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 Post subject: To 1000 and Beyond: Action Force Skip and Action Man
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:52 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
Location: Canada, eh?
#1053 - Action Force Skip

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Over the last few years, I have slowly been building new Action Force members and updating older customs as well. For the longest time, my custom Skip consisted of a RoC Dennis Quaid head on an Ultimate Battle Pack Stalker body. It worked well for a while, but most of my Z-Force characters are now built using modern parts, so it was time to upgrade Skip. I used the same parts recipe as for my 2Para figure as the originals were repaints. I added the MTF webgear.

Head, beret, harness and pouches: Marauder MTF
Torso, arms: 50th Firefly
Legs: ROC Snake Eyes


#1054 - Action Man

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Action Man is a character that I honestly don't know that much about. To me, he is one of the figures included in the Valor Vs Venom GI Joe Night Force 6-Pack. He stood out in that set as he was the only one wearing orange. Since I'm a sucker for New Sculpt era customs, I have been meaning to make this figure since I saw HypnoHustler’s excellent version during 2017's Custom Celebration. Since the Mercer torso is already orange and the head and arm colors match, there was not much painting involved on this one.

Head: Indiana Jones German Motorcycle driver
Torso: BBTS Mercer
Arms: 50th Dusty
Legs: 50th Snake Eyes
Harness: 25th Steeler

_________________


Last edited by OreoBuilder on Sat Jul 06, 2019 10:01 am, edited 48 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: To 1000 and Beyond: Coming Soon
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:52 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
Location: Canada, eh?
To a 1000 and Beyond!

With the announcement that Hasbro is out of the GI Joe business for at least the next two years, I have been taking a good long look at my collecting and customs. I have been sorting fodder, clearing older stuff out, bringing newer stuff in and re-evaluating my collection in general. My goal has always been to have modern era figures of most of the GI Joe and Cobra characters from 1982-86 and a few select ones from '87 and after. Since the start of the 25th anniversary, I have mostly met that goal. However, looking at my display shelves, I realize that my collection is uneven.

I have a mix of Hasbro official figures, some that I have slightly modified and full on customs. Some of the Hasbro figures like Airtight, Firefly and Lifeline are top-notch in sculpting and articulation. Others, like Duke, Flint and the Original 13 are less so. By the same token, some of my customs are recent and built with the very best available parts while others date back almost ten years and are due to be updated.

Also, I did a quick custom count and realized that I'm passed the 900 mark, way passed it. So, for fun and to reach and pass that milestone, I have made customs of all my childhood favorites. My goal is to bring all these characters up to modern standards of sculpting and articulation by using modern parts as much as possible. Basically, I want to upgrade my customs collection from 25th style to 50th style figures.

So, for the next little while, I’ll be posting new customs from a variety of themes until I reach and surpass 1000 customs!

To kick things off, I started with a figure that we have gotten multiple times in the last 10 years, yet we still don’t have a definitive version of – Duke.


#990 - Duke

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After acquiring a few of the 1983 figures, I was hooked on GI Joe. When the 1984 catalog showed up, I spotted the figures that I wanted to add to my ranks. At the top of the list were Duke and Storm Shadow. I remember finding Duke at a local pharmacy/drug store. Back then, Joes were sold everywhere. Storm Shadow proved elusive, but I found Duke quickly. He got a lot of play. He had fun accessories and a realistic military uniform so he remained one of my favorites for a long time.

Of course, we have gotten a lot of official Duke figures over the years. Unfortunately, none of those versions qualify as an ultimate Duke in my opinion. With GI Joe on hiatus, I thought that now would be a good time to fix that, so I made my own. I based my custom on the original toy and tried to remain as faithful to it as possible. I borrowed some cues from bucky's excellent custom as well like the bandolier modifications and the legs.

Head: 50th Duke
Torso: Retaliation Kwinn
Arms: 50th Flint
Legs: 50th Gung Ho
Bandolier: 25th Duke modified with added pouch and 25th Viper grenade
Helmet: Vintage Battle Pack


#991 - Cover Girl

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I still remember Christmas of 1983. Santa brought me a ton of new Joes that year including the Wolverine and Cover Girl. I played quite a bit with the Wolverine. However, Cover Girl was never a favorite of mine. She did not show up in the comics or the cartoon very often, so I did not get attached to her character. She got relegated to base duty, often manning the computer console at the HQ. I basically used her as filler.

As an adult, I came to better appreciate the character, so I thought it was time for her to get an ultimate version.

Head, hands: Marauder MTF
Torso, lower legs: ROC Cover Girl
Upper arms: 50th Shooter
Lower arms: ROC Scarlett
Upper legs: ROC Helix


#992 - Snow Job

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My first memory of Snow Job comes from the comic book, he, along with a bunch of 1983 Joes, is introduced in issue 11. That issue was one of the few that I had as kid and it shaped my interest in GI Joe. That issue made me want to add Snow Job as well as Airborne to my ranks. At the same time, I remember the ’83 catalog. I stared at it with all the new stuff included in it for hours. I also have a memory of shopping at Miracle Mart (a large department store that no longer exists) with my mom and seeing Snow Job on store pegs. That’s when I decided I wanted the figure for Christmas and my mom had it put aside on layaway (back when stores still did that kind of thing). That year, I got the figure as well as the Polar Battle Bear, the HQ, the Wolverine and a few other figures. It was by far my most bountiful Christmas GI Joe-wise.

We got a pretty decent Snow Job figure during the 25th anniversary. I was quite ready to keep that version in my collection if I couldn’t build a better one. Still, I played with parts to see what I could come up with. The MTF head instantly gives the figure some added personality. Surprisingly, I ended up using very few 25th parts to pull this custom off and I’m very happy with the result.

Head, goggles, Marauder MTF
Torso, upper arms: PoC Frostbite
Lower arms: Retaliation Data-Viper
Legs: Retaliation Colton
Hood, skirt, accessories: 25th Snow Job
Scarf: AVAC cast
Harness: RoC Dusty



#993 - Ripcord

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I never had Ripcord when I was a kid. However, one of my best friends did. We played GI Joes together often and we had different Joes, so we got to see different figures. I played with his Joes so often, that in a way, it’s almost like all those characters were part of my collection.

I had previously made a Ripcord custom for a buddy of mine, so I started with that recipe. He wanted a more modern take whereas I’m going for a more vintage look. In this case, it was a simple matter of using the Attack on Cobra Island Altitude parachute gear to complete the look.

Head: 25th Red Star
Torso, arms, upper legs: Retaliation GI Joe Trooper
Lower legs: Retaliation Data Viper
Helmet: Retaliation Airborne
Parachute harness: AOCI Altitude


#994 - Shipwreck

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Shipwreck, like barbecue and Snake Eyes v2 arrived in my collection in Christmas 1985. I remember putting him on my wish list that year because I thought he had cool accessories like the hooks and rope and Polly. He was a pretty important character in the Sunbow series, so I knew him from that as well. Also, he played a small role in one of the only comics I had, issue 41, where the Joes try to kick Cobra off an island before it gets official recognition. Shipwreck was pretty bad-ass in that issue. Among other things, he took out a HISS' threads with his hooks.

