2008 Hasbro Cobra Trooper:
Head
Helmet
Pants
M&C Toys (World Peacekeepers) body
Project ARE hooded sweatshirt, dyed dark blue
Hasbro boots, knee pads and elbow pads
Scratch-built body armor, backpack and web gear
21st Century Toys ammunition pouches, cast and modified
BBI grenade pouches, cast and added to the ammunition pouches
21st Century Toys canteen, painted
Cotswold Collectibles "commando" dagger and sheath
Hasbro Tactical Advisor AK47, modified and painted
21st Century Toys P08 pistol, painted
Various straps, buckles and paints


"Beta's the only trooper remaining from before I took over the squad. He's a stone cold fighter but he's bucking for promotion and, therefore, a bit of an issue for me. I keep him on point." - Lt. Bombast

This trooper is a lot like my other custom "Belltoll" but with an AK47 and related pouches. I have developed my own technique for making 1/6th scale packs and web gear and I've not seen anyone else do it like I do. I can't sew worth a darn so I learned to 'craft' gear. For example, for this backpack, I cut a piece of packing foam with a hobby hot knife making a shape for the contents of the pack. Then I used black fabric; cut, folded and glued on to the form in the same pattern as a sewn item. I figure, I'm not going to need the pack to be functional anyway, so why not glue the whole thing together? For the finished edge of the pack flap, I simply glued on strip of the finished edge cut from the same black bandana (hobby store purchase) I used for the fabric. Faux closure straps were made from grosgrain and spare buckles with shoulder straps from grosgrain over folded and glued fabric shoulder pads. Harness details were made using jewelry rings and clips with functional buckles added where necessary. This is a useful method for me for making my own custom gear. It would never stand up to backyard battlefields, but it has managed a long lifespan on my display shelves. I hope other figure customizers will give it a try, particularly when you just can't find the right piece. I'd love to see your results. Have fun!

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