Day 32: Wips and behind the scenes.


Cobra naval forces- Kraken by bucky, Sea Slug by OB



Oreobuilder's SK Omega Team so far



Some shots of the almost finished Centurion by OB. It was missing its GI Joe logos at this point.







Three Resurgence ''generations'' from Oreobuilder. From left to right: the Centurion from Resurgence 3, the Crusher from Resurgence 1 (2014) and the Cougar IFV from Resurgence 2 (2015).



Here's a skin color test on Bone S.A.W. from R2:


An interesting picture here, the initial builds for Upshot, Neat Freak, Cobra Commander and more. All from R2.


Hey guys, what do you think of Eagle Eye v2?


All of Bucky's figures from R1, the day they got a dullcoat bath.


An action shot for the Operation Waterfront storyline that Raptor wrote for R2. Sam would take these shots and then paint them for the "storybook" presentation.


Broadside isn't all that thrilled with the SWARM tech Glitch glued to his face.


Random Wips from part 2. You can see Swift and Cobra Commander here. They didn't make the cut for 2, and were inserted into 3.



Here are a few of Dusty79's vehicle builds. Starting with a WIP of the Cobra Spaceship (it did not have a name at this point).




Secondly, the first draft of the GI Joe Thunderstriker



The Dreadnok Swamp Boat with a scrapped version of Pin-Up in the driver's seat




And lastly, the GI Joe Swampmasher with Pigsty.




The next two are early builds for the Cobra Sea Slug and Mastermind. Once we assemble our figures or vehicles, we send each other WIP pictures to receive critiques or advise or simply to show proof of concept. Feedback and communication is crucial to these large projects.





The next three pictures are of Cobra Mountain at various stages. Since it was originally planned for Resurgence 2 (in 2015) and then pushed to R3 this year, the Mountain went through several ideas and revisions before it even got started. In the last pic, one of Mindbender's experiments got out of control and actually wrecked the first mountain prototype.








Resurgence 3 was easily the most ambitious of the three installments. This is a shot taken when most of Oreobuilder's stuff was piling up.




Some fan requested pics:
First Aid (2014) with Patch (2016)




Hailstorm (2016) with Big Ben (inspired by the 1998 Arctic 2-pack)




Here are better views of the accessory packs that were only seen in the catalog.

Accessory Packs by Oreobuilder
“GI Joe is ready for any mission with these all new BATTLE GEAR ACCESSORY PACKS! Infiltrate COBRA MOUNTAIN with the gear included in STEALTH OPS. Rescue wounded team members with RESCUE OPS. Storm COBRA’s lunar base using gear from SPACE OPS. Battle the ENEMY on land, sea and air with the gear included in SEAL OPS. ”

Stealth Ops



Rescue Ops



Space Ops



SEAL Ops



... and the packaging and art that Sam created for them














Lastly, organization and planning are vital to keeping track of such a large scale project. To do this, we built and updated an ''Order of Battle''. It would be updated as often as it needed to be (on average about 2-3 times per week) and be accessible by all our members and contributors. It allows all of us to quickly see the status of any given custom.



A great big thanks to the people that over the last three years helped us come up with a cohesive storyline, and write filecards. Thomas Wheeler, Charles Cushman(Raptor at Joecustoms), Justin Bell from GeneralsJoes.com, Billy Carr, Sam Panico....
They added the flavor to the characters, and came up with personalities. Sometimes we gave them a direction, sometime only a name. Thanks for playing in the Toybox with us.

Charles Cushman really helped push the storyline aspect for the project in part 2, taking the SWARM concept and the g.i.t. metal story and fleshing all of that out, that was all him. We took the foundation he built, and with some input from Justin fleshed out part 3. Thank you guys for that, I think all of us have ideas in our head but you were able to articulate them into a story.

Joe Harris and Matthew killed it on part 1 when I inquired about catalogs. Danofthedead asked to make them for part 2, and by part 3 was working right alongside the team as a full fledged teammate. I am NOT kidding when I tell you that I have people comment on those catalogs throughout the last couple of years whenever I am at a Con and talk to other Joe fans about the project. They are everybody's favorites, and still get "likes" on Facebook to this day when someone discovers them.

And, of course, thanks to all who took the time to look, comment and enjoy this project. We really are honored to be part of your daily July routine.