The second 5-pack version of Shipwreck that came out during the 25th line is still pretty good I believe. It is as close to a vintage accurate version that we are likely going to get, so I started there. I painted the belt and shoes black, repainted the cap, hair and beard to sharpen the lines, swapped the lower arms for less scrawny ones and added the hook on the belt to attach the line. I like when my modern toys have the same features as my vintage ones.

Lower arms: 25th Shipwreck (comic)
Hands: 25th Cobra Flint
Belt hook: Marauder MTF
Everything else: 25th Shipwreck (2nd 5-pack)


#995 - Sparks (Sunbow)

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Sparks made only a handful of appearances in the Sunbow cartoon (a total of 4, I believe), never got a vintage ARAH figure and never got a modern era figure and yet he is a character that most GI Joe fans know. I had forgotten about him until I re-watched the original mini-series. Since then, I have wanted to make a good custom of the character. I have made a couple of versions prior to this one, however, they all suffered from some flaws (lack of the right parts mostly) and have all ended up dismantled. With this custom, I hope to make my definitive version.

Head, torso: 50th Falcon
Arms: 25th Cobra Flint
Legs: RoC Zartan
Helmet, head gear, Marauder MTF
Backpack: Vintage Battle Pack Lifeline
Web gear: DG Snake Eyes


#996 – GI Joe Trooper (Sunbow)

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When I was a kid, I had only a handful of GI joe comics. For me, GI Joe was about the toys and the Sunbow cartoon. The Green Shirt troopers were ubiquitous on the show and so GI Joe having generic soldiers to swell their ranks was a perfectly normal thing to me growing up. It wasn't until I read the entire original comic series as an adult that I realized that Green Shirts were not in every version of the story.

The 25th Green Shirts were a valiant effort at the time, but I find them lacking now. Pretty much every part of them has a better sculpted and articulated counterpart now. For my custom, the only thing that I kept from the original figures is the web gear. However, I wanted them to look like the cartoon, so I avoided parts that had too much detail, pouches and armor.

Head: DG Duke
Torso. Legs: ROC Pit Commando
Upper arms: 25th Rock & Roll
Lower arms: Roc Zartan



#997 - Barbecue

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I remember seeing Barbecue for the first time in the old Marvel comic issue 41. It was one of a handful of issues that I had as a kid. It is still one of my favorites. In it, the Joes attack Cobra Island to kick Cobra out before it gets recognized as sovereign territory. Barbecue plays a small but memorable (at least to a kid) role. He uses his fireman’s axe to smash the glass canopy on a HISS tank and take out the driver.

For my custom, I knew I needed to re-use the 25th torso and accessories, but looked at surrounding it with better parts. I kept the upper arms as they are well detailed, have good articulation (with a little trimming) and have the logo on the shoulder that I wanted to keep. After that, I tried to pick modern parts that had similar characteristics to achieve the vintage look. I went back and forth for the head. And finally settled on dremeling the vintage one. I have never been satisfied with the 25th version. Finally, I have a version of Barbecue that reflects the vintage version well and is not a Snow Job repaint.

Head: Vintage Barbecue
Torso, upper arms, accessories: 25th Barbecue
Lower arms: Retaliation GI Joe Trooper
Upper legs: 50th Outback
Lower legs: 50th HEAT Viper


#998 - Hooded Cobra Commander

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Hooded Cobra Commander was my one and only Cobra Commander that I had as a kid. I never had any of the other versions. I remember seeing the insert for the mail away products as a kid. It must have been included with one of the vehicles that I got as a gift. I collected my flag points and begged my mom to write a check to send off for Cobra Commander and the MANTA. I stared at that insert for hours while waiting for the box to arrive. The 12-14 weeks was forever in kid time (that’s a long wait for an adult as well).

For my custom, I kept things simple. I mostly used Retaliation Ultimate Cobra Commander. That mold is not about to be replaced as the best version of the character any time soon. It is not a perfect representation of the vintage figure as it is missing the area to attach the gun on the back and has a few other minor details that don’t match up, but it is by far the best Cobra Commander we have gotten.

Lower arms: 25th Crimson Guard
Everything else: Retaliation Ultimate Cobra Commander


#999 - Low Light

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I never had the original Lowlight figure back in the day. Truth be told, I did not have very many 1986 figures, I was already growing out of Joes that year. Still, I remember Lowlight from the Sunbow cartoon, especially the episode where he has nightmares. Also, Lowlight had a small role in one of the only issues of the Marvel comic that I had, #55. In that issue, a small team of Joes storm a Terrordrome to rescue Snake Eyes. Lowlight expertly snipes several Cobra troopers so the Joes can use their uniforms to infiltrate the base.

The PoC/50th Lowlight figure is solid and still holds up as an example of great sculpting, accessories and articulation. That said, I am remaking my customs collection to resemble their vintage versions as much as possible. The PoC figure's shoulder and knee pads no longer worked, so I swapped out some parts and built a new figure.

Head, vest, weapon, upper legs: 50th Lowlight
Torso, arms: PoC Steel Brigade
Lower legs: Retaliation Firefly
Backpack: RoC Elite Viper

_________________


Last edited by OreoBuilder on Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:33 am, edited 9 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: To 1000 and Beyond: Coming Soon
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:52 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
Location: Canada, eh?
#1000 - Short-Fuze

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Well, this is it, my 1000th custom. It may not look like much, but since Short-Fuze was my first Joe figure that I got as a kid, I thought it would be an appropriate choice.

My first GI Joe figure was straight-arm Short-Fuze. I still remember buying him at Zayre’s department store in May 1983. My mother and grandmother brought my sister and I on a shopping trip across the border in the US. I was 6 at the time. We had spent the day going in and out of various stores and I remember buying (More accurately, my grandmother probably bought for me) some green army men figures and vehicles. Our visit to Zayre’s was our last stop before heading home. When I walked into the toy aisle, I remember vividly a complete end-cap filled with GI Joe figures. All the original 1982 line was there: Stalker, Grunt, Flash, Zap, etc. I spent what seemed like an eternity searching through the pegs to see all the figures. Since we needed to leave, I picked Short-Fuze since he had a visor and what seemed like a cool accessory and we were off.

Over the next few days, Short-Fuze got a lot of play. He fought against Darth Vader and the evil Empire. He drove the Adventure People’s Rescue Truck and Helicopter. He became friends with Luke Skywalker (before and unfortunate accident deprived Luke of his head). Fortunately, that Fall, I received some cash for my birthday and I was determined to add some more GI Joes to my collection. Lots more Joes followed and the rest is history.

