From the files of General Joseph Clayton

"Major Alan Schaefer is a man with quite the history. He has what some might call the great American ideal when it comes to his youth, being a football hero and brilliant student. He enlisted, served his tours, and ultimately became disenchanted with our military, as many of us do. This led him to form his own mercenary group that primarily focused on rescue operations, making it a part of their coda. His men were all exceptionally loyal and quite resourceful...which makes what happened to them all the more tragic. To put it bluntly, they were tricked into an operation that went south very quickly and his entire team was picked apart by an alien creature that our own Dr. Tesla as identified as a Yautja. They're a race that hunts other races as a way to prove themselves and seem to have their own code of honor and ethics. Dutch survived this encounter, ultimately mortally wounding the Yautja. The experience did leave him in very rough shape though, made even rougher when he ended encountering a group of COIL operatives, which resulted in him losing his right arm while rescuing bystanders. He was brought in as part of the new Star Brigade initiative and fitted with cybernetic enhancements (which include his new arm). In his time in our fledgling Star Brigade, he and another operative have already ran into more Yautja but this encounter was apparently very different. The Yautja warriors offered them aid and fought alongside them on the station, even help them rescue other Joes after a parasitic alien life form got aboard (see: "Xenomorphs"). It's certainly an interesting development, but not unheard of, according to Tesla. He and Dutch think that we can possibly broker a peace of sorts with the Yautja one day. If not, well...Dutch helped select some soldiers for that too (see: "Predators"). All in all, Schaefer has more than proven himself both in our ranks and even prior. I hope more soldiers aspire to live up to his example."






Parts List
Head: Angry Nomad Customs
Torso/Left Arm: Roadblock (Ninja Dojo Set)
Left Hand: UFC figure
Right Arm: War Machine (Iron Man 2 Movie Version) & The Doctor (Rise of Cobra)
Right Hand: Tetsuo (McFarlane Toys)
Shoulderpad: Roadblock (Retaliation) & various pieces
Legs: Mouse (Retaliation)
Harness: Cobra Invasion Trooper (Retaliation)
Pouches: Various loose pieces

Here we go, a figure that represents some firsts for me and a whole lot of work. First, let me say that I absolutely love the Capcom Aliens vs. Predator arcade game, which is why this is that version of Dutch rather than his more film accurate look. I love the idea that he eventually became this cyborg soldier battling aliens. He was already in the conceptual stages as a figure, but the newest NJC finally inspired me to make him happen. I put so much work into him too, so much more than I generally do when making figures. He's also my first time really attempting to paint any sort of camo pattern. While I didn't do a straight adaptation of the game version, I did my version of it that I tried to keep both semi-realistic while staying true to the general look of him in the game. He didn't win the NJC but I don't regret making him or entering him. To me, finally making him a part of my Joeverse was the true victory. And yes, I will be making his partner and the "Predators" at some point too. Thanks for taking a look at him. As a bonus, here he is before I painted him.

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that is a ton of work, and it paid off. I really love when you post, and (not to sound like a broken record) LOVE your writ ups!

This is a great figure. Definitely one of the top in the contest. Much better than anything I've ever done. Nice job!

I dig it! This is a cool "what if" type figure, with a lot of additional story added to an already great character. Nicely done!

-Todd
Shakka85

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That is a great figure

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I would buy that in a heartbeat! Killer work!

dang man, that rocks! Love the story.

Love the detail also. The way you merged the webbing especially I like.

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Aw shucks, you guys are making me blush.

2D2C: I really am glad you dig this profile's I write for the characters. It's a big part of my process, imagining where the character fits in my Joeverse and making it work. It's a challenge too, as I try to incorporate story cues from other works the character was in, to add to the familiarity. Dutch here lived through Predator and Aliens vs. Predator in my Joeverse, rather than those just being set in different realities from one another.

SCRAPGM: That contest was a rough one. There were so many great figures to choose from and Dutch got lost in the shuffle, sadly. But, as I said, I'm glad I made him and I'm glad you like him so much. And don't put your stuff down. Everyone has to start somewhere and get better from there. If I can improve as much as I have, you can too.

Shakka: Heh, honestly all of my figures are "what if" type figures. I take characters from all over and mix them together in one universe.

Dusty: Thanks, man.

Indrox: Now that's one hell of an endorsement. I am very flattered to hear that.

Dr. Bindy: Always great to hear you dig one of my figures. When I first started out in this hobby, you were my biggest influence with your EXCAL stuff. Even now i still find myself inspired every time you drop something new on us. As for the webgear, I wanted it to look like some of the shoulder was just armour that exists to protect the cybernetics where it connects, but leave the implication that it and the arm were removable so Dutch didn't need to sleep with those on. I added the webgear as a way to hold up the added armour in a practical manner.

I'm hard at work on my next project, which involves multiple figures. It will be intermingled with a short story to go with the figures.

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