- The PHX gang

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Day 1: Swamp Skirmish Croc Master, Swamp Fox and Underbrush






Croc Master by Dusty79
"CROC MASTER returns to terrify the Joes! He has multiple reptilian pets including one brought back from the past! This deluxe figure comes with a genetically altered red gator with cage and a MAN EATING PLANT PLAYSET complete with a canister of graphite infused titanium to lure in the Joes. As if a man eating plant wasn't enough, a cobra and a ferocious croc lay hidden in wait! Other figure sold separately."

Packaging by Sam Panico









I've been wanting to do a Croc Master custom for a while as he was a childhood favorite, but there have been so many great customs of him done it seemed hard to find a way to improve on them. In the end I decided he would need to be completely overhauled and veer very far away from the original version to make it noteworthy. I thought to myself, what if Dr. Mindbender took him and did some drastic experimenting on him? What would he change? What would he look like under that mask afterwards? What if he didn't need the whip or chains and instead had a tentacle arm to wrangle his pets? One day I saw the Fimbul figure and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The rest was mashing parts together.


Filecard by Sam Panico










Parts
Head: The Hobbit Orc Fimbul with 50th Croc Master faceplate and breathing apparatus
Arms: Retaliation Street Luge Firefly
Legs: 25th Serpentor
Feet, belt buckle, and torso:50th Croc Master
Tentacle: 30th Zombie Viper
Cape and skirt pieces: Fimbul



Swamp Fox by bucky

Packaging by Sam Panico






Swamp Fox originally was shown in another project (GI JOE Reloaded) a couple years back. The figure was a fun build and I was very pleased with the way he came out, so he makes a second appearance in Resurgence 3 here. I liked the fact that that head and those arms were a match for the skin tone, and just thought he'd make a great addition to our swamp team.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Parts:
Head: BBI Figure
Torso: Jungle Viper
Arms: BBTS Thrasher
Legs: Colton/
Web gear: Neo Viper
Weapon: BBTS Lowlight



Underbrush by Oreobuilder

Packaging by Sam Panico










While planning out all the various environments that we wanted to visit during Resurgence 3, we realized that we would need several specialists. My original plan was to translate Valor vs Venom Recondo into modern era format to act as one of our jungle/swamp experts. When I showed off a wip, bucky suggested to change out the head and hat and sent me some really parts. I decided to overhaul my figure completely and Underbrush was born.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Parts:
Head, hat, gillie suit: Donated by bucky
Torso, upper arms: 50th Hawk
Lower arms: 25th Snake Eyes
Hands: Renegades Duke
Upper legs: 50th Dusty (2x right)
Lower legs: 50th Dusty (2x left)
Vest: 30th Stalker


Next: Pigsty from Dusty79

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Day 2: Swamp Skirmish Pigsty and Swampmasher





Swampmasher with Pigsty by Dusty79
"GI JOE is on the attack with the SWAMPMASHER! Features unique free-rolling wheels and tread configuration, dual mounted missile launchers, forward mounted machine guns and more! Includes driver PIGSTY!"

Packaging by Sam Panico








At some point in the process we decided to do some characters as a nod to our behind the scenes people that help on these projects. GI Trekker helps us with file cards and bios and I chose a character he came up with by the name of Pigsty. The first description of him I received was that he wears a wetsuit, which he never changes, with boots, and is covered from head to toe in mud and grime. Trekker's version was much dirtier than mine and as we try to keep things as close to a production look as possible, I could not duplicate the head to toe mud, but the inspiration and essence of the character still remains. He was a fun and challenging build and I hope he lives up to the creator's vision.

To see the original Pigsty, click the link below:
http://www.joecustoms.com/customs/custo ... =2&id=8327

Filecard by Sam Panico















Parts:
Pigsty
Head and boots: 30th Zandar
Torso, upper arms, legs: 50th Eel (boots grafted onto legs)
Lower arms and hands: Retaliation Zartan
Belt: Retaliation Joe Trooper

Swampmasher
Avatar RDA Grinder
POC Duke missile apparatus
1/18 motorcycle handle bars and front fork


Next: Mojo Rysing from bucky and Swamp Skirmish Mission Set from Oreobuilder

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Day 3: Swamp Skirmish Mojo Rysing and GI Joe Supply Depot





Mojo Rysing by bucky
Packaging by Sam Panico










My initial idea for the Swamp figure began with remembering the first time I heard of Zartan as a child, the "mysterious man from the swamp". Back before he became a jack of all trades-Bad Guy, Good Guy, Bad Guy, Ninja.... He was this mysterious guy from the swamps that worked for Cobra. I started a build based around that that premise, a figure's head, and one accessory, which was his lamp.

