GI Joe customs : Bench-dependence Day

Another batch of guys from the bench, in varying degrees of assembly, completion and eigen-states.

One of the things I do is spitball various constructions, which is something I never got until I started customizing. I would see a guy post "Hulk(v21)" or "Deadpool(v44)", and think "Man, you haven't got it right, yet?" (Ha, ha, ha, what a maroon I am.) Now, I see a figure coming out months from now and think "If I had those gloves/feet/pistol/helmet/kneecaps, I could make ____ even better."


 Grand Slam : The H.A.L. was the first Joe vehicle I had (Anyone think I wouldn't go for the laser cannon given half a chance?). Add in the file card, and I signed up for F.O.G.S. day one. Why am I complaining that a repaint of Flash ends up being  a repaint of Flash most of the time? I'd just like a "better" one (Which ends up being the same argument made about Cobra De Aco customs...). Anyway, once I saw the red pads and black gloves, something clicked.

Still need to find a good deep Green color, and paint the wraps black. May swap out the legs with Shadow Tracker after I see Operation: Blast-Off.

Recipe: Duke torso and upper legs, Lift Ticket arms and lower legs, Deep Six head.

Major(s) Bludd : Boy, was the single-card Major Bludd a fizzle. I'm okay with the Sunbow colored one from the DVD set, but that head-sculpt is sort of ... underwhelming. I'm not sure Mutt is a better option, but it's not worse. On the right, is my try at Chinese Major Bludd, with a General Hawk torso, and on the left, well, man I love that Duke torso.

Recipe: Double Clutch arms and legs, Mutt head, Alley-Viper helmet.

Red Spot : Another guy from the New Sculpt era, Red Spot is another Joe laser trooper. He's also got one of the most nerd-insulting file cards I've seen. I might have to take a couple pins off my beanie for making him.

Recipe: Dusty torso, Footloose webgear, Sandstorm helmet.

 Sandstorm : Poor bastard was born dead.

(His character was supposed to be introduced during the RoC Target wave 3, as a GI Joe MP. Then in PoC, Zartan came with his outfit, and un-masked head, having killed him and assumed his identity. The funniest part is Wave 3 got cancelled, so...)

Also, gonna repaint those horrible hands.

Recipe: Sandstorm body, "Sandstorm" head and vest

Sneak Peek : Poor dude has been the "fat kid" of GI Joe for many years. His card art looking like Jon Lovitz couldn't have helped. Folks should get to know him.

I made one of the standard "Vehicle gunner / Scrap Iron with a Scrap Iron vest" versions, but wasn't too satisfied. So I went with Bazooka legs and tried to go for a Night Force color scheme.

Recipe: MARS Trooper body and upper arms, Duke lower arms, Bazooka legs, Pit Commando vest, Rollbar helmet

 Toxo-Viper : Made before the Dukes of Hazard-Viper was announced, and before I got a Volcano Viper (everyone's favorite guy to make a Toxo-Viper out of, and canon in Canada). I bought an Arctic Shipwreck to use the head for Frostbite, and thought it might make a decent approximation of a MOPP suit (or a Cobra knock-off. I refuse to believe Destro makes the "leaky-suits")

It was also, obviously, my first go at RIT dying (and finding out those harder upper legs don't take dye well.)

Recipe: Arctic Shipwreck, Beachhead mask (since the original helmet doesn't fit, which is what I was shooting for with the collar.)

Windchill : JIM STEEL. How Adventure Team missed this guy, I don't know.

Sadly, there aren't a lot of coat torsos (Resolute Cobra Commander? RoC video game Destro?), so I went with Duke's techno-harness. May swap the legs once I get my Cold Front further along.

Recipe: Duke torso, MARS Trooper lower arms, Greenshirt head, Ace legs.