I normally just post my customs and don't ask for any critique, basically because I'm afraid to hear what the extremely talented people on this site would have to say, but I have to ask on this one. This is the only custom I've done that I have had mixed feelings about. I can't decide if it's pretty neat or if it's an eyesore. I loved it in the initial sketch and even the mockup, but once it was finished it didn't blow me away. I spent so much time on this thing and had so many problems, I'm not sure if I've just grown to hate it. Maybe I need some time to forget about the tortuous build in order to appreciate it. I welcome any comments. Don't hold back, I can take it.

Its called the Apocalypse, but its nickname is The Angel of Death.

Its a modified Skystriker to get to near orbit and deliver tactical nukes anywhere on Earth if an end of days scenario required.

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You know what my favorite part is here? The reversed engines on the Rolling Thunder nukes... it totally works and makes then look more modern, but totally recognizable as nukes.

I feel like the Jedi Starfighter is a little too recognizable as it, but otherwise is really cool. I think I see what you were going for, and I think it works for the most part. I'm curious though, if just having the starfighter turned around would help hide its recognizable shape, but still give you a similar profile for the larger piece.

The paint looks great, and I think it's a really solid idea.

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I like it... it has a very Jetfire/ Macross silouette to it...and the orange paint apps really make it pop.. Your paint and sticker work make for a very clean finished looking custom.

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DanOfTheDead, you hit the nail on the head. When I mocked it up, I thought the paint and Rolling Thunder missiles would disguise the Jedi Starfighter, but it didn't. Turning it around would have required major mods and it already required a lot of work as it stands now.

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I think what really makes the star fighter stand out is it's rose window... It wouldn't be too hard to cobble something that looks more like a traditional jet intake to cover that and I think you'd be alright.

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I like it.

Nay, I love it.


The jedi starfighter blends nicely with the rest I think, the RT missiles added really sell the apocalyptic-ness of it.

Quite cool.

Yeah, this is really sweet. Well done.

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I love the concept, but I too think the starfighter's "star wars" windows distract from it. If there's something you can do to cover it, or replace it, I think it would help ten fold.

Another problem I see is the black on the starfighter doesn't transition over onto the GI Joe Jet. If you had the black on the wigs bleed over and up towards the cockpit on the jet, I think it'd help blend them more. Maybe some "racing stripes" matching where the black is on the starfighter on the top of the jet.

Other than that, I love it. I also love the backwards rockets on the back, I wouldn't have even noticed if it wasn't pointed out, but now that it was, I think it looks really cool.

I wouldn't use it for an intake. This is a close to orbit jet. Why not go with an Apollo era capsule look for it. Adding a coned point (funnel) to the front would give it a great look and make it more aerodynamic. It wouldn't just be pointless kibble.

I love the look of this thing. It does have a Macross feel to it but in a GI Joe setting that makes more sense.

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It really is just the cockpit windows that give it away, but that's only for people who'd recognize the ship to begin with. It's a minor issue though, this thing looks great.

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I agree, some black on the Skystriker would help blend the two aircraft into one.

And I don't think its the starfighter's front window that is as distracting as the lines on the cockpit canopy.

The concept is great but when I first looked at it, I thought it was a Skystriker modified to carry a spacecraft up to near orbit where the piggyback would detach and use the over-sized rockets to gain space entry. Check out Virgin Galactic for a better explanation.

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That's totally what I was just thinking. Looks great, but I would see if you could disguise that front window piece on the starfighter somehow.

pluv's right. Some kind of nosecone on the front of the Jedi fighter would help a lot. Other than that this is a great custom. Clean paint, creative modifications and a solid concept well executed.

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Thanks for all the responses. The cockpit lines bother me as well. That could be an easy fix as it is still removable and the rose window could easily be changed too. I think I will revisit this and make some changes in the future.

Regarding the piggyback spacecraft issue, I can totally see that. I initially planned for more orange on the starfighter, but all that orange is hand painted and had to be meticulously sanded to make it look sprayed on. I basically just settled for all black becuase that Starfighter has very few flat surfaces and would have been many more hours of painting and sanding. Thats another change I may make though. The whole thing can easily be taken apart and put back together as its held together with screws.

It would pretty neat if someone could make scaled up Jetfire type booster type rockets for Skystrikers. I thought about attempting a Jetfire with this idea,but knew the boosters would be too different, so I decided to stick with a strictly Joe version.

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