And now today's villain! They made their first appearance in Super Metroid, and have been a staple in every 2-D Metroid game since, the evil Space Pirates!

Funny story: I'm trying to figure out a way to build this guy. I've already chosen Web Splasher Spider-Man because he's lanky, but doesn't have his costume webbing cut into his body, meaning he's smooth and blank, exactly what I need. However, I don't have any claws, and don't know where to find any. I look high and low, I experiment with little girls' barrettes and electrical alligator clips and all manner of things, but no luck.

Any of you familiar with David Willis, the writer of the webcomic "Shortpacked?" Does jokes about toys and collecting, Batman and Transformers and whatnot, and he also does toy reviews on his site. One day, he makes a comic about the absurdity of a figure called "Negative Threat Batman." What a stupid name, right? Well, I'm so amused, I look him up online, and lo and behold: the guy comes armed with a GIANT CLAW. Long story short, I buy two of them (one from Figure Realm itself, in fact), and the results can be seen before you now!

My Zebesian has been coated, almost head to toe, in Loctite Epoxy Putty. Yes, every armor plate is sculpted by hand, just like Samus. He's a little top-heavy, but he stands well enough on his own. He even has an "action feature" of sorts! His claws are spring-loaded so they snap at his enemies! The guns, or course, are necessary to keep his claws open, which is fine since he's supposed to have blasters hidden in there anyway, and since the Batman claws aren't hollow, I couldn't sculpt them inside.

The guns themselves are made from some random GI Joe guns I had lying around, and the ship wreckage base comes from a Marvel Wolverine model kit that I never bothered to finish . . . I like my figures poseable, after all! The lines in his legs were cut using a Dremel tool, and the whole figure was painted with a semi-metallic mix to give it that chitinous insectoid appearance.

See you next mission!