Head: Skystriker 88 (modified w/ ball joint)
Chest: Action Sailor 94 (modified)
Arms: Lamprey 85
Waist: Sci-Fi 86
Thighs: Flint 94 w/ elite force holster
Lower Legs: Sure-Fire 02
Accessories:
Mask: Shipwreck 94
Backpack: Alpine 85 w/ tanks from Toxo-Viper 88
Flippers: Wet-Suit 02
Pistol: Elite Force weapons pack
MP5: Elite Force weapons pack
Knife: Spearhead 88 bayonet (shown in sheath)(modified)
I've been wanting to remake Wet-Suit for a long time. The 86 version was the first figure I got that year, and I always liked the character. The figure was OK, but the non-removable helmet limited him to underwater missions, which my Joes didn't have very many of. The 91 version solved the removable-helmet problem, but created a new problem by giving Wet-Suit the butt-ugliest head in the entire line (even worse than Armadillo!). Plus, Wet-Suit's a SEAL: he spends as much time kicking butt on land as he does underwater. So, I wanted to do something special for a character that had always gotten shafted in the figure department.
Wet-Suit was probably my most involved custom to date. I knew I was going to give him a uniform that could work on land and in the water. I had pieced together the legs, and I knew I wanted to use Skystriker's head for the character (his facial expression was just what I was looking for). I was trying to find a chest with a good flak-vest, but I couldn't find one that I was happy with. Then, I stumbled onto the Action Sailor chest and realized that, with some pouches added, it might work for Wet-Suit. After that, the figure practically made himself. I sanded off the pouch on Flint's left thigh and replaced it with an Elite Force holster (and added a spare clip in front of it). My favorite part is the working knife sheath: I cut the walkie-talkie sheath off of an Intoyz SWAT vest, cut a slot in the bottom for the knife to fit through, and glued it onto the chest. Then, I shortened the bayonet from Spearhead's rifle, and I had myself a nice little removable knife.
The last challenge was finding a backpack for him. Since I wanted him to be amphibious, I needed a pack that wouldn't look out of place in either environment. So, I made my own. I cut the tanks off of a Toxo-Viper backpack, drilled 5/64" holes in the sides of them (to match the pegs on the Shipwreck mask), and glued them into the spaces on the back of Alpine's pack. I'm really happy with the result: the air hoses fit tightly into the tanks, and the tanks sit nicely on the pack.
Here's a pic of him with his dive gear on:
