Part of my childhood was watching a lot of 80s TV. Saturday mornings, after school afternoons, weekends on the couch. And right up there among the best of them was The A-Team.
Four ex-Army Special Forces soldiers, branded as war criminals for a crime they didn’t commit, breaking out of prison and becoming heroes for hire. Helping the downtrodden while on the run from the Military Police. It was ridiculous and brilliant in equal measure.
Col. John Hannibal Smith — tactician, master of disguise, and the man who loved it when a plan came together. Templeton “Faceman” Peck — the con artist and ladies man. Bosco Albert “BA” Baracus — mechanic, muscle, bad attitude. And H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock — certified lunatic and expert pilot, broken out of a mental hospital every time the team needed him.
Four seasons. Great television. And no film version of the original 80s cast — which would have been something else entirely.
In 2010 they finally made a movie adaptation. Liam Neeson as Hannibal. Bradley Cooper as Face. And with the film came the merchandise. Including action figures.
A Gift from Belfast
My friend Nas, from Belfast, gifted me a Hannibal figure from the 2010 movie line. It came with quotes and sound effects — which is exactly what you want from a Hannibal figure. Press the button and the Colonel delivers.
Now it was not Hot Toys level. But it was a gift. And a gift from a good mate carries its own kind of value that no price tag can measure.
What it did need was a little love. A little paint. A little imagination. So that is exactly what I gave it.
Paint and Imagination
Out came the Vallejo paints. The cutting mat. The tweezers and the lamp. A careful rework of the skin tones, the clothing, the weathering on the boots and the trousers. Added other accessories. Built him up into something that felt like the Hannibal in my head — battle-worn, confident, completely in control.
The result is a figure I am genuinely proud of. Not because of what it started as, but because of what it became. If you have a problem, and if no one else can help…
He stands in the collection now. A gift from a mate. A piece of my childhood. And a reminder that a bit of paint and imagination can go a very long way.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Sharing my piece of Neverland…
Figure This Out 