea so good it's been used twice.

This week for our Flash villain customs, we take a look at the men who wore the yellow suit of the Reverse-Flash. First up is Eobard Thawne, the original Reverse-Flash. Eobard is a Flash fan/stalker from the future who gave himself super-speed and ended up becoming one of the biggest foes of the Barry Allen Flash. Then he died. But now he's alive again. I think.

When Wally West took over the mantle of the Flash, he also ended up feuding with the Reverse-Flash a few times. But then he got his very own reverse-Flash named Zoom, who was even more of a crazy stalker than the Reverse-Flash. Zoom's motivation for fighting the Flash was to make him a better hero, which makes him a horrible personal trainer.

More Flash villains next week - be there or wear yellow.

You all know the Flash - he's the guy in the red suit that runs really fast. At his speed, Flash can battle a lot of villains in a day. Which may be why the Flash has one of the best collections of villains in comics. So today I begin a salute in custom Minimate form to the bad guys of the Flash.

First up is the Golden Glider, villainous figure skater and sister to Captain Cold. She was an evil figure skater long before the world knew of Tonya Harding. Next is the long-time villain Weather Wizard, the man who can control the weather but can't stop the Flash. Or the US Postal Service.

So go check them out, and come back next week for more Flash villains.

What did you do this weekend? I messed around with Magic Sculpt and ended up with the three mates pictured above.

Occasionally I do a custom that's not just another super-hero. This is one of those times.

Presenting the Comics Collage Minimate - an experiment in cutting and gluing. Go check him out.

And coming in February - another theme month! Who hates the Flash? His villains. Get to know them a little better next month.

Recent page of notes Minimate sketches and plans done during a meeting. Worked out a few things for future customs.

Fun with depth of field! And a look at the two customs currently in pieces on my workbench. With any luck, you should see these two completed in my next big theme month.

A quick shot of the next three Minimates up for customization. I'm starting work on their modifications - a proton pack removed here, a cape and collar added there. Stay tuned.

Hey, who feels like looking at a new custom? Then you should check out The Watcher, an alien who's sole purpose in life to watch and record everything that he sees. And he sees everything, like that time you picked your nose in church, or parked in the handicap spot. While the Watcher has sworn never to interfere with the actions of mortals, you can be sure that he thinks less of you because of what you did. Just like your father. Go check him out already.

Here's a look at a custom I've been messing with for a while now - yellow Ghostbuster ghost body with some sculpting and assorted pieces. He's finally at the point where I should be able to primer, paint and finish him. At the rate I'm going, that will probably be sometime in April.

Welcome to 2010, everyone. I'm already hard at work trying to finish Minimates that I started in 2009.