I have been working on these off and on during the Summer. I have been meaning to post them as I go, but I am a bit behind. So here is a rather large batch of customs all at once. These are all pretty simple customs. Since the Summer has been very busy, I tried to work on customs that did not require too much brain power lol.
Roadblock (Battle Corps)When I was working on my Battle Corps Month in mid-2013, I looked at ways of including Roadblock in the project. Unfortunately, at the time, the number of ‘’big guy’’ parts was very limited. Now that The Rock has joined GI Joe, there are a few bucks to choose from, so I went back to take another look. This version of Roadblock was released in 1992 (so not technically part of Battle Corps). A repainted version of the same mold was released a year later sporting neon green webgear. If I can find the right parts, I may look at making the latter version sometime in the future.
Head, torso, arms, legs: Ret Ultimate Roadblock
Webgear: 25th Cobra Bazooka Trooper
Roadblock - Heavy Assault SquadOne of the great things that came out of the New Sculpt years, particularly during Valor Vs Venom, was the Toys R Us 6-packs. These sets took vintage Joes and repainted them into new sub-teams. The Heavy Assault Squad was the last of these packs to be released. Unfortunately, the original set was lacking. The figures themselves were pretty good (except for a few strange parts choices), but the team had no heavy weapons and included Snake Eyes and 3 Greenshirts.
However, Roadblock’s inclusion makes sense so, once I pieced together my Battle Corps version, I figured I would make another one. I tried to replicate the colors as best I could and outfitted him with a weapon more befitting the name of the squad. Since the Heavy Assault Squad does not exist in my Joe-verse, Roadblock will be displayed on my Night Force shelf.
Head, torso, arms, legs: Ret Ultimate Roadblock
Webgear: 25th Cobra Bazooka Trooper
Duke - Heavy Assault SquadDuke’s inclusion in the original set makes sense once we realize that it was not originally supposed to be the ‘’Heavy Assault Squad’’. It seems it was originally planned as a covert squad on a mission to rescue Ace from Cobra. Somewhere along the line, it got changed. Still, since I like the deco and I was making Roadblock anyway, I thought it would be fun to make Duke as well. I tried to replicate the colors as best I could. Since the Heavy Assault Squad does not exist in my Joe-verse, Duke will be displayed on my Night Force shelf.
Head: PoC Duke
Torso, upper arms, bandolier: 25th Duke
Lower arms, lower legs: 50th Flint
Upper legs: PoC Snake Eyes
Helmet: DG Duke
Scrap-Iron - Strike Team Urban DivisionThe Cobra Strike Team – Urban Division was pretty good at the time. It had some good troop builders and a fun version of Scrap Iron clad in black. Since I made Firefly from this squad for Project New Sculpt, I figured that I may as well keep going. Storm Shadow is already planned.
Head, vest: 25th Scrap Iron
Torso, upper arms: RoC Para-Viper
Lower arms: PoC Shock Trooper
Legs: PoC Snake Eyes
Frostbite - SpytroopsThe original version of this Frostbite was released with the Sound Attack Snowcat in the Spytroops line. I always liked the colors they used on that one. For some reason, I think that the white pants and green parka with blue accents was a cool way to re-invigorate the old Snow Job mold. Regardless of what Hasbro named this figure, this figure will be my version of Whiteout and he drives the Ice Sabre.
Head: DG Shipwreck
Goggles: 50th Lowlight
Everything else: 25th Snowjob
Shockwave - GIJCCThis version of Shockwave is an older custom that I made in 2008 based on the Club’s Headhunters Convention set. He had been stored away while I was reworking my displays. When I pulled him out, I decided to give him a mini-update. In my opinion, the 25th Firefly/Beachhead mold still holds up quite well, so I updated the head and the gear to something modern. For now, I’m satisfied with it, but I’m not ruling out making a proper Club version at a later date.
Head: PoC Steel Brigade
Torso, arms, legs, vest: 25th Comic Pack Firefly
Cap: 25th Shockwave
Backpack: RoC Firefly
Lowlight - GIJCCThis is also an old custom that got a make-over.
Head, goggles, backpack: 50th Lowlight
Torso, arms, legs: 25th Comic Pack Firefly
Vest: Lowlight (cast)
Gun: Marauder
Storm Shadow - Ninja Cobra Strike TeamThe Cobra Ninja Strike Team was a fun pack for anyone wanting to add more ninjas to their collection. Storm Shadow in particular sported a spiffy new jungle/desert color scheme. For my custom, I tried to replicate the color and build as best as I could. I did not get the color as close as I would have liked, but I’m pretty happy with the result anyway. This custom also gave me an opportunity to practice the paint wash technique.
Head: Ret Red Ninja
Everything else: 50th Storm Shadow
Backpack: RoC Snake Eyes
Black Dragon Ninja - Ninja Cobra Strike TeamAlthough we got a very good Black Dragon Ninja in the Retaliation line, there is always room for more ninjas. I used a black DG Storm Shadow as a base, swapped the head and gave it a new paint job. It was a super simple custom to make, but I’m glad to have it for my ninja display.
Head: Ret Kamakura
Everything else: DG Storm Shadow