The rest came about from drawing from the WWE's Bray Wyatt, with the black shirt and vest over top of it. I used different greens to harken back to the original swamp skier and Sears set from the Dreadnoks. The skiff idea I kicked around for a bit, not sure if I wanted him to have one or not. I stumbled upon what I thought would make a great skiff at a comic book store. I went with my own Resurgence tradition of making a "deluxe" figure Dreadnok and painted up the skiff to go along with him.

Filecard by Sam Panico











Parts:
Head:Thor Figure
Torso: 50th Bazooka
Arms: 50th Bazooka
Legs: 50th Bazooka and Road Pig
Web gear: RoC Heavy duty



Mission Set: GI Joe Supply Dump by Oreobuilder
"Joe stockpiles ammunition and weapons at the GI JOE SUPPLY DUMP. The heavy machine gun repels Cobra’s assault and the fortifications protect GI Joe specialists while they prepare their counter-attack! Includes 2 GI JOE TROOPERS! Other figures sold separately."

Packaging by Sam Panico









As a kid, I was more of a Sunbow fan. I only had a few of the early comics and did not read the whole Marvel run until I was an adult. As such, I always liked the Greenshirts in the Sunbow cartoon. Even now, I can reconcile the fact that a covert spec ops team has a support structure that they can call on when they need extra manpower be it infantry, pilots, techs and administrative staff. A few years ago, while re-watching The Revenge of Cobra, I noticed that the Greenshirts did not look like what I remembered. In fact, the ‘’jungle operations’’ Greenshirts only appeared a couple of times in that mini-series and disappeared after that. I based these customs on that appearance.

The Supply Dump ended up in the swamp/jungle environment, but it could have been used in several other settings (and almost did). When I was putting together the Mission Sets, I tried to match the right playset with the right environment and this is the last one I decided on. This set reminds me of a setting that would fit right in with Rambo or Predator, so with a little paint and some simple mods, it felt right at home in the swamp.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Trooper parts:
Head, torso, arms, legs: DG Duke
Torso, arms, helmet: 25th Airborne
Harness: 25th Greenshirts
Bandolier: PoC Steel Brigade

Supply Dump parts:
All: Chap Mei playset with added sand bags, Retaliation Roadblock M50
Weapon rack: Marauder
Ammo can: PTE


Next: Kangor from Dusty79 and Footloose from Oreobuilder

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Day 4: Swamp Skirmish Kangor and Footloose






Kangor with Gooru by Dusty79

Packaging by Sam Panico






Kangor is another personal favorite character of mine. I had seen HypnoHustler do a version of him complete with a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves and was inspired to create my own version. I wanted to really differentiate him from Big Boa and so chose a unique head cast with the help of Bucky's fodder bin and made a unique webgear from all sorts of stuff from GI Joe to Star Wars to Marvel. Gooru was fun to armor up from a stock kangaroo and I love how they both turned out.


Filecard by Sam Panico












Parts:
Head: Cast (modded)
Torso, arms, legs, hands: 30th Road Pig
Gloves, weights: Cast
Weapon: 25th Red Ninja
Webgear:made from lots of fodder

Gooru is a Schliech kagaroo armored up with fodder and fake fingernails and he has a set of cast gloves as well.



Waterbug with Footloose by Oreobuilder
"It’s Joe’s preferred sea vehicle for fast attacks against Cobra’s swamp outpost! The high-speed water jets JOE into action over shallow waters. Twin barrel machine guns and side-mounted torpedoes destroy COBRA targets. Includes driver FOOTLOOSE. Other figures sold separately."

