I've always liked Ripcord - I thought he was pretty much a bad-ass back in the "Invade Cobra Island & save Candy" story arc back in the 80s. I figured it was time he got the 25A treatment. On my team, there's no need for a "HALO Jumper", because pretty much all of the Joes are HALO qualified. So Ripcord serves as the Team's Jumpmaster (the guy who pushes them out of the plane), as well as a squad leader (like Grunt.)

What's funny is that he's basically a product of spare parts bashing - I snagged a Cobra Officer & a SE to re-do my MAJ Bludd, and cobbled the pieces together, added a BBI head and there he was:



I built the 'chute rig from a couple of BBI & PTE parts & 25A Roadblock's webgear.



Now, the whole "HALO" thing is only a 5-minute job. Once you're on the ground, you need the right gear. So most of the time, RC is geared up like this (his head doesn't really look that weird in person):




Here's my 25A "ultimate" Snake Eyes -- I added a holster and a Marauder Inc pistol, a scabbard for his GTG sword, gave him some SAW Viper hands, and a Blowtorch head. Add some black highlights and there you go:



His head is still swappable with the V1 and V2 masks.

In addition to fixing Scarlett's crotch (as detailed by our own Gen Hawk), I figured she was too tall, so I knocked her down a few pegs. I'll end up giving her an all-new paintjob eventually, but here's a before & after pic:



Then there's my updated MAJ Bludd. I wasn't too happy with my first attempt (parts didn't look right and the paint quality sucked.) So on Jay's suggestion (thanks!), I snagged a Cobra Officer and threw on some SE legs & a GungHo holster, painted it with some Model Master paint instead of that crappy Apple Barrel, and here's how he turned out:



Don't know if you can see the green stripes down his legs like in the v1 figure - I'm pretty happy with those. I tried to "angry" him up by painting a snarling mouth, but I don't know if it worked or not.



This next one I owe to Chad, who not only gave me the idea, but sent me a CC v1 head so I could totally steal from him. I used the single-pack CC, since I like the darker colors better. He's been shortened to a more normal height (thanks again Chad!) and the hooded head is still swappable.



Updated my Flash with a "LASER rifle" & backpack (just a PTE radio pack modded):



And finally, I added a GH vest and a "Rambo III" knife to Spirit -- I think it works for him:



Lemme know what you think!

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Fantastic work all round. Ripcord is my favorite.

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I'll echo Jfaks sentiments. awesome all around

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man im 3rd to echo whats been said. RC is my fave but you have done an awsome job on all of them.

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That flash is awesome. The Ripcord is cool too.

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Fan freakin tastic.

Bludd still ROXXORRZZ

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Ripcord looks a lot like your Stalker, which is cool. Like that head on Snake Eyes. Not a big fan of that CC helmet, though. Love the updates to Flash, Spirit, and Major Bludd.

How did you shorten Scarlett?

yeah these look nice, you must have alot of them new figures cuz you are pumpin them out quickly.Flash is my favorite and the new bludd does look better than the 1st.I am wondering how you shortened scarlett also?
Thanks and keep 'em coming
tim

Yeah, Rips & Lonzo have pretty much the same camo pattern - except RC's is less "Tiger-stripey, and I used a lighter green for his base coat. For Snakes, I prefer the BTR Blowtorch head, but I'm using that on another SE custom, so regular BT will have to do - I think he's still got the intense stare I want.

All I did for Scarlett was pop out her feet, chop off about 1/4 inch or so off the bottom of the legs, then re-drill the foot holes. I put her legs in some hot water first, so the feet popped out easily and the ankles were rubbery enough to cut with an exacto. Took about 3 minutes total.

On the CC head, I drilled out the neck hole wrong, so it's not sitting right. I'm gonna fill it and re-drill to fix it. Have you seen Chad's? His was awesome - that's what I want mine to look like.


Thanks guys!

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Fixed my Hawk, too. Something about that other head just didn't work, no matter how badly I wanted it to.

I really wanted to use the comic pack head from issue 4, but that thing was just too damn small . So I went with the other CP head - which still isn't my favorite: the haircut is too severe and the eyes have kind of an "empty" look. But it's better than the last one (and will hold me over until we get the new comic pack version.)



EDIT: and here's a group shot of all my 25A customs to date (except my first one - Kamakura - I can't seem to find him...)

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Wow! You're really cranking these out man!

I'm not digging that head for SE. It just feels too ... old for me really. But that's a personal thing. It sits right on the neck and is in good proportion so if you're happy with it that's all that matters.

The new head on Hawk looks better. I'd maybe give him some darker pupils and that might take away the vacant look. And if you can get a helmet ot fit that would be all the better.

Ripcord looks good. I like that head. Captures the character well I think.

Scarlett looks a little off. I'm thinking the thighs might be a bit too long compared to the shorter lower legs. Could just be the colors throwing it off though. I'll reserve judgement until you paint her up.

Major Bludd looks great! I like that he's got that real world feel to him.

Cobra Commander's head does look a little bit big but I like the darker blue.

Flash looks great! I'd like to see him without the rifle blocking his chest to see how the pads came out but what I see I like. Using Gung-Ho's grenades on his thigh is a nice touch.

Spirit looks great too. The vest fits the character and the knife, well you can never go wrong with a big ass knife.

All in all these are coming out very well. Can't wait to see what else you're working on.

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Her legs are now in exact proportion to Comic Pack Cover Girl's legs, if that gives you an idea (thighs & lowers match exactly). Her original lower legs were way too long, IMO, so that made the adjustment a lot easier (I feared giving her "stubby shin" syndrome.)



Here ya go:



Yeah, it's not the best, but I sculpted it really thin so that it's flexible (and it's also removable). Looks & moves pretty realistically here in my hand (doesn't translate to film too well, though.)

Thanks for the comments!

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Yeah I figured it was the colors on Scarlett throwing off the look of the legs. For some reason the yellow boots just make her lower legs look stubby. Should look good when you get her painted.

As for Flash, that's what I wanted to see, how you sculpted the pads and kept the articulation. Thin and removable explains it all. And they do look good. Just hope Hasbro gives us something just as good as what you did here.

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Just awesome chief awesome....

Yep, that's pretty much all I can say as well. Your skills have grown in vast proportions, and it's always nice to see things from you. I especially liked your SH customs in the past, but your Joes are catching up them. Nice job on all, but RC and Flash are my favs.

T

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