The 25th anniversary version was lackluster in my opinion. It was fine for the time, but can be improved upon now. For my custom, I used his toy look as a reference for my custom rather than giving him his glasses like the comic. I have no memories of him from the comic. For me, Short-Fuze does not wear glasses simply because that is how I knew him growing up.

Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Head, arms, legs, web gear: DG Duke
Weapon: Vintage Short-Fuze
Helmet, visor: Vintage Battle Gear
Backpack: POC Steel Brigade
Collar: POC Steel Brigade


The next few reveals will be the rest of my updated Original 13.

During the 25th Anniversary, Hasbro managed to release all the original members of the team. However, personally, I found that most of these figures could have been improved, even by 25th standards. A few years ago, I gave all them a face-lift. I tried to fix small things like Breaker’s head, Rock & Roll’s and Clutch’s sleeves, improved on legs, arms and colors. These customized versions have been displayed in my collection for the last 4 years or so. Since then, Hasbro has added some better parts to their bank and certain parts (like Zap’s legs) have become easier to acquire. I figured that it was time to revamp the Original 13 again.

In making these customs, my goal is not to create modern interpretations of the characters. I like my Original 13 looking like their 1982 selves. My goal is recreating the original look of each team member using modern parts. As such, some great parts like the Pursuit of Cobra Shock Trooper arms or Snake Eyes torso and legs are not on the table for these characters. I opted instead for torsos and arms that look more like the original toys. These may not end up being my last Original 13 customs. I may still improve them in the future, but I consider that I am much closer to reaching ultimate versions.


#1001 - Zap

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Zap was one of my first Joes as a kid. He was purchased with birthday money along with Grunt, the MOBAT and the APC in the Fall of 1983. Truthfully, he was never one of my favorites since he was not in the cartoon very much.

I based my custom on his toy by using the same head as Grunt. He also follows the same basic recipe as the rest of my updated OG13 customs. For the color, I matched the original’s as closely as possible.

Head, hands: Marauder MTF
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms, legs: DG Duke
Web gear: DG Duke
Weapon, Backpack: POC Steel Brigade
Helmet: Vintage Battle Gear
Collar: POC Steel Brigade


#1002 - Flash

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Flash was one on my first Joes that I got as a kid. I remember liking the color scheme and the weapon. Flash would often man the top of the APC after the cannon got destroyed.

The official 25th figure, though dated, is still dead-on accurate as far as sculpting details. For my custom, I kept the base body. I updated the head to something more proportional and gave him a vintage helmet and visor to bring him in line with the other Joes. After that, he got painted to match the rest of the team.

Head: 50th Dusty
Helmet, visor: Vintage Battle Gear
Everything else: 25th Flash


#1003 - Steeler

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Steeler was one on my first Joes that I got as a kid. I bought him with the MOBAT with my birthday money in 1983. I still remember the GI Joe section at BoniMart (a Canadian discount department store that no longer exists). That same birthday, I picked up Flash, Zap and the APC

Unfortunately, we did not get any good versions of Steeler during the 25th anniversary or since in my opinion, so this update is sorely needed. Since his uniform is different from the other Joes, I changed up his recipe for his torso and arms. I had previously used the 50th Hawk torso on my Action Force Steeler custom and liked it a lot. For the arms, I tried to convey the look of a jacket like the original figure.

Head: 50th Falcon
Torso: 50th Hawk
Arms: Retaliation Firefly
Legs: DG Duke
Web gear: 25th Steeler
Weapon: PoC Snake Eyes
Helmet, visor: Vintage Battle Gear


#1004 - Stalker

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I never had Stalker when I was a kid. None of my friends had the figure either, and he did not figure prominently in any of the few early Marvel issues that I had (5, 11, 12 and 24) so my only early knowledge of the character was through the Sunbow series and the catalogs. As such, when I was collecting and playing with Joes in the early years, Stalker did not really register on my radar. Later, when I was a bit older and just getting out of Joes, I received a copy of Special Missions 17 for Halloween. In the issue, Stalker leads a small team of Joes on a raid of a corporate building. It was only when I started collecting as an adult and I read the whole Marvel run that I developed an appreciation for the character.

For my custom, I stuck close to my established recipe for the other OG13. The Marauder MTF head oozes Stalker in my opinion. The colors match the vintage version as closely as possible as well.

Head, hands, beret: Marauder MTF
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms, legs: DG Duke
Web gear: 25th Snake Eyes
Weapon: Vintage Stalker
Collar: POC Steel Brigade


#1005 - Rock & Roll

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I did not have Rock & Roll as a kid. I don’t remember seeing him on store pegs, although I was probably just focusing on other characters. I remember him mostly for his Sunbow appearances as well as the role he played in issue 11 of the original Marvel run. In that issue, he gets tricked by Snow Job into going on a date with Gung Ho’s high-fashion model sister.

The 25th version of Rock & Roll was lacking in my opinion. The head is tiny, the arms are slit, the sleeves are not rolled up and the color is bland. My custom addresses all of these issues. It is a straight-forward use of my established OG13 recipe. I used Ultimate Flint’s arms to finally give R&R the proper rolled-up sleeves.

Head, hands: Marauder MTF
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms: Retaliation Ultimate Flint
Legs, belt: DG Duke
Web gear: 25th Rock & Roll
Weapon: Vintage R&R
Helmet: Vintage Battle Gear
Collar: POC Steel Brigade


#1006 - Breaker

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I remember Breaker mostly from the Sunbow series. He was on the show quite a bit in the early episodes. As a kid, I had no interest in his figure however. He was quite ordinary and did not include a weapon. He did play an important role in one early comic book that I had, issue 5. In that story, Steeler and Clutch use a loud speaker and Breaker bubble gum popping to trick a squad of Cobra Troopers into surrendering.

This custom uses my established OG13 recipe. I used the early Marauder head with a painted-on beard since Breaker had no beard in the comics and a full beard on the show and on his figure. I decided to split the difference.

Head, hands: Marauder MTF
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms: Retaliation Ultimate Flint
Legs: DG Duke
Web gear: 25th Snake Eyes
Helmet: Vintage Battle Gear
Backpack, communications gear: Vintage Breaker
Collar: POC Steel Brigade



#1007 - Hawk

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As a kid, I did not have very many issues of the comic, so the Sunbow series was "the" Joe-verse. As such, the leader was Duke. I did not understand that Hawk showed up much later in the series and that he outranked Duke. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that that random green guy that was included with the MMS was in fact the first leader of the Joe team. I always thought that it was a strange way to release GI Joe’s leader. I would have thought that he would be on his own card or a large vehicle. Regardless, after reading the entire run of Marvel comics, I came to appreciate how good a commander Colonel (and later, General) Hawk truly was.

Hawk is a straight forward build as he shares the exact same parts recipe as Grunt. Fortunately, I had a DTC comic book Hawk in my fodder pile and used his head. It represents the Joe leader very well in my opinion.