Packaging by Sam Panico








For Resurgence 1, I made a Cobra Moray colored True Heroes jet-ski that included an Eel. Although it was a very simple repaint, I always liked the base vehicle. Since I originally bought 2, I knew I wanted to repaint the other into a Joe vehicle. The colors were picked to compliment the WHALE. If this thing existed in the Sunbow cartoon, I could easily imagine the whole craft launching from the WHALE for sea battles. This set was ready for Resurgence 2, but we decided to push it back since the storyline was mostly in the desert.

Footloose was always one of my childhood favorites. While working on my Battle Corps Month project in 2013, I first learned about the Battle Corps Rangers. This line was intended to be released in 1995 and bring GI Joe back to its military roots after a few years of neon wackiness. The line-up was to include a completely new version of Footloose. Since he had similarities to Muskrat, I thought it would be fun to cross train him in swamp fighting and give him a new ride.


Filecard by Sam Panico







Parts:
Head: Star Wars Biggs Darklighter
Torso: 25th Viper
Upper arms: RoC Monkeywrench
Lower arms: 25th Flint
Hands, legs: Retaliation Firefly
Web gear: PoC Snake Eyes
Hat: VvV Crosshair


Next: Pin-Up from Dusty79

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Day 5: Swamp Skirmish Dreadnok Swamp Boat






Dreadnok Swamp Boat with Pin-Up by Dusty79
"Look out GI JOE! The Dreadnok SWAMP BOAT is the fastest craft in the swamp! It's drag boat engine and powerful weapons allow it to outmaneuver, outpace and outgun GI JOE troops in the swamp! Features machine gun, missile launcher and front mounted buzz-saw to shred through GI JOE vehicles! Includes Dreadnok driver PIN-UP!"


Packaging by Sam Panico







When I origionally bought the 1/18th die cast drag boat that this custom is based on, it was intended to be made into a new GI Joe Devilfish. When I started messing around with parts and ideas started flowing, it just felt like it should be a Dreadnok boat. I really like how it turned out, but I wish the cockpit could have been a little bigger. Its size limitations required a female driver and Pin-Up is what I came up with to fill the role. When coming up with her character, I wanted a different kind of Dreadnok. Do they all have to be so rough and tumble? Can there be a Lady Dreadnok who fits in on a modeling runway and in a swamp? I say yes.


Filecard by Sam Panico













Parts:
Pin-Up
Head: Marvel Black Cat with cast sunglasses
Torso and Upper Legs: RoC Helix
Lower Legs: 50th Baroness
Arms: 30th Zanya

Swamp Boat
1/18th die cast drag boat
Finger skateboard
Fan from Retaliation Fang Boat
Gun from a version of the Conquest
Rolling Thunder side gunner turret
Night Raven armor plate
Transformers 3rd party buzz saw
Various other pieces and fodder


Next: Frost Viper from bucky and Hailstorm from Oreobuilder

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Day 6: Arctic Assault Hailstorm and Cobra Ice Sled






Cobra Ice Sled by bucky
''This light COBRA ICE SLED strikes at GI JOE forces with lightning speed! Its variable front skis allow it to maneuver over snow banks and icy lakes! Includes COBRA FROST VIPER! Other figures sold separately.''

Packaging by Sam Panico









I have had this sled sitting in a fodder pile for awhile, never quite sure just what to make out of it. When the Arctic portion of Resurgence 3 was coming up a bit short for figure counts, I thought that perhaps it could make a futuristic snowmobile that doesn't rely on treads to get around.
The figure was a fun little side piece that just came about. Even with using a star wars helmet, I feel like it gives off a very authentic Cobra feel.

Filecard by G1Trekker








Parts:
Head: Data Viper
Torso: Snow Job
Arms: Snow Job
Legs: Pit Trooper with kneepads added
Web gear: Renegades Duke with add on's
Weapon: Snow Serpent Rifle


Hailstorm by Oreobuilder

Packaging by Sam Panico









Between all the hype for Episode VII: the Force Awakens and the Star Wars Battlefront video game, 2015 was an awesome year to be a Star Wars fan. I could not help but get caught up in it. Since the Battle of Hoth my favorite scene from the whole saga and the original Kenner Rebel Soldier was one of my favorites as a kid, I could not resist bringing it into GI Joe. Since we needed specialists in a variety of different environments for our Resurgence 3 storyline, this is my contribution to the Arctic theme.

