Up until recently, it had been years since I thought about G.I. Joe.

I remember being briefly excited by the announcement that Hasbro would be putting out a Retro line, but that faded quickly after seeing the first preview of a repackaged 25th Anniversry “o-face” Duke.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when the ever scarily in my head Amazon robot suggests that I might be interested in G.I. Joe Retro Grunt.

This was exactly what I’d been dreaming of and talking about since I first got back into customizing some 20-odd years ago: New interpretations of the classics that stayed true to the design aesthetic (shared molds and all) and spirit of the characters that enthralled me as a kid, but with the advantages of modern articulation and accessory engineering.

I just about geekgasmed when I discovered they’d also released a Stalker using the same buck. Could this mean we would be getting new versions of all the original 13 in this style?

No. because Hasbro kills whatever I love. And I responded to the announcement that this iteration of the line was being put on indefinite hold in the same way I did when Hasbro killed off the Marvel Legends 1:18 line of movie-inspired figures. I decided to make the rest myself.

The project/obsession has grown since my original post, so I've added an index of where you can find which characters (factory Grunt and Stalker pop up throughout):

WAVE 1 (The Original 13)

Page 1
Breaker
Clutch
Flash
Grand Slam
Hawk
Rock'n Roll

Page 2
Short-Fuze
Snake Eyes
Steeler
Zap
Scarlett

WAVE 2 (Reinforcements)

Page 2
Duke
Baroness
Destro
Major Bludd
Wild Bill
Airborne

Page 3
Cutter
Spirit
Roadblock
Recondo
Doc
Mutt
Ace
Flint
Lady Jaye
Zartan
Firefly
Scrap-Iron
The Dreadnoks (Torch, Ripper & Buzzer)
Tomax & Xamot

PAGE 4
Dr. Mindbender


Breaker started the way most good customs do, as a simple parts swap: Retro Stalker web gear and boots (with some green paint details) on a Retro Grunt body. The seemingly enormous (by comparison) 25th Breaker head we got in one of those early comic packs seemed right in scale with the new Retro Grunt head, so I adapted that and repainted the helmet a darker green. The arms were trickier. I had to fake rolled up sleeves (cut and hollowed from that original 25th Breaker figure) for the new bare forearms (donated by a Marvel Universe Mr. Fantastic) and kept the Retro Grunt hands. The backpack was an Elite Force accessory, I believe.

Clutch was more challenging from jump. The iconic vest from the 25th Clutch just didn’t fit the Retro Stalker torso I planned on using, so a Retaliation Beach Head had to donate his (and upper arms). The greens on the vest and torso were close enough to the Retro Stalker legs (after I acetoned off the camo) that they all just needed a light green wash to match. I used the same color on the helmet. I used the same rolled up sleeve trick to go with Marauder forearms and hands (closer to the skin tone of the pinker 25th Clutch head). The boots came from Retro Grunt and the belt was part of a 25th Cobra Trooper’s web gear. The tool bag is from a JoyToy mech maintenance crewman. The vest holster is functional and holds a Marauder pistol.

looking good! i still haven't played with a new articulated joe.

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Fantastic work!

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Love it!

I always love customs that looks like Hasbro did it ie without too much drybrush or too much weathering. Customs that still look like toys and not scale models. That's how I do my customs as well. Well, the few that are.

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This is exactly what I wanted Hasbro to keep doing with the Retro line, glad to see you back doing GI Joe customs that'll fill in the gaps!

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I guess the "factory" look I aspire to for most of what I do is my passive aggressive way of saying: See, Hasbro? It doesn't need to be hard. You have most of the parts. Just do it so I don't have to."

Who knows, maybe someone from the company will pay attention?

Anyway, I'm glad you guys like them.

And speaking of things not needing to be hard, the toughest thing about these next two was realizing that.

I had no idea how I'd do Flash and Grand Slam. I was scrounging my fodderbags for padded vests I might chop up but couldn't find any close matches for the original look that would cover all the needs. Then I looked at the 25th figures next to a Retro Joe and discovered they were pretty close to perfect as-is. All I needed to do was give them new heads, helmets and hands to make them more consistent/proportionate.

The heads came from Joes, Flash's a more recent pilot, I think, and Grand Slam's was adapted from a JvC Sure Fire (another noggin that seemed huge among its peers at the time it came out). The helmets were the same mold as the one I used for Breaker but came in black (I had a few, so they must've come with an army builder). The hands were Maurauder gloves.

The rest was little paint touches to make things match the base figures.

And yes, I realize how impractical it would be for Grand Slam to fire that tube missile from that jet pack, but I always saw him as a Mythbusters-level science risk taker. Don't worry, though. Retro Stalker has it in hand.

i think those work well. i think some mtf armored lower legs might go well with them painted to match the armor bits.

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Yeah! I'm all for it.

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"LASER BLAST" YES! However long this ride lasts for you, I am onboard.

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I think these turned out really well!

Didn't you do this same project with Microman figures some years ago?

That being said, I love these and this is what the retro line should have been. Those are some great molds and the proportions are good. The only gripe I really have is the torso swivel instead of at the hip/beltline. Great paints and attention to detail as always!

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Guilty as charged. Impressive recall, too. That was before the 25th line came out!

I appreciate you and others who lived through that manic project indulging my latest obsession.

Today I've got two more built on the new Retro Grunt buck:

Hawk uses Retro Stalker's boots and web gear (with some silver paint) plus a Marauder head (really dug the battle-wise look of it and far-seeing gaze) and hands. His Mobile Missle System was swiped from a FSS Grand Slam and the binoculars came from a comic-pack Duke, I think.

Rock'n Roll employs my now well-practiced rolled up sleeves trick and some beefier forearms than I used for Breaker and Clutch (50th Outback, I think) because he's a weight lifter. The head is a modified Marvel Universe Thunderstrike. Not sure which Joe I cribbed the belt off of, but I had multiples in black and brown. The gun may have come with the same 25th Rock'n Roll I stole the chest bandoliers from (it was gray before I painted it). Not sure about the ammo belt.

Thoughts?

Yeah these are pure awesome. Keep them coming.
I cannot wait to see the group shot.

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getting better every post! it's going to be crazy you took 2 factory figures and make 13th and beyond. the book of spindoctor

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Yas!

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