Head: DTC Comic Hawk
Hands: Marauder MTF
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms, legs: DG Duke
Web gear: 25th Snake Eyes
Weapon: Modern era pistol
Helmet, visor: Vintage Battle Gear
Collar: POC Steel Brigade


#1008 - Tan Grunt

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I vaguely remember Tan Grunt as a kid. Since I spent hours staring at and memorizing the catalogs, I knew of the Falcon Glider even if I don’t remember seeing them in stores or being interested in them. By that time though, there were more interesting characters coming out like Tripwire, Snow Job and Airborne. So, Grunt and his tan version became less desired.

That said, as an adult, looking at GI Joe through nostalgia colored glasses, Grunt has reclaimed his spot in my collection and so the tan version is a must. For my custom, once the regular green version of Grunt was built, I made sure to set aside enough parts to make his tan version. I never had it as a kid, but since it’s Grunt, I had to make it.

Head, hands: Marauder MTF
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms, legs: DG Duke
Web gear: 25th Snake Eyes
Weapon: 25th Duke (Comic Pack)
Helmet: Vintage Battle Gear
Backpack: ROC Monkey Wrench
Collar: POC Steel Brigade



#1009 - Grunt

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I’ve written this statement a million times over the years, but Grunt is my favorite GI Joe. He was the face of GI Joe in those early years. He was my second Joe figure that I got after Short-Fuze, but I liked him better. He had a cool weapon and he was basically an articulated green army man. I remember playing with the figure quite a bit. I was always disappointed that he did not have a larger role on the cartoon. I did not have any comics where he played a prominent role.

He was the first of my revamped OG13 figure that I pieced together to see how the parts fit. He is the one I experimented on to create all the others. Since most of the Joes share common parts, I used Grunt to set the recipe for the team.

Head, hands: Marauder MTF
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms, legs: DG Duke
Web gear: 25th Snake Eyes
Weapon: 25th Duke (Comic Pack)
Helmet: Vintage Battle Gear
Backpack: ROC Monkey Wrench
Collar: POC Steel Brigade

_________________


Last edited by OreoBuilder on Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:40 am, edited 8 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: To 1000 and Beyond: Coming Soon
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:53 am 
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
Location: Canada, eh?
Reserved 1010-1019

#1010 - Clutch

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As a kid, I remember a friend on my street that had the VAMP and Clutch. We played GI Joes together often, so I got to play with his toys. Because of this, I never really wanted one of my own and my birthday and Christmas lists included other toys that I did not have. Clutch was a pretty important character in both the Sunbow series as well as the comic run and I remember him from both.

The 25th version was not bad at the time, but is dated now. He has a decent sized head; his boots are perfect for all OG13 characters and his vest is spot on for the vintage one. However, he suffers from Duke wrists and has a drab color. For my custom, I re-used the vest and changed out all the other parts to better match his vintage look. Marauder’s bearded head makes for the perfect Clutch and the vintage helmet fits perfectly on it as well.

Head, hands: Marauder MTF
Torso, legs: DG Duke
Arms: Retaliation Ultimate Flint
Vest: 25th Clutch
Helmet: Vintage Battle Gear



#1011 - Scarlett

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I never had a Scarlett figure when I was a kid and I don’t remember seeing her in stores either. My attention was focused on the army men type figures like Grunt, Zap and Short-Fuze and figures with cool accessories like Tripwire and Snow Job. My memories of Scarlett were from the Sunbow cartoon where she played a prominent role.

Scarlett is one of the figures that are the most in need of a good update. Each version of her since the 25th has had flaws in my opinion. The 25th is hunched, Resolute had an awful head, Rise of Cobra has the wrong uniform, etc. For my custom, I tried to take the best pieces from each version to make a best version. I like what I came up with for now, but I believe that there will still be room for improvement in the future.

Head: Marvel Black Widow
Torso: Resolute Scarlett
Upper arms: RoC Baroness
Legs, lower arms: 25th Scarlett


#1012 - Snake Eyes V1

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I don’t remember ever seeing Snake Eyes on store pegs and I never had the original figure as a kid. My memories of the character are mostly from the cartoon, especially the scene when he locks himself in the radioactive cave to save the other Joes. I also remember when he faces off against Kwinn in issue 12 of the original Marvel comic. That issue was one of only a few that I had as a kid.

Snake Eyes was not on the top of my list to update as we got the ultimate version of him during the Pursuit of Cobra line. However, that version differs quite a bit from his original 1982 look and I wanted my OG13 shelf to be consistent. The original figure had different legs from the rest of the Joes, so that was the only real difference in the custom recipe.

Head: POC Snake Eyes
Torso: Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes
Arms: DG Duke
Upper legs: DG Snake Eyes
Lower legs: 25th Flash
Web gear, satchel: 25th Snake Eyes
Weapon: POC Snake Eyes
Collar: POC Steel Brigade


#1013 - Hardball

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By 1989, I was out of Joes and moving out of toys in general. However, I had not outgrown Halloween yet. That year, I dressed up as a Ghostbuster and made the rounds. One of our neighbors at the end of the street was a newspaper and magazine distributor. Rather than candy, they gave out comic books. I still remember getting 2 copies of GI Joe Special Missions 17 in my trick-or-treat bag that night. When I read it the first time, I remember thinking that I did not know any of these new Joes. Who were Muskrat, Hardball, Sneak Peek and Shockwave? Over the years, I have read and re-read that issue several dozen times and it remains a favorite of mine to this day.

Hardball was one of the new (to me) Joes in that issue and my attachment to this character comes solely from the comic since I never had his original figure. For my custom, I started with an older custom that I made several years ago during the early stages of the 25th line. I kept the torso and arms since they make a convincing baseball jersey. I updated the head and legs to modern standards and also splurged on the vintage accessories to tie my custom back to the original.

Head, hat: Marauder MTF
Torso: 25th Tomax/Xamot
Arms: Resolute Duke
Upper right leg: PoC Cobra Trooper
Upper left leg: Retaliation GI Joe Trooper
Lower legs: 50th Outback
Belt: 25th Rock & Roll
Weapon and backpack: vintage Hardball


#1014 - Alpine

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I acquired Alpine in 1986. I was 9 at the time. My parents brought my sister and I on a day-trip to do some shopping across the border in the US. This did not happen often, so when it did, it was a treat. Short-Fuse, my first ever GI Joe was acquired during such a trip, and now it happened again. This time, the bounty was Alpine, Footloose, Snake Eyes v2, Snow Serpent and the Snow Cat with Frostbite. I was thrilled with my new additions to my team. I retrospect, these were among the last Joes I would get as a kid. I would get a few more figures, but the Snow Cat was my last vehicle. I was slowly growing out of them.

I loved Alpine. Everything from uniform colors and his accessories. He often scaled my bedroom dressers to attack secret Cobra bases on my shelves. He always found ways of bypassing enemy defenses thanks to his climbing gear.