Filecard by Sam Panico





Parts:
Head, weapon, backpack: Star Wars Hoth Trooper
Torso, arms: Retaliation GI Joe Trooper
Legs: Retaliation Ultimate Duke
Vest: Marauder


Next: Traverse from Dusty79 and Polar Patrol Mission Set from Oreobuilder

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Day 7: Arctic Assault Traverse and Polar Patrol Mission Set






Traverse by Dusty79

Packaging by Sam Panico





I wanted to contribute to the arctic battle in the project and this is what I came up with as a new character for the Joe team. I wanted the character to have lots of personality and have that edge that so many of my favorites from childhood had. Hopefully I was successful.


Filecard by Sam Panico










Parts:
Head:Retaliation Joe Trooper
Torso:ROC Ice Storm
Arms:Retaliation Lift Ticket
Legs:50th Snow Job
Backpack and snowboard modified from GIJCC Iceberg
Helmet modified from Retaliation Ultimate Flint


Mission Set: Polar Patrol by Oreobuilder
"GI JOE protects its arctic stronghold from incoming COBRA bombers with the Anti-Aircraft Battery! Twin cannons swivel and elevate to take down enemy aircraft! Includes 2 GI JOE ARCTIC TROOPERS!"

Packaging by Sam Panico












As a kid, I was more of a Sunbow fan. I only had a few of the early comics and did not read the whole Marvel run until I was an adult. As such, I always liked the Greenshirts in the Sunbow cartoon. Even now, I can reconcile the fact that a covert spec ops team has a support structure that they can call on when they need extra manpower be it infantry, pilots, techs or administrative staff.

I based these customs, very loosely, on Spytroops Frostbite and Reservist. The original figures weren’t great because of the T-crotch, but I liked the color scheme and some of the sculpted details, so I borrowed some ideas.

I bought a Chap Mei boat (the one similar to the Cobra Moray) a while ago. It has been sitting in my spare vehicles pile since then. However, mounted on the back of the boat was a pretty neat cannon. I knew it just needed some modding to make it more GI Joe. I went back and forth on whether to make it an auto-gun versus keeping the seat for the figure. I decided to keep the seat as a homage to the vintage FLAK.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Parts:
Head: Captain America
Torso, upper arms, upper legs: Data Viper
Lower arms: 50th Lowlight
Lower legs: PoC Steel Brigade
Harness: Marauder Task Force
Helmet: 25th Bazooka
Goggles: PoC Dusty

All: Chap Mei ‘’FLAK’’; cannons replaced with PTE grenade launchers


Next: Cutter from bucky and Barracuda from Oreobuilder

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Day 8: Ocean Abyss WHALE mk II and Barracuda






WHALE mk II by bucky
"It’s the Joes preferred sea vehicle for fast attack on COBRA outposts! The high-speed twin fan engines jet Joes into action on the sea and on land. Deploy the hidden missile rack. Includes driver CUTTER! Other figures sold separately."

Packaging by Sam Panico










When I made the Devil S.H.A.R.C. for Resurgence 2, I accidentaly dropped my first go around (before paint) on the tiled floor in my basement and cracked it. Needless to say, I was pretty peeved. I was fortunate enough to round up two more, which I scooped up as it's really an awesome looking little boat, and one of the cooler things I've seen come out from Lanard in a while.

I had the extra sitting around with the idea to paint it green. I didn't really have any intention making it for Resurgence 3 until farther along in the project. I decided it would best fit there as I don't forsee myself getting around to it anytime other than that.

The Cutter figure was an easy build that required a small amount of sculpting with the mustache, but a fairly basic build inspired by the DEF version, only with different colors.

Filecard by Sam Panico








Parts:
Head: 50th Dusty
Torso: 50th Dusty
Arms: 50th Dusty
Legs: 50th Dusty
Web gear: Low Light
Weapon:


Barracuda by Oreobuilder

Packaging by Sam Panico








Barracuda was ready for Resurgence 2 in 2015 but was left out because we could find a spot for him. Since part of the story for Resurgence 3 takes place in a sea environment, introducing Barracuda was a no-brainer. This figure was basically created to experiment with a few parts. First, I liked the Zombie Viper helmet and wondered if it would make a cool dive helmet. Second, I wanted to see if Snake Eyes legs could be used effectively for a short wetsuit. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the results.

