This is my entry for Robert Atkin's Cobra Commander Custom Contest.

Details in the second post.

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Warning! This following custom involved sewing, toothpicks, Liz Clayborn, and superglue accidents. Viewer discretion is advised.

Parts
Head:
--- Sideshow Collectibles Cobra Viper
--- Toothpicks
Body:
--- Power Team Elite Pointman
--- G.I. Joe Delta Squad Special Forces (2003)
Pants and Sleeves:
--- Power Team Elite Pointman jumpsuit
--- Thread
Boots
--- Unknown
Cape
--- Red material
--- Red thread
--- Florest wire
--- Thumbtack
Pistols
--- Unknown
Leg Holsters
--- Power Team Elite
Back Holster
--- Power Team Elite Pointman ammo clips
--- Power Team Elite Pointman leg strap
--- Thread
Arm Guards
--- Ninja Showdown SnakeEyes
Chest Strap
--- Power Team gun sling
Packaging
--- Scanner
--- Photoshop
--- Fireworks
--- cardboard
--- glue stick

Points of Articulation (36?)
Head swivel/tilt
Torso swivel/tilt
Waist swivel
Shoulder swivel tilt
Upper arm swivel
Double jointed elbows
Elbow swivel
Wrist swivel/tilt
Trigger finger
Remaining figures
Hip swivel/tilt
Upper leg swivel
Double jointed knees
Knee swivel
Ankle title


Process

I don’t want to bore people with the details of every piece, but for those who are interested in trying something like this in the future the details might be helpful. It will also show how much modification of base parts were needed to create this figure.

The head was fairly simple. The sculpt was great already and the mirrored faceplate really helped. I painted the tips of two toothpicks, cut them, and glued them to the faceshield to create the “teeth”.

The Power Team Elite body was super jointed, except for the hands. I was able to pull them apart from the arms. I took a G.I. Joe Delta figure and sawed off his arms to free his super jointed hands. I then pegged them into the Power Team Elite body and had hands that rotated, moved, had a possible trigger finger and possible group of remaining figures.

For the clothing, I took the Power Team Elite jumpsuit and cut it above the waist band. This created the pants. I used a needle and thread to take the pants up in the back alittle so that they were snugger in the waist. I cut the sleeves from the jumpsuit and used a needle and thread to make the hole for the shoulder considerably smaller. This allowed the sleeves to blend in much better with the torso and also allowed them to fit snug on the upper arms.

I cut a pattern for the cape from a deflated packing airbag. I used that pattern to cut the material. I hand stitched the entire bottom of the case for two reasons (1) to make it look nicer and (2) to place some flowerist wire in the bottom of the cape. The wrinckles and waves in the bottom of the cape are possible. To achieve the bunched up material and clasp in the front, I used a thumbtack.

Both of the side holders were made for the right leg. I removed the plastic pieces of the holster that attached to the web gear and reglued them on the other side of the holster to create the one for the left leg.

The back holder is interesting. The Power Team Elite Pointman came with a one piece leg thing that looked like three ammo clips. I cut the bottom half off, then cut off the front to remove the ammo clips. I cut up a piece of left over leg harness, then used a needle and thread to secure everything.

I thought that I would never find a pair of boots. I finally found a pair of brown boots on eBay and then painted them black.

The packaging was created by scanning in all sides of a G.I Joe Land Adventurer box. I decided to leave in all of the wear and rips to give it more character. I touched up the scans a little (such as changing the wording in the yellow burst) and combined them together into a single image. I took Robert’s image of Cobra Commander and placed a couple of filters on it to match the painted look of the original box art. Some contrast and brightness adjustments helped blend it all together. The printout was glued to some thin cardboard that I got by disassembling and cutting up a Liz Clayborn box.

Firsts
I accomplished several firsts on this custom. This is the first time I have successfully created and placed a water slide decal. Also, this is the first time I’ve ever truly customized a 12 inch figure.

Injuries
It’s not a custom project without a few injuries. I managed to avoid cutting myself, which is what typlically happens.

The strangest injury was I superglued my left pointer and middle figures together. Literally, I glued nearly a half inch section of my fingers together. 15 minutes of work by my wife with nail polish remover finally freed my two fingers.

While sewing the cape, I put a sewing needle into my fingers three times. I avoided bleeding on the figure, so I’m happy.

The most painful was the thumbtack I used on the cape, I stuck it under my right thumbnail. Ouch! I guess I now know why they are called thumbtacks.

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Whoa LOVE this one. Always a treat to see a 12" custom - and this one rocks all the way around. The figure itself is incredible, but the box just plain blows me away. Bravo.

One critique - there's no way original Joe would get pwned like that. Ever.

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SIDEWINDER!

way to step up!

fantastic work!

three things stand out:

1 - it's great to see a custom from you

2 - incredible work. truly incredible

3 - did you really glue toothpicks to a sideshow figure's head? dedication!

well done, sir!

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I'm new to this but I wasn't expecting to see a 12 inch custom Commander! This contest has brought out so much great talent from all involved, I am beyond happy my best friend got me to join in!

I love that you went the 12" route. I'm not sold on the worn box, but all in all it does give it character.

The figure looks production, and easily something that Hasbro would put out. That is what I love seeing in customs.

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Wow, wow, WOW. This is going to be the toughest contest EVER. I could honestly vote for 4 different figures... terrific.

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The worn down box is my favorite part of this custom. We're getting so many cool retro toys these days that using that angle for this custom works to great effect.

I too can't believe you glue toothpicks to a Sideshow Viper. But the overall look is outstanding. Never thought we'd see a 12 inch custom any more than we'd see a Sigma Six version. But beyond that, this is just an beautiful custom.

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First the ARAH masterpiece from Chad and Matt, and now this. Way to bring on the "A" game. Excellent work, m'man!

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Thanks everyone. I had a lot of fun putting this figure together. I wanted to do something completely different and out of the norm.

Yep, I actually glued painted toothpicks to a Sideshow Viper head. That head is the single most expensive part on this custom. I originally had plans to mod the helmet a little, but after looking at the quality of the helmet I couldn't bear to modify it with styrene and paint.

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Great job Sidewinder! Love the figure and the box, very creative.
I can't get over the fact that you used a Sideshow Viper Helmet, Wow! You're the man for that alone!