The 25th figure is a very respectable effort for the time. However, it does have some aspects that could be improved on, so I started there.

Head, torso, upper arms, vest, gauntlets, backpack: 50th Alpine
Legs: PoC Cobra Trooper
Gun, grappling gun, grappling hooks: 1985 Alpine
Lower arms, hands: 30th Stalker



#1015 - Falcon

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In 1987, I was getting out of Joes. From that year on, the only new figures that I got were Crazy Legs and Iron Grenadier a year later. I still played with my Joes from time to time however and still watched the cartoon when it was on. When I saw a commercial for the GI Joe Movie, I was thrilled. I eagerly sat down in front of my television set at the scheduled time and tuned in. When it was all done, I remember liking some parts, but not being impressed by others. The new character of Falcon fell into the latter category.

Since then, I have learned to appreciate the original figure for its realistic color scheme and fun accessories. Unfortunately, despite getting a few versions of the character in the last few years, I don’t consider any of them definitive. This is my attempt to fix that.

Head, beret, torso: 50th Falcon
Web gear, scarf: 25th Falcon
Arms: Retaliation Kwinn
Upper legs: Retaliation GI Joe Trooper
Lower legs: Retaliation Firefly



#1016 - Flint

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I never had the original Flint figure as kid. One of my friends had him in his collection, so I got to play with the figure a few times. As a kid, Flint was not that interesting. He had few accessories, his gun was not great and his beret was crooked. That said, I liked his character on the Sunbow cartoon.

As an adult, I have grown to like the character even more. Figure-wise, the Modern Era has not been bad to Flint. His SDCC Danger at the Docks figure is darn close to an ultimate version. I used a very similar recipe for my custom, but gave him rolled up sleeves to match the original figure. After that, all I had to do was match the paint colors.

Head, torso, legs: 50th Flint
Upper arms, web gear, backpack, gun: 25th Flint (second 5-pack)
Lower arms: 50th Dusty



#1017 - Tele-Viper

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Tele-Vipers appeared regularly on the Sunbow cartoon series and I always enjoyed it when Cobra troops were shown. However, I never had the original figure as a kid. During the 25th Anniversary, I managed to pick up 3 Tele-Vipers. That version had some nice elements, but overall suffered from some issues like the hands and the legs. For my version, I drew some inspiration from the concept vault version, but made some changes.

I used the ROC Neo-Viper torso to approximate the original’s shirt. That torso is also a good fit with the belt and vest. I also upgraded the figure with Marauder hands.

Head, vest, belt, upper arms: 25th Tele-Viper
Torso: ROC Neo-Viper
Lower arms: 25th Flint
Legs: POC Cobra Trooper
Hands: Marauder MTF
Backpack: VvV Tele-Viper (single card)
Gun: Vintage Tele-Viper


#1018 - Roadblock

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I did not have any Roadblock figures as a kid. I mostly remember him from the cartoon where he was very prominent. He was also featured in one of the only comic book issues that I had #24. In that issue, the Joes bring a captive Cobra Commander to a mountain-top fortress in an attempt to keep him hidden from Cobra. However, Storm Shadow manages to track and rescue him using a CLAW. Roadblock gives chase on foot and bests Storm Shadow in a fight in the woods. I remember buying that comic at a local convenience store. It was in French and read and re-read that issue over and over.

For my custom, I wanted to include as much of the vintage figure’s characteristics as possible. For accessories, the original backpack with ammo box and pin to peg the tripod were a must. I used a Marauder head, but may upgrade down the road if an opportunity comes up. After that, I matched the original’s colors as best that I could.

Parts:
Head, harness, pockets: Marauder MTF
Torso, arms: Retaliation Roadblock
Legs: 50th Gung-Ho
Backpack: ARAH Roadblock


#1019 - Snake Eyes V2 and Timber

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Snake Eyes v2 was my first and only version of the character that I had a kid. Since I grew up mostly with the Sunbow cartoon and had very few issues of the comic, Snake Eyes was not more important than any other character in my stories. However, I had one comic issue that I loved – number 55 "Unmaskings". In it, a team of Joes rescue Snake Eyes (disguised as Flint) from a Terrordrome only to have him make a heroic stand to help them escape. That issue left a lasting impression and made this version of the ninja commando my favorite.

The Retaliation Ultimate Snake Eyes figure is a really solid one. It is by far the best representation of version 2 of the character. However, there were a few things that I thought could be improved. I felt that the torso was too long and slick, so I swapped it for a shorter one. Also, the head was the movie one, so I swapped that part out as well. Lastly, I repainted the gray parts to a darker gray including the visor.

For Timber, I repainted the Ultimate version from white to light gray to better match the original toy.

Head: Retaliation Snake Eyes
Torso: ROC Snake Eyes
Arms, legs, belts, bandolier: Retaliation Ultimate Snake Eyes
Uzi, sword: 25th Snake Eyes
Timber: Retaliation Ultimate Snake Eyes

_________________


Last edited by OreoBuilder on Tue Jul 17, 2018 5:34 pm, edited 16 times in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:53 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
Location: Canada, eh?
#1020 - Hawk V2

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I never had a Hawk figure growing up. When the character was introduced in the second season of the cartoon, I liked him a lot. He was a good leader for GI Joe. Only when I got older did I put 2 and 2 together and figure out that Hawk was one of the original 13. Version 2, with the brown jacket remains the iconic version of the character for me to this day.

For my custom, I started from the 25th torso. It is well sculpted, but suffers from bad articulation at the elbows, so I started by trimming those to increase the range. I also swapped out the hands, the legs and replaced the head with the terrific Law head. A Marauder helmet capped everything off. For the colors, I tried to replicate the original toy colors as best I could.

Head: Renegades Law
Torso, arms, belt, holster: 25th Hawk
Legs: Renegades Duke
Helmet, hands, goggles: Marauder MTF



#1021 - Steel Brigade V1A

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Head: ROC Storm Shadow
Torso, upper arms, vest: 25th Airborne
Lower arms: DG Snake Eyes
Legs, helmet, weapon, backpack: PoC Steel Brigade v2



#1022 - Steel Brigade V1B

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Head: ROC Storm Shadow
Torso, upper arms: 50th Flint
Lower arms: DG Snake Eyes
Legs, helmet, weapon, backpack: PoC Steel Brigade v2



#1023 - Steel Brigade V2

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Even thought I was growing out of Joes when the first Steel Brigade figure was released, I remember seeing the advertisements for the figure as well as the insert. I learned of all the variants and the history of the figure when I started collecting as an adult in the early 2000s.

Since then, I have become a big Steel Brigade fan and have made several customs over the years. After making version 1A and 1B, I found all the parts to throw together a version 2.