Filecard by Sam Panico









Parts:
Head: VvV Leatherneck
Helmet: Zombie Viper
Torso, upper arms: 25th Eel
Lower arms: RoC Storm Shadow
Hands: Retaliation Cobra Commander
Legs: 25th Snake Eyes (DVD pack)


Next: Kraken from bucky and Sea Slug from Oreobuilder

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Day 9: Ocean Abyss Kraken and Cobra Sea Ray II






Kraken by bucky

Packaging by Sam Panico







When the idea came for this figure, it was one of those ideas that hits you, and consumes your time. Once you have the idea in your head on what you want, you spend all night coming up with a recipe that works. The entire idea was built around that head. I wanted to use it, for something. I ruled out a space guy, and thought maybe a diver. A cobra diver. Then a named Cobra diver, with Hydro Viper colors. All of the sudden it's 1am in the morning. But I had a great time messing with this figure.

Filecard by Kilcarr





Parts:
Head: PoC Firefly
Torso: Upper-Cobra Trooper, lower-25th Snake Eyes
Arms: Upper retaliation Snake Eyes, Lower Para Viper
Legs: Retaliation Snake Eyes with spikes added
Web gear: Retaliation Zartan, Belt from Marvel figures and 25th Hard Master


Sea Ray II with Sea Slug by Oreobuilder
"An awesome underwater attack and reconnaissance craft! In battle mode, the wings slide open to fire two torpedoes! Features opening canopy and four torpedoes. Includes COBRA navigator SEA SLUG! (Other figures sold separately)."

Packaging by Sam Panico









The Valor vs Venom Sting Raider is a fun little vehicle. I wanted to see what it would look like in Sea Ray blue. The trickiest part was finding the right shade of grayish blue.

Sea Slug is one of those figures that I always thought was just plain weird looking. It was released in 1987 when I was getting out of Joes, so it flew under my radar as a kid. Initially, I was planning to build a Cobra undersea outpost and the Sea Slug was the figure that was going to be included with it. As the project progressed, the Outpost became the Sea Ray and the Sea Slug made even more sense. I based my custom on the vintage figure and I tried to replicate the color as best as I could.

Filecard by Sam Panico













Parts:
Head: Retaliation GI Joe Trooper
Helmet: AVAC Cast
Torso: PoC Shock Trooper
Upper arms: 25th Red Ninja
Lower arms, hands: 25th Zartan v2
Legs: 25th Snake Eyes (DVD Pack)

Sea Ray all: RoC Mantis Attack Craft


Next: Silent Master from Dusty79 and Rook from Oreobuilder

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Day 10: Forest Ambush Silent Master and Rook






Silent Master by Dusty79

Packaging by Sam Panico









This figure is a remake of a character created by Oreobuilder in a previous Resurgence. Silent Master was a favorite of mine. I love the idea of him and how he ties many different aspects of GI Joe together. Plus, it's always fun to take something and put a different spin on it, that's what customizing is all about. My favorite part of this custom is the dual uzis hanging hidden under his cape.


Filecard by Sam Panico











Parts:
Head: RoC Snake Eyes
Hood: Ret Kamakura
Scarf: 30th Zandar and POC Dusty
Torso, arms, legs: PoC Zartan
Belt: PoC Zartan modded


Rook by Oreobuilder

Packaging by Sam Panico









In 2010, Guy Cassaday and Ron Rudat, both former Hasbro employees that designed most of the GI Joe A Real American Hero line in the ‘80s, planned to launch a new toy line: SK Omega. Unfortunately, the line did not get produced. However, they did show off some awesome concept art at various conventions.

I have had SK Omega characters on my customs radar for a while. I pieced together most of the main cast last year, but never got around to painting and accessorizing them. This project gave me the excuse I needed to get off my behind and get them done. I find it fitting that these characters would be included in a GI Joe toy line as they were created by the fathers of the modern GI Joe mythos. I picked Rook to include in this project to fill the role of "regular green army guy". We did not want to bring back Groundpounder who had previously filled that role and I think that GI Joe always needs a "Grunt" type, so Rook took over that spot. I stayed as close as possible to the source material, but I did add a bit of gear like the helmet and shoulder radio to complete the look.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Parts:
Head: Renegades Ripcord
Torso, arms: Retaliation Firefly
Legs: PoC Cobra Trooper
Vest: PoC Hawk


Next: Rooster and Hot Shot from bucky

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Day 11: Forest Ambush Rooster and Hot Shot






Rooster by bucky

Packaging by Sam Panico








I wanted to use the codename Rooster for a Joe. That's pretty much how this figure came to be. The specialties and the look came after the name. The original build used the mohawk trooper head, which I didn't really care for on the build. I kept scrounging around until I found the set of bare arms that matched the head for skin tone, and built the figure off of that. I really like his look. To myself, it looks like a decent mix of military and Sci Fi, which is what the line used to be.

