One of Dr. Anton Arcane's Un-Men minions introduced in the early 90s DIC Entertainment Swamp Thing animated cartoon series and Kenner toy line. Weed Killer was just an ordinary groundskeeper until the mad scientist strapped him onto his operating table and twisted his body into something far less, and far more, than mere man.

In humanoid form Weed Killer employs a spray gun that douses his foes with a poison cocktail developed by Arcane (the exact recipe is unknown, but it contains dozens of herbicides, soil sterilants, and defoliants--just a small sampling of the ingredients, many of which are restricted and/or illegal, would give even the most jaded EPA inspector fits). The wand nozzle can be manually adjusted to release a concentrated stream of fluid, clouds of fine mist, or anything in between. While the toxic brew is intended to rapidly kill vegetation, and Swamp Thing in particular, it's also hazardous to animals and inorganic substances like metal. Even Weed Killer's body, which has been genetically altered to tolerate hostile chemical environments, is not entirely immune to its deadly effects, which is why he sports protective gear.

When the need arises, Dr. Arcane can cause Weed Killer to undergo a further, albeit temporary, mutation to increase his power. In this transformed state, his head becomes a writhing, many-limbed abomination. This "Bogsucker" form has the ability to drain the life energy of any organism, in a leech-like fashion, that it physically touches. While this is usually directed at a single target that Weed Killer grasps, it can also be used on his immediate physical environment, creating a localized blight effect. The Un-man also enjoys increased strength, speed, and stamina in this form.

NOTE: This project was specifically made for a contest at Figure Realm in which the goal was to update a 'classic' toy from the past. That's why the design of my figure deviates to some extent from the source material presented farther down this web page.

Materials:
Newsprint, tissue paper, white glue, super glue, plastic, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions:
2.2 cm/0.9 in. x 3.0 cm/1.2 in. (widest point x highest point*)
* 4.0 cm/1.6 in. high with Bogsucker BioMask attached.

Time:
Two days; May 26 and 27, 2010.

For comparison/informational purposes, below are several images of Weed Killer from various Swamp Thing media:

  

•   1990 Kenner 'Snare Arm Swamp Thing' toy package.


•   1992 Swamp Thing Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game.


•   1991 Swamp Thing Nintendo Gameboy video game and instruction manual.


•   Google 'Weed Killer' image search.


•   Wikipedia Swamp Thing 1991 TV Series article.

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The background image is a photo I took of a local swamp.