Cobra Shock-Viper v.2

This isn't exactly a major overhaul of a custom, but I wanted to contribute something during CC8, and it's been a while since I've really worked on anything.

It's no secret that I never liked it when a G.I. Joe figure was stunk up with a wash of black paint to make it look weathered and battle-worn. So I decided to do something about one of them if I could. This is the second Shock-Viper, the second recoloration of "Ice Cream Soldier" as a particular Cobra trooper. (The first Shock-Vipers were dark blue.)

Needless to say, the black paint was even more apparent on this color scheme. So I disassembled the figure, and used a number of Q-tips and some 91% Isopropyl Alcohol to see if I could get the "weathering" off. It worked like a charm, and was easier than I thought it would be. It got the black "weathering" off without taking the trim paint with it.

I didn't bother trying to clean the trim, since the dark, I call it "gunmetal gold" paint doesn't show it as badly. Also, I've found that the alcohol bit doesn't work well on painted surfaces that have then had the weathering paint put over them. So there are some figures in the line that this technique might not be as effective on.

Also, I was extra careful around the Cobra emblem on the right arm. I don't know what an alcohol wipe might do to this, and I didn't want to find out the hard way. Once he was clean, I just had to reassemble him.

Overall, I'm abundantly pleased with the results. I now have a nice CLEAN Shock-Viper, and I have a new custom for JoeCustoms!