http://orig03.deviantart.net/9678/f/2012/330/c/d/heroes_of_science_action_figures_by_datazoid-d5ky45l.jpg

These little guys took between 40 minutes and 2 hours each, totaling around 50 hours of work.

I like action figures. I have a small collection of them. I’ve noticed that you can buy Albert Einstein figures, Nikola Tesla bobble-heads and The Simpsons even brought out a Stephen Hawking figure based on his appearance in an episode. However, I thought it’d be really cool if there was an entire series of them, based on all of the people who’ve contributed to our understanding of the world and the universe it sits in.

The figures are all based on Star Trek: TNG and Star Trek: DS9 figures (primarily Odo from DS9, and Picard as Dixon Hill from TNG), and have been heavily modified in Photoshop using Liquify and a great deal of digital painting. Unfortunately, the figures aren’t real. I wish they were.

I realise there are a *lot* of scientists that I’ve missed! I did make a few rules for who I’d include in this selection, which are:

the scientist must have been alive at some point in the 20th century. This is a practical consideration, as it really narrows the field down, and it eliminates a lot of the more outrageously-dressed characters, allowing me to work with mostly dudes in suits.
No scientists famous for major medical breakthroughs. Primarily because medical heroes is a category all of its own, and there are hundreds to choose from. I’ve included Alexander Fleming here, because he was primarily a chemist, and because his discovery of penicillin was not a discovery made in the course of trying to cure something.

A few notes on specific figures:

Einstein:
Probably one of the less perfect faces, but I think it captures the spirit of Albert quite effectively!

Schrodinger:
This is the third version I’ve made of Erwin. He was troublesome, because it’s really difficult to nail his usually morose expression, yet colourful clothing choices.

Oppenheimer:
Seriously cool lookin’ dude, by the by.

Stephen Hawking:
I’ve tried, wherever possible, to represent these people in a positive way, and in their most recognisable appearances. Hawking took a lot of effort, because I wanted to make sure he was recognisable, but drawn with respect. His wheelchair is made largely of Mega Bloks parts, with a few Star Trek: TNG accessories. (The headrest is a tricorder or two.)

Benoît Mandelbrot:
Couldn’t resist the temptation to put an image of the Mandelbrot set on Benoît’s tie. See also: Roger Penrose.

Paul Erdős:
If there’s one person from this image you go and look up, make it Paul. He was one of the most prolific mathematicians of all time, and famous for his bizarre personality. He also invented the self-titled Erdős Number (head to Wikipedia), a number assigned to his co-authors, and their co-authors, denoting their connection to Erdős himself. Combined with Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, the concept has now been extended to allow people to have an Erdős-Bacon number, provided they’ve co-authored a paper with one of Erdős’s collaborators *and* performed on film with a co-star (or co-star of a co-star) of Kevin Bacon!

Roger Penrose:
I’m sure Sir Roger doesn’t wear ties with Penrose Tiling on them, but I couldn’t resist.

Carl Sagan:
One of the first figures I created (along with Michio Kaku), showing how the style changed and evolved over the various scientists.

Richard Dawkins:
I’m really happy with how the sweater turned out.

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