Filecard by Sam Panico and GITrekker






Parts:
Head: RoC Ripcord, with goatee added
Torso: Retaliation Trooper
Arms: Ace and Repeater
Legs: Retaliation Trooper
Web gear: Snake Eyes PoC



Hot Shot by bucky

Packaging by Sam Panico








Smoke Jumpers is an interesting occupation. You jump out of an airplane into a forest fire, with the intent of putting it out. Makes a good basis for a Joe character. The 12" line produced a smoke jumper figure awhile ago, that I used as some inspiration for the build.
Most of it, from the colors to the face, came from one picture that I found, and used as a guide to the character himself.

Filecard by Kilcarr








Parts:
Head: Lowlight with beard, Avacs Lab Helmet
Torso: Blowtorch
Arms: Blowtorch
Legs: 25th Snake Eyes with pouches from Raginspoon
Web gear: Various


Next: Stockpile and GI Joe HQ from Oreobuilder

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Day 12: Forest Ambush Stockpile and GI Joe Headquarters






Stockpile by Oreobuilder

Packaging by Sam Panico











Stockpile is a character that was originally created by GITrekker. His custom was built a few years ago using o-ring parts. When Bucky suggested that we incorporate a couple of Trekker’s figures into the project, I was interested. Adding a GI Joe Supply and Logistics specialist to the team had been on my "To-Do" list since I built the train a few years ago.

The build was straight forward and Stockpile transitioned into the Modern Era pretty easily. I added my own (very little) twist on the character by giving him a bunch of Playmobil cargo accessories.

Filecard by Sam Panico








Parts:
Head: MTF
Torso, arms: RoC Sgt Stone
Upper legs: Renegades Tunnel Rat
Lower legs: Captain America
Vest: RoC Pit Commando
Cargo Accessories: Bruder, Playmobil


GI Joe Headquarters with Back-Talk & Switch by Oreobuilder
"Machine guns, cannons, surveillance cameras and search lights guard the sturdy heavy walls. GI JOE’s military headquarters has everything for your GI JOE RESURGENCE team to fight COBRA! Track COBRA and communicate with Joes in the field from the Command Console! Treat injured Joes in the Medical Bay! Repair GI Joe vehicles in the Motor Pool! Includes GI JOE Communications Specialist BACK-TALK and Weapons Specialist SWITCH! (Other figures sold separately)"

Packaging by Sam Panico











































A few years ago, when I was buying up my childhood toys on eBay, I bought a lot containing a bunch of 1983 headquarters parts. I managed to assemble one complete HQ in good shape. I also put together a second one. Unfortunately, several parts were broken and discolored, so I decided to customize it.

I started by chopping out the weapons trays and turning it into a supply storage room and armory. After that, I decided to transform the stockade into a medical ward. I basically cut out pieces of styrene and glued them over the bars and added some screens and medical equipment. It sat as an unfinished WIP for a time while I worked on other projects. Resurgence 3 gave me an opportunity to dust it off and get it done.

Back-Talk
I have had SK Omega characters on my customs radar for a while. I pieced together most of the main cast last year, but never got around to painting and accessorizing them. This project gave me the excuse I needed to get off my behind and get them done. I find it fitting that these characters would be included in a GI Joe toy line since they were created by the fathers of the modern GI Joe mythos.

After making Rook, I set my sights on Back-Talk. Despite the fact that I find his look a bit unremarkable next to the other members of the squad, I wanted to continue building the team. Also, I wanted a figure to include with the HQ. A communications specialist made perfect sense. I spiced him up with a decal for his shirt and a spiffy detailed backpack.

