Head: DTC Guillotine
Torso, arms: Ret Roadblock
Hands: Ret Firefly
Legs: 50th Gung-Ho
Head band: 25th Hard Master
Bullet belt: Ret Kwinn
Weapon: Marauder

The New Sculpt era (2001-2006) was a particular time in Joe's history. On one hand, the lines released during those years - GI Joe vs Cobra, Spytoops, Valor vs Venom and DTC - have a bad reputation because several figures had strange proportions and accessory selection were sometimes bizarre. On the other hand, a lot of great ARAH type figures were released and new enduring characters like Kamakura and Bombstrike were created during those years.

I got back in to Joes as an adult in 2004-2005. The Toys R Us exclusive 6-Packs and the KB toys Operation Crimson Sabotage were what drew me back in. After that, I started picking up various Valor vs Venom figures and Comic Packs. By the time DTC was released, I was buying all the new stuff that was coming out as well as a lot of stuff that I had missed out on since quitting Joes in 1987. That included Spytroops and GvC.

Even after the 25th and Pursuit of Cobra and all the other Modern Era lines, that I now exclusively collect, I still think the New Sculpt lines (and the TRU exclusives in particular) had some of the funnest figures and concepts. That's why I love recreating them as ME customs. It allows me to try to recapture the fun aspects while attempting to fix the flaws.

One of the first "flaws" that I fixed was to omit Snake Eyes from the group. I was not crazy about the idea of having him in almost every pack at the time. Also, I found some other Joes to include in the squad instead.

Gung-Ho's recipe was tricky to nail down. He did not look right using 25th parts. When 50th Gung-Ho was released, it helped define the figure in a big body frame. It allowed me to rebuild him with bigger modern parts. That meant moving away from the original's jacket to a tank top, but I think it still works.