Head: ROC Storm Shadow
Torso, upper arms: 50th Flint
Lower arms: DG Snake Eyes
Legs, helmet, weapon, backpack: PoC Steel Brigade v2


#1024 - Spirit

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Spirit made his way into my collection in 1984 for my birthday if I recall correctly. That same birthday, I also got the Silver Mirage Motorcycle and the Cobra Stinger. I recall that I played a lot with Freedom, but that Spirit got less attention. His skirt was bulky and I was not sure how to use him in my stories.

Although several modern era Spirit figures have been released over the last 10 years, none are truly ultimate in my opinion. For my version, I tried to stick close to the original figure for inspiration.

Head: BBTS Spirit with 25th Spirit pigtails
Torso, arms: Retaliation Kwinn
Legs,bracelet, sash and belt, backpack, gun and Freedom: 25th Spirit


#1025 - Doc

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A friend of mine gave me a couple of his Joes when he got tired of them when we were kids. That is how I ended up with Doc and Major Bludd. These were not figures that I would have bought with my allowance or put on a birthday wish list. Unfortunately, he did not take very good care of his toys. So, I had most of a Doc as a kid. The figure was intact, but worn and he gave me a chewed-up stretcher and a broken flare launcher. Doc did not get much use in my GI Joe play. His joints were so loose that he could not stand up, so he usually ended up being the first casualty in firefights. That way he could just lay there on the battlefield while the action happened all around him.

For my custom, I wanted to recreate the original toy as closely as possible. I went back and forth for the torso. At first, I thought about using the Kwinn torso, but looking at the original figure, Doc had more pockets and his collar was different so I modified a 50th Hit & Run torso. I think it looks more like the original now.

Head: Will Smith Men in Black
Torso, arms: 50th Hit & Run (modified)
Left thigh: 50th Cobra Officer
Right thigh and lower legs: DG Shipwreck
Helmet, flare launcher, stretcher: Vintage Doc


#1026 Cobra Commander (Cobra - The Early Years)

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This figure was created for the 48-hour LBC (Lazy boy custom) contest during Custom Celebration XI (2018). I had been planning to make a business suit Cobra Commander for a while, but never got around to it. The contest gave me an opportunity to find the extra SDCC Destro I had stored away for this purpose.

The custom itself did not require painting. The only modification that was necessary was to modify the neck connection. To make the head fit, I filled the bottom of the hood with hot glue and placed it on the neck ball. While the glue was cooling I turned the head left and right gently to make sure it did not stay stuck. This created a fake neck socket that allows the head to be poseable, but also stay securely on the body.

Head: Retaliation Ultimate Cobra Commander
Everything else: SDCC Destro



#1027 Stinger Driver

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I remember buying the Cobra Stinger with my birthday money in 1984. It was my first exposure to the VAMP mold. I have a pretty vivid memory of taking it out of the box and assembling it sitting on the living room floor. The Stinger Driver ended up in my collection that day. Sadly, like the Cobra Officer before him, he was relegated to secondary duty. He quickly became a floppy mess. I don’t know if he had a loose o-ring or he suffered from mold degradation, but I as much I loved the Stinger, I remember that the Driver got put in the HQ’s stockade and stayed there.

That said, with age and perspective, I have come to appreciate this figure. For my custom, I used a similar recipe as the SDCC Officer and changed the colors.

Head, torso, helmet: PoC Cobra Trooper
Upper arms: DG Cobra Commander
Legs: 25th Major Bludd
Harness: 25th Cobra Officer


#1028 - Crimson Guard Officer

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#1029 - Crimson Guard Trooper

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The Crimson Guard is probably my favorite Cobra troop. The 1986 Viper, Snow Serpent and Iron Grenadier are up there too, but the CG is the one that I dreamed of army building as a kid. Everything about the original figure is awesome, from the dark red uniform, the cool helmet, the ceremonial gold details and the rifle.

I have been hoping that Hasbro would release an ultimate vintage-accurate Crimson Guard, but that has not happened. The 25th was a decent start. However, the skinny legs, simian helmet and washed-out red hue weakened it. In the Retaliation Ultimate wave, we got a different version. The helmet and the red were improved. However, the lower legs and knees were changed for weaker ones.

I decided to combine both figures to attempt to improve them. My goal was make a figure that was heavily inspired by the vintage figure. Because I’m a bit crazy when it comes to army-building, I had enough parts to make 21 figures. I set them up in 4 rows of 5, that left one to transform into an officer. I simply added some silver paint to the face mask and some gold to the shoulder strap and voilà, Crimson Guard Officer.

Head, torso, arms, upper legs, backpack: Retaliation Crimson Guard
Lower Legs, belt, rifle: 25th Crimson Guard

_________________


Last edited by OreoBuilder on Mon Aug 27, 2018 12:57 pm, edited 6 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: To 1000 and Beyond: Coming Soon
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:54 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
Location: Canada, eh?
#1030 - Tiger Force Duke

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Head: 50th Duke
Torso: Retaliation Kwinn
Arms: 50th Flint
Legs: 50th Gung-Ho
Belt: 25th Roadblock
Helmet: Vintage Accessory Pack
Gun, backpack, bandolier: 25th TF Duke



#1031 - Tiger Force Flint

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I was twelve years old and growing out of toys when the original Tiger Force sub team was released in 1988. I remember seeing the commercials for the toys on television at the time and thinking that it was very cool that hey were bringing back original vehicles and figures from when I was actively playing with and collecting Joes. I'm an oddball, but I have always liked the yellow and black tiger pattern on the vehicles.

In 2017-18, with Joe on hiatus, I have been updating all my customs to 50th standards of sculpting and articulation. Duke and Flint, in their original colors, were part of the list of characters that received upgrades. The Tiger Force versions were on that list as well until this project.

Head, torso, hands, lower legs: 50th Flint
Arms: Retaliation Kwinn
Upper legs: DG Shipwreck with MTF holster
Webgear: 25th Flint


#1032 - Python Moccasin (Hydroélice De Emboscada) Ambush Hydroplane

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I have had this vehicle on my to-do list for several years, but I never found the time to get it done. Full disclosure, I have already customized this once. However, it was for a Joe buddy and the boat went off to its forever home a few years ago. I have been meaning to make one for myself and this project gave me a perfect opportunity.

The ‘’Hydroélice De Emboscada’’ was released in Brazil in the ‘80s and was a Water Moccasin in Hydrofoil colors. I really like the color combo on the smaller craft. Since this is a ‘’re-do’’, I changed some things from my first version. I used the Sting Raider version of the mold, so it has both regular cannons. The turret is now burgundy to match the original. I also used different shades of gray and red.

The original toy was not part of Forca Naja i.e. Python Patrol. The Club released this boat in 2011 as part of the Python Patrol convention set, so I figured that it could be included in this project. I will be displaying it on my Python shelf.

All: POC Sting Raider


#1033 - Gatilho (Trigger)

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Gatilho is an original character created by Estrela in Brazil for their Forca Naja subteam. He consisted of Airborne repainted into Python Patrol colors. The Club released their version of the character in 2011’s convention set. I do not own the figure, but wanted to add him to my Python Patrol, so I built my own. I used the most modern parts available and replicated the color scheme.

