Head: Comic Pack 21 Snake Eyes

Torso: Corps! Figure

Arms: JVC Snake Eyes with BBI lower arms and hands (for swivel wrists).

Waist: Link Talbot shaved down and built up with green stuff to fit Corps! torso.

Upper Legs: VvV Gung Ho (modified with additional pouches)

Lower Legs: ST Duke with a Chap Mei knife added to one ankle.

Accessories: combination of weapons from the comic pack 21, VvV Gung Ho, and an Uzi from one of the various figures it came with. The sling on the Uzi is Chap Mei and the backpack (which can hold all the accessories) is a custom kitbash using a Firefly backpack and several VvV wrist devices.

Snake-Eyes is an icon. Like Batman, Wolverine, Darth Vader, Optimus Prime, and countless other pop-culture characters, he's the most recognizable face (or in this case, mask) from his franchise. Also, like many icons, he has a few basic characteristics that define him, but otherwise, is open to interpretation. Throughout the years, Snake-Eyes has been represented in various outfits and with differing emphasis, based on the times and each artist's/writer's interpretation. Sometimes he's been more of a soldier, sometimes more of a ninja. A few things, such as his black outfit and masked face, have remained constant. For me, it's this blend of continuity with imagination that makes Snake-Eyes so interesting to work on.

This custom references his take-no-prisoners commando appearance in the Silent Interlude issue of the Marvel comic (Issue 21). I wasn't interested in specifically matching the artwork, but wanted to make a figure that would fit into the same kind of scenario. For me, Silent Interlude is the single most defining issue for Snake-Eyes (and one of the best ever in the Joe Marvel run). The figure started with the comic pack 21 head, (based on the art of that comic) and grew from there. That head is one of my favorite representations of Snake-Eyes in toy form, and the rest was a matter of finding parts that did justice to it. The other concern was giving the figure adequate articulation to match his performance in the comic. Swivel wrists and hinged ankles were a must. It was also important to adapt the Corps! torso to accept a Joe style waist and O-ring to allow for traditional Joe range of movement. The result is a figure that stays true to the feel of issue 21, without being a slave to the smallest detail.

It was an absolute pleasure to work on this figure and it will certainly not be the last time I explore this character.