Filecard by Sam Panico







Parts:
Head: Retaliation Clutch (cast)
Torso, arms: Renegades Duke
Upper legs: DG Shipwreck
Lower legs: 30th Stalker
Belt: Retaliation Snake Eyes
Backpack: Chap Mei
Right thigh pouch: Marauder Task Force


Switch
Early in our brainstorming for Resurgence 3, we thought it would be fun if we each made a custom of ourselves and included them in the project. I decided that Switch could serve as a civilian advisor and part of PHX. The character’s passion for weapons development is meant as a nod to my customizing. For the recipe, the toughest part was finding a head that looks like me. Dragonsky is actually a pretty good fit.

Filecard by Kilcarr






Parts:
Head: DTC Dragonsky
Torso, upper arms: 25th Duke
Lower arms: RoC Zartan
Les: Renegades Cobra Trooper
Vest: PoC Zartan


Next: Heli-Viper and Forest Ambush Mission Set from Oreobuilder

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Day 13: Forest Ambush Heli-Viper and Radar Station






Heli-Viper by Oreobuilder

Packaging by Sam Panico










Heli-Viper was originally made to fit into the Mission Brazil Cobra Team. I finished him pretty quickly even before we had finalized the roster. When we settled on the other team members, Heli-Viper did not fit anymore. He was a lone troop builder in a group of named characters. For that reason, I removed him and decided to include him in the main project instead.

I stuck pretty close to the recipe I used for my original Heli-Vipers a few years ago. Color-wise, he is inspired by the Club’s Operation Flaming MOTH as well as the 2002 Viper.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Parts:
Head: 25th Snow Serpent
Torso, arms: 25th Deep Six
Legs: PoC Alley Viper
Copter: Retaliation Ultimate Cobra Commander


Cobra Radar Station by Oreobuilder
"COBRA detects GI JOE airborne forces at the RADAR STATION! The radar dish swivels and elevates to find Joe! Includes 2 COBRA VIPERS!"

Packaging by Sam Panico








I picked up the Hoth turret at a toy con thinking that it could make a cool Sonic Fighters weapon. However, when I came up with the idea for the Mission Sets, I knew it was a perfect size and theme for these (and I can still display it with my Sonic Fighters if I want). I tried to tweak it a bit to make it less recognizable. Changing the color to Cobra blue helps.

For the Vipers, I used this recipe, in classic colors, for the first Resurgence Project in 2014. Since then, I have wanted to make more in different colors. Also, I have had a "green Viper"on my customs to do list since the Spytroops green Viper was one of my favorites from that line. This project gave me the opportunity to combine all these wishes.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Parts:
Head, backpack, rifle: 25th Viper
Torso, arms: Renegades Cobra Trooper
Legs: 30th Spirit


Next: Stink Bug from bucky and Patch from Oreobuilder

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Day 14: City Strike Stink Bug and Patch






Stinkbug by bucky
Packaging by Sam Panico








Stinkbug was an original character from part 1. I had alot of fun with the 1st version, though he was a somewhat clunky build. I couldn't pass the chance up to make him again once I had the Scarecrow webgear in hand. I was able to get a toxo viper conversion backpack at Joecon '15. I tried something new and
did some "rust" weathering with it as well, and built the toxo gun from a couple of different pieces.

Filecard by G1Trekker




Parts:
Head:Roc flash with tubing added
Web gear:DCU Scarecrow
Weapons: cast Toxo viper backpack, modded gun. Belt from raginspoon.


Patch by Oreobuilder
Packaging by Sam Panico








I have had SK Omega characters on my customs radar for a while. I pieced together most of the main cast last year, but never got around to painting and accessorizing them. This project gave me the excuse I needed to get off my behind and get them done. I find it fitting that these characters would be included in a GI Joe toy line as they were created by the fathers of the modern GI Joe mythos.

Patch was the character that I was most looking forward to making. I really like the red cross t-shirt with urban camouflage fatigues look of the source material and I tried to be as faithful to it as possible.

Filecard by Sam Panico






Parts:
Head: PTE
Torso, arms: 25th Airborne
Legs: Retaliation Firefly
Vest: 25th Gung Ho
Gun: Marauder
Medical case: 30th Lifeline


Next: Big Boa from Dusty79 and Foxtrot from Oreobuilder

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