Head: Retaliation Kwinn
Torso, vest: 25th Airborne
Legs: POC Cobra Trooper
Arms: 50th Duke
Helmet: Vintage Accessory Pack


#1034 - Relampago (Lightning)

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Relampago is an original character created by Estrela in Brazil for their Forca Naja subteam. He consisted of Ripcord repainted into Python Patrol colors. I have made a couple of modern Ripcord customs recently, so I wanted to change the recipe for this figure especially since the character is not a paratrooper. Generally speaking, the arctic Snake Eyes torso is not my favorite part. However, used with the 50th Duke (Data-Viper) arms, I really like the combo.

Head: DG Duke
Torso: 25th Arctic Snake Eyes
Upper legs: Retaliation GI Joe Trooper
Lower legs: Retaliation Airborne
Arms: 50th Duke
Helmet: Vintage Accessory Pack



#1035 - Python Patrol Officer

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Recently, I have been phasing out all my 25th anniversary custom figures and upgrading them to 50th standards of articulation and sculpting. Looking at my Python Patrol shelf, all the figures need an upgrade. I had been using the 25th Python Officer as a trooper and had accumulated a squad of about 12. I decided to eliminate these and make a proper custom Officer to replace them.

This was a simple custom to make. I started with a Dollar General Cobra Officer since that figure is already black. I simply swapped the webgear for the 25th figure and painted the helmet, mask and knees.

All: DG Cobra Officer (black uniform)
Webgear: 25th Python Patrol


#1036 - Python Patrol Crimson Guard

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The 25th Crimson Guard mold was fine (but not perfect) when it was released, but is dated now. Recently, I worked to make a better version of the original Crimson Guard. After that, I thought I could improve on the Python Patrol version. I started by swapping the head for the newer sculpt. After that, changing the upper legs gave them some more bulk and got them closer to the original’s look as well. All that was left was to add some paint.

Head: 50th Crimson Shadow Guard
Torso, arms, lower legs, back pack, Rifle: 25th Python Crimson Guard
Upper Legs: 25th Cobra Commander



#1037 - Valor vs Venom Duke

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The non-action attack Valor vs Venom Duke was an excellent figure in its time. It had good sculpting and decent proportions. I prefer the green repaint. It is nostalgic for me as it was one of the very first figures that I bought in 2005 when I got back into Joes as an adult. I bought it loose online along with Valor vs Venom Stalker and a few others and, although it is dated by today's standards, it was a fun figure.

For my custom, I played around with several parts combos, but ended up using mostly Marauder MTF parts as these were better suited to replicate the original's look.

Head: 50th Duke
Everything else: Marauder MTF



#1038 - Valor vs Venom Stalker

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Valor vs Venom Stalker was one of the first Joes I bought when I started collecting again as an adult in 2005. As such, the figure holds some nostalgic value for me. I never had any of the original Stalker figures growing up, so this was the first time I added the character to my Joe collection. I always liked this re imagined version of Stalker. Aside from the yellow forearm gauntlets, it was a solid figure with decent proportions and good detail.

This was a pretty simple build to make. I actually put it together and it sat unpainted in my WIP bin for over a year (at least). I go through my WIP bins periodically to decide what to proceed with and what to part out. When I got to Stalker, I still liked my parts combo, so I put him on my painting table. After a long wait, I glad to have him done and added to my neo New Sculpt custom shelf.

Head: Resolute Stalker
Torso, upper arms: Retaliation Firefly
Legs: Retaliation Snake Eyes
Lower arms: Marauder MTF
Belt: Star Trek



#1039 - Vypra

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GI Joe came storming back to store shelves in 1997 with the Real American Hero Collection. The series was built mostly around returning classic characters like Duke, Snake Eyes and Scarlett, but also included a couple of new characters as well. One of these was Vypra. Although it seems like a contradiction to me, she was a vehicle driver while being a ninja. I suppose even ninjas need transportation to get to their missions.

I wanted to tweak her character for my custom version. Since her filecard primary military specialty is Intelligence, I imagine her as being an infiltrator, a covert mission specialist, a spy. She is superbly trained to fight hand-to-hand but if she is required to do so, her mission will probably end in failure, since that means that she has been found out.

With her new specialty, I picked parts that moved her away from the ninja look. I kept the general color pallet.

All: Marauder MTF

_________________


Last edited by OreoBuilder on Tue Nov 27, 2018 7:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: To 1000 and Beyond: Coming Soon
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:54 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
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#1040 - Duke (1997)

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GI Joe came storming back to store shelves in 1997 with the Real American Hero Collection. No GI Joe relaunch would be complete without a Duke figure, so one was released with a repaint of the Silver Mirage Motorcycle. This time, Duke was sporting a similar color scheme to his Tiger Force version, but different. For my custom, I tried to play up the differences, while keeping the feel of the 1997 version. This custom will be part of my jungle squad of Joes.

Head: PoC Duke
Torso, arms: Retaliation Kwinn
Legs: 50th Hit & Run
Belt: 25th Roadblock
Bandolier: 25th Duke


#1041 - Firefly (2000)

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The Collector's Series produced some fun figures between 2000 and 2002. In those years, several figures included "paint washes" to create camoflage on the uniforms. This made each figure unique. Firefly was one that was well done in my opinion. The color pallet of brown and green with black accents works really well for jungle/forest missions. For my custom, I tried to replicate the colors. However, I did not use the wash technique. I opted for a more standard camo pattern.

Head: RoC Flash
Left upper leg: 50th Cobra Officer
Everything else: 50th Firefly


#1042 - Crimson Shadow Guard

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I have made a few Shadow Guard customs over the years. After making my ‘’ultimate’’ Crimson Guard army during Custom Celebration 2018, I started planning my Shadow Guard squad using the same recipe. I had fewer 50th SGs than CGs, but for the role they play in my Joeverse, it makes sense to have a smaller squad.

The Crimson Shadow Guard was one of the interesting concepts to come out of Valor vs Venom. According to the original packaging, Shadow Guards are pretty much the Night Force version of regular CGs. However, several Joe fans (myself among them) like to use them as Cobra's secret police. I think they make much more sense in this context.

Head, torso, arms, upper legs, backpack, rifle: 50th Shadow Guard
Lower legs: 25th Crimson Guard
Logo: Cobrastickers


#1043 - Action Force Desert Rat

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I have a growing collection of modern styled Action Force customs on my shelf. Up to now, I have mostly focused on the named characters when selecting which customs to make. However, I recently received Blood for the Baron’s Action Force reference book. Looking at older figures from the line, I spotted a couple that I wanted to translate to modern era. The Desert Rat is one of those figures that reminds me of little green army men, so I could not resist. His simplicity made this a quick project.

