Uh, one last question . . . do Marvel Symbiotes fall in this category? They're sorta "costumes," but not really since they're living things, and they do cause a transformation in their hosts, physically and permanently bonding with them and granting them powers, making them larger, stronger, etc. And technically, the Symbiote itself is sort of a shape-shifter since it changes appearance: normally a gelatinous mass, it takes on a specific physical form when it joins with a host, and it can even change appearances on the fly to mimic plain clothing to disguise its host. So . . . that fair game?

Yes, Marvel Symbiotes are shapeshifters and fair game.

Guys like say.... Hulk, qualifies as shape-shifter as well bro?

Ah! I got it now . I read "morphing" and there we go. So guys like a werewolf, Hulk and Mr.Hyde are in. I was just on the curious side that's why I asked .

In addition to stand-alone custom figures, here are some other creative approaches that participants might consider trying for this challenge:

(1) Make multiple, separate figures to represent each of the shapeshifter's different forms (example: ToyBiz's Incredible Hulk Gamma-Punch Hulk and Bruce Banner two-pack).

(2) Show the transformation process through the use of swappable heads/limbs or snap-on parts (example: McFarlane Toys' Spawn Movie Clown w/removable Violator head/hands).

(3) Make a hollow figure that opens up to reveal the other form nested inside (example: Mezco's Silent Screamers Reel Masters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde two-pack).

(4) Build a playset/diorama with one of those trick revolving door chambers that simulates toy transformations [example: Kenner Swamp Thing Transducer Playset (the machine that Dr. Arcane uses to make his Un-Men)].

so you gust have to make a shapeshifter from something sounds easy to me

Four questions:

1) Are characters who create magical or holographic disguises acceptable? Someone who isn't physically changing shape, per se, but rather casting an illusion to appear differently, that sort of thing. The Shadow clouded mens' minds to make them THINK he was a shadow or a demon, but he really didn't change at all. Deadpool and Beast wear image inducers to disguise their true appearance. Skeeve in Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures appears as everything from an old man to a unicorn to a vampire, but if you throw a brick at his head, it flies right through because he's really just a short, scrawny human. Does it have to be a physical change, or just a visual one? Too fine a distinction to matter?

2) What about characters who transform psychologically with just slight changes to external physical characteristics? Multiple personality characters with only minor visible cues. Jean Gray and Dark Phoenix are two VERY different characters in the same form, but one gets white eyes, dark eyeshadow, and a color shift, so there's SOME change. Or Man-E-Faces who only changes his face and behavior, but nothing else. Or Colonel Une from Gundam Wing, normally a ruthless, sadistic antagonist, who loses her glasses and lets down her hair and suddenly becomes a good guy. Basically, how limited can this physical change be?

3) I assume not, but just to be clear, are we considering people who are just exceptional disguise artists? I'm not talking superheroes in secret identities, but what of the Mission: Impossible guys who routinely disguise themselves as other people with their perfect rubber masks? Or Sherlock Holmes who was notorious for being a master of stage makeup and human behavior and could thus make himself into entirely new people. Does it have to be an extra-human ability to change appearance, or can it be a realistic, trained skill?

4) What about evolutions? Characters who changed from one form to another over time. Kain and Raziel from Legacy of Kain, or X-Men's Beast, Fantastic Four's Thing, or even a Xenomorph, which changes forms over its life cycle. Does it have to be a repeatable and reversible ability, or can it be a one-time thing?

I think that's everything. Not trying to be a pain, just want to see where the boundaries bend, and where they break. If I don't ask, I figure someone else will.

Those are some good questions (and I don't think that you're being a pain, that's what the comments section is here for, and it may be that other members have the same concerns). This contest was one of the more difficult ones I've written, due to the many ways the subject matter can be interpreted, and trying to provide a framework that gives participants as much flexibility as possible in subject matter.

1) The shapeshifting has to be an actual physical process, not just a visual one, so, no, holographic disguises and illusions don't count. Magic would be dependent on the nature of the effect. If the magic causes an actual physical change, then yes (a magic potion or spell that literally transforms you into a frog would be okay), if the magic only creates the illusion of change, then no (a spell that makes people think you look a certain way, even though you haven't changed, wouldn't count).

2) A mental change wouldn't be shapeshifting, unless it's also accompanied by a significant physical change (Phoenix's eyes changing to white isn't nearly enough, the rest of her appearance, like her outfit color, is purely cosmetic). Man-E-Faces would be a legal entry because his physical appearance does change significantly, even though it is limited to the facial region. I'm not really familiar with Colonel Une, but I wouldn't consider letting your hair down and taking off your glasses to be shapeshifting.

3) Costumes, acting, makeup, and similar skills/things that any normal person could employ aren't shapeshifting. G.I.JOE's Zartan, for example, wouldn't be a legal entry, because he uses masks and mimicry, not actual physical transformation, to assume others' identities.

4) In one of my earlier drafts of the rules, I had excluded permanent changes, but, upon further reflection, I decided that was too restrictive, and removed it. So, yes, you can make a character that has permanently changed/evolved/metamorphasized in some way from their original form. That said, it should be a fairly significant change in appearance, not something trivial/minor.