Head: '84 Thunder
Chest/back: '83 Zap
Arms: '84 Duke
Waist, upper legs: '83 Steeler
Lower legs: '83 Airborne
Arm pouches: Pushmold from NS Dusty skirt


Short-Fuze
Mortar Soldier
GI Joe
based on the 1997 Stars & Stripes Forever set

Design/Colors:

Short-Fuze is a character that Hasbro has never quite done right as a figure. The original ARAH figure didn't have glasses. The 25A one borrowed Doc's head, but the figure didn't quite work because the figure didn't have the across-the-chest harness. There was even a Night Force Short-Fuze that was just a head-to-toe Downtown repaint. The best attempt so far came with the ARAH comic pack version, but its head is just too small.

The Stars & Stripes version used the original head, but featured reddish hair. Oddly, this isn't entirely unprecedented. Short-Fuze's first appearance in GI Joe #1 his hair was blonde- but with a slightly copper tinge. This was probably a decision by the colorist, Glynis Wein, to help distinguish him from Hawk since both figures shared the same head with blonde hair. Likewise, Hawk was drawn with a flat top and Short-Fuze had a wave of hair across his forehead. Short-Fuze has coppery blonde hair on this custom. The Thunder head even has a perfect haircut to match Short-Fuze's appearance in GI Joe #1.

The flipped up sleeves and knee pads start Short-Fuze in a new direction, continued by using a khaki/desert camouflage uniform instead of an olive one. The red turtleneck links to the early Marvel appearances, too.

Light blue is used as a stand-in for clear on the eyeglasses.

Sculpting & Modifying:

The eyeglasses are sculpted. The pouches on the arms and belt are push molds. The the lower portion of the upper legs were reworked to accept the knee pads.

The shoulder/elbow rivets and thigh screw insets are epoxied smooth.

Thanks for looking.

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