Head: POC Hawk
Headgear: VvV Dusty
Torso, arms: 25th Ultimate Battles Duke
Legs: Retaliation Kwinn
Webgear: 25th Snake Eyes


#1044 - Action Force US Paratrooper

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I have a growing collection of modern styled Action Force customs on my shelf. Up to now, I have mostly focused on the named characters when selecting which customs to make. However, I recently received Blood For The Baron’s Action Force reference book. Looking at older figures from the line, I spotted a couple that I wanted to translate to modern era. US Paratrooper is one of those figures that reminds me of little green army men, so I could not resist. His simplicity made this a quick project.

Head: Marauder MTF
Torso, arms: ROC Pit Commando
Upper legs, parachute rig: 25th Ripcord
Lower legs: 25th Firefly
Helmet: Captain America


#1045 - SAS Stake-Out

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Stake Out and Quickfire were on my list of Action Force customs to do for the longest time. Looking through Blood for the Baron's reference book, I realized that they are basically the same figure (identical construction and color scheme except for Quickfire's gray camouflage)

I was originally only going to make one of the two. However, I decided to change the recipe for Stake Out and deviate a bit from the source material. He will be wearing a sweater rather than a jacket. I kept his recipe super simple and he did not need much painting, only to cover up the Arashikage logo on his arm and some detail work on his head.

Head: 50th Low Light
Torso, arms: PoC Snake Eyes
Legs: ROC Snake Eyes
Webgear: 50th Firefly



#1046 - SAS Quickfire (SAS Commando)

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Stake Out and Quickfire were on my list of Action Force customs to do for the longest time. Looking through Blood for the Baron's reference book, I realized that they are basically the same figure (identical construction and color scheme except for Quickfire's gray camouflage)

I was originally only going to make one of the two. However, I decided to change the recipe for Stake Out and deviate a bit from the source material. That gave me the option to build Quickfire as close as possible to the original figure.

Head: Spy Troops Chief Torpedo
Torso, upper arms: 25th Arctic Snake Eyes
Lower arms: PoC Steel Brigade
Legs: ROC Snake Eyes
Webgear: 50th Firefly


#1047 - Action Force Sparrow Hawk

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Sparrow Hawk has been on my Action Force customs to-do list for a while. However, I had not taken the time to figure out how to replicate his head/helmet/mask. Looking at the original figure in the Blood for the Baron reference book, the Firefly head solution came to me. After that, the rest of the parts just fell into place. With that, I added one more SAS team member to my Action Force customs shelf.

Head: PoC Firefly
Helmet: 25th Pilot Scarlett
Torso, arms, legs, parachute harness: Retaliation Airborne


#1048 - Action Force Stalker

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The original Stalker figure was a repaint of Snake Eyes. I have made a few customs of this character in the last few years. In each case, I purposely stayed away from Snake Eyes parts to try to make the character distinct. Snake Eyes is easily the most recognizable character in GI Joe history, so making Stalker different has proven a challenge. Also, my previous custom used a lot of 25th era part, so I wanted to modernize it as much as possible. By using the Steel Brigade Delta head, I believe that I am closer to my final version of this character.

Head: Steel Brigade Delta
Torso, arms: PoC Steel Brigade
Harness: 25th Snake Eyes
Legs: Retaliation Snake Eyes



#1049 - SAS Panther

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I have been making Action Force customs for a few years now. My various teams, SAS, Z-Force, etc, are filling in with members. However, I have not made any vehicles until now. The original SAS Panther was a great re-use of the original VAMP. The black chassis with the yellow highlights really pops. Several customizers have already made modern versions of the Panther, but I wanted one for my shelf, so here it is.

All: 25th VAMP

_________________


Last edited by OreoBuilder on Mon Jun 10, 2019 8:53 pm, edited 8 times in total.

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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:19 am
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1050-1059

#1050 - Action Force Hunter

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The original Hunter figure was a repainted Cobra Officer. I have made a few customs of this character in the last few years. In each case, I purposely stayed away from Cobra Trooper parts to try to make the character distinct from his Cobra roots. However, each time I was not completely satisfied with my customs. This time, I decided to make him as close to the reference material as possible. The only change I made was the helmet as the Cobra helmet is a bit too recognizable.

Head, torso, arms, legs: POC Cobra Trooper
Harness: 25th Cobra Officer
Helmet: Marauder MTF


#1051 - Action Force Commander

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The Action Force Commander has been on my customs to-do list for a while. I had previously tried my hand at building this character a few years ago. At the time, I tried to re-invent the look by giving him jacket and camouflaged pants. It worked fine at the time. However, I eventually wanted to make a vintage accurate version. The original figure was a repaint of the Red Shadows Black Major figure (or the vice versa). Accordingly, my Commander custom shares the same parts recipe as my previous Black Major custom.

Head: Indiana Jones German General
Torso: RoC Snake Eyes
Upper arms: 25Th Cobra Commander
Lower arms: 25th Crimson Guard
Legs: ROC Cobra Commander
Feet: 50th Low Light
Hands: Marauder MTF
Collar: AVAC cast


#1052 - Action Force Jammer

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I made a custom Jammer a few years ago. It was simply an Ultimate Battle Pack Stalker with a PTE radio backpack and some red paint on the beret. It was fine for my Action Force shelf for a while. However, I upgraded my GI Joe Stalker build recently and I have also been updating all of my older Action Force customs as well. So I figured that I would update my Jammer custom while I was at it. This meant a painting a complete figure, but I much prefer it to my previous LBCish Jammer.

Head: HACKS
Torso: ROC Snake Eyes
Arms, legs: DG Duke
Beret, hands: Marauder MTF
Webgear: 25th Stalker


#1053 - Action Force Skip

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Over the last few years, I have slowly been building new Action Force members and updating older customs as well. For the longest time, my custom Skip consisted of a RoC Dennis Quaid head on an Ultimate Battle Pack Stalker body. It worked well for a while, but most of my Z-Force characters are now built using modern parts, so it was time to upgrade Skip. I used the same parts recipe as for my 2Para figure as the originals were repaints. I added the MTF webgear.

Head, beret, harness and pouches: Marauder MTF
Torso, arms: 50th Firefly
Legs: ROC Snake Eyes


#1054 - Action Man

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Action Man is a character that I honestly don't know that much about. To me, he is one of the figures included in the Valor Vs Venom GI Joe Night Force 6-Pack. He stood out in that set as he was the only one wearing orange. Since I'm a sucker for New Sculpt era customs, I have been meaning to make this figure since I saw HypnoHustler’s excellent version during 2017's Custom Celebration. Since the Mercer torso is already orange and the head and arm colors match, there was not much painting involved on this one.

Head: Indiana Jones German Motorcycle driver
Torso: BBTS Mercer
Arms: 50th Dusty
Legs: 50th Snake Eyes
Harness: 25th Steeler

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Last edited by OreoBuilder on Sat Jul 06, 2019 10:01 am, edited 2 times in total.

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