Head: 25A Cobra Commander
Mask filters: push molds of Swamp Viper goggles
Neck post: kibble
Chest/back: Star Wars- Han Solo
Arms: NS Destro (in field jacket)
Waist, legs: Star Wars- Doda Bodonawieedo
Industrial/Medical "guns" NS???
Sidearms: Marauder???

Lab Rats
Industrial Technicians
Cobra Command
-Based on the GI Joe Collector's Club Figures-

Design:

The GI Joe Collector's Club makes some great stuff. The Lab Rat is one that has really impressed me. But, like most of the GIJCC product, the overblown prices prevent me from buying it. Instead, here are two custom Lab Rats, but in upgraded uniforms. The Dr. Rex lab coats obviously make sense for the original figures, which were largely based on Sunbow designs, but I wanted these customs a notch or two up the "threat level" in terms of the gear. The casual uniform of the GIJCC figure (Cobra Commander outfit under a lab coat) has been replaced with a full biohazard uniform. Unlike my custom Repulsor figure, these Lab Rats aren't lugging around much weaponry or sporting armor, they're just wearing base-level personal protective gear.

The body parts came together as the byproduct of making a custom Repulsor. The disheveled Han Solo torso and baggy Doda Bodonawieedo legs had enough of a "chemical suit" look that I wanted to tie them back to Repulsor as some of his fellow bad guy scientists, and Lab Rats fit the bill. The Destro arms were a late addition, replacing modern era arms, but they actually work better with the smaller frame of the figures- even with the huge "king of pull-ups" shoulders.

It's not lost on me that a closed-system suit having its own built-in oxygen supply wouldn't need a breather/filter mask on the front. Maybe it's a redundant system, or maybe it just looks cool. Either way, the Cobra Commander faceplate was too iconic to leave exposed.

Special thanks to my friend Jeff who provided me with a bag full of Marauder goodies- from which the pistols came.

Colors & Paints:

To distinguish these from the white overcoat/blue uniform Lab Rats, these customs are in powder blue suits. The powder blue comes from the canister on the GIJCC Repulsor. I also used this blue on my Repulsor customs, and it helps these figures thematically link to it. A slight metallic wash is on the blue of the uniform to convey the sense that it's not a standard fabric, but a chemical-proof material. The faceplate is red to distinguish it from Cobra Commander.

Special thanks to Dark Jedi for suggesting using touches of purple and to Dremel for suggesting the yellow stripes. Their ideas made the colors click.

Sculpting & Modifying:

The breather portion of the mask, the hood, the waist area at the belt line, the canister storage area on the back, and the leg holster are all sculpted. The filter portions of the masks are push molds of the goggles from the Swamp Rat helmet. The shoulder sockets were reworked to accept the arms. The canisters probably would have looked better higher up on the back than they are, but they still turned out okay for my first time trying to sculpt an item layered until clothing and not directly seen.

Thanks for looking.